Dawn at Goodwood brings a unique kind of magic. As the paddocks stir awake in the soft morning light, it isn’t the sight of famous silhouettes under covers that captures the crowd’s attention, but a sudden roar from a twin-turbo Mercedes V8 warming up. Following the sound, spectators gather around a silver machine that once redefined endurance racing: the Sauber C11. Sleek, untouchable and rare, it is a car that carried Mercedes to glory and shaped the careers of future champions. But this story is about more than engineering dominance. It is also about Jochen Mass — the veteran driver, mentor and true gentleman of the sport — whose calm guidance gave this ferocious prototype its soul.

The Silver Arrow of Group C

It is early on Sunday morning and the gates at the Goodwood Festival of Speed have only just opened for the last day of this spectacular motorsport garden party. Despite the time on the clock being only 8 am, it already feels like another hot day in paradise: the sun is shining brightly and filling the paddocks across the beautiful Goodwood estate with a soft morning light. The first spectators have entered, eager for another day packed with the kind of action only the Festival of Speed can bring. For most, the plan is an early pit stop at the food stalls — a coffee and a pastry — then into the paddocks to see the cars up close before it gets too busy. We follow suit, our steps taking us down to the area dedicated to endurance and GT legends. There is something magical about an early-morning stroll through the Goodwood paddock. It feels calm and airy, with cars still asleep, perfectly lined up, some still under their night covers; only the sign above them reveals their identity. We pass machines such as the Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR, Audi R8 and McLaren F1 GTR Longtail, to name but a few. Suddenly, the quiet serenity is interrupted by an engine being fired up in the distance. At the bottom of the paddock a small gathering of people stand with fingers in their ears. We follow the sound to discover which car is so keen to get ready for the morning session. Peeking over the shoulders of bystanders, we see a large black three-pointed star on a flat, sloped silver bonnet with the number 2 above it, followed by the beautifully shaped windscreen of the cockpit. The unmistakable design of one of the most groundbreaking and successful endurance cars gives the early bird away: it is the Group C legend Mercedes-Benz C11, its 5.0-litre twin-turbo V8 beating out a high-revving rhythm. The engine note wasn’t the only reason it drew a crowd. With its stellar winning pedigree and only six cars ever built, this Group C legend is a true rarity and a prized collectors’ item worth millions. Seeing it up close is a real treat for any motorsport enthusiast. While one of the mechanics warms the engine and runs through the gears, we have a chance to look around the car and admire the beautiful details of its beating heart — a powerful Mercedes engine.

Systems check and engine warm-up

The Mercedes-Benz C11 is a Group C prototype introduced for the World Sportscar Championship. Built by Sauber as the successor to the Sauber C9 — which won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1989 — the C11 used the same Mercedes-Benz 119 5.0-litre twin-turbo V8. It was the first time Mercedes-Benz chose to put its name on the car instead of simply “Sauber”. Sauber skipped from C9 to C11 due to the difficulty of pronouncing “C10” in German. The Hinwil-based team first became involved with Mercedes in the early 1980s. Mercedes provided informal development help for Sauber’s C6 and C7 Group C cars. After being disappointed with the BMW powertrain, Peter Sauber approached Mercedes for an engine supply, which initially came in the form of the two-valve M117 V8. The chassis was designed from scratch by Leo Ress, with aerodynamic refinement at its centre: a smoother surface, a low-drag body and extensive ground-effect tunnels to maximise downforce without compromising top speed. The design was so effective that drivers often described the car as if it were glued to the track at high speed. The carbon-fibre monocoque represented a major step in rigidity and weight reduction over its predecessor and was one of the first Group C cars to use the material extensively. This set a new standard for sports prototypes, making the car both stronger and lighter and enhancing handling and durability over endurance distances. Suspension was a push-rod-operated system with double wishbones, optimised for ground-effect efficiency. The whole car was slimmer than its older sibling and both lighter and stiffer. Ballast was added to bring minimum weight up to the required 900 kg (1,984 lb). Attention was paid to air entry and exit around the wheel arches, and cockpit airflow was improved for driver comfort. The development programme also included use of a rolling-road wind tunnel, unusual in Group C at the time. A new Mercedes five-speed transaxle was designed with the rear suspension in mind, and the previous longitudinal spring/damper design of the C9 was abandoned in favour of a transverse layout actuated by push-rods. The front suspension remained similar to the older car with inboard transverse coil spring/damper units actuated by push-rods. The brakes were Brembo, and tyres were switched from Michelin to Goodyear. The C11’s stability under braking was legendary, allowing late-braking manoeuvres unmatched by many rivals. Comfort and ergonomics allowed drivers to maintain focus over long distances. Modern prototypes continue to prioritise driver-centric features such as adjustable pedal boxes and air-conditioning to ensure performance and safety during long-distance races.

The Mercedes-Benz M119 HL 5.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 produced around 720–750 hp in race trim and could exceed 950 hp in qualifying. Its enormous torque, combined with efficient aerodynamics, gave the car brutal acceleration and immense straight-line speed, with a top speed of over 370 km/h (230 mph) on long straights — making it one of the fastest cars in the world at the time. The C11 also featured basic electronics to aid engine management and telemetry, providing crucial data for optimising performance and pit strategy — technologies that later became standard in sports-prototype design.

Mercedes-Benz C11 passing by the Goodwood House and the central feature

The first C11 completed its initial test at Paul Ricard in early October 1989 and made its debut at the first round of the 1990 World Sportscar Championship at Suzuka. The car did not actually race. The team reverted to the older C9 on race day after Jean-Louis Schlesser crashed the new car in practice. The C11 finally made its much-anticipated race debut a few weeks later at Monza, and its potential was immediately apparent. Mauro Baldi and Jochen Mass qualified 1–2, with Baldi almost two seconds clear of Mercedes’ nearest competitors. They came home first and second. Throughout the rest of the season the C11 won all but one race and easily secured the teams’ title. The only race it did not win was at Silverstone, where the leading car of Schlesser and Baldi suffered a rare engine failure after carving out a lead of about 50 seconds after 40 laps. The other car of Mass and Schumacher had been disqualified for outside assistance during practice.

Despite being the class of the field, Mercedes skipped the 1990 24 Hours of Le Mans and chose not to defend its 1989 victory. Officially, for political reasons the race was not part of that season’s championship. Unofficially, some suggested the C11 wasn’t ready for a 24-hour race, with its carbon monocoque and new systems unproven in endurance conditions; Mercedes may also have wished to avoid a high-profile failure while preparing its return to Formula One and focusing resources there. Many racing historians argue that had Mercedes entered Le Mans in 1990, the C11 would likely have destroyed the field; it remains one of the greatest cars never to have won at Le Mans. As a result, the C11’s reputation rests entirely on the World Sportscar Championship, where it was nearly unbeatable. Although the C11 was to be replaced by the Mercedes-Benz C291 for the 1991 World Sportscar Championship, problems with the C291’s new engine led Mercedes-Benz to continue with the C11, which took three more wins in 1991 before the C291 fully replaced it.

C11 in the paddock at the Festival of Speed

The Sauber C11 is often remembered as a significant step in the evolution of sports prototypes because it set a new standard for performance, design and technology in the 1990s and beyond. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest Group C cars ever built; some even argue it was the fastest of the era, though its absence at Le Mans in 1990 left some questions untested. It cemented Mercedes’ reputation in endurance racing after the C9’s Le Mans victory, directly influenced the 1991 C291 project and, more importantly, helped justify Mercedes’ return to Formula One in 1994 as an engine supplier and later as a full works team. The project also provided a proving ground for talented young German drivers — notably Michael Schumacher, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Karl Wendlinger — who tested or raced the C11 under the mentorship of Jochen Mass, appointed as coach and development driver.

Karl Wendlinger and Bernd Schneider had the pleasure of driving this legendary car at this year’s Festival of Speed at Goodwood, and there was no doubt they thoroughly enjoyed the experience. On its last run on Sunday morning, Schneider entertained the start-line crowd with an impressive burnout off the line — a proper last hurrah for the monster 5.0-litre Mercedes-Benz V8 at a glorious weekend festival. For Wendlinger it must have been a sweet reunion with a car he once raced; he still regards it as the best he has ever driven. Sadly, he could not share the moment with his 1990 team-mate, Jochen Mass. Earlier this year, in May, the world of motorsport lost Mass following complications from a stroke he suffered in February. Mercedes’ heritage team prepared a touching tribute: a flower arrangement and Jochen’s personal memorabilia on display next to the C11, including his helmet, gloves and shoes.

C11 performing burnouts off the start line at Goodwood

Remembering a popular racing driver and a true gentleman

Jochen Mass, originally a sailor in the German merchant navy, began chasing his motor-racing dream after taking a job at an Alfa Romeo dealership, where he was offered the chance to stand in for an absent driver. He seized the opportunity and immediately showed his talent — enough that Ford offered him a seat in one of its Ford Capris in the European Touring Car Championship, which he won in 1972. From there he progressed to Formula 2 with Team Surtees and, after a successful 1973 season, was promoted to Formula One for three races; that later became a full-time drive with Surtees in 1974. His performances in the uncompetitive Surtees TS16 were impressive enough to earn a seat at McLaren, where in the 1975 season he raced alongside reigning world champion Emerson Fittipaldi. He scored his only Formula One victory that year at the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix at Montjuïc, though only half points were awarded after the race was cut short following a tragic accident that killed five spectators. Another chance for a win came at the Nürburgring in 1976, when his local knowledge of the weather led him to start on slick tyres — a decision that gave him a huge lead when rivals were forced to pit at the end of lap one. Niki Lauda’s fiery crash brought a red flag and wiped out his advantage; he finished third in the restart. It was a brave call to start on slicks in such unpredictable Nürburgring conditions, with parts of the 22.8 km (14-mile) Nordschleife still very wet — the ‘Green Hell’ indeed. Mass left McLaren at the end of 1977, his most successful Formula One season, in which he finished sixth in the drivers’ standings. After that he spent a few years in uncompetitive machinery with ATS and Arrows. His final Formula One season came with March in 1982, when he was unfortunately involved in Gilles Villeneuve’s fatal accident during qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder. With Formula One increasingly dangerous, he retired following a huge crash at the French Grand Prix at Paul Ricard — a frightening incident he was lucky to survive when his car flipped over the barriers and landed in a spectator area. With 105 Grands Prix starts to his name, Mass remained Germany’s highest points-scoring Formula One driver until Michael Schumacher surpassed him in 1993.

Jochen Mass getting ready for the race at Goodwood Revival

He then turned his attention to endurance racing, joining the Rothmans Porsche line-up full-time alongside Jacky Ickx midway through 1982 and taking victory at the Spa 6 Hours. He would claim a total of 32 victories over the next decade. Having made his Le Mans debut at the wheel of a Ford Capri 2600 RS in 1972, Mass returned to the Circuit de la Sarthe with Porsche in 1978 and finished second overall in 1982. He needed five more attempts at the world’s greatest endurance race, but he finally made it in 1989, when he drove the Mercedes-backed Sauber C9 to overall victory with Manuel Reuter and Stanley Dickens. Mass was one of the lead drivers of the Sauber C11 during its dominant 1990 campaign. Respected as a calm, analytical driver who excelled in long-distance racing, his technical feedback and consistency helped unlock the car’s potential. Mass’s role grew to become that of senior figure in the now-legendary Mercedes-Benz Junior Team, as co-driver and mentor to three young Germans — Michael Schumacher, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Karl Wendlinger. Thanks to his experience, openness, generosity and spirit, he was the perfect person for the role, and he left a lasting impression on all three of his students. Although not always in the headlines compared to the young rising stars, Mass’s role was central to the C11’s success. He was seen as the “elder statesman” of Mercedes’ Group C era and remembered as much for mentoring the next generation as for his own results.

Mark Blundell shares a joke with Jochen at Goodwood Members’ Meeting

Jochen Mass giving some advice in the pit lane at Goodwood

After his final Le Mans race in 1995 with a McLaren F1 GTR, he retired from racing and began a new phase of his career as a TV commentator, Mercedes-Benz ambassador and Goodwood regular. He became a familiar face on the historic racing scene, frequently demonstrating many of Mercedes’ iconic Grand Prix cars from the 1930s and 1950s as well as a plethora of racing cars from different eras of motorsport, from Edwardian pioneers to saloons, to Group C and Formula One cars. He was regarded by many as a driver with a big heart, always with a broad grin and a steady right foot. Even into his 70s he loved driving so much that it was normal for him to race four different cars at Goodwood Revival or the Members’ Meeting, often literally jumping from one car after finishing a race to another. Many who knew him said Jochen Mass was a great driver, but an even greater human being. In recent years we often saw Jochen in the paddocks at Goodwood, always in a good mood, always finding time to sign autographs despite his busy schedule, and often sharing a joke with old friends or giving advice and feedback to his younger colleagues, many of whom saw him as a father figure. His enthusiasm and joy were infectious, so it was no surprise that he was one of the Goodwood Members’ Meeting House Captains for a full decade. During his racing career, Mass resided in Monaco. He had two sons with his first wife, Esti, and two daughters with Bettina, with whom he later lived in southern France. Jochen Mass died in Cannes, France, on 4 May 2025 due to complications from a stroke sustained in February of the same year, aged 78. He was a unique and beloved character in the world of motorsport and will be greatly missed.

Jochen Mass waiting for his stint in the car in the pit lane at Goodwood Revival