Manfred Schurti

{{Short description|Former racing car driver}} {{BLP one source|date=May 2026}} {{Infobox racing driver | name = Manfred Schurti | image = File:Martini Porsche 41 246.jpg | imagesize = | caption = Schurti competing in the [[1977 24 Hours of Le Mans]]. | nationality = {{flag|LIE|name=Liechtensteiner}} | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1941|12|24|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Lustenau]], [[Austria]] | death_date = | death_place = | retired = | relatives = | last_series = | years_active = | teams = | starts = | wins = | poles = | fastest_laps = | best_finish = | year = | prev_series = | prev_series_years = | titles = | title_years = | awards = | award_years = }}

'''Manfred Schurti''' (born 24 December 1941) is a former touring and prototype racing car driver from [[Liechtenstein]] mainly known for racing factory-entered [[Porsche]]s.

==Biography== Schurti was born on Christmas Eve in Austria, but his parents moved after the war to the nearby small principality of Liechtenstein.

A mechanic by trade who became leader of the national motor vehicle inspection authority (Motorfahrzeugkontrolle MFK), Schurti began with [[moto cross]] and wanted to switch to motorcycle racing. His sponsor Baron von Falz-Fein denied support for a two-wheel effort, but offered a ride in a [[Formula Vee]], where a group of Austrians including [[Niki Lauda]] supported each other with slipstreaming. Schurti managed to keep up with them, winning his first race in 1969 in Hockenheim, and then the 1970 World championship. In 1972, with [[Hilti]] support, he won the Formel Super Vau Castrol Trophy series and the International Castrol GTX Trophy, and was elected Sportsman of the year in Liechtenstein.

Schurti's entry in [[Formula 2]] was expensive but the car was not competitive. In 1976, after testing a similar Williams-F1 in Goodwood, the 34-year-old switched to touring car and sportscar racing, like the German [[Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft]] series, where he won three events. In [[1980 BMW M1 Procar Championship|1980]] he competed in the [[BMW M1 Procar Championship]], winning once, on the AVUS in Berlin. [[Peter Sauber]] made him a good offer to race sportscars, but the 39-year-old, who witnessed fatal crashes, decided to retire from pro racing. He came out of retirement to contest the [[1984 Nürburgring Race of Champions]] in a [[Mercedes-Benz W201|Mercedes-Benz 190E]], which he later bought once converted to a road car.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.classicdriver.com/en/car/mercedes-benz/190-e/1984/783356|title=1984 Mercedes-Benz 190 E|publisher=Classic Driver|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230928112722/https://www.classicdriver.com/en/car/mercedes-benz/190-e/1984/783356|archive-date=28 September 2023|date=20 September 2020}}</ref>

== Le Mans results == [[File:1977-05-29 (1) Start - vorn Ickx, Porsche 935.jpg|thumb|right|Schurti (third from front) at the 1977 1000km Nürburgring.]] Schurti entered the [[1974 24 Hours of Le Mans]] with a factory [[Martini Racing]] Porsche 911 Carrera RSR Turbo prototype which caught fire while the other car finished second overall. In 1975, when Porsche was absent developing the 911-based [[Porsche 935]] and the [[Porsche 936]] sports car for 1976, he finished fifth (and first in GTS class) in a regular 911 Carrera RSR together with three other drivers.

Schurti was a test driver for Porsche, which in 1976 competed in two separate World Championships. With main drivers [[Jacky Ickx]], [[Jochen Mass]], and [[Rolf Stommelen]] also busy in F1, Schurti and [[Jürgen Barth]] substituted or raced backup cars.

Schurti backed up the factory Le Mans entry with the 935 in 1976, finishing first in class (Group 5) and fourth overall. He returned in 1977 and 1978 in the factory 935, and in 1979, when the factory was absent, with a private 935, while another private 935 won. He also supported the factory entries of [[Porsche 924]] variants from 1980 to 1982.

===Complete results=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%" ! Year ! Team ! Co-Drivers ! Car ! Class ! Laps ! {{Tooltip|Ovr. Pos.|Overall Position}} ! {{Tooltip|Class Pos.|Class Position}} |- ! [[1974 24 Hours of Le Mans|1974]] |align="left"| {{flagicon|West Germany}} [[Martini Racing]] Porsche System |align="left"| {{flagicon|AUT}} [[Helmut Koinigg]] |align="left"| [[Porsche 911]] Carrera RSR Turbo | S 3.0 | 87 | DNF | DNF |- ! [[1975 24 Hours of Le Mans|1975]] |align="left"| {{flagicon|West Germany}} Gelo Racing Team |align="left"| {{flagicon|NED}} [[Gijs van Lennep]] {{flagicon|GBR}} [[John Fitzpatrick (racing driver)|John Fitzpatrick]] {{flagicon|NED}} [[Toine Hezemans]] |align="left"| [[Porsche 911]] Carrera RSR | GTS | 316 | 5th |style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''1st''' |- ! [[1976 24 Hours of Le Mans|1976]] |align="left"| {{flagicon|West Germany}} [[Martini Racing]] Porsche System |align="left"| {{flagicon|West Germany}} [[Rolf Stommelen]] |align="left"| [[Porsche 935]] | Gr.5 SP | 331 | 4th |style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''1st''' |- ! [[1977 24 Hours of Le Mans|1977]] |align="left"| {{flagicon|West Germany}} [[Martini Racing]] Porsche System |align="left"| {{flagicon|West Germany}} [[Rolf Stommelen]] |align="left"| [[Porsche 935]] | Gr.5 | 52 | DNF | DNF |- ! [[1978 24 Hours of Le Mans|1978]] |align="left"| {{flagicon|West Germany}} [[Martini Racing]] Porsche System |align="left"| {{flagicon|West Germany}} [[Rolf Stommelen]] |align="left"| [[Porsche 935]] | Gr.5 +2.0 | 326 | 8th |style="background:#FFDF9F;"| '''3rd''' |- ! [[1979 24 Hours of Le Mans|1979]] |align="left"| {{flagicon|West Germany}} Gelo Racing Sportswear International |align="left"| {{flagicon|West Germany}} [[Hans Heyer]] |align="left"| [[Porsche 935]] | Gr.5 +2.5 | 196 | DNF | DNF |- ! [[1980 24 Hours of Le Mans|1980]] |align="left"| {{flagicon|West Germany}} Porsche System |align="left"| {{flagicon|West Germany}} [[Jürgen Barth]] |align="left"| [[Porsche 924]] | GTP | 316 | 6th | style="background:#FFDF9F;"| '''3rd''' |- ! [[1981 24 Hours of Le Mans|1981]] |align="left"| {{flagicon|West Germany}} Porsche System |align="left"| {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Andy Rouse]] |align="left"| [[Porsche 924]] | IMSA GTO | 315 | 11th | style="background:#FFFFBF;"| '''1st''' |- ! [[1982 24 Hours of Le Mans|1982]] |align="left"| {{flagicon|USA}} [[BFGoodrich|B.F. Goodrich]] |align="left"| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Patrick Bedard]] {{flagicon|USA}} Paul Miller |align="left"| [[Porsche 924]] | IMSA GTO | 128 | DNF | DNF |}

== References == {{reflist}}

== External links == * {{DriverDB driver|manfred-schurti}} * [http://www.austroclassic.at/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2264&Itemid=46 Portrait] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024154709/http://www.austroclassic.at/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2264&Itemid=46 |date=2020-10-24 }} at austroclassic.at

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schurti, Manfred}} [[Category:1941 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Liechtenstein racing drivers]] [[Category:Formula Super Vee Champions]] [[Category:24 Hours of Le Mans drivers]] [[Category:Formel Super Vau drivers]] [[Category:Porsche Motorsports drivers]] [[Category:12 Hours of Sebring drivers]] [[Category:24 Hours of Daytona drivers]] [[Category:World Sportscar Championship drivers]]