Stefan Bellof facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Stefan Bellof

Born	(1957-11-20)20 November 1957 Gießen, West Germany
Died	1 September 1985(1985-09-01) (aged 27) Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	West German
Active years	1984–1985
Teams	Tyrrell
Entries	22 (20 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Career points	4
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	1984 Brazilian Grand Prix
Last entry	1985 Dutch Grand Prix

Stefan Bellof (born November 20, 1957 – died September 1, 1985) was a talented racing driver from West Germany. He became a champion in the 1984 FIA World Endurance Championship while driving for the factory Rothmans Porsche team. Stefan was also famous for setting a super-fast lap record at the Nürburgring track in 1983, which stood for 35 years! He also raced in Formula One with the Tyrrell team in 1984 and 1985. Sadly, Stefan Bellof passed away in an accident during a race in Belgium in 1985.

Stefan Bellof's Racing Journey

Starting in Karting

Stefan Bellof was born in Gießen, West Germany. He started racing go-karts in 1973, just like his brother Georg. In his first big competition, the Federal Junior Cup, he finished fourth. Over the next few years, he kept getting better. In 1976, Stefan won his first karting title, becoming the champion of Luxembourg's International Karting Championship. He also competed in the World Karting Championship that year. By 1980, Stefan became the German Karting Champion.

Moving to Junior Racing Series

In late 1979, Stefan moved into Formula Ford racing. He quickly showed his skill, finishing second in his very first race. In 1980, he had an amazing year, winning eight races and becoming the Formula Ford 1600 champion! He continued to win races in 1981.

Stefan also started racing in the German Formula Three Championship. Even though he missed the first two races, he was leading the championship for a while. He finished third overall in 1981. At one race, he even made a promise to an official, saying he would be back to win his first Formula Two race the next year.

Racing in Formula Two

Stefan kept his promise! In 1982, he joined Maurer Motorsport for the European Formula Two Championship. In his very first race at Silverstone, he started ninth but drove brilliantly in the rain to win by a huge 21 seconds! This was a rare achievement, as he was only the second driver ever to win his first European Formula Two race. He won again in the next race at Hockenheim. He finished the 1982 season in fourth place overall.

His 1983 Formula Two season was a bit tougher. He managed one second-place finish at Jarama. Even though he didn't win a championship, he was gaining valuable experience.

Conquering Sportscar Racing

While racing in Formula Two, Stefan also started competing in World Endurance Championship races. In 1983, he joined the famous Rothmans-backed Porsche factory team, driving a powerful Porsche 956 car. He teamed up with Derek Bell, and they won their very first race together at Silverstone!

A Porsche 956 like the one Stefan Bellof raced.

One of Stefan's most incredible achievements happened at the Nürburgring race in 1983. He set an unofficial record for the fastest lap ever on the Nordschleife part of the track during qualifying. His lap time was an unbelievable 6 minutes, 11.13 seconds! This was five seconds faster than anyone else. He also set the official fastest race lap record there, which still stands today for all cars. Stefan won two more races that season and finished fourth in the championship.

In 1984, Stefan Bellof was unstoppable! He became the champion of the World Sportscar Championship. He won races at Monza, the Nürburgring, Spa, Mosport, and Sandown. He also won the German DRM series championship. Porsche, his team, won almost every race that year, thanks in part to Stefan's amazing driving.

Racing in Formula One

Stefan got his first chance to test a Formula One car in late 1983. He then joined the Tyrrell Racing Organisation for the 1984 Formula One season. His car used a Ford engine, which was less powerful than the turbo engines used by many rival teams.

Stefan Bellof in his Tyrrell car at the 1984 Dallas Grand Prix.

Even with a less powerful car, Stefan showed his talent. He scored his first points early in the season. His most famous race was the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix. Starting from the very last position (20th), he drove incredibly well in the pouring rain. He avoided crashes that many other drivers had and was catching up to the leaders, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna, when the race was stopped early due to the bad weather. He finished third on the track!

However, after the 1984 season, Stefan and his team, Tyrrell, lost all their championship points. This happened because of a rule dispute about their cars being too light. Despite this, Stefan continued to race and show his speed.

Stefan Bellof at the 1985 German Grand Prix.

Stefan stayed with Tyrrell for the 1985 season. At the 1985 Portuguese Grand Prix, in very rainy conditions similar to Monaco 1984, he started 21st but finished sixth, earning a point for the team. He also finished fourth at the Detroit race, which gave him his final three points in Formula One. His last Formula One race was in the Netherlands, where his engine broke down.

Stefan Bellof's Passing

Stefan Bellof was seen as a future Formula One World Champion. On September 1, 1985, he was racing in the 1000 km of Spa World Sportscar Championship race at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium. He was driving a Brun-Porsche 956B.

During the race, Stefan was battling with Jacky Ickx's Porsche 962C. As they entered the famous Eau Rouge corner, Stefan's car touched Ickx's car. Both cars spun and crashed into the barriers. Stefan's car hit the wall hard and caught fire. Safety workers and other team members quickly tried to help. Stefan was taken to the track hospital, but sadly, he passed away from his injuries.

Out of respect for Stefan, the race organizers decided to end the event early. This accident was the second time in three weeks that a driver had died while racing a Porsche. Because of these events, Formula One teams became much stricter. They didn't want their expensive drivers to compete in other races outside of Formula One anymore, to keep them safer.

Stefan Bellof's Lasting Impact

Stefan Bellof's talent was recognized by many in the racing world. He even had an offer from the famous Ferrari team for the 1986 Formula One season, and a meeting with Enzo Ferrari was planned before his death.

Many people, including the legendary Michael Schumacher, looked up to Stefan Bellof as their childhood racing hero.

In 2010, Stefan's family gave his racing items, like his go-kart, racing suits, helmets, and trophies, to a museum for everyone to see. There's also a karting track named after him, called Motorsportarena Stefan Bellof.

In 2009, a survey of 217 Formula One drivers ranked Stefan Bellof as the 35th greatest Formula One driver of all time. In 2013, a section of the Nürburgring track was renamed the Stefan-Bellof-S in his honor. In 2015, another German driver, Timo Bernhard, wore a helmet with Stefan's design to remember him on the 30th anniversary of his passing.

Stefan Bellof's Racing Results

Summary of His Career

European Formula Two Championship Results

(Races in bold mean pole position; races in italics mean fastest lap)

Formula One Results

^* – Tyrrell lost all championship points for 1984 due to a rule dispute about their fuel tanks.

World Sportscar Championship Results

(Races in bold mean pole position) (Races in italics mean fastest lap)

24 Hours of Le Mans Results

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Overall Position	Class Position
1983	Rothmans Porsche	Jochen Mass	Porsche 956	C	281	DNF	DNF

See also

In Spanish: Stefan Bellof para niños