![]() That was a brilliant season, in which he conquered five wins and obtained a second place in the classification table, behind his team mate Klaus Ludwig. Looking back once again at the DRM series, in 1981 he signed with Team Zakspeed to drive a Ford Capri Turbo. However, Wilkenhock would not start that race. Surprisingly, Winkelhock escaped wholly unscathed however, he did vomit when he saw the images of the crash on tv later that evening.īuilding upon his extensive Formula 2 experience, Winkelhock's first attempt to qualify for a Formula 1 Grand Prix was in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in 1980 - when he was called by team Arrows to replace an injured Jochen Mass. It then hit the ground upside down and rolled six times to utter destruction. The front wing of his March bended, due to a starting crash, and the car underwent a blow-over at the top of the crest at the Flugplatz. The most memorable, undoubtedly, was a monumental crash that became known as "The Nürburgring Take-Off”. His best result was a third place in the Gran Premio del Mediterraneo at Pergusa in his season marred by several accidents. In the European Formula 2 Championship he piloted a works March 802–BMW. At the latter, he drove a BMW M1 as well as a Porsche 935 for Team Jöst, obtaining two wins at Salzburgring and Nürburgring. Such dual campaigns in Formula 2 and the DRM series continued in 1980. In that same year Winkelhock also raced an old Ralt RT1–BMW for Team Cassani the European Formula 2 Championship, scoring an impressive third place, paired with the best lap, at the Nürburgring round, close behind the winning factory March 792-BMW of Marc Surer, and Brian Henton, second in a Toleman March 782-Hart. He would up those wins to three in 1979, in the year when he debuted at the 24 Hours of Le Mans - obtaining a respactable sixth place, second in class, in a BMW M1 with French drivers Hervé Poulain and Marcel Mignot. In parallel, he won two DRM races, once again at Zolder and Zandvoort. In 1978 Manfred Winkelhock joined Team March and drove one of the three works March 782-BMW cars, along with Surer an Bruno Giacomelli, who won the title, in the European Formula 2 Championship. Driving a Schnitzer BMW 320, Winkelhock won a race at Zolder and was classified third in the final championship table. Such credentialed him to be signed the following season by Jochen Neerpasch for the BMW Junior Team, competing in the DRM (Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft) with youngsters Marc Surer and Eddie Cheever as team mates. In 1976 he entered the VW Scirocco Cup, scoring four wins and the title. ![]() Variant: 4.102-kilometer road course (1961-2000)īorn in Waibligen, a small town close to Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, then West Germany, on 06 October 1951, Manfred “Bibi” Winkelhock was a car and truck mechanic before starting his racing career at the age of 25 in regional hillclimbs and slalom races. Venue: Mosport Park (offically called Canadian Tire Motorsport Park since 2012) ![]() Birth Place: Waiblingen, West Germany (now Germany)
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