Volker Weidler

Weidler during the 1989 season in his Rial overalls

**Volker Hermann Weidler** (born 18 March 1962) is a retired German racing driver. He entered 10 Formula One races in 1989 as part of the Rial team, but, failed to make it out of pre-qualifying each time.

## Early life and career

Weidler was one of many unlucky F1 pilots caught up in the pre-qualifying frenzy in 1989. Prior to that, he had crossed paths with some big names, the most notable of which was his participation in the EFDA Euroseries Formula Ford 2000 in 1982. Although he only scored one point in that series, it came at Hockenheim in a race won by the legendary Ayrton Senna. Senna ended up winning the entire championship. In 1983, Weidler advanced to German Formula Three, driving a Ralt RT3 powered by a Volkswagen engine for the Walter Lechner Racing School team. He won his first non-championship race, but in the championship, he took longer to catch up. However, by round four at Wunstorf, he had achieved a hat-trick of pole, win, and fastest lap. More competitive results followed, including another pole, a second place, and two third-place finishes, totalling 72 points and placing third overall.

In 1984, Volker joined the works Volkswagen Motorsport team, providing engines for a Ralt RT3 chassis. Building on his previous year's accomplishments, he took 5 poles, 3 wins, 4 fastest race laps, and a pair of podium finishes, but more often than not, he had to give his all to eventual champion Kurt Thiim, and Weidler finished second overall on 154 points. In the same car, he completed rounds of the British Championship, finishing 16th with 4 points. Weidler returned to German F3 for a third season in 1985, and despite switching to Josef Kaufmann Racing in a Martini MK45 Volkswagen, he remained the overwhelming favourite. He did not disappoint. With six poles, six wins, and four fastest laps, he was crowned champion with three rounds remaining, despite a close battle with Danish driver Kris Nissen. Weidler finished with 195 points.

With the end of the European F3 championship in 1984, international F3 races were scarce in 1985, but there was the F3 Eurocup at Circuit Paul Ricard, where Weidler finished third behind Thomas Danielsson and Alex Caffi. Volker also competed in the prestigious end-of-year F3 race in Macau, driving a Ralt RT30 Volkswagen, but the experience was disappointing, as Weidler finished seventh. Weidler made his sports car racing debut in 1985, driving a Porsche 956 for the Joest team alongside Marc Duez and 'John Winter' at the World Championship round in Spa, finishing sixth. Weidler competed in more WSC events in 1986, finishing 10th at the Nürburgring with Greek driver Costas Los in a Cosmic Racing March 84G Porsche, and then 12th at Spa and 4th at Fuji in a Kremer Racing Porsche 962 C with Bruno Giacomelli for 39th overall on 14 points.

In fact, 1986 was a very busy year for Weidler, and sports cars were not his primary focus. For one thing, he had successfully transitioned to German touring cars, winning two rounds at the Nürburgring and AVUS and setting two fastest laps in his Team Marko Mercedes Benz 190E 2.3-16 en route to second place overall in the series. He had also raced in Formula 3000 in a Bromley Motorsport Ralt RT20 Cosworth sponsored by Rial wheels, but a string of midfield finishes and two DNQs failed to impress. Perhaps the constant switching between categories had harmed him, so in 1987 he returned to sports cars, joining Kremer to drive their Porsche 962C alongside old rival Nissen (with Allen Berg and Kunimitsu Takahashi joining them for a round each). However, after finishing fourth in the first round at Jarama and second in the second round at Jerez, the season took a turn for the worse, culminating in an embarrassing DNF at Fuji due to running out of fuel. With 31 points, Weidler was tied for 20th in the standings.

But perhaps single-seaters were where he really wanted to race, and in 1987 he took part in a test day at Donington where Ron Dennis and James Hunt judged talented young drivers. Weidler and Jean Alesi were chosen to compete in F3000 in 1988, Eddie Irvine and JJ Lehto in F3, and Mika Häkkinen and Allan McNish in the Vauxhall Lotus Challenge. As a result, in 1988, Weidler raced for the Onyx team in a March 88B Cosworth F3000. Again, it was a poor season, with more mid to low grid positions and even a DNQ in Pau. Only sixth places at Brands Hatch and Dijon, as well as a fourth at Birmingham, restored his credibility, and he finished in equal 15th place with 5 points. Meanwhile, Kremer's four more WSC drives in a Porsche 962C/CK6 with Nissen, Giacomelli, and Manuel Reuter earned Weidler 22 points, good for 36th overall.

## Formula One

Despite his mediocre results, Weidler was able to break into F1 in 1989 with Gunter Schmid's Rial team thanks to his connections. After all, Rial had supported him in 1986, and Marlboro had backed his 1987 Donington test. So, when Rial changed their drivers in 1989, Weidler landed a ride alongside fellow German and the team's undisputed leader, Christian Danner. However, problems began to arise almost immediately. Not only was the team's management weak with the volatile Schmid at the helm, but the ARC2 chassis was nothing more than an update of the 1988 Gustav Brunner-designed car, which had performed admirably under Jean-Louis Schlesser. However, in 1989, powered by the ubiquitous Cosworth V8 engine, it was an outmoded model with little chance of improvement. Furthermore, Weidler was clearly out of his depth. It was a travesty. The Rials, which were only getting slower, were now hogging parking spaces that should have gone to more deserving cars. Weidler never looked like qualifying, and he received little assistance from his team. His relationship with Schmid deteriorated, and both he and technical director Stefan Fober left the team. Rial never recovered from its 1989 debacle and was never seen again.

## Post-Formula One career

The Rial experience had thrown Weidler's European career into disarray, so he turned to Japan in 1990. He began driving in Japanese F3000 in a Team Take One Lola T90/50 Mugen, and he improved throughout the season, finishing fifth at Suzuka, third at Fuji, and winning at Fuji as well. With 15 points, he finished sixth overall. He also competed in sports cars in the Japanese Sports Prototype Championship, sharing a Porsche 962C with Akihiko Nakaya and Yukihiro Hane. Notable finishes included 5th at Fuji and 2nd at Suzuka, for 27 points, putting them equal 11th. When the World Sportscar Championship raced in Suzuka, Weidler joined Nakaya in a Swiss Team Salamin Porsche 962C and finished tenth.

In 1991, Weidler competed in both categories. In F3000, he drove his Kawai Steel Team Nova Lola T91/50 Mugen to third place in Sendai, Suzuka twice, and Fuji, as well as victory in another race at Fuji, for 25 points and third place overall. In the JSPC, he and Nakaya remained with From A Racing, driving a Nissan R91CK to three second places at Fuji, Suzuka, and Sugo, finishing equal seventh with 52 points. For many years, Japanese marques had their sights set on the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Toyota and Nissan had tried unsuccessfully to win it, and Mazda had also entered the fray. In 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans, Mazda returned with their works Mazdaspeed team, putting their unfancied 787B chassis in the hands of Weidler, Bertrand Gachot and Johnny Herbert. In a major upset, they emerged victorious by two laps, the greatest success of Weidler's career. It was their only appearance in the WSC that year, but it earned them 20 points and placed them equal 16th overall.

In 1992, Weidler's programme remained similar. He returned to F3000 racing, and with his From A Nissan R91CK, which he now shared with Mauro Martini and Katsutomo Kaneishi, he finished second, third, and third in the first three JSPC rounds. As Mazda prepared for their Le Mans defence with their new MXR-01 car, Weidler raced with Maurizio Sala in the first round of the WSC at Monza, retiring due to engine problems, before finishing fourth at Le Mans with Gachot and Herbert, 16 laps down. However, just as his career was resuming, Volker was diagnosed with tinnitus, a hereditary disease that causes deafness, a constant buzzing in the ear, and a loss of balance. He was advised to take time off for an operation, but he decided to retire entirely. Weidler finished eighth in the 1992 JSPC with 39 points and tied 23rd in the WSC with 10 points.