Farewell: Rest in peace Jean-Claude
WE WILL MISS YOU For several decades, Jean-Claude Béring, who died unexpectedly last week at the age of 75, was one of the most successful Swiss automobile sportsmen. Although he could hardly find room in the small Mini Cooper with his hulking stature, Jean-Claude Béring showed a lot of potential in hill climbs and slaloms from the mid-sixties onwards. He also attracted international attention [...]
Although he could hardly fit into a small Mini Cooper with his hulking stature, Jean-Claude Béring showed great potential in hill climbs and slaloms from the mid-1960s onward. Jean-Claude Béring also attracted international attention when he won the title of European hillclimb champion in the GT category in 1975 and 1976 in a Porsche Carrera RS - the previous owner was the world-famous conductor and car fan Herbert von Karajan. In 1977, importer Emil Frey signed up the Neuchâtel garage owner as a "works driver," and he promptly dominated the Swiss on an optimal Triumph Dolomite Sprint.
Fun was in the foreground
Success never went to Jean-Claude Béring's head; his focus was always on having fun. Given his limited personal resources, he was grateful when someone entrusted him with a car. He always got to grips with it very quickly, and he wasn't fussy about the terrain either. In the early 1980s, for example, he not only competed in several rounds of the Renault 5 Turbo European Cup, but also made his mark in Swiss rallying in a wide variety of vehicles (Porsche 911, Lancia Stratos, Renault 5 Turbo or Audi quattro). In 1983, he was clearly on course for the title with three victories on an official R5 Turbo, when the mechanics failed on the last run, which then made Eric Ferreux champion for the first time.
Chauffeur of public buses
The last races "der Lange", as his friends called him, took place in the nineties in a VW Golf of the Interswiss category. When he could no longer live off the profits from his service station, the former European champion didn't mind driving public buses until retirement age. Just under ten years ago, Jean-Claude Béring made another sporadic appearance on the racing scene when son Michaél followed in his footsteps. Now he has embarked on his final journey.
Text and photo: Jürg Kaufmann
