Sauber SHS C6
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The Sauber SHS C6 was a
Group C Group C was a category of sports car racing introduced by the FIA in 1982 and continuing until 1993, with ''Group A'' for Touring car racing, touring cars and ''Group B'' for Grand tourer, GTs. It was designed to replace both Group 5 (motorspor ...
prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototype ...
racing car Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including ...
built by Swiss manufacturer
Sauber Sauber Motorsport AG, currently competing in Formula One as Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber, and also known simply as Kick Sauber or Sauber, is a Swiss motorsport engineering company. It was founded in 1970 (as PP Sauber AG) by Peter Sauber, who pro ...
and engineering firm Seger & Hoffman (hence the unique SHS designation), intended for competition in the World Endurance Championship and
Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft (translated as ''German Racing Championship'') or simply DRM as it was known, was a touring car and Sportscar racing series. It is regarded as a predecessor of the current DTM as Germany's top national series. Hi ...
series. Seger & Hoffman left the project later in 1982, leaving the car completely under Sauber's control. Following Sauber's return to sportscar racing with
Group 5 Group 5 may refer to: * Group 5 element, chemical element classification * Group 5 (motorsport), FIA classification for cars in auto racing See also * G5 (disambiguation) {{Disambig ...
BMW M1 The BMW M1 (model code E26) is a Mid-engine design, mid-engined sports car produced by German automotive manufacturer BMW from 1978 until 1981. In the late 1970s, Italian automobile manufacturer Lamborghini entered into an agreement with BMW to ...
s,
Peter Sauber Peter Paul Sauber (born 13 October 1943) is a retired Swiss motorsport executive. He was the team principal and owner of various motorsports teams, most visibly the eponymous Sauber Formula One team. Motorsport career After being trained as an e ...
decided to return to the top echelon with the creation of a new scratch built sports car in association with Team GS-Sport, who would run the team. Among the more notable features of the SHS C6 was the large "whaletail" rear wing, centrally mounted on the chassis.


Initial racing history

Launched in the 1982 season, the SHS C6 first ran at the World Endurance Championship 1000km Monza where it unfortunately failed to finish due to fuel pump failure. Following this, the car appeared in its first
Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft (translated as ''German Racing Championship'') or simply DRM as it was known, was a touring car and Sportscar racing series. It is regarded as a predecessor of the current DTM as Germany's top national series. Hi ...
at the
Nürburgring The () is a 150,000-person capacity motorsports complex located in the town of Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It features a Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a long configuration, built in the 1920s ...
, where it again failed to finish due to an accident. Brun and Sauber's luck however would increase as the year went on, with an SHS C6 finishing 13th at
Silverstone Silverstone is a village and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority area of Northamptonshire, England. The village is about south-southwest of Towcester and northeast of Brackley, both accessed via the A43 road, A43 main ...
, earning its first WEC championship points, although its second entry failed to finish. However, for the next few WSC and DRM races, neither SHS C6s would be able to finish, including at the
24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...
. Following Le Mans though, Brun and Sauber would improve again, as they finished 7th at
Norisring The Norisring is a street circuit in Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany. Originally established as a motorcycle racing venue in 1947 and named in a 1950 competition to win a light motorcycle, the track became known as a sports car racing venue in the 19 ...
, 4th at
Hockenheimring The Hockenheimring, officially Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg () is a motor racing circuit situated in the Rhine valley near the town of Hockenheim in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located on the Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Amongst other mot ...
, and 8th at
Hockenheimring The Hockenheimring, officially Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg () is a motor racing circuit situated in the Rhine valley near the town of Hockenheim in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located on the Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Amongst other mot ...
again in DRM, then followed by a 9th at the 1000km Spa and 5th at 1000 km Mugello in WEC. With these results, Sauber managed to finish tied for 5th in the World Endurance Championship for Manufacturers. With 1982 over, Sauber decided that the SHS C6 needed improvement, and decided to develop a replacement, the Sauber C7, and to use a BMW motor in place of their Ford
Cosworth Cosworth is a British automotive engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in high-performance internal combustion engines, powertrain, and electronics for auto racing, automobile racing (motorsport) and mainstream Automotiv ...
they had used for the bulk of 1982. As they were no longer needed for 1983, the two SHS C6 chassis were retired.


Sehcar

Walter Brun would take over the ailing GS-Sport company and rename it Brun Motorsport for the
1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...
season. Brun initially took over GS-Sport's
BMW M1 The BMW M1 (model code E26) is a Mid-engine design, mid-engined sports car produced by German automotive manufacturer BMW from 1978 until 1981. In the late 1970s, Italian automobile manufacturer Lamborghini entered into an agreement with BMW to ...
s and the Sauber SHS C6, modifying the later into what became known as the Sehcar C6. The Sehcar made its debut at
Silverstone Silverstone is a village and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority area of Northamptonshire, England. The village is about south-southwest of Towcester and northeast of Brackley, both accessed via the A43 road, A43 main ...
, were Brun hired
Hans-Joachim Stuck Hans-Joachim Stuck (; born 1 January 1951) is a German former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "Strietzel", Stuck won the World Sportscar Championship in 1985 and is a two-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans ...
as his co-driver. The race only lasted 32 laps after a gearbox failure. The car was fitted with a
BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, trading as BMW Group (commonly abbreviated to BMW (), sometimes anglicised as Bavarian Motor Works), is a German multinational manufacturer of vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Th ...
engine for the race at the
Nürburgring The () is a 150,000-person capacity motorsports complex located in the town of Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It features a Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a long configuration, built in the 1920s ...
. Stuck qualified the car in a fine seventh position. Early in the race Brun had a dreadful accident on the run up to the Karussel, destroying the car and blocking the track. Brun escaped with minor injury, suffering a broken arm in the accident. The car was refitted with a
Cosworth Cosworth is a British automotive engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in high-performance internal combustion engines, powertrain, and electronics for auto racing, automobile racing (motorsport) and mainstream Automotiv ...
engine for the
24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...
were the car was driven by the Canadian drivers Villeneuve, Heimrath and Deacon. The raced was a disaster as they retired with an overheated engine before the evening had even fallen. The team also entered a second Sehcar at Le Mans for Brun, Stuck and Harald Grohs. This car was fitted with a
Porsche Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in luxury, high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Th ...
engine but did not start the race as the car was not prepared properly. The Sehcar Porsche returned at the 1984 1000 km of Monza were the car was driven by Clemens Schikentanz and Huub Rothengatter. After an engine failure the car once again did not start the race. At
Silverstone Silverstone is a village and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority area of Northamptonshire, England. The village is about south-southwest of Towcester and northeast of Brackley, both accessed via the A43 road, A43 main ...
Schikentanz and Rothengatter finished in 15th position, which was the first finish for the Sehcar in a
World Sportscar Championship The World Sportscar Championship was the world Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance racing series run for sports car racing, sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), from 1953 World Sportscar Championship, 1953 t ...
race. At
Spa-Francorchamps The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (), informally referred to as Spa, is a motor-racing circuit located in Francorchamps, Stavelot, Wallonia, Belgium, about southeast of Spa. It is the current venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix, ho ...
the car was driven by
Didier Theys Didier Maurice Theys (born 19 October 1956) is a Belgian sports car driver. He is a two-time overall winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona (1998 and 2002); a winner of the 12 Hours of Sebring (1998); the Sports Racing Prototype driver champion of th ...
,
Boy Hayje Johan Gerard "Boy" Hayje (born 3 May 1949) is a former racing driver from the Netherlands. He participated in seven Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 29 August 1976. He scored no championship points. After time spent racing saloon cars and w ...
and
Pierre Dieudonné file:1976-07-11 BMW-Luigi CSL von Stuck, Xhenceval, Dieudonné.jpg, BMW CSL (Stuck, Xhenceval and Dieudonné), Nürburgring 6h-Race 1973 Pierre Dieudonné (born 24 March 1947 in Brussels) is a Belgium, Belgian auto racing driver and motoring jour ...
. After another engine failure the team did not start the race. Theys and Dieudonné returned at
Imola Imola (; or ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Bologna, located on the river Santerno, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. The city is traditionally considered the western entrance to the historical region Romagna ...
were a crash ended their race after 99 laps. This was the last appearance of the Sehcar at a World Sportscar Championship event.


Return to racing

In 1983, the FIA split the Group C category into two classes, with the lower class designated Group C Junior and intended for less wealthy private teams. For the 1985 season, French racer Roland Bassaler, needing a cheap chassis for competition in the class (which was now designated as Group C Junior), decided to buy an SHS C6 and install a BMW ''M88'' 3.5L I6. Debuting at the
24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...
, the car finished a distant 23rd. The only other finish for the year was a 17th at the 1000km Spa, leaving the teams with no points in the 1985 championship. Roland Bassaler would continue into 1986, again starting at Le Mans where he failed to finish, then followed by a 17th-place finish at
Brands Hatch Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit in West Kingsdown, Kent, England, United Kingdom. Originally used as a grasstrack motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently hosts ...
. Roland Bassaler would then score their only points at the
Nürburgring The () is a 150,000-person capacity motorsports complex located in the town of Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It features a Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a long configuration, built in the 1920s ...
with a 12th-place finish, in an event which was actually won by a
Sauber C8 The Sauber C8 was a Group C prototype race car introduced in 1985 for the 24 Hours of Le Mans as the first in a partnership between Sauber and Mercedes-Benz. Design Mercedes decided not to put forth the money for a full effort on their own unti ...
. After the 1986 season, Roland Bassaler would stop participating in the World Championship, but continued to race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans until 1988, scoring no finishes in the two attempts.


Returning again

Roland Bassaler would again bring his SHS C6 chassis out of retirement for a second time in 1993, again to participate in the C2 class at the
24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...
. The car was still outfitted with a 3.5L BMW I6, although the bodywork was radically different from how the SHS C6 had started life in 1982. Unfortunately the car would not finish due to an accident. In 1993, the
Group C Group C was a category of sports car racing introduced by the FIA in 1982 and continuing until 1993, with ''Group A'' for Touring car racing, touring cars and ''Group B'' for Grand tourer, GTs. It was designed to replace both Group 5 (motorspor ...
was cancelled, however, this car was last time entered by Roland Bassaler in the
24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...
in 1994. The car, entered in the top LMP1/C90 class (including ex-Group C cars), was fitted with a 3.5L Ford Cosworth engine (the same as in 1982-1984), rebadged as Alpa LM (however, it was actually the same as 1993, except for the engine) and painted blue instead of red. The car retired after a suspension accident on the 64th lap. In 1995, the car didn't participate due to the final cancellation of Group C cars at Le Mans. In fact, the car was the oldest car to ever participate at the
24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...
at the end of competition story.RSC Photo Gallery - Le Mans 24 Hours 1994 - Alpa LM no.8 - Racing Sports Cars
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Notes


References


External links



{{DEFAULTSORT:Sauber Shs C6 Group C cars 24 Hours of Le Mans race cars Sauber Motorsport