VIN: the Brun Motorsport / Trust Racing Team Porsche 956 chassis 111
History of chassis 111
Chassis 111 was one of a dozen Porsche 956 customer cars delivered for the 1983 season.
It was sold on 30th June 1983 to professional Swiss racing driver, Walter Brun. Earlier in the year, Brun had taken over the ailing GS-Sport team and re-branded the operation Brun Motorsport.
Chassis 111 replaced the team’s Sauber C6 and was put to work immediately.
Three days after delivery, Brun ran the car at the Norisring (double DNF). A month later, it won the Interserie race at Most.
Chassis 111 subsequently contested three World Sportscar Championship events and appeared in a different livery on each occasion. 111’s best placings were fourth in the Spa 1000km (Liqui Moly livery) and sixth in the Fuji 1000km (Advan livery).
For 1984, Brun Motorsport added a brand new 956 to their fleet (chassis 116). Chassis 111 contested twelve races that season, mostly in the World Championship and DRM.
The car looked resplendent in its Gaggia and Warsteiner liveries and scored best results of seventh at the Le Mans 24 Hours, fourth at the Spa 1000km and fifth at the Imola 1000km. It also picked up a podium in the DRM round at Diepholz.
Brun retained both cars for the 1985 season in expectation of another busy campaign.
For the first part of 1985, chassis 111 appeared in a new Deborah / Guffanti livery but sixth place at the Monza 1000km was its only finish from the opening four events.
A mid-season switch to Schiesser backing saw an upturn in fortune. 111 collected a brace of fourths (at the Norisring) and its best ever World Championship placing: second overall at the Hockenheim 1000km.
A short time after the Hockenheim result, Walter Brun sold chassis 111. He was made an offer that was too good to refuse by the Trust Racing Team in Japan whose own 956 (chassis 118) had recently been destroyed at Fuji.
However, Brun would regret the decision as, a couple of weeks later, his sole remaining 956 (chassis 116) was destroyed in Stefan Bellof’s fatal crash at the 1985 Spa 1000km.
Based in Chiba, The Trust Company were a major player in high performance automotive components.
Trust exported chassis 111 to Japan and, over the next 18 months, campaigned it with backing from Iseki tractors.
During this time, it collected sixths in the 1985 and 1986 World Championship 1000km races at Fuji along with two wins at the same circuit in the Japanese Sportscar Championship.
At the end of the 1986 season, Porsche 956s became obsolete as they could not meet the latest safety standards.
Chassis 111 was one of the Japanese-domiciled 956s acquired around this time by professional Australian driver, Vern Schuppan. Schuppan had been employed by Trust throughout 1985 and 1986.
Vern Schuppan retained the car until July 1993 when it was sold at the Silverstone Historic Festival in England.
Notable History
Brun Motorsport
White, Blue & Red Liqui Moly livery
03/07/1983 DRM Norisring (W. Brun) DNF (#119)
03/07/1983 IND Norisring Trophy (H. Grohs) DNF (#19)
14/08/1983 INT Most (W. Brun) 1st oa, 1st Div.1 class (#12)
04/09/1983 WSC Spa 1000km (H.J. Stuck / H. Grohs / W. Brun) 4th oa, 4th C class (#33)
Black & Red Advan livery
02/10/1983 WSC Fuji 1000km (K. Takahashi / C. Schickentanz) 6th oa, 6th C class (#8)
Black, Red & Yellow Gaggia / New Man livery
10/12/1983 WSC Kyalami 1000km (H.J. Stuck / M. Sigala / H. Grohs / U. Grano) DNF (#35)
White, Red & Green Gaggia livery
23/04/1984 WSC Monza 1000km (O. Larrauri / M. Sigala) DNF (#9)
13/05/1984 WSC Silverstone 1000km (O. Larrauri / M. Sigala) DNF (#9)
17/06/1984 WSC Le Mans 24 Hours (O. Larrauri / M. Sigala / J. Gouhier) 7th oa, 7th C1 class (#20)
White & Gold Warsteiner livery
01/07/1984 DRM Norisring (L. von Bayern) 5th oa, 5th C1 class (#23)
01/07/1984 IND Norisring Trophy (W. Brun) DNF (#3)
White, Red & Green Gaggia livery
15/07/1984 WSC Nurburging 1000km (O. Larrauri / M. Sigala) 6th oa, 6th C1 class (#19)
White & Gold Warsteiner livery
22/07/1984 DRM Diepholz (L. von Bayern) 3rd oa, 3rd C1 class (#23)
29/07/1984 WSC Brands Hatch 1000km (W. Brun / L. von Bayern) 8th oa, 8th C1 class (#9)
White, Red & Green Gaggia livery
05/08/1984 WSC Mosport 1000km (O. Larrauri / W. Brun) DNF (#19)
02/09/1984 WSC Spa 1000 km Spa (O. Larrauri / M. Sigala) 4th oa, 4th C1 class (#20)
16/09/1984 WSC Imola 1000 km (O. Larrauri / M. Sigala) 5th oa, 5th C1 class (#9)
White & Gold Warsteiner livery
23/09/1984 DRM Nurburgring (L. von Bayern) 6th oa, 6th C1 class (#2)
White, Red & Green Deborah / Guffanti livery
14/04/1985 WSC Mugello 1000km (O. Larrauri / M. Sigala) DNF (#18)
28/04/1985 WSC Monza 1000km (O. Larrauri / M. Sigala / R. Zorzi) 6th oa, 6th C1 class (#19)
12/05/1985 WSC Silverstone 1000km (O. Larrauri / M. Sigala) DNF (#18)
16/06/1985 WSC Le Mans 24 Hours (O. Larrauri / M. Sigala / G. Tarquini) DNF (#18)
Blue & White Schiesser livery
29/06/1985 DRM Norisring (H.J. Stuck) 4th oa, 4th C1 class (#2)
30/06/1985 IND Norisring Trophy (H.J. Stuck) 4th oa, 4th C1 class (#2)
14/07/1985 WSC Hockenheim 1000km (O. Larrauri / M. Sigala) 2nd oa, 2nd C1 class (#18)
Sold to Trust Racing Team, Chiba, Japan
Blue & White Iseki livery
25/08/1985 JSC Suzuka 1000km (V. Schuppan / K. Suzuki) 4th oa, 4th D class (#1)
06/10/1985 WSC Fuji 1000km (V. Schuppan) 6th oa, 6th C1 class (#60)
24/11/1985 JSC Fuji 500km (V. Schuppan / K. Suzuki / G. Fouche) 6th oa, 6th LD-1 class (#1)
06/04/1986 JSC Suzuka 500km (V. Schuppan / G. Fouche) 5th oa, 5th C class (#7)
04/05/1986 JSC Fuji 1000km (V. Schuppan / K. Suzuki / G. Fouche) DNF (#7)
20/07/1986 JSC Fuji 500 mile (V. Schuppan / K. Suzuki / G. Fouche) 1st oa, 1st LD-1 class (#7)
24/08/1986 JSC Suzuka 1000km (V. Schuppan / K. Suzuki / G. Fouche) DSQ (#7)
05/10/1986 WSC Fuji 1000km (V. Schuppan / G. Fouche / K. Suzuki) 6th oa, 6th C1 class (#60)
23/11/1986 JSC Fuji 500km (V. Schuppan / K. Suzuki) 1st oa, 1st LD-1 class (#7)
Sold to Vern Schuppan
1993 sold at the Silverstone Historic Festival
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
