Living Moments - N°5 Edition 2018

INTERVIEW I HANS-JOACHIM STUCK Hans-Joachim “Strietzel” Stuck’s 45 years of motorsport summarised in one sentence would roughly read: flat out, a balancing act between risk and “safety first”, being in the zone and 100 percent focus. We had the privilege of getting to know the famous racing icon, Hans Joachim Stuck, in an interview about making his own, personal dream home a reality in the Kitz- bühel Alps, and we’d like to share it with you. You will meet a very grounded, but highly charismatic man who has achieved everything in life. In his private life, he came to the Kitzbühel Alps many years ago with his family, and feels complete- ly at home here. Dear Mr. Stuck, where does the fascination with motorsport come from and after all the years and successes, will you ever slow down? The fascination with racing was passed onto me when I was still in nappies, so to speak. For me, my dad, the “King of the Mountains”, was a true hero of racing. He was my role model when I was a child, and later helped pave my way and supported me. My aim was and still is to be in control of the “machine” and to impose my will on it, in every millisecond and every situation. To take each corner perfectly, as fast as possible, without coming off the track, without losing position. Test- ing what technology can do. The feeling of always driving at the limit and smashing previous limits, the adrenaline, never diminishes and the appeal never weakens – thank God! It’s an addiction! But it also demands the ultimate in concen- tration and endurance. You need nerves of steel, peak fitness, light- ning reactions and you must be able to make the right decision when the pressure is on. You can only do that by tuning out everything else. We were often “not driving too fast, we were flying too low”. Those times were great! 16 EDITION N°5 • 2018 Living Moments Fotos: © Gerhard Groger Photography