Volker Weidler
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany
German| Born | 18 March 1962 Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany |
|---|---|
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality | German |
| Active years | 1989 |
| Teams | Rial |
| Entries | 10 (0 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1989 Brazilian Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1989 Hungarian Grand Prix |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
|---|---|
| Years | 1987, 1989–1992 |
| Teams | Porsche Kremer Racing, Mazdaspeed (Mazdaspeed/Oreca) |
| Best finish | 1st (1991) |
| Class wins | 1 (1991) |
Volker Hermann Weidler (born 18 March 1962) is a retired racing driver from Germany, best known for winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1991.
Formula racing
In 1985, Weidler became German Formula Three champion.
In the 1989 Formula One season, Weidler entered ten Formula One Grands Prix, racing for the Rial team, but failed to qualify the uncompetitive car on every occasion.
After Formula One, Weidler moved to Japan and raced in the Japanese Formula 3000 Championship and the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship. He often fought over the title with Kazuyoshi Hoshino, Ross Cheever and others in the Japanese Formula 3000, and became popular in Japan.
GT / Sportscars
In 1991, Weidler teamed with Johnny Herbert and Bertrand Gachot to win Le Mans behind the wheel of the Wankel engine-powered Mazda 787B, marking also the first win of the legendary French race by both a Japanese manufacturer and engine supplier. This Wankel engine-powered car was noted for being very loud.
Possibly related to the hours spent in the noisy Mazda,[citation needed] Weidler began to suffer from an ear problem (sensorineural hearing loss) which eventually forced him to retire prematurely from the Japanese Formula 3000 Championship during the 1992 season though Weidler was leading the championship at that time.
When Weidler left the Japanese team, Nova Engineering, he recommended Heinz-Harald Frentzen as his successor.[citation needed]
