When it comes to important people behind the scenes in the motorsports industry, few people can come close to Jo Ramírez. This qualified mechanical engineer was born this day in 1941 and started his career off as an apprentice mechanic at Scuderia Ferrari for a couple of years after graduating.
He then moved to Maserati, and then to Lamborghini before finally moving to England to work on the legendary Ford GT40.
Here are just a few of his achievements:
- 479 Grands Prix in which he participated.
- 116 triumphs on F1 Grands Prix.
- 10 F1 Drivers’ World Championships: 1973, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1998 and 1999.
- 5 F1 World Champions: Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna and Mika Häkkinen.
- 7 Constructors’ F1 World Championships (McLaren): 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1998.
- 8 F1 teams: Ferrari, AAR Eagle, Tyrrell, Fittipaldi-Copersucar, Shadow, ATS, Theodore and McLaren.
- 1 World Sportscar Championship (JW-Porsche): 1971.
- 1 World Sportscar Championship Drivers’: Pedro Rodríguez and Jackie Oliver.
- 4 teams and prototype sports car: Ferrari, Maserati, Ford and JW-Porsche.
During his career as Team Coordinator for Mclaren F1, he became very close friends with the likes of Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Jackie Stewart, François Cevert, David Coulthard and Mika Häkkinen.
