September 1 1985
Stefan Bellof,
German from Giessen, north of Koblenz, date of birth November 20, 1957. To everyone the angel of the Ring, among motorsport purists an exceptional talent. The 1000 km of Spa, a collision between two Porsches, a violent but trivial impact – when compared to the torn chassis on the old Nordschleife – his 956 and the 962 driven by Jacky Ickx. Eau Rouge. The dynamics? Suspicious and mysterious. So many question marks over an affair involving two cool, super-fast drivers, two characters forged in the highest mountains in freezing temperatures. Sharp, mean, determined looks, determined to the point of giving no room and yielding no inches, to each other. Whoever the opponent. It was May 28 when Stefan Bellof unleashed his wrath in the presence of that sinister, mysterious totem, in an unusual position watching the whole circuit in silence, with no one to disturb him by boasting the best position.
He who in his silence watched the heated rivalry between a young blondie and the champion contend for the ring, the last one, on the green hell with Porsche acting as a spectator unable to do anything more. There were the perfect pairings.
When the chrono appeared on the screens, I thought ‘This can’t be right, there must be something wrong with the clock'” Rainer Braun,
That pairing made by Porsche and a fiery-eyed blond that ignited everyone’s spirits by freezing those watching unable to believe what happened. Like that September 1, 1985, precisely. The irony of life takes shape, it leaves indelible marks especially for those who have an idea of what the Nordschleife was, just enough to make a flame shine forever, an image in the drawers of memory becoming indelible. There develops in everyone an inability to erase that boy in the black helmet with yellow and red stripes, the somewhat wistful smile of a champion gone too soon.
A Spa-windy gamble, a Bellof-esque overtake. A tough defense, a granite determination a la Ickx.
Stefan Bellof is still today the holder of an unbeaten record, a Spa-windy legacy that as every year leads me to remember him, in a few lines, not to bore, but just to recall who and what was the talent from Giessen in the Senna vs. Prost era in open wheels, in the Porsche era among the covered ones.
Stefan’s legacy.
Everyone’s impossible dream.
Motorsport is beautiful
In memoriam Stefan Bellof🕊️🙏#StefanBellofOfficial #StefanBellof #rothmans #Rekordrunde #Nuerburgring #Porsche #groupc pic.twitter.com/MMaCaz5eAM
— Endurance.Live (@Endurance_Live) September 1, 2023
