Jo Vonlanthen

Joseph " Jo " Vonlanthen ( born May 31, 1942 in St. Ursus ) is a former Swiss racing driver.

Jo Vonlanthen was a car dealer in Frauenfeld, as he began to drive 1968 private race. He drove in Formula Super Vee His first race. In 1972 he won the Swiss Formula 3 Championship with a Tecno. In 1973 he moved to the Formula 2 European Championship. Best result was the third place in the Grand Prix of Rome in Vallelunga with a GRD -273 Ford. In 1975 he was second in the opening race of the Formula 2 European Championship season in Estoril, with a March - BMW - 742 behind the winner Jacques Laffite.

Vonlanthen drove in his career three Formula 1 races, only one of the status as a world championship race had. In 1975 he drove a factory Ensign at the BRDC International Trophy at Silverstone. For Frank Williams Racing Cars, he played after the World Cup also not counting Grand Prix of Switzerland in Dijon. Although he was not classified with 9 laps, this race brought him a commitment to a world championship race. At the Grand Prix of Austria, however, the only reason he came into the race because Wilson Fittipaldi and Brian Henton withdrew their qualified vehicles from the start after training accident. Vonlanthen went with his Williams FW03 - Cosworth Ford from last place on the grid and fell in the 14th round with an engine failure.

1976 Vonlanthen returned to Formula 2 back there again had not the desired effect, and retired from racing.