Volker Weidler (born March 18, 1962 in Heidelberg

Heidelberg

-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...

) is a former racing driver from Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, best known for winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans

24 Hours of Le Mans

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...

 in 1991

1991 24 Hours of Le Mans

The 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 59th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 22 and 23 1991. It was also the fourth round of the Sportscar World Championship.-Pre-race:...

.

Formula racing

In 1985, he became German Formula Three champion.

In the 1989 Formula One season

1989 Formula One season

The 1989 Formula One season was the 40th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1989 FIA Formula One World Championship, which commenced on March 26, 1989 and ended on November 5 after sixteen races...

, Weidler entered 10 Formula One

Formula One

Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...

 Grands Prix racing for the Rial team, but failed to qualify the uncompetitive car on every occasion.

After Formula One, he moved to Japan and raced in the Japanese Formula 3000 Championship

Formula Nippon

Formula Nippon is a type of formula racing and the top level of single-seater racing in Japan.Formula Nippon evolved from the Japanese Formula 2000 series begun in 1973 by way of the Japanese Formula Two and Japanese Formula 3000 championships...

 and the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship

All Japan Sports Prototype Championship

The , abbreviated as JSPC, formed by the Japanese Automobile Federation, was a domestic championship which took place in Japan for Group C and IMSA GTP prototype cars and also featured cars that were eligible for touring car racing in its earlier years...

. He often fought over the title with Kazuyoshi Hoshino

Kazuyoshi Hoshino

is a former racing driver and businessman from Japan.Hoshino's nickname was . He won the Japanese motocross national championships in the 90cc and 125cc classes for Kawasaki in 1968 before switching to cars as a Nissan factory driver in 1969....

, Ross Cheever

Ross Cheever

Ross Cheever is an American race car driver and is the younger brother of former Formula One driver and Indianapolis 500 champion Eddie Cheever. Born in Rome, Ross never completed a full season in elite level motorsport, however, he did make four CART starts for A.J...

 and others in the Japanese Formula 3000, and took popularity in Japan.

GT / Sportscars

In 1991, Weidler teamed with Johnny Herbert

Johnny Herbert

John Paul Herbert is a British racing driver from England. He competed in Formula One, winning three races, and also in sports cars winning the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1991 driving a Mazda 787B...

 and Bertrand Gachot

Bertrand Gachot

Bertrand Gachot is a French-Belgian former racing driver.-Career:Gachot is the son of a French European Commission official. He began karting at the age of 15. In 1983 he attended Winfield School, a well-known racing-driving school in France. After this, he focused on his racing career, competing...

 to win Le Mans behind the wheel of the rotary engine

Rotary engine

The rotary engine was an early type of internal-combustion engine, usually designed with an odd number of cylinders per row in a radial configuration, in which the crankshaft remained stationary and the entire cylinder block rotated around it...

-powered Mazda 787B

Mazda 787B

The Mazda 787 and its derivative 787B were Group C sports prototype racing cars built by Mazda for use in the World Sportscar Championship, All Japan Sports Prototype Championship, as well as the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 1990 to 1991...

, marking also the first and only win of the legendary French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 race by both a Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese manufacturer and engine supplier. This rotary engine

Rotary engine

The rotary engine was an early type of internal-combustion engine, usually designed with an odd number of cylinders per row in a radial configuration, in which the crankshaft remained stationary and the entire cylinder block rotated around it...

-powered car was noted for being very loud. From 1992, 3.5L F1 engines were promoted by the FISA

Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile

The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile is a non-profit association established as the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus on 20 June 1904 to represent the interests of motoring organisations and motor car users...

 while rotary engines were banned, rendering the 787B ineligible after the season which saw its maiden win at Le Mans.

Possibly related to the hours spent in the noisy Mazda, Weidler began to suffer from an ear problem (sensorineural hearing loss

Sensorineural hearing loss

Sensorineural hearing loss is a type of hearing loss in which the root cause lies in the vestibulocochlear nerve , the inner ear, or central processing centers of the brain....

) which eventually forced him to retire prematurely from the Japanese Formula 3000 Championship

Formula Nippon

Formula Nippon is a type of formula racing and the top level of single-seater racing in Japan.Formula Nippon evolved from the Japanese Formula 2000 series begun in 1973 by way of the Japanese Formula Two and Japanese Formula 3000 championships...

 during the 1992 season

1992 Japanese Formula 3000 season

The 1992 Japanese Formula 3000 season was contested over 11 rounds. 21 different teams, 34 different drivers, 4 different chassis and 3 different engines competed.-Calendar:Note:...

 though Weidler was leading the championship at that time.

When Weidler left the Japanese team, Nova Engineering, he recommended Heinz-Harald Frentzen

Heinz-Harald Frentzen

Heinz-Harald Frentzen is a German racing driver most famous for his career in Formula One. At various times driving for Williams, Jordan, Sauber, Prost, and Arrows, he achieved three race wins before his retirement from F1 in 2003.-Early career:He was born in the West German city of...

 as his successor.

Complete International Formula 3000 results

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

Year	Entrant	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	DC	Points
1986	Bromley Motorsport Rial Rial Rial or RIAL may refer to:* Rial Old English for Royal. Geoffrey Chaucer used either Rial or Ryal as in "his rial majesty" when referring to the King...	SIL Silverstone Circuit Silverstone Circuit is an English motor racing circuit next to the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, with the current main circuit entry on the Buckinghamshire side... 10	VAL ACI Vallelunga Circuit The Autodromo Vallelunga Piero Taruffi is a racing circuit situated north of Rome, Italy, near Vallelunga of Campagnano. Vallelunga was built as a sand oval in 1959. From 1963 the circuit held the Rome Grand Prix, and in 1967 a new loop was added when the track became the property of the... 7	PAU Ret	SPA Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is the venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix and the Spa 24 Hours endurance race. It is also home to the all Volkswagen club event, 25 Hours of Spa, run by the Uniroyal Fun Cup. It is one of the most challenging race tracks in the world, mainly due to its... DNQ	IMO Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari The Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari is an auto racing circuit near the Italian town of Imola, east of Bologna and east of the Ferrari factory in Maranello....	MUG Mugello Circuit Mugello Circuit is a race track in the Mugello region of Italy near Florence. Its length is . It has 15 turns and a long straight.Grand Prix motorcycle racing host an annual event here . Also, the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters hold an annual event. The track is property of Scuderia Ferrari which... 16	PER Autodromo di Pergusa The Autodromo di Pergusa is an automobile and motorcycle circuit that encircles the only Sicilian natural lake, Pergusa Lake. The circuit is also known as Enna-Pergusa, as the lake is located near the city of Enna.... DNQ	ZEL Österreichring The Red Bull Ring is an Austrian race circuit in Spielberg, Styria.The race circuit was founded as Österreichring and hosted the Formula One Austrian Grand Prix for 18 consecutive years, from to . It was later shortened, rebuilt and renamed the A1-Ring, it hosted the Austrian Grand Prix again from... 9	BIR Birmingham Superprix The Halfords Birmingham Superprix was a motor racing meeting held on a street circuit at the heart of Birmingham, England, from 1986 to 1990. Until 1990 the principal event was a round of the European Formula 3000 Championship, but support races included BTCC and Formula Ford 1600 rounds, as well...	BUG	JAR Circuito Permanente Del Jarama The Circuito del Jarama , formerly known as Circuito Permanente del Jarama is a race course in Madrid, Spain which has hosted nine Formula One Spanish Grand Prix....	NC	0
1988	Oynx Racing	JER Circuito Permanente de Jerez Circuito de Jerez , formerly known as Circuito Permanente de Jerez, is a 4,428 m racing circuit located close to the city of Jerez de la Frontera, deep within the sherry-producing south of Spain... Ret	VAL ACI Vallelunga Circuit The Autodromo Vallelunga Piero Taruffi is a racing circuit situated north of Rome, Italy, near Vallelunga of Campagnano. Vallelunga was built as a sand oval in 1959. From 1963 the circuit held the Rome Grand Prix, and in 1967 a new loop was added when the track became the property of the... 12	PAU DNQ	SIL Silverstone Circuit Silverstone Circuit is an English motor racing circuit next to the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, with the current main circuit entry on the Buckinghamshire side... 14	MNZ Autodromo Nazionale Monza The Autodromo Nazionale Monza is a race track located near the town of Monza, north of Milan, in Italy. The circuit's biggest event is the Formula One Italian Grand Prix, which has been hosted there since the sport's inception.... 9	PER Autodromo di Pergusa The Autodromo di Pergusa is an automobile and motorcycle circuit that encircles the only Sicilian natural lake, Pergusa Lake. The circuit is also known as Enna-Pergusa, as the lake is located near the city of Enna.... Ret	BRH Brands Hatch Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit near West Kingsdown in Kent, England. First used as a dirt track motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently holds many British and international racing events... 6	BIR Birmingham Superprix The Halfords Birmingham Superprix was a motor racing meeting held on a street circuit at the heart of Birmingham, England, from 1986 to 1990. Until 1990 the principal event was a round of the European Formula 3000 Championship, but support races included BTCC and Formula Ford 1600 rounds, as well... 4	BUG DNS	ZOL Zolder The Circuit Zolder, also known as Circuit Terlaemen, is an undulating motorsport race track in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium.Built in 1963, Zolder hosted the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix on 10 separate occasions in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as the 1980 Belgian motorcycle Grand Prix. The F1 circus... Ret	DIJ Dijon-Prenois Dijon-Prenois is a motor racing circuit located in Prenois, near Dijon, France. The undulating track is noted for its fast, sweeping bends.... 10	15th	5

Complete Formula One results

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	WDC	Points
1989 1989 Formula One season The 1989 Formula One season was the 40th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1989 FIA Formula One World Championship, which commenced on March 26, 1989 and ended on November 5 after sixteen races...	Rial Racing	Rial ARC2	Ford Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...  Cosworth Cosworth Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...  DFR (Mader) 3.5 V8 V8 engine A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft....	BRA 1989 Brazilian Grand Prix The 1989 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Jacarepaguá on March 26, 1989.-Report:The FIRST team withdrew before the beginning of the season, as the car had failed a mandatory FIA pre-season crash test... DNPQ	SMR 1989 San Marino Grand Prix The 1989 San Marino Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Imola on April 23, 1989.- Race summary :The only change to the entry list for the San Marino Grand Prix was the arrival of Gabriele Tarquini in the second car of the small AGS team, which had only run one car in Brazil after Philippe... DNPQ	MON 1989 Monaco Grand Prix The 1989 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Monaco on May 7, 1989.- Race summary :The field was one fewer in Monaco as Ferrari had decided not to run a second car to replace Gerhard Berger, who was injured in an accident at Imola. Elsewhere Tyrrell had new cars that looked promising... DNPQ	MEX 1989 Mexican Grand Prix The 1989 Mexican Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Mexico City on May 28, 1989.- Classification :- Notes :*Only point: Gabriele Tarquini*First Grand Prix start: Onyx... DNPQ	USA 1989 United States Grand Prix The 1989 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on June 4, 1989 in Phoenix, Arizona.__FORCETOC__-Summary:1989 was the year following the last Formula One race in Detroit, and choices for a new location for the United States Grand Prix came down to Laguna Seca, in California, and... DNPQ	CAN 1989 Canadian Grand Prix The 1989 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 18, 1989.It was the first Formula One victory for Belgian driver Thierry Boutsen, who won three F1 races overall, all during his two-year stint with Williams-Renault.- Classification :- Notes :*Lap... DNPQ	FRA 1989 French Grand Prix The 1989 French Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Paul Ricard on July 9, 1989.-Report:The race saw four drivers replaced by drivers making their first Formula One start: Jean Alesi replaced Michele Alboreto at Tyrrell, Éric Bernard replaced Yannick Dalmas at Larrousse, Martin Donnelly... DNPQ	GBR 1989 British Grand Prix The 1989 British Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Silverstone on July 16, 1989.-Report:McLaren went into the race with a new oil system and transverse gearbox which was feared to be unreliable. Nethertheless, the Woking team took control of qualifying with Senna ahead of Prost. Prost... DNPQ	GER 1989 German Grand Prix The 1989 German Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Hockenheimring on July 30, 1989. The race was highlighted by Gerhard Berger's spectacular accident at the Jim Clark chicane.-Pre-qualifying:... DSQ	HUN 1989 Hungarian Grand Prix The 1989 Hungarian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Hungaroring on August 13, 1989. Nigel Mansell won the race for Ferrari after a marvellous overtaking manoeuvre on Ayrton Senna as the two came upon a back marker at the same time... DNQ	BEL 1989 Belgian Grand Prix The 1989 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Spa-Francorchamps on August 27, 1989.- Qualifying :The two McLarens were on the front row with Senna half a second ahead of Prost. Third was Berger in the Ferrari but over 1.5 seconds behind Senna. Boutsen was fourth ahead of Patrese and...	ITA 1989 Italian Grand Prix The 1989 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Monza on September 10, 1989.- Classification :-Notes:* McLaren-Honda won the Constructor's Championship with four races left....	POR 1989 Portuguese Grand Prix The 1989 Portuguese Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at the Autódromo do Estoril on September 24, 1989. This race resulted in Onyx's only podium , the only lap ever led by a Minardi, and saw 10 different teams in the top 10....	ESP 1989 Spanish Grand Prix The 1989 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Jerez on October 1, 1989.- Classification :- Notes :*First Grand Prix start: J.J. Lehto*Nigel Mansell was suspended for this race following his collision with Ayrton Senna in Portugal...	JPN 1989 Japanese Grand Prix The 1989 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Suzuka Circuit, Japan, on October 22, 1989. It formed the 15th and penultimate round of the 1989 Formula One World Championship. This race would become one of the most notorious in F1 history, as the culmination of Alain Prost and...	AUS 1989 Australian Grand Prix The 1989 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Adelaide on November 5, 1989. It took place in wet conditions, and was stopped and restarted following a first-lap collision. Andrea de Cesaris spun at the same corner on two consecutive laps...	NC	0

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans Results

Class winners in bold. Cars failing to complete 70% of the winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).

Year	Pos	Class	No	Team	Drivers	Chassis	Tyre	Laps
1992 1992 24 Hours of Le Mans The 1992 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 60th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 20 and 21 1992. It was also the third round of the Sportscar World Championship...	4	C1	5	Japan Mazdaspeed Mazdaspeed Mazdaspeed is Mazda's in-house race and street car tuning arm. It began in 1968 as "Mazda Sports Corner", a tuning and racing operation run by Takayoshi Ohashi, who also ran Mazda's Tokyo distributor...  Co. Ltd.  Early Modern France Oreca Oreca Oreca is a French racing team, founded and run by Hugues de Chaunac, former team manager of F1 team AGS. Oreca has had success in many areas of motorsport including Formula Three where drivers including Alain Prost, Jacques Laffite and Jean Alesi have won the French Formula Three Championship for...	United Kingdom Johnny Herbert Johnny Herbert John Paul Herbert is a British racing driver from England. He competed in Formula One, winning three races, and also in sports cars winning the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1991 driving a Mazda 787B...  Belgium Bertrand Gachot Bertrand Gachot Bertrand Gachot is a French-Belgian former racing driver.-Career:Gachot is the son of a French European Commission official. He began karting at the age of 15. In 1983 he attended Winfield School, a well-known racing-driving school in France. After this, he focused on his racing career, competing...  Brazil Maurizio Sandro Sala	Mazda MXR-01 Mazda MXR-01 The Mazda MXR-01 was a Group C sportscar used by Mazda's factory team Mazdaspeed in the 1992 World Sportscar Championship season. It would be the final Mazda entry in sportscars since the inception of their Le Mans project in 1983.-Development:...		336
1991 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans The 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 59th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 22 and 23 1991. It was also the fourth round of the Sportscar World Championship.-Pre-race:...	1	C2	55	Japan Mazdaspeed Mazdaspeed Mazdaspeed is Mazda's in-house race and street car tuning arm. It began in 1968 as "Mazda Sports Corner", a tuning and racing operation run by Takayoshi Ohashi, who also ran Mazda's Tokyo distributor...  Co. Ltd.	United Kingdom Johnny Herbert Johnny Herbert John Paul Herbert is a British racing driver from England. He competed in Formula One, winning three races, and also in sports cars winning the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1991 driving a Mazda 787B...  Belgium Bertrand Gachot Bertrand Gachot Bertrand Gachot is a French-Belgian former racing driver.-Career:Gachot is the son of a French European Commission official. He began karting at the age of 15. In 1983 he attended Winfield School, a well-known racing-driving school in France. After this, he focused on his racing career, competing...	Mazda 787B Mazda 787B The Mazda 787 and its derivative 787B were Group C sports prototype racing cars built by Mazda for use in the World Sportscar Championship, All Japan Sports Prototype Championship, as well as the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 1990 to 1991...		362
1990 1990 24 Hours of Le Mans The 1990 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 58th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 16 and 17 1990.-Pre-race:This was the first race after the installation of two chicanes along the Mulsanne Straight in an attempt to slow the prototypes down after speeds of were reached in previous...	39 DNF	GTP	201	Japan Mazdaspeed Mazdaspeed Mazdaspeed is Mazda's in-house race and street car tuning arm. It began in 1968 as "Mazda Sports Corner", a tuning and racing operation run by Takayoshi Ohashi, who also ran Mazda's Tokyo distributor...  Co. Ltd.	Belgium Bertrand Gachot Bertrand Gachot Bertrand Gachot is a French-Belgian former racing driver.-Career:Gachot is the son of a French European Commission official. He began karting at the age of 15. In 1983 he attended Winfield School, a well-known racing-driving school in France. After this, he focused on his racing career, competing...  United Kingdom Johnny Herbert Johnny Herbert John Paul Herbert is a British racing driver from England. He competed in Formula One, winning three races, and also in sports cars winning the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1991 driving a Mazda 787B...	Mazda 787		148
1989 1989 24 Hours of Le Mans The 1989 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 57th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 10 and 11 1989.-Race:The race was the last time the 24 Hours of Le Mans ran without the two chicanes on the Mulsanne Straight; for the interest of safety to reduce speeds after speeds reaching in the previous...	12	GTP	203	Japan Mazdaspeed Mazdaspeed Mazdaspeed is Mazda's in-house race and street car tuning arm. It began in 1968 as "Mazda Sports Corner", a tuning and racing operation run by Takayoshi Ohashi, who also ran Mazda's Tokyo distributor...  Co. Ltd.	Japan Yojiro Terada Yojiro Terada is a Japanese racing driver from Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture. He is known for holding the record for the most participations in the 24 Hours of Le Mans without winning, having run on 29 occasions since . He is also third behind Henri Pescarolo and Bob Wollek for the drivers with the most participations...  Belgium Marc Duez Marc Duez Marc Duez is a race and rally driver from Belgium.He won the 24 Hours Nürburgring several times, and also the 24 Hours Spa.Duez also has competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Andros Trophy....	Mazda 767 Mazda 767 thumb|300px|right|Mazda 767B Central Circuit, Hyōgo PrefectureThe Mazda 767/767B were prototype racing cars built by Mazdaspeed for the 24 Hours of Le Mans running under the IMSA-spec GTP class...		339
1987 1987 24 Hours of Le Mans The 1987 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 55th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 13 and 14 1987. It was also the fifth round of the 1987 World Sports-Prototype Championship.-Track alterations:...	45 DNF	C1	10	Porsche Porsche Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....  Kremer Racing Kremer Racing Kremer Racing is a motorsports team based in Cologne, Germany, founded by racing driver Erwin Kremer and his brother Manfred. They have competed internationally with Porsches for nearly all of their existence, and were even one of the factory-backed squads for many years...	Kris Nissen   Kunimitsu Takahashi Kunimitsu Takahashi is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and racing driver from Japan who is also considered as the "father of drifting". He was the chairman of the GT-Association, the organizers of the Super GT series, from 1993 to 2007.-Motorcycle racing:...	Porsche 962 Porsche 962 The Porsche 962 was a sports-prototype racing car built by Porsche as a replacement for the 956 and designed mainly to comply with IMSA's GTP regulations, although it would later compete in the European Group C formula as the 956 had... C		6