Born : March 23 1939
Biography Jochen Neerpasch
Jochen Neerpasch was born in the industrial city of Krefeld, close to Essen. The father of Jochen Neerpasch ran a Borghward dealership. That means Neerpasch grew up surrounded by cars and has cars and motorsport in his DNA. Obviously his choice to attend a technical education didn’t surprise anybody. His childhood dream was to become a racer. However, his parents didn’t allow him because that was way to dangerous. After his school years, Jochen Neerpasch moved to Stuttgart and started working for Porsche. Unfortunately Neerpasch wasn’t hired as a racer, but rather as a mechanic. To the great disappointment of Neerpasch, he even started in the Diesel-department. Later however, Neerpasch moved to the department where he could service the Fuhrman engines of fortunate customers who used their Porsche for racing.
The start of the race career of Jochen Neerpasch
The race career of Jochen Neerpasch began in the early 1960s in a Borghward Isabella. During the week, Neerpasch worked at Porsche. In the weekends he raced hillclimbs and on the track, without his parents even knowing about his sportive exploits. However, Jochen Neerpasch had great succes while racing. So Borghward sent an award, to his parents address. Then Neerpasch started working for Volvo in Frankfurt, so he started racing in a Volvo 122 instead of his earlier Borghward Isabella.
The Targa Florio.. his first race for Porsche
In 1964 Ford asked Neerpasch to race some rallies, sharing a wheel with Joachim Springer. That was about the time that Ford decided to start racing in Europe too. So Jochen Neerpasch suddenly had colleagues like Dan Gurney, and Bob Bondurant. The Targa Florio was not on the agenda for Ford. Joachim Springer was asked to drive the Porsche ‘Dreikantschaber’ in the race. However, Springer didn’t accept the invitation, and tolt Huschke von Hanstein it would be better that Jochen Neerpasch took the wheel. Edgar Barth mentored Neerpasch during training. To everybody’s surprise, the duo Günter Klass and Jochen Neerpasch drove in 2nd position with just 2 laps to go. Unfortunately, damaged brake lines forced them to abandon the race. One could think this would be the start of the race career of Neerpasch at Porsche. However, Huschke von Hanstein wanted to play the game tactically. Neerpasch however had set a deadline, both for him and Porsche. And since Porsche did not reach out, he decided to sign a contract with Caroll Shelby.
Jochen Neerpasch as a Porsche factory team member
1966 was the year Jochen Neerpasch was a member of the Porsche factory race team. In a Porsche 906 Carrera 6, the duo Neerpasch / Koch won the GP of Mugello. As a fulltime member of the Porsche factory team, Jochen Neerpasch shared a Porsche 910 with Vic Elford to finish third in the Nurburgring 1000 in 1967. Same car, co-driver and result in the the Targa Florio. At the Le Mans 24H, Neerpasch shared a Porsche 910 with Rolf Stommelen and finished 6th overall. In August, Jochen Neerpasch teamed up with Hans Herrmann and Vic Elford in the Marathon de la Route in a 1967 Porsche 911R and won the endurance race of 84 hours. 1968 had a bad start for Jochen Neerpasch. During a training a few weeks before the Daytona 24H, Neerpasch crashed his car. He was injured but recoverd just in time for the race. That meant he could start in the race in a Porsche 907 he shared with Vic Elford. They were too fast for the rest of the field and took the chequered flag. That was the 1st overall victory for Porsche at the Daytona 24H.
That same year, the Spa 1000KM took place in wet and miserable circumstances. Unfortunately, Neerpasch couldn’t cope with that, and spun the Porsche 908 he was sharing with Vic Elford. 1968 was the year lots of strikes went on in France. That caused a delay for the Le Mans 24H, which could only take place in September. At that time, Jochen Neerpasch knew he would quit his active race career after the race, and start as race director for Ford. At a sudden time in the race, Jochen Neerpasch and Rolf Stommelen drove in 1st position in the Porsche 908. Whoever won the race, Ford or Porsche ,would win the World Manufacturer Championship. A broken alternator however forced them into the pits and back to 3rd position at the end of the race. Pedro Rodriguez and Lucien Bianchi won the 1968 Le Mans 24H in a Ford GT40 and the championship.
After his race career
As a race director with Ford, Jochen Neerpasch built a strong team around the Ford Capri RS. In 1972 he moved to BMW. Neerpasch then made a deal to supply BMW engines in Formula 2 with enormous success, particularly with the March factory team . Later he masterminded the BMW Junior Team with Marc Surer and Manfred Winkelhock. Jochen Neerpasch had a dream to see BMW in F1. However the company did not have the same idea. Reason enough for Neerpasch to quit BMW and start a career at Talbot who had F1 aspirations. Due to financial problems, this was no succes. Neerpasch moved to the FISA (later FIA) and moved to London as Vice-president Motorsport for the International Management Group McCormack. This brought him in contact with Peter Sauber, while securing a sponsorship deal with the Kouros perfume brand for the Sauber team. Neerpasch became race directory of Daimler-Benz in January 1989. In this role he oversaw the successful Sauber-run Mercedes sportscar programme, winning two World Sports-Prototype Championship titles in 1989 and 1990. In October 1990 however Neerpasch was replaced by Norbert Haug and he joined Sauber as sporting director but he left there in the summer of 1992 before the new F1 car had even run and went back to beng a motor racing consultant.
Jochen Neerpasch race results with Porsche
Year: 1964
| Date | Race | No. | Car | Drivers | Entrant | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26.4.1964 | Targa Florio | 74 | Porsche 356B Carrera | Klass / Neerpasch | Porsche System Engineering | 7th |
Year: 1966
| Date | Race | No. | Car | Drivers | Entrant | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25.4.1966 | 1000 km Monza | 40 | Porsche 904 | Weber / Neerpasch | Michael Weber | DNF |
| 17.7.1966 | GP Mugello | 158 | Porsche 906 | Koch / Neerpasch | Porsche System | 1st |
| 16.10.1966 | 1000 km Paris | 39 | Porsche 906 | Koch / Neerpasch | 15th |
Year: 1967
| Date | Race | No. | Car | Drivers | Entrant | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25.4.1967 | 1000 km Monza | 43 | Porsche 906 | Schütz / Neerpasch | Gerhard Koch | 8th |
| 25.4.1967 | 1000 km Monza | 44 | Porsche 906 | In entry list only | Gerhard Koch | DNF |
| 1.5.1967 | 1000 km Spa | 53 | Porsche 906 | Neerpasch / Schütz | Autosport International/Porsche | DNS |
| 14.5.1967 | Targa Florio | 166 | Porsche 910 | Elford / Neerpasch | Porsche System Engineering | 3rd |
| 28.5.1967 | 1000 km Nürburgring | 18 | Porsche 910 | Neerpasch / Elford | Porsche System Engineering | 3rd |
| 28.5.1967 | 1000 km Nürburgring | T | Porsche 910 | Schütz / Buzzetta / Hawkins / Koch / Neerpasch / Elford / Mitter / Bianchi / Stommelen | Porsche System Engineering | T-car |
| 11.6.1967 | 24 h Le Mans | 38 | Porsche 910 | Stommelen / Neerpasch | Porsche System Enginnering | 6th |
| 11.6.1967 | 24 h Le Mans | 39 | Porsche 910 | In entry list only | Porsche System Enginnering | DNF |
| 2.7.1967 | 6 h Nürburgring | 22 | Porsche 911 | Dechent / Neerpasch | Scuderia Lufthansa | 5th |
| 23.7.1967 | GP Mugello | 2 | Porsche 910 | Neerpasch / Stommelen | Porsche System | 2nd |
| 30.7.1967 | 6 h Brands Hatch | 12 | Porsche 907 | Herrmann / Neerpasch | Porsche System Engineering Ltd. | 4th |
| 30.7.1967 | 6 h Brands Hatch | 24 | Porsche 910 | In entry list only | Porsche System Engineering Ltd. | DNF |
| 26.8.1967 | Marathon de la route – Nurburgring 84H | 24 | Porsche 911R | Hans Herrmann /Jochen Neerpasch/Vic Elford/td> | Porsche System Engineering Ltd. | 1st |
| 15.10.1967 | 1000 km Paris | 20 | Porsche 906 | Koch / Neerpasch | Gerd Koch | DNF |
Year: 1968
| Date | Race | No. | Car | Drivers | Entrant | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.2.1968 | 24 h Daytona | 54 | Porsche 907 | Elford / Neerpasch / | Porsche Works Team | 1st |
| 23.3.1968 | 12 h Sebring | 50 | Porsche 907 | Scarfiotti / Buzzetta / *Neerpasch | Porsche Automobile Co. | DNF |
| 23.3.1968 | 12 h Sebring | 51 | Porsche 907 | Elford / Neerpasch | Porsche Automobile Co. | 2nd |
| 7.4.1968 | 6 h Brands Hatch | 36 | Porsche 907 | Elford / Neerpasch | Porsche System Engineering Limited | 3rd |
| 7.4.1968 | 6 h Brands Hatch | T | Porsche 907 | Jochen Neerpasch | Porsche System Engineering Limited | T-car |
| 25.4.1968 | 1000 km Monza | 3 | Porsche 907 | Stommelen / Neerpasch | Porsche System Engineering | 2nd |
| 5.5.1968 | Targa Florio | 222 | Porsche 907 | Herrmann / Neerpasch | Porsche System Engineering | 4th |
| 5.5.1968 | Targa Florio | 230T | Porsche 907 | Scarfiotti / Mitter / *Neerpasch | Porsche System Engineering | 49th |
| 19.5.1968 | 1000 km Nürburgring | 4 | Porsche 907 | Neerpasch / Buzzetta | Porsche | 4th |
| 26.5.1968 | 1000 km Spa | 6 | Porsche 908 | Elford / Neerpasch | Porsche System Engineering | DNF |
| 14.7.1968 | 6 h Watkins Glen | 3 | Porsche 908 | In entry list only | Porsche System Engineering, Ltd. | DNF |
| 25.8.1968 | 500 km Zeltweg | 3 | Porsche 908 | In entry list only | Porsche System Engineering Ltd. | 2nd |
| 25.8.1968 | 500 km Zeltweg | 4 | Porsche 908 | Neerpasch / Lins | Porsche System Engineering Ltd. | DNF |
| 29.9.1968 | 24 h Le Mans | 33 | Porsche 908 | Stommelen / Neerpasch | Porsche System Engineering | 3rd |
