Hans-Joachim Stuck is one of the living legends of motorsport in the German-speaking world. He was still climbing into the cockpit at the age of 70, and although he takes things a little more leisurely these days, his love of cars remains undiminished. And there is a very good chance that one day he will line up at the Eggentaler Herbst Classic (EHC) in one of his classic cars. 

A day without driving? “That’s a bad day,” says Hans-Joachim Stuck without hesitation. Anything else would be surprising in a man whose life has always been shaped by his passion for motorsport. With 74 Formula One starts and two victories in the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans, he is one of the most colourful figures in German-speaking motorsport. And to this day, his passion for cars has never waned. 

It was almost exactly 70 years ago that his father, Hans, infected him with the “petrol bug”. In the family garage, his father would tinker with his AFM racing car, shielded from the curious gaze of his young son. Even today, at the age of 75, cars continue to hold an irresistible fascination for Hans-Joachim Stuck. 

Klaus Pichler, organiser of the Eggentaler Herbst Classic, and his wife Irene first met the successful racing driver, affectionately known as “Strietzel”, at the Wilder Kaiser Classic. Snowfall on the Großglockner gave them plenty of time to talk. “We hit it off right away,” recalls Strietzel, who listened with interest as Klaus and Irene told him about their rally in South Tyrol. It soon became clear that Strietzel is a great admirer of South Tyrol – and not simply because the chances of good weather are considerably better south of the Brenner Pass. He is equally taken with the South Tyrolean way of life: its coffee culture, fine wines and excellent food. And, of course, the Dolomites, with their mountain passes winding through breathtaking scenery. 

Hans-Joachim Stuck and Klaus Pichler share a passion for classic cars. “When you head to a classic-car gathering or take part in a rally, it still feels like real driving,” says Strietzel. Feeling the car beneath you, receiving direct feedback through the steering wheel and hearing the engine’s unmistakable sound – “it’s a fascination that’s almost impossible to put into words.” With the composure of a champion, he settles behind the wheel. “Of course, I want to tackle the special stages as precisely as possible,” he says. “But in the end, it’s the experience that matters, not the finishing position.” 

During his racing career, naturally, things were rather different. At just 16, young Hans-Joachim was granted a special dispensation to obtain his driving licence so he could accompany his father to races. His talent was discovered at the Nürburgring during a training course by Hans-Peter Koepchen, a BMW tuning specialist. “My father had an inkling of where this was heading,” Strietzel recalls with a smile. Once he had started racing, it was clear that he would never be able to walk away from it. Success came quickly, too. At the age of 19, he won his first 24-hour race at the Nürburgring alongside Clemens Schickentanz, giving his career an immediate turbo boost. 

Whenever he looks back on his achievements, his eyes begin to light up. “I always wanted to make the car do what I wanted it to do,” says Hans-Joachim Stuck. It was about fine-tuning the setup, feeling the car, improving lap times and never being satisfied. In 1985, when he joined Porsche as a factory driver, taking the place of Stefan Bellof, who was then emerging as one of the sport’s great hopes in Formula One, a dream came true. “I learned so much about development, suspension systems and engines,” says Strietzel of those years, when he honed what drivers call their “seat-of-the-pants feel” – an instinctive understanding of a car that developed long before telemetry data became available.

The result of those years was remarkable: Hans-Joachim Stuck covered more kilometres in the Porsche 962 than any other racing driver. He helped develop its dual-clutch transmission and went on to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans at its wheel. “The balance between power and handling was second to none,” Strietzel recalls. “At Le Mans, we reached a top speed of 407 at night.” 

Hans-Joachim Stuck had originally planned to bring his career to a close at the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring in 2014. But he simply could not bring himself to hang up his racing helmet for good. In 2021, he made headlines when, at the age of 70, he and Kris Rosenberger narrowly missed out on the GT2 European Series title by just one point. 

Although Strietzel readily admits that the urge to race is still there, he has also learned to appreciate quieter moments behind the wheel. He loves taking his BMW 700 Sport out for a spin – the very car in which his father, Hans, competed in his final races. Then there is his 1979 Golf GTI, and his 1986 Porsche 911 Cabriolet in factory turbo style, complete with its distinctive wide wheel arches. Whenever time allows, he enjoys driving them, free from modern driver-assistance systems. 

His new friendship with Klaus and Irene, combined with his long-standing affection for South Tyrol, has significantly increased the chances of seeing him on the starting line at a future edition of the Eggentaler Herbst Classic. 

There is one more thing he would like to achieve by taking part: helping to foster a more positive debate about traffic and noise on the mountain passes. For him, there is no question about the underlying principle. “We all have a need to get out and about,” he says. The solution to many of the problems, he believes, is surprisingly simple. “It would be so easy,” says Hans-Joachim Stuck, “if we showed consideration for one another and treated each other with respect.”