BMW Racing Legends: Joachim Winkelhock's Journey to Motorsport Immortality | Condor Speed Shop

In some of his more famous photos, Joachim Winkelhock could be perceived as a party animal from a time when racing drivers’ personalities were at their most flamboyant. And while he was undoubtedly great company off the track, his true demeanor was calm, tactful, and calculating. His chain-smoking habit and playful racer persona often overshadowed his immense driving talent and hard-working racing spirit, which is precisely why we chose him to launch our series celebrating BMW’s most legendary racing drivers.

Joachim Winkelhock was born on October 24, 1960, into what would become a family full of German racing legends. He was an avid car enthusiast from an early age, at a time when the German automotive industry was just beginning to showcase its innovative engineering potential. His professional driving career officially began in 1979, when, thanks to a generous $10,000 loan from his older brother and fellow racing driver Manfred, he began competing in the Renault 5 cup. He competed there for three seasons before moving up the ladder to single-seaters, joining the German Formula Ford 1600 series in 1981. Lack of funding, however, would cause his participation to be intermittent at best, and by his mid-20s, Joachim was at a crossroads in his racing career. 

Personal woes would also hit the Winkelhock family around this time, when in August of 1985, Joachim lost his older brother and mentor, Manfred, who tragically suffered life-ending injuries after crashing a Porsche 962 at Mosport Park. This family tragedy drove Joachim to quit motor racing altogether. Not only had he lost his brother, but Manfred was also responsible for helping Joachim start his racing career, and at this pivotal point for him professionally, the emotional toll proved too much for Joachim to continue racing. 

A year later Joachim was approached by close family friend Peter Muller, who couldn't stand seeing his driving talent go to waste. Peter offered him a drive in the 1986 Porsche 944 Cup, and with a heavy heart, Joachim accepted. In fact, not only would he accept the drive, but he would also purchase the car outright, prepare it himself for each event, and even transport the car himself to and from on an open trailer. He did this not only to save money but also to ensure he would be the only one accountable for both his results and longevity in the sport, without any dependence on sponsors or crew members.

He went on to win that season’s 944 Championship and was later invited to test a Formula 3 car by Willi Weber, a German driver manager and team owner who was responsible for launching the careers of some of Germany’s most iconic racing drivers, including Michael Schumacher. Needless to say, Joachim’s test was a great success, and he was then offered a contract to drive for Weber’s German Formula 3 team for the next two seasons. 

In that same time period, Joachim was also able to make multiple guest appearances in the European and German Touring Car Championships for a few different teams, including Lindner Racing’s Group A E30 BMW 323i, Isert Racing’s 325i, HWRT’s Ford Sierra XR4-ti, and Wolf Racing’s Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500. After the tumultuous start to his racing career, it was safe to say that Joachim had finally arrived as a true professional, and this was only the beginning. 

After finishing second in his first season in German Formula 3, Joachim went on to win the 1988 Championship. His success got the attention of a few different privateer Formula 1 teams at a time when privateer participation was at an all-time high. These were the days of Pre-Qualifying, when as many as 39 cars would be competing for 26 positions on the racing grid. Joachim bounced around between a couple of different teams in 1988 and 1989, including Scuderia Coloni and AGS; however, he was never able to secure a seat in a competitive car. In most of his appearances, the cars failed to qualify, though his potential from his recent success in other series was still very apparent.

In the midst of Winkelhock’s F1 stints, Joachim also secured a handful of drives for the factory Mercedes/AMG team in the 1989 DTM season before becoming a full-on factory driver for BMW Motorsport in 1990. Here, his relationship with the iconic German brand began with multiple DTM race wins in the legendary E30 M3 Sport Evo as well as victories in the 1990 and 1991 Nurburgring 24 Hour Races. 

BMW valued signing a true hometown hero such that in 1991, they built 51 “Winkelhock Edition” E34 M5s at Joachim’s request. These are among the most rare special edition BMWs ever produced. These cars were truly built at a racing driver’s behest, having utilized many weight-saving measures, including a smaller fuel tank, reduced noise insulation, and a smaller battery. They also came equipped with Recaro seats, an Alcantara steering wheel, and red seat belts. All of these bespoke modifications were made to specification to refine Joachim’s vision of “the perfect M5”.

BMW soon left the DTM as a factory team following the 1992 season and transitioned its factory racing efforts to the British Touring Car Championship, where Winkelhock and fellow factory driver Steve Soper would pilot the new E36 STW model for the next 2 seasons. It was here that Winkelhock became even more of a household name, given the series' larger global media exposure compared to the slightly lesser-known, more regionally famous DTM in those days. In fact, this was around the time that his nickname “Smokin' Jo” came into popularity due to him often being seen on camera smoking a cigarette on global BTCC telecasts.

The combination of the perfect car for the STW platform in the E36 and a brilliant pair of drivers in Winkelhock and Soper would culminate in Winkelhock’s first Touring Car Championship win, with Soper finishing in 2nd place. This was only the beginning of Winkelhock’s relationship with the E36 chassis. He would compete with it all over the globe in multiple touring car championships and high-profile races throughout the 1990s, notably winning the 1995 Spa 24 Hours and 1998 Macau Touring Car Grand Prix. 

By the end of the decade, Joachim was truly a household name for BMW Motorsport, and in 1998, he was given the opportunity to race in the 24 Hours of Lemans. This would be BMW’s first factory effort at an overall win at Lemans in decades with their newly developed LM V12 prototype. This version of the car was still very green at the time of its maiden voyage and suffered many teething problems, completing just 43 racing laps. An offseason of development in partnership with the Williams Formula 1 team would make all the difference, however, as Winkelhock and his teammates, Yannick Dalmas and Pieluigi Martini, would return in 1999 to win the race in the fully evolved LMR V12. This accolade would only further cement Joachim’s legacy with BMW, truly putting a bow on an amazing 9-year partnership with the brand. 

Following that legendary achievement, Joachim would move on to drive for Opel, another storied German touring car marque, until his retirement in 2003. Since then, he has lived the life of a humble, working-class man who runs his family’s crane and towing business, where he has even been spotted occasionally working out in the field, recovering crashed vehicles. The Winkelhock family is still very involved in motorsports, particularly in Germany. Joachim’s nephew, Markus continues to race, and he has become a mainstay on Audi’s roster of professional drivers since his single-seater racing career ended in 2007. Markus’s career also includes a Nurburgring 24 Hour race win as well as many podium finishes with Audi Sport’s GT3 factory and customer racing teams.Joachim’s story is one of persistence, patience, and humility that ultimately ended in great success due to his talent and perseverance. His true racer’s spirit and unique character continue to intrigue motorsport fans who look back on historic touring car racing footage fondly. His journey from grassroots to full-on factory professional is one of patience and hard work that can be admired for generations of drivers and enthusiasts to come. 

We hope you enjoyed the story of Joachim Winkelhock. If you have any suggestions for racing drivers you would like to see highlighted in this series, please let us know. As always, stay tuned to our article section at condorspeedshop.com for continuing historical racing content.