Robert Jean "Bob" Wollek (4 November 1943 – 16 March 2001), nicknamed "Brilliant Bob", was a race car driver from Strasbourg, France. He won a total of 76 races in his career, 71 in Porsche cars, including four editions of the 24 Hours of Daytona and one edition of the 12 Hours of Sebring. He died in a road accident in Florida while riding a bicycle back to his accommodation after the day's practice sessions for the following day's race, the 12 Hours of Sebring.
Skiing career
Prior to his racing days as a university student, Wollek was also a member of the French National Skiing Team between 1966 and 1968 competing in the Winter Universiade, he won three gold and two silver medals altogether (see table on the right).
Wollek's skiing career came to an end when he was injured during preparations for the Winter Olympics.Top 100
Early racing career
Prior to a skiing accident which ended his skiing career, Wollek began racing cars when he entered the Mont-Blanc Rally in 1967 driving a Renault 8 Gordini and won. The following year, when his skiing career ended, he started his racing career when he entered a Volant Shell scholarship race taking place at the Le Mans' Bugatti Circuit, finishing runner-up to François Migault. Wollek later entered the Alpine Trophy Le Mans which he won, earning himself a place for the 1968 24 Hours of Le Mans where he finished 11th overall and 2nd in class on his debut driving an Alpine A210.
In 1969, Wollek made his debut in single seater racing competing in Formula France before graduating to the French Formula Three Championship.
During a round at Rouen-Les-Essarts, Wollek was involved in a fatal accident which killed Jean-Luc Salomon,8W - Where? - Rouen-les-Essarts when the pair plus Jean-Pierre Jaussaud, Richard Scott and Mike Beuttler were all fighting for the lead at Scierie, where the track is a two-lane road.
In 1971, Wollek switched to Formula Two driving for Ron Dennis's Rondel Racing. After a shaky start with only one point that year,Formula 2 1971 – Championship Tables he improved his performance for the following year with a single win at Imola and 21 points, placing him seventh.Formula 2 1972 – Final Tables Despite this success, he abandoned his Formula One ambition to concentrate on sportscar racing where he would become one of the most recognizable names in the sport.
Sportscar racing
During his three decades of sports car racing, almost exclusively in Porsches, Wollek won the 24 Hours of Daytona four times (1983, 1985, 1989, 1991), the DRM in 1982 and 1983, and the European Endurance Championship in 1983, with the Porsche 936 and Porsche 956 entered by the Joest Racing team. In the mid-1970s, he raced a Porsche 935K2 improved and entered by the Kremer Racing team from Cologne.
Bob Wollek won the , an annual award presented by Porsche AG to recognize the world's most successful privateer racing driver competing with Porsche machinery in a customer racing team, in 1976, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1989.
For many years, Monsieur Porsche challenged the factory team with privately entered cars, but was also hired to become part of the official Porsche Le Mans team in 1978, 1979, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1996, 1997, and 1998. In 1981, he even raced a Group C-spec Kremer-built Porsche 917, about a decade after these cars were retired initially.
Wollek never won the 24 Hours of Le Mans overall, despite coming close in a few of his thirty attempts. In 1997, his leading factory-entered Porsche 911 GT1 suffered damage in a minor incident, so the car had to be retired. In 1998, Porsche scored a 1–2 win, but Bob was once again on the less-lucky runner-up car.
After the 1998 season, Porsche retired its GT1 cars from the Mercedes-dominated FIA GT Championship, providing only Porsche 911 based cars for the lower GT classes. In 2000, Wollek scored many class wins in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) in a Porsche 996 GT3. The last race Wollek entered was the 2001 12 Hours of Sebring in a Porsche 996 GT3-RS. Wollek had already won there in 1985 with A. J. Foyt, driving a Porsche 962. Despite being over 50 years of age and still racing competitively, Wollek had developed a fitness regime of riding bicycles to stay in good physical condition, especially for the longer races such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans, to which he rode from home across France.
Typical of many other racing drivers, Wollek ran a car dealership for Jaguar.Aysedasi
Death On Friday 16 March 2001, while leaving Sebring International Raceway following practice for the 12 Hours of Sebring, Wollek continued a tradition of cycling between the circuit and his accommodation, which took him west on Highway 98. While he had been riding close to the edge of the pavement, he was struck from behind by a van driven by an elderly driver from Okeechobee, Florida at approximately 4:30 p.m.Sunday Telegraph, 18 March 2001Bob Wollek, racing driver, 56 He was transported to Highlands Regional Medical Center in Sebring and was pronounced dead on arrival. Wollek was due to start in the Petersen Motorsports Porsche 996 GT3-RS with Johnny Mowlem and Michael Petersen, however out of respect the car was withdrawn from the race.Elsewhere in Racing: Updates from the Rest of the Racing World On race day, the organizers held a one-minute silence in memory of Wollek. Prior to his death, he announced he would retire from racing to serve as an ambassador for Porsche, and was due to sign this agreement upon returning home after Sebring.
Racing record
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps 1968 Trophée Le Mans Christian Ethuin Alpine A210 P1.3 282 11th 2nd 1969 Société des Automobiles Alpine Jean-Claude Killy Alpine A210 P1.6 242 DNF DNF 1973 Equipe Matra-Simca Shell Patrick Depailler Matra-Simca MS670B S3.0 84 DNF DNF 1974 Équipe Gitanes Jean-Pierre Jaussaud José Dolhem Matra-Simca MS670B S3.0 120 DNF DNF 1975 Écurie Buchet - Cyril Grandet Cyril Grandet Porsche 911 GTSer. 293 DSQ DSQ 1976 Porsche Kremer Racing Didier Pironi Marie-Claude Charmasson Porsche 934 GT 270 19th 4th 1977 Porsche Kremer Racing Jean-Pierre Wielemans Philippe Gurdjian Porsche 934 GT 298 7th 1st 1978 Martini Racing Porsche System Jacky Ickx Jürgen Barth Porsche 936/78 S+2.0 364 2nd 2nd 1979 Essex Motorsport Porsche Hurley Haywood Porsche 936 S+2.0 236 DNF DNF 1980 Gelo Racing Team Helmut Kelleners Porsche 935 Gr.5 191 DNF DNF 1981 Porsche Kremer Racing Xavier Lapeyre Guy Chasseuil Porsche 917K/81 S+2.0 82 DNF DNF 1982 Belga Team Joest Racing Jean-Michel Martin Philippe Martin Porsche 936C C 320 DNF DNF 1983 Sorga S.A. Joest Racing Klaus Ludwig Stefan Johansson Porsche 956 C 354 6th 6th 1984 Martini Racing Alessandro Nannini Lancia LC2-Ferrari C1 326 8th 8th 1985 Martini Racing Alessandro Nannini Lucio Cesario Lancia LC2-Ferrari C1 360 6th 6th 1986 Rothmans Porsche Jochen Mass Vern Schuppan Porsche 962C C1 180 DNF DNF 1987 Rothmans Porsche Jochen Mass Vern Schuppan Porsche 962C C1 16 DNF DNF 1988 Porsche AG Sarel van der Merwe Vern Schuppan Porsche 962C C1 192 DNF DNF 1989 Joest Racing Hans-Joachim Stuck Porsche 962C C1 382 3rd 3rd 1990 Joest Porsche Racing Louis Krages Stanley Dickens Porsche 962C C1 346 8th 8th Joest Porsche Racing Jonathan Palmer Philippe Alliot Porsche 962C C1 - DNS DNS 1991 Silk Cut Jaguar Tom Walkinshaw Racing Teo Fabi Kenny Acheson Jaguar XJR-12 C2 358 3rd 3rd 1992 Courage Compétition Henri Pescarolo Jean-Louis Ricci Cougar C28LM-Porsche C3 335 6th 1st 1993 Joest Porsche Racing Henri Pescarolo Ronny Meixner Porsche 962C C2 351 9th 4th 1994 Nisso Trust Racing Team Steven Andskär George Fouché Toyota 94C-V LMP1/C90 328 4th 2nd 1995 Courage Compétition Éric Hélary Mario Andretti Courage C34-Porsche WSC 297 2nd 1st 1996 Porsche AG Hans-Joachim Stuck Thierry Boutsen Porsche 911 GT1 GT1 353 2nd 1st 1997 Porsche AG Hans-Joachim Stuck Thierry Boutsen Porsche 911 GT1 GT1 238 DNF DNF 1998 Porsche AG Jörg Müller Uwe Alzen Porsche 911 GT1-98 GT1 350 2nd 2nd 1999 Champion Racing Dirk Müller Bernd Mayländer Porsche 911 GT3-R GT 292 19th 2nd 2000 Dick Barbour Racing Dirk Müller Lucas Luhr Porsche 911 GT3-R GT 319 DSQ DSQ
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