Jochen Mass

This book not only describes the huge success of Jochen Mass as a racing driver, but it also reveals more about the man himself, apart from his motor racing career. The review below is divided into English/German, for those readers who would like an insight into this fine work in either language.
[full_width]Vorwort
Das Vorwort ist von Sydne Mass, der Tochter von Jochen Mass, und hier gibt sie uns einen kleinen Einblick in das Privatleben von ihrem Vater.
Sydne ist ein großer Bewunderer ihres Vaters. Sie schwärmt von ihrem Zuhause, das voller Fotos von Autos und der Familie ist. Auch finden sich übervolle Regale mit Büchern von Eric Newby, Paul Theroux und Stephen Hawking, sowie Geschichtsbücher über alte Zivilisationen, Kriege und Eroberungen im Wohnzimmer. Sie sagt, dass ihr Vater tief im Herzen ein Eroberer ist, was vielleicht auch erklärt, warum er vor seiner Karriere als Rennfahrer zur See gefahren ist. Er verließ mit 17 Jahren das Internat und fuhr zur See, „um seine Neugierde für die Welt zu stillen,“ sagt Sydne. Man kann deshalb auch überall im Haus Bilder von großen Segelschiffen und Schiffsmodellen finden.
Sydne erinnert sich an viele Reisen mit ihrem Vater und der Familie, wo er ihnen Geschichten aus seinem Leben erzählte, und wenn einmal geschwiegen wurde, war es nie unkomfortabel. Im Hintergrund spielte oft afrikanische Musik, Bob Dylan und Paul Simon oder sie hörten Audiobücher von Hemingway.
Wenn sie ihren Vater zu Veranstaltungen begleitet, kommt es Sydne noch immer seltsam vor, dass ihr Vater ein „bekannter“ Mann ist, denn für sie ist er einfach Papa.
Und so gibt dieses Vorwort dem Buch einen ganz persönlichen, intimen Ton. Man hat das Gefühl, dass man nun in die private Welt des Jochen Mass eintritt.[/full_width]

Review

The book is simply entitled ‘Jochen Mass’, and the front cover has a good-sized image of the man on it. The front cover image shows Mass in a no-nonsense and yet pleasant mood, perhaps disguising somewhat the steely determination that the driver possessed.

Having met and interviewed Jochen Mass on several occasions, his humorous and jovial exterior is typical of the man, and yet beneath the surface is a focussed and driven competitor. Mass drove competitively between the years 1968-1991, a period spanning almost a quarter of a century, during which time the world witnessed quite possibly some of the most exciting times in motorsport. This period included the turbo years of the 1970s, and the wild and exciting years of Group C through the 1980s, but his career wasn’t all about sports car racing.

During Mass’ career, he drove for a good number of different manufacturers, including Alfa Romeo (GTA), Ford (Capri), Formula V, Formula 3 (Brabham), Formula 2 (March and Team Surtees), Chevron B21 sports cars and Team Surtees Formula 1. This was followed by a drive for the McLaren Formula 1 team in the M23.
His move into sports car racing came in 1975 when he earned a seat in the Gelo Racing Ford Mirage in the European Interserie, followed by a stint in the Willi Kauhsen Alfa Romeo 33 TT 12. Through the late ‘70s Mass continued with Formula 1 racing through into the early ‘80s as well competing in sports car racing.

Mass drove for Porsche in the 935 and 936 for the factory, and through the late ‘70s he also drove the famous ‘Moby Dick’ 935/78. In 1982 Mass had the opportunity to drive the legendary Group C Porsche 956 for the factory team, where he would partner with the likes of Jacky Ickx, Derek Bell and Stefan Bellof. Moving into the mid-80s, Jochen Mass also turned his skills to the Paris-Dakar Rallye in a Mercedes and this later led him to compete in Group C for Mercedes in the Sauber Mercedes C9.

It was quite the norm during this time for drivers to drive in different categories of racing, and for different manufacturers. As a driver, you went where the money was, and this meant that they would have to chop and change loyalties quite regularly. Mass’ pleasant but professional character made him an instant hit with teams, and added to this was his ability to win in almost anything.

This book is extremely well presented in a convenient size for easy reading. The Foreword is written by Jochen’s daughter, Sydne Mass, which lends a truly family feel to the book. It is well supported with images and at the rear of the book, it has a complete history of Jochen Mass’ racing achievements.
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