Vern Schuppan

Vernon John "Vern" Schuppan (born 19 March 1943) is an Australian racing driver who competed in Formula One and achieved his greatest success in sports car racing and at the Indianapolis 500. Born in Waratah, Tasmania, Schuppan made nine Formula One World Championship starts between 1972 and 1977, driving for various teams including Ensign, Hill, and Surtees. While his Formula One career produced limited results with a best finish of ninth place, Schuppan found far greater success in other forms of motorsport. His career highlight came at the 1983 24 Hours of Le Mans, where he won the legendary endurance race driving a Porsche 956 for the works Rothmans Porsche team, sharing the car with Hurley Haywood and Al Holbert.

This victory cemented Schuppan's reputation as one of the world's finest endurance racing drivers. He competed at Le Mans numerous times throughout the 1970s and 1980s, achieving multiple podium finishes and class victories. Schuppan also achieved success at the Indianapolis 500, finishing second in 1981 driving for Patrick Racing and competing in the race multiple times during the 1970s and 1980s. He raced in various CART and USAC events, demonstrating his versatility across different racing disciplines.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Schuppan embarked on an ambitious project to create his own supercar, the Schuppan 962CR, based on the Porsche 962 Le Mans car. The project produced a small number of road-legal supercars but ultimately faced financial difficulties and did not achieve commercial success. Throughout his career, Schuppan was known for his technical knowledge, smooth driving style, and ability to manage complex endurance races. After retiring from competition, he remained involved in motorsport through historic racing, driver coaching, and various automotive projects.

Schuppan's Le Mans victory and Indianapolis 500 performances established him as one of Australia's most successful international racing drivers, achieving results that transcended his limited Formula One opportunities.