| Bob Wollek | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nationality | French |
| Born | Robert Jean Wollek (1943-11-04)November 4, 1943 |
| Died | March 16, 2001(2001-03-16) (aged 57) Sebring, Florida, U.S. |
| Wins | 76 |
Robert Jean "Bob" Wollek[1] (4 November 1943 – 16 March 2001), nicknamed "Brilliant Bob", was a race car driver fromStrasbourg,France. He won a total of 76 races in his career, 71 inPorsche cars, including four editions of the24 Hours of Daytona and one edition of the12 Hours of Sebring. He died in a road accident inFlorida while riding a bicycle back to his accommodation after the day's practice sessions for the following day's race, the12 Hours of Sebring.
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men'sSkiing | ||
Representing France | ||
| Winter Universiade | ||
 | 1966 Sestriere | Men'sdownhill |
| 1966 Sestriere | Men'sgiant slalom |
| 1966 Sestriere | Men'scombined |
 | 1966 Sestriere | Men'sslalom |
| 1968 Innsbruck | Men'scombined |
Prior to his racing days as a university student, Wollek was also a member of the French National Skiing Team between 1966 and 1968 competing in the WinterUniversiade, he won three gold and two silver medals altogether (see table on the right).[2]
His skiing career came to an end when he was injured during preparations for theWinter Olympics.[3]
Prior to a skiing accident which ended his skiing career, Wollek began racing cars when he entered the Mont-Blanc Rally in 1967 driving aRenault 8 Gordini and won. The following year, when his skiing career ended, he started his racing career when he entered a VolantShell scholarship race taking place at theLe Mans'Bugatti Circuit, finishing runner-up toFrançois Migault. Wollek later entered the Alpine Trophy Le Mans which he won, earning himself a place for the1968 24 Hours of Le Mans where he finished 11th overall and 2nd in class on his debut driving anAlpine A210.[3]
In 1969, Wollek made his debut in single seater racing competing in Formula France before graduating to theFrench Formula Three Championship.
During a round atRouen-Les-Essarts, Wollek was involved in a fatal accident which killed Jean-Luc Salomon,[4] when the pair plusJean-Pierre Jaussaud,Richard Scott andMike Beuttler were all fighting for the lead at Scierie, where the track is a two-lane road.
In 1971, Wollek switched toFormula Two driving forRon Dennis'sRondel Racing.[3][5] After a shaky start with only one pointthat year,[6] he improved his performance for thefollowing year with a single win atImola and 21 points, placing him seventh.[7] Despite this success, he abandoned his Formula One ambition to concentrate on sportscar racing where he would become one of the most recognizable names in the sport.
During his three decades ofsports car racing, almost exclusively inPorsches, he won the24 Hours of Daytona four times (1983, 1985, 1989, 1991) and theDRM in 1982 and 1983, with thePorsche 936 andPorsche 956 entered by theJoest Racing team. In the mid-1970s, he raced aPorsche 935K2 improved and entered by theKremer Racing team fromCologne.
For many years,Monsieur Porsche challenged the factory team with privately entered cars, but was also hired to become part of the official Porsche Le Mans team in 1978, 1979, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1996, 1997, and 1998. In 1981, he even raced aGroup C-specKremer-builtPorsche 917, about a decade after these cars were retired initially.
Wollek never won the24 Hours of Le Mans overall, despite coming close in a few of his thirty attempts. In 1997, his leading factory-enteredPorsche 911 GT1 suffered damage in a minor incident, so the car had to be retired. In 1998, Porsche scored a 1–2 win, but Bob was once again on the less-lucky runner-up car.
After the 1998 season, Porsche retired its GT1 cars from the Mercedes-dominatedFIA GT Championship, providing only Porsche 911 based cars for the lower GT classes. In 2000, Wollek scored many class wins in theAmerican Le Mans Series (ALMS) in aPorsche 996 GT3. The last race Wollek entered was the 2001 12 Hours of Sebring in a Porsche 996 GT3-RS. Wollek had already won there in 1985 withA. J. Foyt, driving aPorsche 962. Despite being over 50 years of age and still racing competitively, Wollek had developed a fitness regime of riding bicycles to stay in good physical condition, especially for the longer races such as the24 Hours of Le Mans, to which he rode from home across France.
Typical of many other racing drivers, Bob ran a car dealership forJaguar.[8]
On Friday 16 March 2001, while leavingSebring International Raceway following practice for the12 Hours of Sebring, Wollek continued a tradition of cycling between the circuit and his accommodation, which took him west onHighway 98. While he had been riding close to the edge of the pavement, he was struck from behind by avan driven by an elderly driver fromOkeechobee, Florida at approximately 4:30 p.m.[9][10] He was transported to Highlands Regional Medical Center in Sebring and was pronounced dead on arrival. Wollek was due to start in the Petersen MotorsportsPorsche 996 GT3-RS withJohnny Mowlem and Michael Petersen,[10] however out of respect the car was withdrawn from the race.[11] On race day, the organizers held a one-minute silence in memory of Wollek. Prior to his death, he announced he would retire from racing to serve as an ambassador forPorsche, and was due to sign this agreement upon returning home after Sebring.
| International | |
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| Other | |
