Herbert Müller, affectionately known to fan and friends as Herbie Müller or "Stumpen-Herbie", was a successful sportscar driver, predominantly driving a great variety of Porsches since the mid-1960s, and being a works driver for this marque for many seasons.
His first crown was the European Hillclimb GT Championship in 1963, and he also won twicw the prestigious Targa Florio road race, in 1966 sharing a Porsche 906 with Willy Mairesse for the Écurie Filipinetti, and in 1973 partnering Dutchman Gijs van Lennep in the works Martini Porsche Carrera RSR Turbo, which dominated the Group 5 class of the Manufacturers Championship during the season. In the 24 Hours of Le Mans the pair drove flat-out the indestructible car, to finish an impressive fourth place overall, first in class, close behind three sport-prototypes such as the Matra-Simca MS670B of the winners Gérard Larrousse-Henri Pescarolo and third-placed Jean-Pierre Jabouille-Jean-Pierre Jaussaud, and the Ferrari 312PB of Arturo Merzario-José Carlos Pace, second.
Herbert Müller retired from the sport in 1980, but decided to make a special comeback with his old-time German friend Siegfried Brunn, entering the latter’s team Porsche 908/03 turbo in the 1981 edition of the 1000 km of the Nürburgring (officially named ADAC 1000 km-Rennen). On the first lap of the race, while battling with Guy Edwards' Lola T600-Ford, Bobby Rahal was hit by the other car and the Porsche 935 the American was scheduled to drive with Bob Akin, spun on a fast right-hander at the Kesselchen section of the track, just before the Karoussell. The undriveable Porsche came to rest nearly the guardrail on the left side of the asphalt at Klostertal, facing the race direction, with its tanks still filled with fuel, just a few meters from the edge of the track. Despite Rahal told the marshals they should get it dragged to a safer place, they did nothing. About an hour later there was a sudden shower just at that spot.
Around 12h30, on the seventeenth of the forty-four laps of the race, the German driver Karl-Josef Römer momentarily lost control of his Porsche 930 on the approach to the same turn in which Rahal had his accident and spun along the bend, hitting the guardrail on the right side of the track. Müller, who was closely following Römer, tried to take evasive action swerving to the left and hit the brakes; however, his car, running on the dirty part of the track could not be slowed enough and impacted Rahal’s parked Porsche. The fuel cell of the 935 ruptured upon the shunt, involving both cars in an enormous ball of fire.
Müller’s 908/03 bounced back to the center of the track, whilst a river of flames crossed the road; the fuel on Müller’s car also ignited, and he perished in the burning wreckage. It was also reported that he had not the seat belts fastened, this has not yet been confirmed. Herbie Müller was 41.
R.I.P
