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In 1967 the Coopers were outclassed and Jochen managed to score only two 4th places in the Belgian and Italian GPs. But meantime he established himself at the top of Formula 2, taking his Winkelmann Brabham to no less than nine victories. The Austrian's reputation as a fearless driver grew after he crashed while trying to qualify an Eagle at Indianapolis He stepped out of the burning car as it came to rest and his heart-rate was perfectly normal in the compulsory medical examination which followed. In the 500 he was classified 24th after retiring, and frankly described Indianapolis as 'a place for making money, no more...' In 1968 Jochen became number two to Jack Brabham in the works Formula I team, but the Repco V-8 engine had reached the end of its competitive life. He respected the ability of Jack Brabham both as an engineer and as a driver but after 4 years in Formula 1 he had yet to win his first race. Some began to question if he would ever win. Amongst those was one Denis Jenkinson, the famous motor sport journalist who declared to one and all that if Rindt ever won a major Grand Prix, he would cut of his famous beard. Jenkinson would soon be made to pay.
Practice was held on Friday and Saturday, September 4-5, and half an hour into the Saturday session Rindt's Lotus veered sharp left under heavy braking into the Parabolica, dived under the Armco crash barriers and bounced back onto the track, its front end torn away. Jochen Rindt was lifted clear by officials, but if he was not already dead there was no hope of his surviving terrible chest injuries. Officially he died in the ambulance on the way to a Milan hospital. Jochen's loss on the eve of what seemed a certain World Championship victory stunned the racing world. Jacky Ickx still had a chance to pass Rindt's total points and there was some discussion on whether to award Rindt the title posthumously if his lead stood. When Emerson Fittipaldi's Lotus 72 beat the Ferraris in the US GP Rindt's points lead in the title was secured. Karl Jochen Rindt became motor racing's first and hopefully last posthumous World Champion.
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McLaren left Cooper at the end of the season and Rindt became temporary number 1 until
Surtees joined from Ferrari. After besting the qualifying times of McLaren, Rindt found
Surtees another matter altogether. The Cooper-Maseratis were heavy but depend able, and
Rindt was 2nd at Spa (after an excellent fighting drive in the wet); 2nd in the American
GP; 3rd in the German; 4th in the French and Italian; and 5th in the British races.
Brabham-Hondas dominated Formula 2 that season, but Rindt won the Eifelrennen and the last
race of the I.5 -litre class at Brands Hatch, beating Brabham himself.
At the end of the year Rindt signed with Team Lotus as joint number one with Graham
Hill. His first year at Lotus was marked by a scary accident during the Spanish Grand Prix
where his aerofoil collapsed, resulting in a broken jaw and concussion. Luckily he was
able to recover quickly, although he had some vision and balance problems for some time
afterwards. While recovering from his accident he wrote an open letter to the press
calling for a ban on aerofoils. He believed that aerofoils had nothing to do with motor
cars besides being dangerous to drivers as well as spectators. In Watkins Glen Rindt
scored his long-awaited first championship round victory and off came the Jenkinson beard.
The race was marred by the horrific crash of his teammate Graham Hill who was tossed from
his Lotus and suffered two broken legs.Following Graham Hill's US GP accident, Jochen
became team leader for Lotus in 1970.
Lotus was set to debut the new Lotus 72 but after initial testing of the Brands
Hatch Race of the revolutionary new car Rindt wanted no part of it. For the Monaco GP the
team fielded a pair of Gold Leaf liveried 49Cs. Rindt could be very fast but if the race
seemed out of reach he was known to cruise. Monaco was such a race until retirements in
front of him and a sticking throttle in the Brabham of race leader Jack Brabham gave him
an opening. That was all it took for Rindt began to throw the old car around the Monte
Carlo streets in pursuit of Jack Brabham. It was one of the greatest displays of a driver
on the ragged edge that has ever been witnessed. In fact his lap times soon exceeded his
qualifying time by one and later two seconds. Yet time was running out and Brabham only
had to complete one more lap. Coming up behind the car of Piers Courage who himself was
having mechanical problems, Brabham made an instant decision to dive past the de Tamaso
before the final corner. But immediately after passing Courage Brabham realized that
he had made a mistake. The corner was upon him but his speed was to great and helplessly
he went straight into the barrier. Rindt barely was able to register that fact as he
flashed by to win the race. Luck was starting to change for the Austrian. The much revised
Lotus 72 minus the anti-dive was ready for the Dutch GP, Jochen took pole position on the
grid, assumed the lead on lap 3 and held it to the finish. This victory was overshadowed
by the death of Piers Courage, one of Rindt's closest friends. 
Rindt was deeply affected
by the death of his friend and many were convinced that he would retire at the end of the
year. Until that time he continued to drive the 72 with grim determination but the joy of
driving had ended for him. Rindt went on to win the French, British and German GPs. In his
home Grand Prix, at the Osterreichring, Rindt failed to finish and his main rival Jacky
Ickx led a Ferrari 1-2. The pressure began to tell on Rindt and he went to Monza for the
Italian GP ready to clinch the World Championship that had for so long alluded him. Rindt
by that time had decided to quit racing at the end of the season and talked about setting
up a sports clothing business.
