Markus Höttinger
Markus Höttinger (born May 28, 1956 in Neunkirchen ; † April 13, 1980 in Heidelberg ) was an Austrian automobile racing driver who had a fatal accident during a race for the Formula 2 European Championship at the Hockenheimring .
Career
After Höttinger had won the Renault 5 Cup in 1977, Helmut Marko noticed him and promoted the young racing driver. Shortly afterwards, BMW Motorsport Director Jochen Neerpasch became interested in the young Austrian and signed him to replace Eddie Cheever in the 1000 km race in Kyalami . Höttinger finished third together with his teammate and recommended himself for a cockpit in the German racing championship , which he received in 1978 . In his debut season, he finished fourth overall. In 1979 , in addition to his involvement in the German racing championship, he was also active in Formula 2, where he competed in several races.
In 1980 the Austrian switched to the Maurer team in Formula 2 , which drove with BMW engines. Höttinger started the season with great expectations, but at the first race in Thruxton he was out on the first lap due to an engine failure. A week later, at the Formula 2 race at the Hockenheimring, Höttinger had a fatal accident. Derek Warwick , who was driving in front of him , lost the right rear wheel of his racing car in an accident. The bike flew over the track and hit Höttinger on the head. Höttinger was flown by rescue helicopter to Heidelberg University Hospital , where the doctors could only determine that he was dead. The accident shows parallels to that of Henry Surtees in 2009.
Höttinger, who was considered a great motorsport talent in his home country, should have made his Formula 1 debut at the Grand Prix held four months later in his home country Austria .
statistics
Individual results in the sports car world championship
| season | team | race car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4th | 5 | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | BMW Faltz Osella BMW Austria |
BMW 320 |
 DAY
|
SEB
|
 MUG
|
VALLEY
|
 DIJ
|
 SIL
|
 ONLY
|
LEM
|
MIS
|
DAY
|
WAT
|
VAL
|
ROD
|
| 6th | DNF | DNF | DNF |
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Höttinger, Markus |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Austrian racing driver |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 28, 1956 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Neunkirchen (Lower Austria) , Austria |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 13, 1980 |
| Place of death | Heidelberg , Germany |