Bob Wollek facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bob Wollek |
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| Nationality | French |
| Born | November 4, 1943 Strasbourg, France |
| Died | March 16, 2001 (aged 57) Sebring, Florida, U.S. |
| Wins | 76 |
Robert Jean Wollek (born November 4, 1943 – died March 16, 2001) was a famous race car driver from Strasbourg, France. People often called him "Brilliant Bob." He won 76 races during his career. Most of these wins, 71 to be exact, were in Porsche cars. He won the 24 Hours of Daytona race four times and the 12 Hours of Sebring once. Sadly, he died in a bicycle accident in Florida while returning to his hotel after a practice session for a race.
Contents
A Champion Skier
| Medal record | ||
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| Men's Skiing | ||
Representing  France |
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| Winter Universiade | ||
| Gold | 1966 Sestriere | Men's downhill |
| Gold | 1966 Sestriere | Men's giant slalom |
| Gold | 1966 Sestriere | Men's combined |
| Silver | 1966 Sestriere | Men's slalom |
| Silver | 1968 Innsbruck | Men's combined |
Before he became a race car driver, Bob Wollek was a talented skier. He was part of the French National Skiing Team from 1966 to 1968. During this time, he competed in the Winter Universiade, which is a major sports event for university students.
He won three gold medals and two silver medals in skiing. His skiing career ended when he got injured while training for the Winter Olympics.
Starting His Racing Journey
Even before his skiing injury, Bob Wollek had a taste for car racing. He entered the Mont-Blanc Rally in 1967, driving a Renault 8 Gordini, and he won!
The next year, after his skiing career ended, he fully started his racing journey. He competed in a special scholarship race at the Le Mans' Bugatti Circuit. He finished second in that race.
Later, he won the Alpine Trophy Le Mans race. This win earned him a spot in the famous 1968 24 Hours of Le Mans race. In his very first Le Mans race, he finished 11th overall and second in his class. He was driving an Alpine A210.
In 1969, Wollek started racing in single-seater cars. He first competed in Formula France, then moved up to the French Formula Three Championship. During a race at Rouen-Les-Essarts, he was involved in a serious accident where another driver, Jean-Luc Salomon, sadly passed away.
In 1971, Wollek switched to Formula Two racing for a team called Rondel Racing. After a tough first year, he improved greatly in 1972. He won a race at Imola and finished seventh overall. Despite this success, he decided to focus on sportscar racing instead of Formula One. This decision made him one of the most recognized names in sportscar history.
Sportscar Racing Success
Bob Wollek raced sportscars for three decades, mostly driving Porsches. He was incredibly successful. He won the 24 Hours of Daytona four times (in 1983, 1985, 1989, and 1991). He also won the DRM championship twice, in 1982 and 1983. For these wins, he drove the Porsche 936 and Porsche 956 for the Joest Racing team. In the mid-1970s, he raced a special Porsche 935K2 car. This car was improved by the Kremer Racing team.
Many people called him Monsieur Porsche because of his strong connection to the brand. He often raced against the official Porsche factory team with his own privately entered cars. However, Porsche also hired him to join their official Le Mans team many times. He raced for them in 1978, 1979, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1996, 1997, and 1998. In 1981, he even raced a special Group C-spec Porsche 917, which was a very powerful racing car.
Despite his many attempts, Bob Wollek never won the overall title at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He tried 30 times and came very close a few times. In 1997, his leading Porsche 911 GT1 had to stop due to damage. In 1998, Porsche finished first and second, but Bob was in the second-place car.
After the 1998 season, Porsche stopped racing their GT1 cars in the FIA GT Championship. Bob continued to race. In 2000, he won many class races in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) with a Porsche 996 GT3.
His last race was the 2001 12 Hours of Sebring. He had already won this race in 1985 with A. J. Foyt, driving a Porsche 962. Even though he was over 50 years old, he stayed very fit. He often rode bicycles to keep in good physical shape, especially for long races like Le Mans. He even rode his bike from his home across France to get to Le Mans!
Like many other race car drivers, Bob also owned a car dealership for Jaguar cars.
His Final Race and Legacy
On Friday, March 16, 2001, Bob Wollek was leaving the Sebring International Raceway. He was cycling back to his accommodation, a tradition he enjoyed. While riding on Highway 98, he was hit by a van. He was taken to the hospital but sadly passed away.
Bob was supposed to race in the Petersen Motorsports Porsche 996 GT3-RS with Johnny Mowlem and Michael Petersen. Out of respect for him, the team decided not to race the car. On race day, the organizers held a one-minute silence to remember Bob Wollek. Before his death, he had announced that he would retire from racing. He planned to become an ambassador for Porsche, and was going to sign this agreement after returning home from Sebring.
Bob Wollek is remembered as a dedicated and talented driver who loved racing and pushed himself to be the best.
