Vern SCHUPPAN

An Australian driver

Vern Schuppan uprooted from his native Australia and moved to Europe after a superb start to his karting career. He and his wife set themselves a target: Vern had two years to showcase all his talent. He was crowned British Champion back in 1971, which opened the doors to single-seater racing all over the world. He therefore had achieved his dream and took part in nine Formula 1 Grand Prix.

The driver would also discover the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1973 in addition to individual racing, and this was the year of his 30th birthday. He teamed up with famous names in the discipline, such as Jochen Mass, Jean-Pierre Jaussaud or Derek Bell during the second half of the 1970s, and became a top five regular at the Le Mans event.

"Of course, I knew Porsche, because when you're unknown everyone wants a 911. I had seen the 917 Gulf of Jo Siffert and Pedro Rodriguez at Brands Hatch. It was just before I started out, but I was really fascinated by Ford GT40s and Porsche 917s.”

Vern Schuppan was hired by Porsche to join its official team for the Le Mans 24 Hours following his remarkable third place finish in the 500 Miles of Indianapolis in 1981.

The 1983 season saw a flurry of trophies for the driver and victory at the 24 Hours was the pinnacle of his record. 

This race from 1983 showed the overall domination from Porsche which classified eight cars in the first places, an unprecedented performance. It was also an anthology finale and one of the most memorable images in motor racing history.

The Porsche 956 of Vern Schuppan, Hurley Haywood and Al Holbert almost saw victory slide away from their grasp. The leader started once again after the door had been replaced, however his lead was lost to the Porsche driven superbly by a Derek Bell-Jacky Ickx duo in search of a third success in a row. The engine out of breath, and the leading car came to a smoking halt… albeit just a few metres beyond the finishing line! Jacky Ickx would miss out on a seventh success at Le Mans by less than one minute.

The memory of this victory as a team was so precious for the Australian that he acquired the car which was sorely tested. 

No open car was at the start of the 24 Hours race in 1983 for the first time in the event’s history. These were to be authorised once again in 1992.