Marc Surer

Marc Surer (born 18 September 1951 in Arisdorf) is a former racing driver from Switzerland currently working as TV commentator and racing school instructor. He participated in 88 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 9 September 1979. He scored a total of 17 championship points.

Marc Surer
Surer at the 1982 Dutch Grand Prix
Born (1951-09-18) 18 September 1951
Arisdorf, Switzerland
Formula One World Championship career
NationalitySwitzerland Swiss
Active years1979–1986
TeamsEnsign, ATS, Theodore, Arrows, Brabham
Entries88 (82 starts)
Championships0
Wins0
Podiums0
Career points17
Fastest laps1
First entry1979 Italian Grand Prix
Last entry1986 Belgian Grand Prix

Racing career

Surer started his career in karting in 1972. Due to the racing ban established in Switzerland after the 1955 Le Mans disaster, he moved to Germany in 1974, where he finished second in the local Formula Vee Championship. In 1976, he switched to European Formula 3, where he was noticed by Jochen Neerpasch, who hired him as a member of the BMW Junior Team alongside Eddie Cheever and Manfred Winkelhock. In 1978, he finished second in the Formula 2 Championship, eventually winning the series the following year in a works March-BMW.

Surer driving for Arrows at the 1984 British Grand Prix.

Surer's debut in Formula 1 took place at the end of 1979 and was somewhat troubled. He broke his legs in qualifying at the South African Grand Prix in an ATS at Kyalami in 1980 and again racing there in 1981 for Ensign. He recovered to give Ensign their best result with a 4th-place finish at the 1981 Brazilian Grand Prix, also setting the fastest lap of the race. He later drove for Theodore before establishing himself at Arrows for a couple of seasons, until BMW's support earned him a seat at Brabham for 1985. Surer returned to Arrows in 1986 but eventually retired from Formula One halfway through the season due to serious accident at the 1986 ADAC Hessen-Rallye in his Ford RS200 severely injured him and killed his co-driver and friend Michel Wyder. BMW retained him as a driver, coach and later director of motorsport activities. In 1994 and 1995, Surer, alongside Johnny Cecotto and Jo Winkelhock, won the German Super Touring Car Championship.

In 1996, Surer began working as a television commentator at all Formula 1 events for Sky Sport (Germany) (formerly known as DF1 and Premiere) next to the lead commentator Jacques Schulz. After Schulz's withdrawal prior to the 2013 season, he has remained commentator alongside Sascha Roos.

Formula One all-time ranking

In 2016, in an academic paper that reported a mathematical modeling study that assessed the relative influence of driver and machine, Surer was ranked the 17th best Formula One driver of all time.[1]

Personal life

Surer has been married twice to former Playboy models, first to Playmate Jolanda Egger, and then to Christina Surer between 1997 and 2000. On 3 December 2011 he married his longtime partner Silvia Renée Arias.[2]

Racing record

Career summary
Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
1975 Formula Vee ? 0 ? ? ? 24 6th
1976 European Formula Three KWS Autotechnik Team 7 0 0 0 1 13 5th
German Formula Three 5 0 1 0 3 77 2nd
Italian Formula Three ? 0 0 0 0 0 NC
Challenge de Formule Renault Europe ? ? ? ? ? 0 ?
1977 Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft BMW Junior Team 8 1 1 1 4 82 5th
European Formula Two Hohmann Auto Technik 7 0 0 0 0 5 13th
March Racing 1 0 0 0 0
1978 European Formula Two Polifac BMW Junior Team 12 0 1 1 9 48 2nd
Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft BMW Schweiz 1 0 0 0 1 12 21st
Japanese Formula Two 1 1 0 ? 1 0 NC
World Sportscar Championship Artos Francy Sauber PP AG 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
24 Hours of Le Mans 1 0 0 0 0 N/A NC
1979 European Formula Two Polifac BMW Junior Team 12 2 2 1 6 38 1st
BMW M1 Procar Championship BMW Schweiz 5 0 1 0 0 23 11th
Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft 2 0 0 0 0 2 43rd
Formula One Team Ensign 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
1980 Formula One Team ATS 9 0 0 0 0 0 NC
BMW M1 Procar Championship Sauber Motorsport 6 0 2 1 2 37 8th
1981 Formula One Theodore Racing Team 7 0 0 0 0 4 16th
Ensign Racing 6 0 0 1 0
World Sportscar Championship Würth-Lubrifilm Team Sauber 6 0 0 0 0 26.5 89th
European Formula Two Marcus Hotz Racing 2 0 0 1 0 0 NC
24 Hours of Le Mans Würth-Lubrifilm Team Sauber 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
IMSA GT Championship ? ? ? ? ? 12 36th
1982 Formula One Arrows Racing Team 12 0 0 0 0 3 21st
World Sportscar Championship Ford Germany w/ Zakspeed 3 0 1 0 0 8 55th
24 Hours of Le Mans 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
1983 Formula One Arrows Racing Team 15 0 0 0 0 4 15th
1984 Formula One Barclay Nordica Arrows BMW 15 0 0 0 0 1 20th
World Sportscar Championship Porsche Kremer Racing 1 0 0 0 0 8 53rd
1985 Formula One Motor Racing Developments Ltd. 12 0 0 0 0 5 13th
World Sportscar Championship Porsche Kremer Racing 6 1 0 0 2 45 9th
1986 Formula One Barclay Arrows BMW 5 0 0 0 0 0 NC
European Touring Car Championship Juma Team 1 0 0 0 0 10 ?
2005 Porsche Supercup Porsche AG 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC†
2010 Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC†
2012 Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC†

† As Surer was a guest driver, he was ineligible for championship points.

Complete European Formula Two Championship results

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

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Pos. Pts
1976 Hohmann Racing Chevron B35 BMW HOC THR VAL SAL PAU HOC ROU MUG PER EST NOG HOC
DNQ		 NC 0
1977 Hohmann Auto Technik March 762 BMW SIL
9		 THR
7		 HOC
Ret		 NÜR VAL
7		 PAU MUG
5		 ROU
Ret		 NOG
7		 PER MIS EST 13th 5
March Engineering March 772P DON
4
1978 Polifac BMW Junior Team March 782 BMW THR
2		 HOC
2		 NÜR
4		 PAU
3		 MUG
2		 VAL
9		 ROU
3		 DON
3		 NOG
2		 PER
Ret		 MIS
2		 HOC
2		 2nd 51
1979 Polifac BMW Junior Team March 792 BMW SIL
DNS		 HOC
Ret		 THR
9		 NÜR
1		 VAL
1		 MUG
Ret		 PAU
3		 HOC
5		 ZAN
3		 PER
Ret		 MIS
3		 DON
2		 1st 38
1981 Marcus Hotz Racing March 812 BMW SIL HOC
Ret		 THR
12		 NÜR VAL MUG PAU PER SPA DON MIS MAN NC 0

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key) (races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 WDC Points
1979 Team Ensign Ensign N179 Cosworth V8 ARG BRA RSA USW ESP BEL MON FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA
DNQ		 CAN
DNQ		 USA
Ret		 NC 0
1980 Team ATS ATS D3 Cosworth V8 ARG
Ret		 BRA
7		 NC 0
ATS D4 RSA
DNS		 USW BEL MON FRA
Ret		 GBR
Ret		 GER
12		 AUT
12		 NED
10		 ITA
Ret		 CAN
DNQ		 USA
8
1981 Ensign Racing Ensign N180B Cosworth V8 USW
Ret		 BRA
4		 ARG
Ret		 SMR
9		 BEL
11		 MON
6		 ESP 16th 4
Theodore Racing Team Theodore TY01 FRA
12		 GBR
11		 GER
14		 AUT
Ret		 NED
8		 ITA
DNQ		 CAN
9		 CPL
Ret
1982 Arrows Racing Team Arrows A4 Cosworth V8 RSA BRA USW SMR BEL
7		 MON
9		 DET
8		 CAN
5		 NED
10		 GBR
Ret		 FRA
13		 GER
6		 AUT
Ret		 ITA
Ret		 21st 3
Arrows A5 SUI
15		 CPL
7
1983 Arrows Racing Team Arrows A6 Cosworth V8 BRA
6		 USW
5		 FRA
10		 SMR
6		 MON
Ret		 BEL
11		 DET
11		 CAN
Ret		 GBR
17		 GER
7		 AUT
Ret		 NED
8		 ITA
10		 EUR
Ret		 RSA
8		 15th 4
1984 Barclay Nordica Arrows BMW Arrows A6 Cosworth V8 BRA
7		 RSA
9		 BEL
8		 FRA
Ret		 MON
DNQ		 CAN
Ret		 DET
Ret		 20th 1
Arrows A7 BMW
Str-4 t/c		 SMR
Ret		 DAL
Ret		 GBR
11		 GER
Ret		 AUT
6		 NED
Ret		 ITA
Ret		 EUR
Ret		 POR
Ret
1985 Motor Racing Developments Ltd. Brabham BT54 BMW
Str-4 t/c		 BRA POR SMR MON CAN
15		 DET
8		 FRA
8		 GBR
6		 GER
Ret		 AUT
6		 NED
10		 ITA
4		 BEL
8		 EUR
Ret		 RSA
Ret		 AUS
Ret		 13th 5
1986 Barclay Arrows BMW Arrows A8 BMW
Str-4 t/c		 BRA
Ret		 ESP
Ret		 SMR
9		 MON
9		 BEL
9		 CAN DET FRA GBR GER HUN AUT ITA POR MEX AUS NC 0

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
1978 Switzerland Artos Francy Sauber PP AG Switzerland Eugen Straehl
Switzerland Harry Blumer		 Sauber C 5 S
2.0		 257 NC NC
1981 Switzerland Würth-Lubrifilm Team Sauber Canada David Deacon
Austria Dieter Quester		 BMW M1 Gr.5
 207 DNF DNF
1982 West Germany Ford Germany
West Germany Zakspeed		 Germany Klaus Ludwig
West Germany Manfred Winkelhock		 Ford C100 C 67 DNF DNF

Sources

References
  1. Hanlon, Mike (2016-05-12). "The Top 50 F1 drivers of all time, regardless of what they were driving". New Atlas. Retrieved 2017-12-23.
  2. http://marcsurer.com/news/2011/verheiratet.html%5B%5D
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