Walter Brun, born in Lucerne in 1942, started his working life setting up gaming machines, working as a champagne dealer, night club owner and went on to compete at hillclimbs events. In 1967 he was vice-champion in the Swiss touring car and in 1971 he became European Hillclimb Champion Touring Cars in a BMW. He made his first start at Le Mans in 1971 with the Porsche 907 from the team of Andre Wicky. Together with his co-driver Mattli, Brun won the class (and were seventh overall) in the prototypes under-two-litre class, despite engine issues in the last hour of the race. Later on he’d hire drives or would by his own cars. He regularly drove BMW touring cars (320, 320 Turbo, 3.0 CSL) in the German Racing Championship or the European Touring Car Championship, used by Schnitzer, Eggenberger or Heidegger Racing. He ran a BMW M1 in the Procar Series and he competed in the endurance racing. In the 24 hours of Le Mans 1972 (Wicky Porsche #24), 1973 (Wicky BMW #58)
Brunn took the odd win here, backed up with the odd podium there.
In 1982, the year of the new Group C regulations, there was a turning point. He became a team owner. That year, Brun drove one of the two Sauber SHS C6s with a 4-litre V8 Ford, produced by Peter Sauber for the GS team (Gerhard Schneider, Freiburg). The Saubers were simply painted red in the first races; the typical white BASF rings appeared from the 6h Silverstone onwards. He raced in the on the one hand in the DRM and in races of the Endurance World Championship. His co-pilot in long-distance races was usually Siegfried Müller. The results in the endurance races were pretty mixed; the Ford engine caused vibrations, which were responsible for many technical failures. In Le Mans, Brun was only able to drive 55 laps.
At the end of the 1982 season, GS Sport got into financial difficulties and Walter Brun took over the entire racing team, which was the starting signal for "Brun Motorsport". Most of the season will be drone with the two cars he inherited from GS, now called the Sehcar SH C6. Brun mostly drove with Hans Stuck but the results remained disappointing. In the 24 hours of Le Mans, there was a Sehcar SH6 at the start for Ludwig Heimrath, David Deacon and Jacques Villeneuve (DNF, clutch problems) and a Secar C83 with a Porsche 935 turbo engine for Brun. He didn’t make it past the tests. While still in Le Mans, Brun pulls the emergency brake and buys his first Porsche 956 (chassis 111). Immediately he won the interserie race in Most ! (Liqui molly 12)
1984 marks the beginning of the golden age for Brun Motorsport. Because Walter Brun wanted to dominate the scene, the team bought another 956 (chassis 101) and a 956 from the new "B" series (chassis 116). The Brun drivers, led by superstar Stefan Bellof, set the benchmark. He won the DRM title in the Jägermeister sponsored 956-116. And with Hans Stuck, he won the 1000 km Imola. With Gross, he ended on P5 in the 1000 km Brands Hatch (Warsteiner sponsoring).The boss himself takes the 101 to a fourth place in the 1000 km Monza ( with Stuck and Grohs) and to a P09 at the Nürburgring (with L.Von Bayern). In the 24 hours of Le Mans, the 116 ended on P 04, some 20 laps behind the winning Joest Racing, with Brun/Von Bayern /'Bob' Akin. The 111 chassis with Sigala/Larrauri /Gouhier ended P07.
For the 1985 season, a first Porsche 962 was bought: chassis 107 for two new drivers, Stefan Bellof and Thierry Boutsen. They were on the podium in the first race of the season, the 1000 km Mugello. The best result for the team was a second place in the 1000 km Nürburgring with Oscar Larrauri and Massimo Sigala in the Porsche 956 #111. In the 24 hours of Le Mans, both entered cars had to retire. It was a championship-year with minimal results with a complete destruction in the freaky deadly accident of Stefan Bellof at Spa in the 962-107. The 956 with Jägermeister sponsoring was active in the DRM with Hans Stuck.
Things turned around in 1986. Two Porsche 962 were bought, chassis 115 and 117 and he kept the 956-106. In the first race, the 360 km Monza, the team occupied places 3, 4 and 5. In the 24 hours of Le Mans drivers Oscar Larrauri /Jésus Pareja/Joël Gouhier ended the race second overall; the two other cars had to retire. The old 956 was third in the 1000 km Brands Hatch with Boutsen and Jelinski. Victory (and a second place) came in the 360 km Jerez (Larrauri/Pareja #115) and later in the 1000 km Spa (Boutsen/Jelinski #117)! A second place again in the 1000 km Fuji with Jelinski and Dickens. Despite the intense struggle between Tom Walkinshaw Jaguar XJR6, the works Rothmans Porsche and newcomer Sauber, the private team of Walter Brun won the Endurance title !
In 1987, the Jaguars were overwhelmingly superior in the World Championship races, the Porsche works team could console itself with victory in Le Mans, and Brun Motorsport had to fight for the podium places with the other private Porsche teams and the fast but fragile Sauber-Mercedes. In addition to the proven 962, Brun used two vehicles with a modified chassis for the first time this year (001BM and 002BM). The chassis were commissioned from John Tompson (TC Prototypes), but the input came from the boss himself. The best results of the season was a second place at the Norisring (Larrauri/Mass with the Jägermeister 962C -117), plus three third places: 1000 km Monza (Larrauri/Pereja/Jelinski), 1000 km Nurburgring (Mass/Larrauri) and 1000 km Spa ( with the new 002 BM). The three cars entered in the Le Mans race did not make it to the finish. In the end, the Brun team still managed second place in the overall standings behind Jaguar and ahead of all other Porsche teams. Another big result that year was a second place in the 24 Hours of Daytona with the Torno 962-128 with Brancatelli, Larrauri and Sigala at the wheel.
In 1988, Brun Motorsport is again active in the Endurance championship with the 962-002BM, the 926-117, 962-115. The team is also active in the German SuperCup (Brum himself Uwe Schäfer and Manuel Reuter) and the Interserie. The endurance scene is dominated by Sauber Mercedes and the TWR Jaguar XJ9. In the first race, the 360 km Jerez, the 002BM ended in P 06 with drivers Reuter and Schäfer. They reach P04 in the 360 km Jarama. Oscar Larrauri and Massimo Sigala got P 03 in the 1000 km Monza. That was the best result of the year. In the 24 hours Le Mans, Brun played it safe with only two car on the starting grid: the #117( nr4- Camel sponsoring) for Hunkeler/Reuter/Lechner and the #115 (nr 5- Repsol sponsoring) for Pareja/Sigala/Schaeffer. The Repsol car got P07, 14 laps behind the winning Jaguar. In the 1000 km Nürburgring, all three entered cars saw the finish, but at good distance from the Sauber.
Maximum attack for the 1989 championship. Five new cars were under service: the 003BM, 004BM 005BM and 006BM, but also the 962-150. The yellow/blue Repsol Hydro Aluminium 003BM was the most successful in the hands of Oscar Larrauri and Harald Huysman. A P02 in the 360 km Mexico, P05 in the 480 km Donington. The 004BM was third in the 480 km Jarama (Larrauri/Pareja).
All cars were entered in the 24 hours LeMans:
Overall, Brun Motorsport was third in the championship standings.
In the 1990 season again two new chassis were active: 962-007BM and 008BM next to the 962-150, 962-160 and the 003BM. The races are again dominated by Jaguar and Sauber. The best result for the team is a P05 in Spa for Larrauri and Huysman. These drivers also got two P06 in Suzuka and Silverstone. The BM-003 was P10 in the 24 hours of Le Mans (Huysman/Sigala /Santal), while the car driven by Brun (Repsol sponsored 150) himself had to stop in the last hour.
The following year, 1991, led to a bitter decline for Group C in general and for Brun Motorsport in particular. The "old" Group C cars were tolerated but slowed down by various rule changes. Just good enough to fill the sparse fields of the "new" prototypes. Porsche made no move to develop a prototype so the Porsche teams were left with only two options for the coming season: complete withdrawal from the scene or development of a new 3.5 liter prototype. Brun Motorsport opted for the second option: a new C91 with a naturally aspirated 3.5 liter Judd V8 engine. However, it costed a lot of money and the car really never left the testing phase. The team did enter his old cars. The 962-160 was sixth in Monza (Larrauri/Sigala) and P07 in Silverstone, the 008BM was seventh in Suzuka (Sigala/Pareja), the 962-177 Repsol seventh on the Nürburgring (Pareja/Brun) and P08 in Mexico. This car was also tenth in the Le Mans race.
In between showed Walter Brun some interest in the formula 1. Lead team driver Oscar Larrauri brought him in contact with Gianpaolo Pavanello, who was responsible for the Alfa Romeo F1 adventure which lasted until 1985. He then created Euroracing for the F3000. But both men could agree and at the end of 1987 Brun Motorsport and Euroracing are one, team Eurobrun. The deal is simple: Pavanello has to build a F1 car for Brun. Walter arranged the money, 300.000 dollar per month. The expensive turbo engines are forbidden, so a F1 car can use again the Hewland transmission and a Cosworth engine. The chassis is no problem. Pavanello asked his designer Mario Tollentino to dust off the four years old Alfa 184T designs and makes the ER188. Two cars enter the F1 1988 championship, one for Oscar Larrauri and one for Stefano Modena. The new teams had to take part in the pre-qualifying sessions. Both drivers do that regularly. The best result however is a P11 in the Hungarian GP. Because the money is low, team spirit disappears and drivers started to complain, it remained difficult to carry on. Gregor Foitek is the new driver for 1989 and the chassis is updated to the new ER189. They never get through the pre-qualifying sessions. In 1990, there are again two cars entered, one for Roberto Moreno and one for Claudio Langes. Results remained poor ! Walter Brun always said: “if we do not succeed to be with the seven best teams in three years, there is no point in going on”. And so, he pulled the plug on the F1 project.
After 1991 Brun Motorsport slid into bankruptcy. He never gave up and spent years paying off his debts and went on to run a successful restaurant in Stans, near Luzern. Between 2000 and 2003 he raced Chrysler viper and a Saleen S7R before finally calling an end to his career. He then started to make music.
Extra information. There is a book available.(very expensive!) Brun Motorsport 1966–2009 – Edition Walter Brun
Initiated by one of his sons, Sacha Brun, together with the authors Thomas Nehlert, Eckhard Schimpf and Peter Wyss, this book looks back on the racing exploits of Walter Brun and Brun Motorsport on an incredible 964 pages. In elaborate research, Sacha Brun compiled a selection of over 1200 photos from the race tracks around the globe with pictures from almost every Group C event, from the European Touring Car Championship, the DRM and numerous other categories, as well as from the set-up of the cars, victory celebrations and private moments. "It's hard to imagine what moved the team back then," Sacha Brun notes when looking at the photos.
https://www.sportfahrer-zentrale.com/en/brun-limited-edition
