Jochen Mass, former Mercedes-Benz racing driver, Le Mans winner, and long-time brand ambassador for Mercedes-Benz Classic, passed away on 4 May 2025 at the age of 78. His golden era in motorsport stretched from the 1970s into the 1990s. One of his career highlights was his overall victory at the 1989 24 Hours of Le Mans with the Sauber-Mercedes C9. After retiring from active racing, Mass continued to inspire fans by driving famous vehicles from the Mercedes-Benz Classic collection at numerous events.
Marcus Breitschwerdt, CEO Mercedes-Benz Heritage GmbH
“Jochen Mass had a captivating way of recounting stories from his long and distinguished career. As our brand ambassador, he represented us for many years and inspired our brand’s fans with his approachable, friendly manner. He knew how to bring our classic legends to life with his immense knowledge and experience. I always valued the exchange with him. It was always a personal highlight to bring the Mercedes-Benz racing icons onto the road with him.“
From Formula One to Group C
Jochen Mass was born on 30 September 1946, in Dorfen near Munich and grew up near Mannheim. His varied racing career took him from touring cars up to Formula One. In 105 Grand Prix appearances, Mass amassed 71 World Championship points with McLaren and Arrows, achieving eight podium finishes, and won one Grand Prix. This makes Mass the most successful German Formula One driver of his era. One of his greatest triumphs was his victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1989 with his Sauber-Mercedes C9. Three years later, he switched into team management in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM). Mass maintained his close links with Mercedes-Benz after his active career, appearing at numerous classic car events as a Mercedes-Benz Classic brand ambassador.
Jochen Mass’ career started as a sailor on the world’s oceans. After completing an apprenticeship as a mechanic, he embarked on his multifaceted motorsport career in 1968, racing touring cars for Alfa Romeo and as a works driver for Ford from 1970 to 1975. In 1972, he won the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps alongside Hans-Joachim Stuck in a Ford Capri 2600 RS. At the same time, he competed in Formula 2 and was runner-up in the 1973 European Championship driving a Surtees TS15. Mass made his Formula One debut at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone for the Surtees team in the same year.
After his years in Formula One, Mass competed in the 1984 Paris–Dakar Rally, in a Mercedes-Benz 500 SLC (C 107) for Albert Pfuhl’s team. With the title of German Sports Car Champion under his belt in 1985 and more than a decade as a works driver for Porsche (1976 to 1987), he joined the Sauber-Mercedes works team in 1988. Driving the first Silver Arrow since 1955 – the Sauber-Mercedes C9 in 1989 – Jochen Mass claimed victory at the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans alongside Manuel Reuter and Stanley Dickens, and finished the season as runner-up in the World Endurance Championship for Prototypes. In 1990, Mass took on the role of mentor to the three Mercedes-Benz juniors who would later rise to greatness in their careers: Michael Schumacher, Karl Wendlinger and Heinz-Harald Frentzen.
During the 1990 Group C season, the trio shared a Mercedes-Benz C11 with Jochen Mass and achieved numerous successes. In Le Mans 1991, Jochen Mass, Jean-Louis Schlesser, and Alain Ferté were forced to retire their C11 after 21 hours, despite holding a commanding lead, due to a technical fault. At the end of the year, Mass concluded his career with a fifth-place finish at the World Championship round in Autopolis, Japan. In 1992, Jochen Mass took part in a balloon race across the Atlantic, and from 1993 to 1997, he was a Formula One commentator on television.
Brand ambassador at the wheel of a legendary Silver Arrow
Legendary Mercedes-Benz racing driver Sir Stirling Moss once described Jochen Mass as “a driver with an extraordinary feel for racing cars and great expertise, who is well-versed in the racing history of all eras”. That is how it happened that Mass took part in numerous historic events on behalf of Mercedes-Benz Classic. Among other events, he took part in the 2005 Mille Miglia – half a century after Stirling Moss’s legendary victory in this famous road race with the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR. At the time, Moss said of Mass: “Jochen is a kindred spirit to me.”
Whether supercharged touring cars from the W 06 series, a Grand Prix racer from the first Silver Arrows era, a Group C racing car, the 300 SLR from 1955, or a Mercedes-Simplex from the early days of the automobile: As a brand ambassador, Jochen Mass captivated audiences at many renowned classic car events at the wheel of the brand’s historic racing vehicles. He was a regular guest at the prestigious Goodwood Festival of Speed, where he embraced the culture of celebrating historic motorsport. In 2024, he said of his drive in the Mercedes-Benz C11 at Goodwood: “That of course stirs emotions and memories of the challenging world of motorsport over 30 years ago. In Goodwood, the companions of those days come together – drivers, teammates, mechanics, and engineers. The Festival of Speed never fails to inspire me with its unique atmosphere and incredible variety.”
Above content © 2025 Mercedes-Benz AG, reviewed and edited by Rex McAfee
