+8 40 years of Porsche Group C: Jochen Mass looks back
40 years of Porsche Group C: Jochen Mass looks back
40 years of Porsche Group C: Jochen Mass looks back
40 years of Porsche Group C: Jochen Mass looks back
In 1982, Porsche embarked on one of its most successful adventures in racing. With the 952 and the 962, Porsche would utterly dominate Group C (and IMSA) racing. Forty years later, we look back in a series with Jochen Mass, Derek Bell, Hans-Joachim Stuck and Bernd Schneider. Today, part 1: Jochen Mass.
Jochen Mass (75) never won Le Mans with Porsche. For that, he had to wait until 1989, with Sauber Mercedes. What he did do with Porsche, was win nine races in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) with the 956/962.
He won more, Mass was a Porsche factory driver from 1976 on, but we are only looking at the 956 and 962 here. In fact, his dominance was so overwhelming that he and his partner Jacky Ickx simply became known as MIX. This was also how they were noted on the signalling boards on the pit wall. Their teammates Derek Bell and Hans-Joachim Stuck had the better call sign – BEST – but inferior results.
Mass helped Jacky Ickx take the drivers’ world championship title in the WEC in 1982 and in 1983. Jochen Mass himself missed out on the title because at times Porsche mixed the crews, and Ickx had better results on these occasions. But in short, in the WEC, MIX was the dominant combination in the first two years of Group C.
Bringing Rothmans on board
Perhaps even more important: it was Jochen Mass who got Rothmans on the Porsches. The German driver caught word that Rothmans – back then sponsor of the Opel rally team in the world championship – was investigating an entry in the WEC with Lola. He quickly connected the management of the cigarette brand with the management at Porsche. And that’s how iconic liveries get created. Mass himself also was sponsored by Rothmans in his March Formula 1 in the 1982 season.
“Where did the corner go?”
“The first time we drove the Porsche 956 was at Le Castellet in the beginning of 1982,” Mass recalls. “First I drove the Porsche 936, until Norbert Singer said: ‘Enough of that, let’s get you out in the new car. The 956 had so much downforce, suddenly Le Castellet felt like a different circuit to me. After the pits, you had a fast S combination. In the 936, you had to stay focused to get it right. But in the 956, it was simply flat out. As if the corner just wasn’t there. And I felt like this in other corners as well, to a point where I started asking myself: ‘What circuit am I on here?’. Corners I knew no longer seemed to be there.”
1-2-3
The first big test for the 956 came at Le Mans in June. In the race, Porsche would find itself taking the whole podium, in the order of the cars numbered 1-2-3 no less. Of course, Mass found himself in car #2. It would be his best result in the Porsche Group C era. “The thing is, I never liked Le Mans,” he admits. In 1983, he had a DNF, in 1984 Porsche pulled out the factory entries. 1985 brought 10th place. 1986 brought an accident at 3 in the morning and in 1987 he had to retire early with engine damage in the car he shared with Bob Wollek and Vern Schuppan.
Corners I knew no longer seemed to be there
Jochen Mass
Jochen Mass always showed extraordinary character. To begin with, his way into racing followed an unusual path. Mass was in the merchant navy for three years before applying with a German Alfa Romeo dealer who also ran a race team. Mass started as a mechanic and impressed with his driving skills… in the team truck. This led to his first competitive outings in hill climbs in Alfa Romeos. In 1971, Jochen Neerpasch recruited him for Ford’s touring car program. By 1976, he had a works contract with Porsche.
DRM champion
In 1985, Mass had his busiest year in prototype racing. Next to the works drives in the WEC, he was competing with Joest in a 956 in the DRM, the German racing championship. Mass would win the championship that year in the Blaupunkt-sponsored Porsche. He also competed in some races in the IMSA championship in a Busby-entered Porsche 962. Highlight was third place at the Daytona 24 Hours.
“I never had to worry about fitness, these cars were so easy to drive,” Mass states. “Monaco in a Formula 1, that was a challenge. But these Porsches were designed for long distances. The seats were padded and I’d even say there was a certain level of comfort. They were fabulous to drive over a long distance. At first, we still raced with just two drivers at Le Mans, but it became clear that we were evolving towards a three driver-situation which would become the norm.”
Distrusting carbon
One thing Mass remembers clearly: “The aluminium monocoques tended to lose stiffness as the miles piled up. This caused some jealousy among the factory crews who got which chassis to compete with. But we had the best technology available at the time. Carbon was appearing, but people were wary at the time. There had been some incidents with carbon in Formula 1 with Lotus, which caused some distrust in this new technology.”
Norbert Singer adds: “We did consider carbon at the time. The problem was, the racing and development department at Porsche was still a small department at the time. We simply did not have the people to investigate both options properly. On top of that, carbon demanded a lot of infrastructure. So, we settled upon the aluminium monocoque.” Carbon came later in the life of the 962 with some privately run Group C cars. “I remember it made the cars much more uncomfortable,” Mass says.
Incredible time
At the end of 1987, Porsche let Mass go. Mercedes quickly called and offered him a seat in their Group C project, which would lead to a Le Mans win in 1989.
“In the end, me and Jacky, we teamed up for eleven years with Porsche. Looking back on the Group C period, I can only say the 956 and 962 have been splendid for all their life, which is rather incredible. Norbert Singer did an excellent job.”
