Udo Schütz
Encyclopedia
Udo Schütz is a German entrepreneur, who was competing successfully with racing cars in the 1960s, and with yachts in the 1990s.
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His career began in the early 1960s. With Anton Fischhaber and his #72 Porsche 904
he in 1965 won the GT 2.0 class at the 1000 km Nürburgring, finishing 11th overall, and soon was hired by the factory to represent Porsche in motorsport
.
The 1967 World Sportscar Championship season
began with two DNF in the USA, followed by an 8th at Monza, and he did not even start at Spa with his Porsche 906
being entered by a Portuguese team while other factory drivers already had the improved Porsche 910
. Rather heavy and tall, dubbed the „Bull from Selters“ (his home town), Schütz was not well suited for the low race cars, especially when fitted with closed tops. For other tall drivers like Dan Gurney
and Mike Parkes
, special bubble roof extensions were added to Ford and Ferrari cars. Driving around Sicily for the 1967 Targa in regular traffic, with the street-legal 910 #184 and without a helmet, Schütz' head did not fit behind the wind screen. Paired with former Targa winner Umberto Maglioli
, Schütz suffered yet another DNF, but two weeks later in Germany, Schütz won the 1000 km Nürburgring outright in 1967, paired with Joe Buzzetta on the #17 Porsche 910
. Le Mans was yet another DNF, followed by his second world championship win, paired with Gerhard Mitter
in a 910 at Mugello, then a Targa-like road race in Italy with eight laps of 66 km each. In Brands Hatch, he shared a 910 with Jochen Rindt, finishing 11th. Zeltweg was another DNF, in a 906 entered by Scuderia Lufthansa, and the penultimate round in Switzerland, the Hill Climb at Ollon-Villars, saw him finishing with a tiny Fiat-Abarth 1000cc at the lower end of the field.
For the 1968 World Sportscar Championship season
, Schütz joined the Italian Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 factory team, scoring 5th place at the 24 Hours of Daytona
, with the rest of the season being rather disappointing.
Schütz returned to Porsche for the 1969 World Sportscar Championship season
and was paired there with Gerhard Mitter
, mostly on a Porsche 908
/02, fitted with spyder or long tail body. The season began at Daytona with a 24th place following camshaft trouble, and a 5th place at Sebring. In the third round at Brands Hatch they scored their first podium finish, beaten by two sister cars. The first Italian race, the 1000km Monza
, ended with an engine failure, but the second one, in Sicily, with a triumph. They won the Targa Florio
on the Porsche 908
/2 #266 ahead of three sister cars. For the 1969 1000km Spa
, a fast track like Monza and Le Mans, they opted to drive the powerful new Porsche 917
for the first time ever in a race, even though they had qualified it only at 8th, slower than their 908. The flat-12 cylinder engine failed in lap 1 before Schütz could take over from Mitter. At the Ring, Mitter/Schütz qualified 3rd in their 908/02, but due to suspension problems ended up 31st while the other 908s occupied the first five places. At the 1969 24 Hours of Le Mans
, Mitter and Schütz were back in the 908. After 14 hours, in lap 199, Schütz at high speed crashed his #23 Langheck badly after a collision with the #64 sister car driven by Gérard Larrousse
, getting ejected from the car when it rolled, surviving without severe injuries. Having already secured the championship, the Porsche System Engineering factory team did not participate in the penultimate round at Watkins Glen in mid July. Only three 908/02 cars were shipped overseas and entered by other teams, and Schütz was not among the drivers.
After his driving partner Gerhard Mitter
died two weeks later in practice for the 1969 German Grand Prix
, Schütz skipped the ultimate round in Zeltweg and retired, sticking to his decision even when Ferrari looked for experienced drivers for their Ferrari 512S multi car effort in 1970. In total he won 50 races, three of them counting towards the world championship. He has won the German Sports car championship in 1966, scored 2nd with and for Porsche in the 1967 World Sportscar Championship season
, finished 3rd with Alfa in 1968, and helped Porsche to finally secure the World Sportscar Championship in 1969.
He focused on his company Schütz Werke in his home town of Selters (Westerwald), which offers also containers. Thus, „Container“ was the name of his yacht with which he in 1993, together with Pinta and Rubin XII, won the Admiral's Cup
for Germany. In 2008, Schütz had a new „Container“ built, with modern materials.
Porsche 904
The Porsche 904 is an automobile which was produced by Porsche in Germany in 1964 and 1965. It was officially called Porsche Carrera GTS due to the same naming rights problem that required renaming the Porsche 901 to Porsche 911.- History :...
he in 1965 won the GT 2.0 class at the 1000 km Nürburgring, finishing 11th overall, and soon was hired by the factory to represent Porsche in motorsport
Porsche in motorsport
Porsche has been successful in many branches of motorsport of which most have been in long distance races.Despite their early involvement in motorsports being limited to supplying relatively small engines to racing underdogs up until the late 1960s, by the mid-1950s Porsche had already tasted...
.
The 1967 World Sportscar Championship season
1967 World Sportscar Championship season
The 1967 World Sportscar Championship season were the 15th season of FIA World Sportscar Championship racing. It featured the International Championship for Sports-Prototypes and the International Championship for Sports Cars. The former was open to Group 6 Sports-Prototypes and the latter to...
began with two DNF in the USA, followed by an 8th at Monza, and he did not even start at Spa with his Porsche 906
Porsche 906
The Porsche 906 or Carrera 6 was the last street-legal racing car from Porsche. It was announced in January 1966 and 50 examples were subsequently produced, thus meeting the homologation requirements of the FIA's new Group 4 Sports Car category to the letter...
being entered by a Portuguese team while other factory drivers already had the improved Porsche 910
Porsche 910
The Porsche 910 or Carrera 10 was a race car from Porsche, based upon the Porsche 906. 15 were produced and entered in 1966 and 1967. The factory name for the 910 was the 906/10. The 910 was considered the next sequence in the 906 line...
. Rather heavy and tall, dubbed the „Bull from Selters“ (his home town), Schütz was not well suited for the low race cars, especially when fitted with closed tops. For other tall drivers like Dan Gurney
Dan Gurney
Daniel Sexton Gurney is an American racing driver, race car constructor, and team owner.The son of a Metropolitan Opera star, he was born in Port Jefferson, New York, but moved to California as a teenager...
and Mike Parkes
Mike Parkes
Michael Johnson Parkes was an English racing driver.He participated in 7 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on July 18, 1959. He achieved two podiums, and scored a total of 14 championship points. He also secured one pole position...
, special bubble roof extensions were added to Ford and Ferrari cars. Driving around Sicily for the 1967 Targa in regular traffic, with the street-legal 910 #184 and without a helmet, Schütz' head did not fit behind the wind screen. Paired with former Targa winner Umberto Maglioli
Umberto Maglioli
Umberto Maglioli was a racing driver from Italy. He participated in 10 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 13 September 1953. He achieved 2 podiums, and scored a total of 3.33 championship points...
, Schütz suffered yet another DNF, but two weeks later in Germany, Schütz won the 1000 km Nürburgring outright in 1967, paired with Joe Buzzetta on the #17 Porsche 910
Porsche 910
The Porsche 910 or Carrera 10 was a race car from Porsche, based upon the Porsche 906. 15 were produced and entered in 1966 and 1967. The factory name for the 910 was the 906/10. The 910 was considered the next sequence in the 906 line...
. Le Mans was yet another DNF, followed by his second world championship win, paired with Gerhard Mitter
Gerhard Mitter
Gerhard Karl Mitter was a German Formula One and sportscar driver.Mitter was born in Schönlinde in Czechoslovakia, but his family was expelled from there, to Leonberg near Stuttgart....
in a 910 at Mugello, then a Targa-like road race in Italy with eight laps of 66 km each. In Brands Hatch, he shared a 910 with Jochen Rindt, finishing 11th. Zeltweg was another DNF, in a 906 entered by Scuderia Lufthansa, and the penultimate round in Switzerland, the Hill Climb at Ollon-Villars, saw him finishing with a tiny Fiat-Abarth 1000cc at the lower end of the field.
For the 1968 World Sportscar Championship season
1968 World Sportscar Championship season
The 1968 World Sportscar Championship season was the 16th season of FIA World Sportscar Championship racing and featured the 1968 International Championship for Makes and the 1968 International Cup for GT Cars. The former was contested by Group 6 Sports Prototypes, Group 4 Sports Cars and Group 3...
, Schütz joined the Italian Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 factory team, scoring 5th place at the 24 Hours of Daytona
24 Hours of Daytona
The 24 Hours of Daytona, currently known as the Rolex 24 Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on a combined road course, utilizing portions of the NASCAR tri-oval and an infield...
, with the rest of the season being rather disappointing.
Schütz returned to Porsche for the 1969 World Sportscar Championship season
1969 World Sportscar Championship season
The 1969 World Sportscar Championship season was the 17th season of the FIA World Sportscar Championship. It featured the 1969 International Championship for Makes , which was a series for FIA Group 6 Prototype Sports Cars, Group 4 Sports Cars and Group 3 Grand Touring Cars and the 1969...
and was paired there with Gerhard Mitter
Gerhard Mitter
Gerhard Karl Mitter was a German Formula One and sportscar driver.Mitter was born in Schönlinde in Czechoslovakia, but his family was expelled from there, to Leonberg near Stuttgart....
, mostly on a Porsche 908
Porsche 908
The Porsche 908 was a racing car from Porsche, introduced in 1968 to continue the Porsche 906/Porsche 910/Porsche 907 series of models designed under Ferdinand Piech....
/02, fitted with spyder or long tail body. The season began at Daytona with a 24th place following camshaft trouble, and a 5th place at Sebring. In the third round at Brands Hatch they scored their first podium finish, beaten by two sister cars. The first Italian race, the 1000km Monza
1000km Monza
The 1000 Kilometres of Monza is an endurance race mainly for sports cars held at Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Italy.The "Coppa Inter-Europa" was first held in 1949, on the circuit. The race expanded to 1000 kilometres in 1954, and moved to the 10-kilometre circuit in 1956. The event was...
, ended with an engine failure, but the second one, in Sicily, with a triumph. They won the Targa Florio
Targa Florio
The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973...
on the Porsche 908
Porsche 908
The Porsche 908 was a racing car from Porsche, introduced in 1968 to continue the Porsche 906/Porsche 910/Porsche 907 series of models designed under Ferdinand Piech....
/2 #266 ahead of three sister cars. For the 1969 1000km Spa
1000km Spa
The 1000 Kilometres of Spa-Francorchamps is an endurance race for sports cars held at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.- History :The Spa 24 Hours had been introduced in 1924, and other races followed. As on the Nürburgring, both a 24-hour race for touring cars and GTs is held, and an...
, a fast track like Monza and Le Mans, they opted to drive the powerful new Porsche 917
Porsche 917
The Porsche 917 is a racecar that gave Porsche its first overall wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1970 and 1971. Powered by the Type 912 flat-12 engine of 4.5, 4.9, or 5 litres, the 917/30 variant was capable of a 0- time of 2.3 seconds, 0– in 5.3 seconds, and a top speed of over .There are 6...
for the first time ever in a race, even though they had qualified it only at 8th, slower than their 908. The flat-12 cylinder engine failed in lap 1 before Schütz could take over from Mitter. At the Ring, Mitter/Schütz qualified 3rd in their 908/02, but due to suspension problems ended up 31st while the other 908s occupied the first five places. At the 1969 24 Hours of Le Mans
1969 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1969 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 37th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 14 and 15 1969. It was the eighth round of the 1969 International Championship for Makes....
, Mitter and Schütz were back in the 908. After 14 hours, in lap 199, Schütz at high speed crashed his #23 Langheck badly after a collision with the #64 sister car driven by Gérard Larrousse
Gérard Larrousse
Gérard Larrousse is a former sports car racing, rallying and Formula One driver from France.He participated in two Grands Prix, debuting on 12 May 1974, scoring no championship points. He drove Brabham BT42s for Scuderia Finotto....
, getting ejected from the car when it rolled, surviving without severe injuries. Having already secured the championship, the Porsche System Engineering factory team did not participate in the penultimate round at Watkins Glen in mid July. Only three 908/02 cars were shipped overseas and entered by other teams, and Schütz was not among the drivers.
After his driving partner Gerhard Mitter
Gerhard Mitter
Gerhard Karl Mitter was a German Formula One and sportscar driver.Mitter was born in Schönlinde in Czechoslovakia, but his family was expelled from there, to Leonberg near Stuttgart....
died two weeks later in practice for the 1969 German Grand Prix
1969 German Grand Prix
The 1969 German Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Nürburgring on 3 August 1969 with Formula Two cars competing by invitation. It was the seventh round of the 1969 World Championship for Drivers. The F2 entrants were not eligible for points in the World Championship.-Report:Gerhard Mitter...
, Schütz skipped the ultimate round in Zeltweg and retired, sticking to his decision even when Ferrari looked for experienced drivers for their Ferrari 512S multi car effort in 1970. In total he won 50 races, three of them counting towards the world championship. He has won the German Sports car championship in 1966, scored 2nd with and for Porsche in the 1967 World Sportscar Championship season
1967 World Sportscar Championship season
The 1967 World Sportscar Championship season were the 15th season of FIA World Sportscar Championship racing. It featured the International Championship for Sports-Prototypes and the International Championship for Sports Cars. The former was open to Group 6 Sports-Prototypes and the latter to...
, finished 3rd with Alfa in 1968, and helped Porsche to finally secure the World Sportscar Championship in 1969.
He focused on his company Schütz Werke in his home town of Selters (Westerwald), which offers also containers. Thus, „Container“ was the name of his yacht with which he in 1993, together with Pinta and Rubin XII, won the Admiral's Cup
Admiral's Cup
The Admiral's Cup is an international yachting regatta. For many years it was known as the unofficial world championship of offshore racing. The Admiral's Cup regatta was started in 1957 and was normally a biennial event which was competed for between national teams. However the event was not...
for Germany. In 2008, Schütz had a new „Container“ built, with modern materials.
External links
- schuetz.de
- Der Stier von Selters: article in Swiss magazine Motorsport aktuell 37/2000 http://209.85.135.104/search?q=cache:BKvI62EGqoUJ:www.dunlop-tires.com/dunlop_dede/Images/schuetz_udo_tcm430-37923.pdf+%22Udo+Sch%C3%BCtz%22+porsche+selters&hl=de&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=de
- Solitude Revival 2008, with photos of Udo Schütz
- Porsche 908 races with U. Schütz
- U. Schütz next to Ferry Porsche, with Gerhard MitterGerhard MitterGerhard Karl Mitter was a German Formula One and sportscar driver.Mitter was born in Schönlinde in Czechoslovakia, but his family was expelled from there, to Leonberg near Stuttgart....
and Rico Steinemann - Photo
