Photo: Hans van Dijk for Anefo , NL-HaNA, ANEFO / neg. stroken, 1945-1989, 2.24.01.05, item number 932-2377 / CC0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Marc Surer's story carries a detail I keep coming back to: he had to leave Switzerland to race at all, because the country banned motorsport after the 1955 Le Mans disaster. So he moved to Germany in 1974 for Formula Vee and built from there into a Formula One career that ran from 1979 to 1986. Starting karting at 20 is late by today's standards, which makes his climb to the top tier more impressive, not less. I also like that he didn't vanish after driving; he became a broadcaster, staying inside the sport. That second act as a presenter suggests the man genuinely loves racing, not just the spotlight.
Overview
Marc Surer (born 18 September 1951) is a Swiss former racing driver and broadcaster, who competed in Formula One from 1979 to 1986. Born in Arisdorf, Surer began kart racing aged 20. He moved to Germany in 1974 to compete in Formula Vee, as motor racing was banned in Switzerland following the 1955 Le Mans disaster.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Marc Surer
- Name (Japanese)
- マルク・スレール
- Reading
- まるく・すれーる
- Born
- September 18, 1951 (age 74)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Virgo / Rabbit
- Origin
- Arisdorf, Canton of Basel-Landschaft, Switzerland
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- television presenter / racing automobile driver / Formula One driver / automobile driver
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Television presenter — see all → · Racing automobile driver — see all → · More people from Switzerland →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.