Jo Gartner

Josef Anton Gartner (24 January 1954 – 1 June 1986) was a Formula One and sports car endurance driver from Austria. After a successful lower formula career, including a win in the Formula Two Pau Grand Prix, he participated in eight Formula One Grands Prix for Osella during the 1984 season, scoring no points. He was killed in an accident at the 1986 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Career

Early career Gartner was born in Vienna. In 1972, he began working for the Kaimann Formula Super Vee team in a technical capacity. After buying, modifying and selling a Formula Vee chassis of his own, Gartner began his motor sport career in some hillclimbing events in 1976. In 1977, aged 23, he started competing more seriously, driving in the Volkswagen-supported European Formula Super Vee championship. The following season, he finished third in the championship.

Gartner moved up to the European Formula Three Championship in 1979, driving a Martini with support from Renault, and switched to Formula Two in 1980 with a two-year-old March. On his Formula Two debut, Gartner's car was damaged by debris from the accident that killed his countryman Markus Höttinger. He was subsequently invited to take Höttinger's place in the BMW M1 Procar Championship series, in which he raced against Formula One drivers, driving for fellow Austrian Helmut Marko. After mechanical failures in the next two races, he finished 12th at the Dutch Grand Prix, five laps down on the winner Alain Prost.

At the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, Gartner qualified 24th but finished fifth, beating fellow Austrian Gerhard Berger into sixth after Ghinzani and Cheever ran out of fuel. However, Gartner was denied the two points normally awarded to the fifth-place finisher, as Osella had only entered one car at the beginning of the season.

Racing record

Complete European Formula Two Championship results (key) Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Pts Racing Team Albatross March 782 BMW THR HOC NÜR VLL PAU NC 0 Team Jim Bean SIL ZOL MUG ZAN PER MIS HOC Jo Gartner Racing Toleman TG280 BMW SIL HOC THR NÜR VLL MUG PAU PER SPA DON 19th 1 Astra Team Merzario Srl March 812 MIS MAN Merzario Team Merzario 282 BMW SIL HOC THR NÜR MUG VLL PAU SPA HOC DON MAN PER MIS 17th 1 Emco Sports Spirit 201 BMW SIL THR HOC NÜR VLL PAU JAR DON MIS PER ZOL MUG 6th 14 Emco Sports Spirit 201B BMW SIL HOC THR VLL MUG PAU HOC MIS PER DON BRH NC 0

Complete Formula One results (key)