Eighty-one grand prix, 11 points finishes, five stables in the curriculum, two very serious accidents. Marc’s Surer it was a promising career, but his rise from Formula 2 to the main category of motoring was halted for the first time in 1980 and then finally halted six years later.
Having arrived in Formula 1 in 1979, thanks to his success in F2, Surer was unable to qualify with his Ensign for the Monza and Montreal races. He got his first grand prix participation at Watkins Glen, but had to drop out due to an engine failure. The following year Surer moved to ATS: after seventh place in Brazil, Surer reached the third race – that of Kyalami – with reassured expectations. The Swiss, however, went to the wall at Crowthorne in free practice, hitting the protections head-on: he was trapped for more than half an hour in the cockpit, he suffered a fracture in his right leg, one in his left ankle, as well as damage to the heel and knee. right: “I’ve seen death in the face. I saw the wall coming, and I hit it right by right. Without brakes I thought it was over. I was surprised that I was still alive. And then of course you go to the hospital, you feel sorry for yourself and then you want to go back and prove that you are still fit“He told the F1 podcast Beyond the Grid.
After six years of ups and downs and a experience at Brabham, Surer moved to Arrows. The return to the British team, however, lasted five races: after the race in Spa the Swiss participated in the Rallye Hessen on May 31, 1986 with a Ford Escort RS200 that he shared with his co-driver and friend Michel Wyder. During the test he lost control of his car and crashed into a tree. His Ford caught fire instantly. Surer was thrown out of the car by the force of the impact: it was his luck, he got away with two weeks in a coma, attached to an artificial respiration system, second degree burns, multiple fractures in his legs and pelvis and a skin graft. Wyder was trapped in the Ford e he died burnt. His friend’s convalescence and death forever removed Surer from motor racing: “I knew exactly what I was going to go through, between operations, gym workouts to get back in shape, pain at work, driving again with painkillers. Yes, after the second accident it was harder“.
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