VIN: the Brun Motorsport Porsche 962 chassis 115
History of chassis 115
Chassis 115 was one of two Porsche 962s sold to Brun Motorsport for the 1986 season (the other having been chassis 117). They replaced a pair of 956s that Brun campaigned during 1985, one of which had been destroyed in Steffan Bellof’s fatal accident at that year’s Spa 1000km.
During 1983, Lucerne-based slot machine magnate, nightclub owner and restaurateur, Walter Brun, had taken over the GS-Tuning operation in Freiburg. The team was subsequently re-branded Brun Motorsport and rapidly established itself as one of the premier privateer sports car outfits in Europe.
The 1986 season saw chassis 115 variously appear in the colours of Fortuna cigarettes, Memorex tapes, the Eterna watch company and FATurbo Express logistics. Brun campaigned the car in all eight European rounds of that year’s World Sportscar Championship, during which it was most frequently shared by Oscar Larrauri and Jesus Pareja who won the Jerez 360km race and finished fourth with the car on its debut at the Monza 360km. Most notable, however, was chassis 115’s performance at the ‘86 Le Mans 24 Hours where, joined by Joel Gouhier, Larrauri and Pareja finished a sensational second overall behind the works Rothmans 962 of Bell, Stuck and Holbert.
In addition to its World Sortscar Championship outings, chassis 115 contested a trio of Supercup races (with a best finish of fourth for Frank Jelinski at Hockenheim) and one Interserie event (when Jelinski finished second at Siegerland).
For the 1987 season, Brun retained chassis 115 and 117. These existing cars were joined by a third 962 direct from Porsche (chassis 128) plus a brace of uprated chassis commissioned from John Thompson’s TC Prototypes in England (001BM and 002BM).
Chassis 115 variously appeared with backing from Jagermeister liqueur, Takefuji finance, the Torno tourism authority plus Eterna and Fortuna. It contested half a dozen World Sportscar Championship events that year scoring a best result of fourth at the season-ending Fuji 1000km with Jochen Mass and Oscar Larrauri at the wheel. Other top six finishes during 1987 included fifth at the Monza 1000km and a brace of sixths at the Jerez 1000km and Jarama 360km (all of which were by Massimo Sigala and Gianfranco Brancatelli).
Outside of the World Sportscar Championship, chassis 115 was used for three Supercup events; Walter Brun himself finished fifth at Hockenheim and sixth at Diepholz while Frank Jelinski failed to reach the chequered flag at the Nurburgring.
Brun Motorsport retained all five of its Porsche 962s for the 1988 season which would be chassis 115’s last year of competitive action.
In the colours of Torno, Jagermeister and the Repsol energy company it was used for half-a-dozen events. Uwe Schafer bagged a brace of third place Supercup finishes (at the Nurburgring and Hockenheim) while Oscar Larrauri and Massimo Sigala also recorded a podium finish with third position at the ‘88 Monza 1000km.
In its final period outing, chassis 115 went on to score a strong finish at the 1988 Le Mans 24 Hours where Jesus Pareja, Massimo Sigala and Uwe Schafer crossed the line seventh overall.
Notable History
Brun Motorsport, Freiburg
20/04/1986 WSC Monza 360km (O. Larrauri / J. Pareja) 4th oa, 4th C1 class (#18)
27/04/1986 SUP Nurburgring (F. Jelinski) 5th oa, 5th C1 class (#38)
04/05/1986 WSC Silverstone 1000km (O. Larrauri / J. Pareja) 10th oa, 10th C1 class (#18)
01/06/1986 WSC Le Mans 24 Hours (O. Larrauri / J. Pareja / J. Gouhier) 2nd oa, 2nd C1 class (#17)
15/06/1986 SUP Hockenheim (F. Jelinski) 4th oa, 4th C1 class (#38)
29/06/1986 WSC Norisring 200 mile (F. Jelinski) 4th oa, 4th C1 class (#38)
20/07/1986 WSC Brands Hatch 1000km (O. Larrauri / J. Pareja) DNF (#18)
03/08/1986 WSC Jerez 360km (O. Larrauri / J. Pareja) 1st oa, 1st C1 class (#18)
24/08/1986 WSC Nurburgring 1000km (O. Larrauri / J. Pareja) DNF (#18)
31/08/1986 INT Siegerland (F. Jelinski) 2nd oa, 2nd Div. 1 class (#19)
15/09/1986 WSC Spa 1000km (O. Larrauri / J. Pareja) DNF (#18)
21/09/1986 SUP Nurburgring (W. Brun) 7th oa, 7th C1 class (#17)
22/03/1987 WSC Jarama 360km (M. Sigala / G. Brancatelli) 6th oa, 6th C1 class (#2)
29/03/1987 WSC Jerez 1000km (G. Brancatelli / M. Sigala) 6th oa, 6th C1 class (#2)
12/04/1987 WSC Monza 1000km (G. Brancatelli / M. Sigala) 5th oa, 5th C1 class (#2)
26/04/1987 SUP Nurburgring (F. Jelinski) DNF (#3)
10/05/1987 WSC Silverstone 1000km (O. Larrauri / M. Sigala) DNF (#2)
14/06/1987 WSC Le Mans 24 Hours (O. Larrauri / J. Pareja / U. Schafer) DNF (#2)
05/07/1987 SUP Hockenheim (W. Brun) 5th oa, 5th C1 class (#1)
09/08/1987 SUP Diepholz (W. Brun) 6th oa, 6th C1 class (#1)
27/09/1987 WSC Fuji 1000km (J. Mass / O. Larrauri) 4th oa, 4th C1 class (#1)
06/03/1988 WSC Jerez 800km (J. Pareja / W. Brun) DNF (#6)
13/03/1988 WSC Jarama 360km (J. Pareja / O. Larrauri) 6th oa, 6th C1 class (#6)
10/04/1988 WSC Monza 1000km (O. Larrauri / M. Sigala) 3rd oa, 3rd C1 class (#6)
01/05/1988 SUP Nurburgring (U. Schafer) 3rd oa, 3rd C1 class (#8)
29/05/1988 SUP Hockenheim (U. Schafer) 3rd oa, 3rd C1 class (#8)
12/06/1988 WSC Le Mans 24 Hours (J. Pareja / M. Sigala / U. Schafer) 7th oa, 7th C1 class (#5)
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
