Marc Surer

Marc Surer , born the September 18th 1951 with Füllinsdorf is a Racing driver Suisse which in particular took part in the championship of the world of 1979 to 1986. Surer disputed 82 Grands Prix, registers a total of 17 points and carried out 1 better turn in race.

Biography

Marc Surer begins in mechanical sports by karting and becomes champion of Switzerland of the discipline in 1972. He reaches the Formule 3 in 1976 and as of the following year in Formule 2 thanks to the support begins from BMW. In 1979, after three seasons, he becomes champion of Europe on March - BMW, and carries out its beginnings in Formule 1 at Ensign. It misses into two occasion its qualification but argument its first GP of Formula 1 in Watkins Glen where it qualifies its N179 in 21e position before giving up.

In 1980, Marc Surer is recruited by the German stable of Gunther Schmidt ATS. At the wheel of D3, Surer is qualified for the first two GP of the season in Argentina and in Brazil (two abandonments), but the entry on the lists of the D4 news is rather unfavourable for him. It is victim of a serious accident in South Africa and finds the way of the circuits only starting from the GP of France. D4 makes it possible to the Swiss pilot to progress in qualifications since it is classified from now on around the 13th place on the grid, without unfortunately concretizing in race. From the GP of the Netherlands, the results in qualifications decline, Surer failing even Canada. Mo Nunn, the owner of Ensign, had followed the course of sound " protégé" and again recruits it in its team for the next season.

In 1981, at the wheel of the N180B, Marc Surer succeeds in being qualified for the whole of the GP in which it takes part. At the time of the second test of the season disputed under the beating rain of Jacarepagua in Brazil, it produces the best turn in race before registering its first points in F1 while finishing 4th of a race stopped with the two hours ends lawful. Surer registers an additional point in Monaco where it finishes 6th after a modest qualification in 19th place on the grid.

At this point in time Patrick Tambay decides to leave the modest stable Theodore of Teddy Yip for Ligier. Yip and Mo Nunn are large friends: Yip injected funds in the Ensign stable when it was with most badly in 1974, one year after its rise in F1 and financed Ensign de Formule 5000 (controlled by Tambay) in 1977. Thus, to mitigate the departure of the French pilot, Mo Nunn feels obliged him " prêter" Surer. The end of season at Theodore is much duller for Surer which, little helped by poor Avon tires, finds the bottom of grid and lack even its qualification in Italy. He manages all the same to lead his TY01 to receive some places of honor, in particular in Zandvoort where he finishes 8th then in Canada where he takes down a méritoire 9th place final.

In 1982, free Surer without Theodore regret, which has just gone bankrupt and withdraws championship of the world, and take down a wheel at Arrows. But it is victim of an accident under tests deprived before the beginning of the season and takes part in its first GP only in Belgium on the circuit of Zolder where, at the wheel of A4, it is qualified in bottom of grid to reach the 7th final place. All the races of the season will proceed on the same diagram: qualification in bottom of grid then formidable increase to the door of the points. He manages however to take down one 5th place in Canada then one 6th in Hockenheim at the time of the GP of Germany.

In 1983, Surer makes a passage flash at Brabham before turning over to Arrows, which engages its A6 news, A5 having been a catastrophe. The season 1983 is a true way of cross. For lack of sponsor, A6 is entirely immaculate in Brazil and the Cosworth motorization is put in difficulty by new the turbos. The pilots Thierry Boutsen, Chico Serra then Surer make their possible to draw honestly from the qualifications but only Switzerland recovers small points with the wire of the season: it is in the points with Beach Length (5th) then in Rio and Imola (6th). Although its results impress in the bed, Surer does not succeed in taking down a new wheel and must continue with Arrows for the following season.

Beginning 1984, Surer manages to survive the wheel of atmospheric A6 of the last season. It is classified thus 7th, 9th, 8th of the first three GP of the year. The return in Europe is balanced then by a disastrous series of bad results since it gives up with 10 recoveries and lack its qualification in Monaco. The assessment of the year is thin, Surer receives the flag with checkerworks with only 5 recoveries, a7 news with turbo engine BMW committed at the semi-season enabling him to save the honor in Austria where it collects the small point of the 6th place.

Decided well to leave Arrows, Surer fails again in the conquest of a new wheel. The beginning of the season 1985 proceeds without him but it seems that F1 does not make a point of losing the pilot helvète. The week following the GP of Monaco, during tests deprived to the Paul Ricard, the French pilot François Hesnault leaves the track violently and is crushed against the safety fences. Hesnault, prisoner of a sheet cluster and very shocked decide to cease its career in F1: Bernie Ecclestone then contacts Surer (which knows the BMW motorization well turbocompressée to have tried out it at Arrows) to entrust to him the wheel of its Brabham BT54 to turbo BMW engine. Surer is emphasized quickly by registering its first point for Brabham at the end of its fourth GP (6th in Silverstone). He repeats in Zeltweg then equalizes his best result in F1 by finishing 4th GP of Italy. The end of season is even frustrating for Switzerland constrained with the abandonment with the GP of Europe whereas it was 2nd and in Australia whereas it occupied the 3rd place. To comfort itself, it is illustrated in Sport-Prototypes by gaining the 1.000 kilometers of Monza over Porsche 962 and the 24 hours of Spa-Francorchamps over BMW 635 CSI in company of Gerhard Berger, his substitute at Arrows.

In 1986, Brabham recruits Elio de Angelis (which will be replaced by Derek Warwick after its death under private tests) and Riccardo Patrese and Surer makes its return to Arrows. The season, at the wheel of a8-BMW of the former season begin with qualifications in bottom from grid and two abandonments. Then Surer finishes the three following tests in the 9th place before leaving the world of the GP. Indeed, at the time of the rally of Essen which it disputes as an amateur with Michel Wyder at the wheel of a Ford Escort RS200 of Group B, it is victim of a severe route exit and strikes several trees. The car, literally cut into two blazes up, Wyder dies while Surer is seriously burned and must put a term at its career, it is replaced at Arrows by Christian Danner coming from Osella which will register only the one catastrophic season point.

Marc Surer therefore did not cut all his bonds with the automobile competition since it was, in the years 1990, with the head of the BMW program in DTM. Today, it directs a flying school and is sporting commentator on a Suisse television channel.

Results in championship of the world of F1

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