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Who is Willy Rampf: A quick ride across Lesotho
By BMW Sauber F1 Team
August 8 2008
When you work for Willy Rampf you know exactly where you're at. The rules of play couldn't be clearer. First delegate, then make a decision: that is the 54-year-old's maxim. Since Rampf was promoted to be Technical Director of the then Sauber Team in April 2000, he has built up a competent and efficient team in Hinwil for whom well-oiled teamwork is the order of the day.
His office is always open to his colleagues. If any of them has a problem, Rampf will lend a sympathetic ear. "Good, motivated people are the most important asset in Formula One." And he puts his money where his mouth is. Rampf is a systematic delegator, but he knows exactly what's going on. He gives his experts plenty of scope and listens to their opinions before a joint decision is made. And they know exactly what the boss expects: that the decision is systematically and rapidly implemented - without any ifs and buts.

His team backs him up to the hilt, just as he will always stand right behind them. It makes for a high level of stability. And there's another thing that is important to the Bavarian, who now almost feels at home in Switzerland: "When it comes to technical decisions there's no room for politics."

Rampf is a dyed-in-the-wool racer who has always been drawn to the competitive arena. In 1978 he took five weeks' holiday to join the BMW Motorrad team as a mechanic for the Paris-Dakar Rally. He also entered Enduro races, though with moderate success, as he is quick to point out.

Bavarian born and bred, Rampf studied vehicle engineering at Munich's University of Applied Sciences and joined BMW in 1979 as a development engineer in the chassis department.

Between 1989 and 1993 he worked for BMW in South Africa, and it is here that he encountered Formula One for the first time. "Peter Sauber and his team had their Formula One debut in Kyalami in 1993 and he invited me to the race," recalls Rampf.

Intrigued by the technology and perfection of the Formula One cars, he applied as a race engineer six months later and was taken on by Sauber.

In the three years that followed, Rampf worked as race engineer to Heinz-Harald Frentzen and then, in 1997, for Nicola Larini, Norberto Fontana and Gianni Morbidelli. After four race seasons he returned to BMW. "I was looking for a new challenge," says Rampf looking back.

In Munich he headed BMW's motorcycle involvement in the Paris-Dakar Rally. It was a successful venture, with BMW rider Richard Sainct taking a commanding victory in the legendary desert rally.

At the end of 1999, Rampf embarked on his second career at Sauber with the aim of becoming Technical Director at Hinwil. He has occupied this post since April 2000 and is responsible for the technical side and vehicle deployment at the track.

In his limited free time, motorcycles play a central role. When he isn't tinkering with his bikes, he can be seen riding them around. Lately there have been frequent sightings of him astride a two-wheeler off the beaten track. Rumour has it he's training for a tour across Lesotho which he has promised his son Peter.

Biography.

Willy Rampf.

Born:20th June 1953 in Maria Thalheim (DE)
Nationality:German
Marital status:Married to Maria, children Peter (24), Andrea (20) and Katharina (18)
Residence:Pfäffikon, Switzerland (CH)
Hobbies:Motorcycling, cooking
1975-1979Studied vehicle engineering at Munich's University of Applied Sciences, diploma in vehicle technology
1979-1989First job at BMW in Munich as a development engineer
1989-1993Test engineer at BMW in South Africa
1994-1996Race engineer for Heinz-Harald Frentzen at Sauber in Hinwil
1997Race engineer for Nicola Larini, Norberto Fontana and Gianni Morbidelli at Sauber
1998-1999Ran the motorcycle involvement in the Paris-Dakar Rally at BMW in Munich
End of 1999Head of the racing and test team at Sauber
1st April 2000Technical Director at Sauber
1st January 2006 Technical Director Chassis BMW Sauber F1 Team
From July 2006Technical Director BMW Sauber F1 Team

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