Rolf Stommelen
 |
|
| Born |
11 July 1943 Siegen, Germany |
|---|---|
| Died | 24 April 1983 (aged 39) Riverside, California |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |
 German |
| Active years | 1969–1976, 1978 |
| Teams | Brabham, Surtees, March, Lola, Hill, Arrows, Eifelland |
| Entries | 63 (54 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 1 |
| Career points | 14 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1970 South African Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1978 Canadian Grand Prix |
Rolf Johann Stommelen (11 July 1943 – 24 April 1983) was a racing driver from Siegen, Germany. He participated in 63 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, achieving one podium, and scored a total of 14 championship points. He also participated in several non-Championship Formula One races.
One of the best endurance sports car racing drivers of the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s, Stommelen won the 24 Hours of Daytona 4 times; in 1968, 1978, 1980 and 1982 and the Targa Florio in 1967 in a Porsche 910.
Stommelen won the pole position for the 1969 24 Hours of Le Mans in a Porsche 917 a year after finishing third in a Porsche 908. In this year, he became the first man to reach speeds exceeding 350 km/h (217 mph) on the Mulsanne Straight in his Porsche 917 LH. In 1970, he made his Formula One debut with Brabham with sponsorship obtained from the German magazine Auto, Motor und Sport and raced both sportscars (Toj and Porsche works teams) and Formula 1 throughout the 1970s.
Unfortunately, he would play a role in the end of the Spanish Grand Prix's tenure at Montjuich Park in Barcelona when he crashed there in the 1975 race after the rear wing of his Hill-GH1 broke, resulting in the deaths of four spectators and him being seriously injured.
After his recovery, Stommelen returned to sports car racing, winning races for Alfa Romeo and also winning the 24 Hours of Daytona a further three times.
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