Stuck Named Grand Marshal for 6H Nürburgring

Former 24 Hours of Le Mans winner and 1985 Sportscar World Champion Hans-Joachim Stuck will be the guest of honor of the World Endurance Championship at its first race in Germany.

Stuck, who began his racing career at the Nürburgring in 1969, will be on the grid to provide the ceremonial start for the fourth round of the 2015 WEC seson.

Stuck was born in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. He was taught to drive on the Nürburgring by his father Hans Stuck, completing his first lap at the age of 9.

He took the start of his first ever race in 1969 on the Nordschleife and the following year, at just 19 years of age, he won his first 24-hour race at the wheel of a BMW 2002TI, a feat he repeated in 1998 and 2004 also in a BMW touring car.

Following success in touring cars and Formula 2, Stuck entered F1 in 1974 with the March team.

He participated in 81 Grands Prix, achieving 2 podiums. Stuck continued racing sports cars all over the world with huge success, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice with a Porsche 962 (1986 and 1987) and also won the Sportscar World Championship with Derek Bell in 1985.

In April 2012 Stuck was appointed President of the German Motorsport Association (Deutscher Motor Sport Bund).

“The WEC’s 6 Hours of Nürburgring brings to Germany the spirit of another famous endurance classic, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and allows us to once more enjoy the sights and sounds of world-class sports prototypes and GT cars including many which are German-built,” Stuck said.

“Thousand kilometre races have a long tradition at the Nürburgring, and I’m extremely happy that the WEC is ‘coming back’ to Germany.”

Pierre Fillon, President of the ACO, added: “It is an immense pleasure to announce Hans-Joachim Stuck as the Grand Marshal for the first visit to Germany by the World Endurance Championship.

“He is one of the all-time greats of motorsport, a former Sportscar World Champion and a two-time overall winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Porsche.

“We can’t think of a better person to wave the flag to start the first World Endurance Championship race in Germany.”