Imagine, your hired to race for a small Formula One team in the 1980s. On forehand, you’re aware that points are not the goal. Only with a crazy race or plenty of retirements, you could perhaps score a point. Then this crazy dream is becoming reality your racing and driver after driver is retiring. Eventually you drive with your car on place 5! Good for two points! Only to realize that your team did not enter two cars at the begin of the season and therefore you get no points. It happened to Jo Gartner! Weirdly also Gerhard Berger had the same problem during this race!
Jo Gartner, short for Josef Anton was an Austrian driver born the 24th of January 1954. Before Jo became a race driver himself, he started his career as a technician for the Kaimann Formula Super Vee. During his career as technician, the interest started to become a race driver himself. In 1976, at the age of 22, he appeared for the first time in the autosport as a driver when he entered the Bad Muhlacken hill climb event where he managed to finish in the first heat as second.
For 1977, Jo moved to the Formula Super Vee the series where he used to work before. He debuted in the European series, at that time sponsored by Volkswagen. With some help of his friends, he managed to score some good results and finished the championship as ninth with 48 points. For 1978, he would stay in the series. He would enter the series with a Lola T620 from Jim Beam and started to show his potential as a driver. During the season he had some great fights on the track with a guy who would later won the Indy 500 twice Arie Luyendijk. Eventually, Gartner would win one race and finish third in the championship!
For 1979, he made the move with Jim Beam to the European Formula 3 Championship and the German Formula 3 Championship. He would race in both series with the Martini MK27. His first year in the Formula 3 was not successful. While he only entered two races in the German series without points. He managed to score 3 points and a 21st overall in the European Championship. However, during the 1979 German Grand Prix he appeared once more in the Formula Super Vee and promptly won the race. This seemed good enough for him to move to the Formula 2 in 1980.
Despite the lack of money, he managed to qualify on a magnificent seventh place during his first Formula 2 race in the March 782 for Racing Team Albatross. The race at Hockenheim went well until Markus Hottinger had a horrific crash, which costs his life. Promptly Dr. Helmut Marko signed Gartner to race in his BMW M1 Procar series. He would replace Hottinger there. In his first race at Donington, he finished fourth. This and a sixth place would also be his best results as the rest of the races he would not start. During the Marlboro Trophy at Silverstone, originally, it was to be hosted at Brands, he scored his best results on the Formula Two by finishing seventh. In-between he appeared in the Formula 3 championship as well though without real results.
In 1981, he would remain in the Formula 2 and acquired a one year old Toleman TG280. Due to his financial situation, he did most of the work himself. He modified the back of the TG280 to have the Heldgger-BMW engine fitted. In-between the races he lived with his girlfriend most of the time in the caravan, traveling from circuit to circuit. The first two races he had to miss however, he would appear at the start of the Hockenheimring. Qualified in the front and had a good outlook for a good result. Sadly, he had to retire due to a faulty gearbox.
Around this time, he came in contact with Herbert Maler who offered him help. As well, the company Emco Machines was willing to financially support him. During the season, he came also in contact with Arturo Merzario. He would complete a couple of races for him in the March 812. This collaboration felt so good, for 1982, he would race for Merzario in the European Formula Two. However, the competition was fierce. Besides some good qualification results he did not manage to score points during the season. In 1982, Gartner would have races for Fritz Glatz in the World Sportscar Championship with a Toj SC205.
For 1983, he would remain in the Formula 2 season this time with Emco Sports in a Spirit 201. His first point finish was during the third race of the season during the German Race at the Hockenheimring. He finished as fourth. Then his best result would happen at the prestigious street race at Pau. The race started wet and everyone started on wet-tyres. However, Gartner decided to keep on racing on the wet-tyres until they became slicks. The rest of the field went into the pits to change the tyres. He battled lap after lap with Alain Ferté for the victory. At the last lap of the race, Ferté overtook Gartner and won the race. However, after the race Ferte’s Maurer MM83 was disqualified as the car was underweight.
While Jo Gartner was qualified as winner, he still did not have the trophy. Ferté gave it to him the next race at Jarama. The rest of the season was more or less so so. While he did a great job in qualifying, the car was not reliable enough and had to retire occasionally. He would end the season as sixth overall with one win.
In 1983, Gartner got also the first interest from Formula One team. ATS offered Jo to race for the team during his home Grand Prix, obviously an Austrian racing in Austria gains always-extra attention. While the deal was more or less signed Günter Schmid made the decision not to bring an extra car to the race. Therefore, Gartner had to wait for next season.
Because he was in negotiations with Enzo Osella to race for his team in Formula One in 1984. The negotiations went slowly and when the teams had announce their drivers, they were too late. It meant that when he would finish in the points he and the team would not gain the points. In prior his debut he entered the first two races in the, wat would be, last season of the Formula 2 championship. Again with Emco Sports in the Spirit 201. Both races he would retire due to an engine failure. Interestingly is that Gartner, at the begin of the season, was to race with Lamberto Leoni in two brand-new Minardi F2’s as the team was preparing to enter the Formula One as well. Sadly, this never happened.
Prior his debut with Osella at Imola he started tested for the team. He appeared with the Osella at Zeltweg. At Imola, he had to start in the one-year old, and non-turbo, Osella FA1E due to the lack of a new car. This car would only be ready the next Grand Prix at Brands. He qualified as 26th and retired after lap 42 when he Alfa V12 engine had a failure. He would return on the grid during the British Grand Prix. This time armed with the Osella FA1F fitted with the thirsty Alfa V8 Turbo. He would retire the next three Grand Prix’s due to an accident and twice an issue with the engine.
The Dutch Grand Prix would mark his first finish. He came over the finish as 12th on five laps of winner Alain Prost in the McLaren. The next Grand Prix would be the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. The qualification didn’t suggest at all that Gartner would stunt in the race the next day. At race day Jo Gartner and his teammate Piercarlo Ghinzani managed to stay out of trouble. Where Ghinzani retired on lap 48 because he ran out of fuel, while in the points. It was Gartner who with the last drops of fuel in his tank managed to cross the finish line as fifth! Behind him was Gerhard Berger in the ATS struggling with the fuel as well. Classified where three Austrian drivers in the top six with Niki Lauda winning the race!
However, as Enzo Osella was too late with entering the second car at the begin of the season; Gartner would not score the two points. Gerhard Berger had the same issue. As ATS was also too late with entered their second car at the begin of the season. It meant that the teams could enter a second car. They would only not be able to score points. The last two races of the season didn’t go better for Gartner.
He was already looking for 1985 and was negotiating with Toleman and Osella for a seat in 1985. However, both teams demanded more money to bring in. His best chances were with the Arrows team from Jackie Oliver. Eventually Arrows choose for Gerhard Berger instead. Gartner decided to leave the Formula One for what it was and lay his focus on endurance racing. He entered the World Sportscar Championship with Fitzpatrick Racing in the Porsche 956B and the Gebhardt JC843.
During the 24 Hours of Le Mans of 1985, he finished fourth overall in a Porsche 962C. Besides one outing in a Formula car during the F3 race at Macau, which he finished, tenth he focused on Sportscars. In 1985 he also appeared for the first time in the IMSA in a Porsche 962 with Bob Atkin.
It seemed that Gartner’s career finally got it’s form. For 1986, he appeared in the Prototype Championship with Kremer Racing in a Porsche 962C. He raced in the IMSA championship winning the 12 Hours of Sebring and appeared in the Supercup. Winning races, he was in the aim to become a factory driver for the Rothmans Porsche team for 1987. Sadly, he would never race for them. During the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1986 nightmare struck. While racing for in the Porsche 962 for Kremer Racing, he crashed badly at the Mulsanne Straight. The impact killed him instantly.
