The fluorescent orange cars of the Jägermeister Racing team, more often than not emblazoned with Porsche badges, could be found on racetracks around the world from 1972 to 2000, piloted by a selection motorsport’s most talented drivers. Graham Hill, Niki Lauda, Stefan Bellof, Hans-Joachim Stuck, Jochen Mass, Derek Bell and Jacky Ickx – they all at one point or another raced for the longstanding German outfit founded by Eckhard Schimpf. Over three decades, the team – which was financed by Schimpf’s cousin Günter Mast, owner of the Jägermeister distillery – contested thousands of races and amassed hundreds of victories, a staggering 80 of which with Schimpf himself at the wheel.
A keen and talented journalist and author of over 20 books, Schimpf revelled in the close-knit atmosphere of the paddock, even after he hung up his helmet in 1982 to focus solely on running the team. In recent years, together with his son Oliver, Schimpf has been tracking down, buying and recommissioning over 20 of his old racing cars back, with a view to launching ’72 Stagpower – The Spirit of Jägermeister Racing. The initiative endeavours to keep the spirit of the great team alive with demonstrations and exhibitions at historic events around the world. Both Ecki and Oliver Schimpf will be joining our host JP Rathgen live from the ‘Stagcave’ for the next instalment of Classic Driver Live. Prepare for personal anecdotes about racing legends, further details about ’72 Stagpower and, of course, a sea of evocative orange racing cars. Tune in on our Instagram channel live on 29 May from 1900CET/1800BST. If you can’t catch it, however, you’ll be able to watch this episode (and other previous guests) back either on our IGTV channel or right here in this very article.
Photos courtesy of Oliver Schimpf
