Hi Heuer Lovers, we nearly all forgot the death day from our famous Heuer representativ and Race hero JO SiFFERT ! he died on the 24.Oct. 1971 now over 37 years ago.... his watches are even so famous as he was at those days!!

Last week i was in Switzerland and i got from a other collecter a gift, a jo Siffert autograph card !! please have a look at the pics, on the front it is signed by siffert " for the friends of Heuer " and but what is more interessting and i think ultra ultra rare ; the card was printed for the BRANDS HATCH - RACE OF CHAMPIONS !! so his death race !!!

Jo Siffert won the 1971 Austrian Grand Prix, but then was killed in the non-Championship World Championship Victory Race at Brands Hatch, the scene of his first and greatest victory in 1968. The suspension of his BRM had been damaged in a lap 1 incident with Ronnie Peterson, and broke later.[citation needed] The BRM crashed and Siffert could not get out of the burning car.
This accident led to a rapid overhaul of safety, both in-car and on circuit. In the subsequent Royal Automobile Club (the UK organising and regulatory representative of the FIA at the time) investigation it was discovered that the crash itself caused non-fatal injuries but Siffert had been killed by oxygen starvation and smoke inhalation. None of the trackside fire extinguishers worked, and it was found impossible to reach the car and extract Siffert. On-board fire extinguishers (using BCF—bromochlorodifluoromethane, an aircraft product) became mandatory and piped air for the drivers, direct into their helmet. Thus, perhaps one of the sad epitaphs of Seppi, was the focus on vehicle and driver safety in Formula One and lesser formulae and far better fire retardant driving overalls.

His funeral in Switzerland was attended by 50,000 people, and a Gulf-Porsche 917 of Team John Wyer accompanied the hearse.

GERMAN ; Der Unfall [Bearbeiten]Beim nicht zur F1-WM zählenden World Championship Race (zu Ehren des schon feststehenden WM-Siegers) am 24. Oktober 1971 in Brands Hatch, Sifferts 41. Autorennen in diesem Jahr, hatte er in der Startphase eine zunächst harmlose Kollision mit Ronnie Peterson und setzte das Rennen fort. In der 15. Runde kam es zum tödlichen Unfall, als bei hoher Geschwindigkeit, ausgelöst durch die Startkollision mit Ronnie Peterson, eine Radaufhängung brach. Sein Wagen begann zu brennen, er konnte sich nicht mehr retten. Er starb an Sauerstoffmangel und Rauchvergiftung, da er den Rauch des brennenden Fahrzeugs einatmete.
Bei seiner Beerdigung säumten rund 50 000 Menschen die Straßen Freiburgs − es war eine der größten Trauerfeiern, die es je in der Schweiz gab. Postum wurde Joseph Siffert 1971 zum Schweizer Sportler des Jahres gewählt. Im Juni 1984 wurde zu seinem Andenken der Jo-Siffert-Brunnen („Fontaine Jo Siffert“) eingeweiht, ein Geschenk seines Freundes Jean Tinguely an die Stadt Freiburg.

In memory of a great driver, Jasper