Hans-Joachim Stuck at 75 and His Legacy with the Porsche 962

Porsche marks Hans-Joachim Stuck’s 75th birthday, highlighting his Porsche 962 successes, Le Mans victories and lasting impact on endurance racing history.

Hans-Joachim Stuck turns 75, marking a moment to look back at one of the defining figures in endurance racing and a driver whose career is inseparable from Porsche’s motorsport history. His name is most closely associated with the Porsche 962, the prototype that came to symbolise the brand’s dominance in the 1980s and the most successful chapter of his professional life.

Stuck earned a reputation for combining relentless pace over long distances with a precise understanding of race car behaviour. These qualities made him a key member of the Porsche works team. In the mid-1980s, he achieved his greatest international successes in the Porsche 962 C, including the World Endurance Championship title in 1985, victories in the ADAC Supercup, and overall wins at the 12 Hours of Sebring.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans stand at the centre of his legacy. In 1986 and 1987, Stuck, alongside Derek Bell and Al Holbert, drove the works Porsche 962 C to overall victory. These wins formed part of Porsche’s historic run of seven consecutive Le Mans triumphs, underlining both Stuck’s standing among the leading endurance drivers of his generation and the technical superiority of Porsche’s Group C prototypes.

His contribution went far beyond race results. Within Porsche, Stuck was valued as a development driver, known for detailed and accurate feedback during testing. His input played a role in refining the Porsche 962 for different circuits and conditions, strengthening its competitiveness for factory and customer teams alike.

Versatility defined his career. Stuck competed in Formula 1, touring cars and endurance racing, winning titles in DTM and IMSA Supercar competition and claiming overall victories at the Nürburgring 24 Hours with different manufacturers. After retiring from active racing, he remained deeply involved in the sport, serving as President of the German Motor Sport Federation (DMSB) from 2012 to 2020, with a strong focus on safety and structural development.

Even today, Hans-Joachim Stuck remains a visible link to a formative era of endurance racing. As an ambassador and regular presence at historic events, he continues to share experiences from a period when innovation, reliability and driver skill shaped motorsport history. His 75th birthday is not only a personal milestone, but also a reminder of the lasting influence of the Porsche 962 and the drivers who defined its era.