Jean-Pierre Jarier
Age: 78Jean-Pierre Jacques Jarier (born 10 July 1946) is a French former Grand Prix racing driver. He drove for Formula One teams including Shadow, Team Lotus, Ligier and Tyrrell Racing. His best finish was third (three times) and he also took three pole positions.- Birthplace: Charenton-le-Pont, France
Yannick Schroeder
Age: 45Yannick Schroeder (born 10 August 1979 in Metz) is a French racing car driver. Schroeder competed in French Formula Three in 1999 and 2000, finishing tenth and ninth in the championships in these respective years. For 2001, he graduated to European F3000 and stayed there for 2002, placing sixth in the championship with two podium finishes. For 2003, Schroeder graduated to International Formula 3000 with the ISR Racing team, having driven for Charouz Racing in Euro F3000. In his maiden year, he scored 13 points and placed 12th in the championship. By the time the 2004 season started, he had moved to Durango. The loss of a sponsor during the season forced him to quit the championship. However, he had the consolation of coming 9th in the championship and taking a podium finish at the Nürburgring round of the series.- Birthplace: Metz, France
Pierre Veyron
Dec. at 67 (1903-1970)Pierre Veyron (1 October 1903 – 2 November 1970) was a French Grand Prix motor racing driver active from 1933 through 1953. Pierre Veyron enrolled at university to study engineering. Veyron's friend, Albert Divo, convinced Veyron to take up racing and introduced Veyron to André Vagniez, an industrialist who provided financial support to Veyron. Vagniez purchased a Bugatti Type 37A that Veyron drove to his first racing victory, winning the 1930 Geneva Grand Prix.Jean Bugatti, son of Bugatti founder Ettore Bugatti, hired Pierre Veyron in 1932 as a test driver and development engineer. Veyron entered races as a Bugatti company driver, winning many including the 1933 and 1934 Berlin Avus races while driving a Bugatti Type 51A. Veyron's most significant race victory was his 1939 win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, co-driving a Bugatti Type 57S Tank with Jean-Pierre Wimille.During World War II, Veyron joined the French Resistance against German occupation. For his service during the war, the Republic of France awarded him the Legion of Honour in 1945.After the war, Veyron continued racing, but his main focus was on his family and his oil-drilling technology company. Veyron died in Èze, France in 1970.Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. named the Veyron 16.4 supercar in honor of Veyron.- Birthplace: France
Hubert Auriol
Age: 72Hubert Auriol (born in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia, June 7, 1952) is a former French racing driver and former director of The Paris-Dakar rally. Auriol was the first racer to win the Dakar in both bikes and automobiles.Auriol began competing in motocross and enduro events in 1973. From 1979 to 1994, he took part in The Paris-Dakar rally, taking part in the first nine events on a bike and the remaining seven on a car. On a bike, he won the event in 1981 and 1983 on a BMW R80G/S entered by BMW France, finishing in second in 1984. He broke both ankles on the penultimate day of the 1987 edition, while he was in the lead. He wrote a book with the French journalist Jean-Michel Caradec'h, "Paris Dakar. Une histoire d'hommes" about this story. Then Auriol switched to the car class in 1988, first racing a works Mitsubishi Pajero Proto T3, but after losing the event to Ari Vatanen in 1990, switched to the Citroën team, winning in 1992 with a ZX Rallye Raid, co-driven by Philippe Monnet. In 1994, Auriol joined Dakar organizer ASO and became race director of the event he won for three times, starting in the 1995 edition. He headed the event until the 2004 edition, when he was replaced by Patrick Zaniroli. In 2008 he founded the Africa Eco Race. Hubert Auriol currently lives in Suresnes with his wife and three children. He is not related to former World Rally Champion Didier Auriol.Soheil Ayari
Age: 54Soheil Ayari (born 5 April 1970) is a French-Iranian race car driver born in Aix-les-Bains, Savoie, from an Iranian father and a French mother. He won the French Formula Ford championship of 1994, Formula Three championship of 1996 and the Macau Grand Prix of 1997. From 1997 until 2000, he competed in Formula 3000 where he won two races before moving on to the French Supertouring Championship in 2001 where he became champion in 2002, 2004 and 2005. In 2006 and 2007, he drove in GT Championship, in GT1 for Team Oreca (on a Saleen S7-R). He became French champion in 2006 & 2007 and won the European Le Mans séries championship in 2007 with Stephane Ortelli. In 2008 & 2009, he drove a Corvette GT 1 in French GT 3 championship before joining the Audi ORECA Team in 2010. In 2011, he raced and won 2 Championships : ILMC LMP2 (Signatech Nissan) and International Open GT with JMB Ferrari F458 GT2 Soheil Ayari is also a famous 24 Hours of Le Mans driver with 11 starts in GT 1, LMP1 & LMP2. Best results over all were 4th in 2004 ((Pescarolo)) & 2010 (ORECA 01)), 5th in 2009 ((ORECA)) and 2nd LMP2 (Signatech Nissan) in 2011. In 2014, he was in the European Le Mans Series, and in 2015, was in the French GT Championship in which he remained in 2016. In 2017, he switched to the GT4 European Southern Cup and in 2018, moved into French GT's again. Ayari also works as a journalist specialising in track tests and races in historic events.- Birthplace: Aix-les-Bains, France
Stéphane Ortelli
Age: 54Stéphane Ortelli (born 30 March 1970 in Hyères, Var, France) is a Monegasque professional racing driver with three world championship titles. He has won the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1998 with Allan McNish and Laurent Aïello and the Spa 24 Hours in 2003 with Romain Dumas and Marc Lieb. He's also won the GT1 Class at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2005 with David Brabham and Darren Turner. Currently, he is an Emil Frey Racing driver competing and developing the Jaguar and Lexus GT racing cars in the Blancpain Endurance Series and the VLN series.- Birthplace: Hyères, France
Michel Leclère
Age: 78Michel Leclère (born 18 March 1946 in Mantes-la-Jolie, Yvelines) is a former motor racing driver from France. He participated in eight Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 5 October 1975, and scored no championship points.- Birthplace: Mantes-la-Jolie, France
Laurent Rédon
Age: 51Laurent Redon (born 5 August 1973) is a former race car driver from Loire, France. Redon began his professional racing career in the French Formula Three Championship, winning it in 1995. He then moved to International Formula 3000 where he finished 8th in the points for DAMS in 1996 and 9th for Super Nova Racing the following year. His best F3000 finish was a third place at A1-Ring in 1997. He was then a test driver for the Formula One teams Minardi in 1998 and Benetton in 1999 and also competed for the top team in the Sports Racing World Cup JB Geisse Team Ferrari in 1999. In 2001 he drove in the European Le Mans Series and FIA Sportscar Championship for Pescarolo Sport, winning races in both series and finishing 13th in the 2001 24 Hours of Le Mans. After that he drove for Mi-Jack Conquest Racing in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series beginning with the final two races of the 2001 season. He returned to the team for a full year in 2002, including the 2002 Indianapolis 500, with a best finish of 3rd at California Speedway. He finished 12th in points and won rookie of the year honors. He did not return to the series the following year and came back to France because of the birth of his girl, becoming the first and only series rookie of the year to do so. He later operated a racing team that competed in the Superleague Formula.René Dreyfus
Dec. at 88 (1905-1993)René Dreyfus (6 May 1905 – 16 August 1993) was a French driver who raced automobiles for 14 years in the 1920s and 1930s, the Golden Era of Grand Prix motor racing.- Birthplace: Nice, France
Stéphan Grégoire
Age: 55Not to be confused with Stéphane Grégoire. Stéphan Grégoire (born May 14, 1969 in Neufchâteau, Vosges) is a French race car driver. Currently living in Carmel, Ind. Gregoire is a veteran of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Rolex Sports Car Series, the Indianapolis 500, and the Indy Racing League. He made 44 IRL starts between 1996 and 2001 with a best finish of 2nd at Pikes Peak International Raceway in 1997. In that season he also recorded his best ever points finish of 11th. In his 6 Indy 500 starts he has a best finish of 8th in 2000. Gregoire was in an accident late in the 2000 season at the Texas Motor Speedway during a test run which caused him to have bruises to his left knee and ankle. He returned to the IRL and the "500" for the 2006 race in a car fielded by Team Leader Motorsports and finished 29th. Gregoire was set to return to the Indy 500 in 2007 for Chastain Motorsports, the team he drove for in 1997 and 1998. A crash in practice on May 17, ended his chances. Gregoire broke a bone in his back and would not be able to qualify for the 2007 "500." The Chastain team named Roberto Moreno their replacement driver and he successfully made the race.- Birthplace: Neufchâteau, France
Jean-Christophe Boullion
Age: 55Jean-Christophe "Jules" Boullion (born 27 December 1969) is a French professional racing driver who raced in Formula One for the Sauber team.- Birthplace: Saint-Brieuc, France
Nicolas Armindo
Age: 42Nicolas Armindo (born 8 March 1982) is a race car driver born in Colmar, France. As a child he enjoyed Karting and raced in many local races. Starting his career in French Formula Campus in 2001, Armindo moved on to drive in French Formula Renault (2002–2003), Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup (2002–2003) and more recently Porsche Carrera Cup Germany (2004). [1] In 2010 Nicolas became champion in Porsche Carrera Cup Germany with Attempto racing . In 2009 he was third in the FIA GT3 European Championship with Rosberg team with an Audi R8 LMS. In 2005 he competed in the FIA GT Championship at the race of Istanbul. With position five in his class he scored 4 points. [2] He currently holds the record for the fastest lap time in the 6th round of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup, completing the 5.1-kilometre track in 1:51.692 minutes.[3] Nicolas Armindo's team is currently IMSA Performance in the Le-Mans Series and Hermes Attempto Racing in the German Porsche Carrera Cup. Together they were able to win the Drivers- and the Team-title in the Carrera Cup in 2010. He also did several guest-starts for Lechner Racing in the Supercup and was able to win in Hockenheim. In 2011 he raced the Le Mans-Series in a 2010 Porsche 997 GT3 RSR together with Raymond Narac in the GTE-AM-Class and won the Title in the GTE-AM-Class. For the 24 Hours of Le Mans he changed to the GTE-Pro-Class and drove the new 2011 GT3 RSR. He also drove a Porsche 997 GT3 R of the Attempto Team in the ADAC GT-Masters and the 24 Hours of Dubai. In 2012 he drove the Rolex 24 in Daytona together with Orbit Racing and James Sofronas.- Birthplace: Colmar, France
Richard Philippe
Age: 35Richard Philippe (January 10, 1990 in Valence, Drôme – 22 November 2018) was a French racecar driver who resided in Miami, Florida. He was the younger brother of Nelson Philippe. After moving up from the go-kart ranks in 2005, at fifteen years old Philippe won the Formula BMW USA championship in his rookie season, and on June 19, 2005 he became the youngest driver ever to win a race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, . In 2006, he competed in the Champ Car Atlantic series with Forsythe Championship Racing. In 2007, he competed in the World Series by Renault. In 2009, Philippe ran for Genoa Racing in the Firestone Indy Lights Series until a crash on the high speed Kansas Speedway oval sidelined him for three races. He returned to the series with Team PBIR and competed in seven more races. He finished second twice, at Long Beach with Genoa and at Edmonton with PBIR, and finished 13th in points despite missing four races (he withdrew from the final race due to an ill-handling car in practice). He died in a helicopter crash in the Dominican Republic on 22 November 2018.- Birthplace: Valence, France
Jean-Pierre Jabouille
Age: 82Jean-Pierre Alain Jabouille (born 1 October 1942) is a French former racing driver. He raced in 55 Formula One Grands Prix, collecting two wins during the first years of Renault's turbocharged programme in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Jabouille also raced the 24 Hours of Le Mans from the late 1960s to the early 1990s, driving for Alpine, Matra, Sauber and Peugeot and collecting four 3rd overall finishes in 1973, 1974, 1992 and 1993. Jabouille was one of the last of a breed of Formula One drivers who were also engineers.- Birthplace: Paris, France
Philippe Streiff
Age: 69Philippe Streiff (born June 26, 1955) is a former racing driver from France. He participated in 55 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on October 21, 1984. He achieved one podium, and scored a total of 11 championship points. A pre-season testing crash in 1989 left him a quadriplegic and thus using a wheelchair, with the quality of the care he received in the aftermath having been called into question, even if the accident itself was so serious the roll-bar broke on impact.He organised the Masters Karting Paris Bercy. In early 1994, Streiff made a bid to purchase Ligier in partnership with Hughes de Chaunac. The bid had the support of the similarly Renault-powered Williams F1 team, who intended to turn Ligier into a 'junior' team. The bid was unsuccessful. Belgian Luc Costermans, who had broken the World blind road speed record in late 2008, dedicated his record to Streiff.- Birthplace: Grenoble, France
Marcel Balsa
Dec. at 75 (1909-1984)Marcel Lucien Balsa (January 1, 1909 in Creuse – August 11, 1984 in Maisons-Alfort) was a French racing driver. Balsa started in racing after World War II, when he acquired a Bugatti Type 51 and became quite competitive in the French national events. He later built a BMW-engined Formula 2 car, and had a good reputation, until he tried a Jicey-BMW developed by Jean Caillas. With it he finished third in the Grand Prix of Cadours, the same event where fellow racer Raymond Sommer was killed. He returned to his previous race car and in 1952 raced in the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, only to retire after six laps. In 1953 he won a race at Montlhery but then faded from the racing scene.- Birthplace: Creuse, France
Olivier Pla
Age: 43Olivier Pla (born 22 October 1981) is a professional racing driver from France.- Birthplace: Toulouse, France
Henri Pescarolo
Age: 82Henri Jacques William Pescarolo (born 25 September 1942) is a former racing driver from France. He competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans a record 33 times, winning on four occasions, and won a number of other major sports car events including the 24 Hours of Daytona. He also participated in 64 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, achieving one podium and 12 championship points. Pescarolo also drove in the Dakar Rally in the 1990s, before retiring from racing at the age of 57. In 2000 he set up his eponymous racing team, Pescarolo Sport, which competed in Le Mans until 2013. He wore a distinctive green helmet, and wears a full-face beard that partially covers burns suffered in a crash.- Birthplace: Paris, France
Jean-Yves Adam
Age: 72Jean-Yves Adam (born April 12, 1952) is a French race car driver. He drove in the French GT Championship of 2001 and also drove one race in the 2004 Porsche Supercup.Patrick Gaillard
Age: 72Patrick Gaillard (born February 12, 1952 in Paris) is a former racing driver from France. He participated in 5 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on July 1, 1979. He scored no championship points. After performing well in French Formula Renault and Formula 3, Gaillard moved into Formula 2 in 1979, the same year as he drove for Ensign in Formula 1. The Ensign N179 was not a good car and Gaillard struggled on occasions, failing to qualify three times out of five, before being dropped in favour of Marc Surer. In 1980 Gaillard returned to Ensign for the Spanish Grand Prix and finished in a points-paying 6th place—the last of 6 cars still running at the finish, 5 laps down. However, the result did not count as this race was subsequently downgraded to non-Championship status due to the FISA–FOCA war (F1 sporting body versus the F1 manufacturers), making Gaillard's only point nullified. Thereafter he drove in Formula 2, CanAm, and sports cars including the 24 Hours of Le Mans before retiring. He later became a racing instructor.- Birthplace: Paris, France
Simon Abadie
Age: 46Simon Abadie (born 9 March 1978) is a former race car driver and current team director of Tech 1 Racing. He was born in Lourdes, France. Abadie spent three years in Formula Renault before moving to French Formula Three in 2001 with the Graff and later Saulnier team. Most recently he drove for Graff again, this time in the 2004 World Series Light. In 2006, Abadie purchased Saulnier Racing's World Series by Renault operation, renaming it Tech 1 Racing.- Birthplace: Lourdes, France
Jean Behra
Dec. at 38 (1921-1959)Jean Marie Behra (16 February 1921 – 1 August 1959) was a Formula One driver who raced for the Gordini, Maserati, BRM, Ferrari and Porsche teams.- Birthplace: Nice, France
Patrick Lemarié
Age: 57Patrick Lemarié is a French auto racing driver born February 6, 1968 in Paris. The son of Jean Pierre Lemarié (1941–2016), he spent four years performing testing work for the British American Racing Formula One team but was never considered for a race seat due to his lack of experience. Lemarié's manager, Craig Pollock, hired him to drive for the new PK Racing Champ Car team in 2003. He scored two tenth-place finishes the first two events but was replaced after six races for Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca expert Bryan Herta. Lemarié has also competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, American Le Mans series, Indy Lights, Toyota Atlantic and Formula 3000.- Birthplace: Paris, France
Jean-Claude Andruet
Age: 82Jean-Claude Andruet (born 13 August 1940 in Montreuil) is a retired French professional rally driver who competed in the World Rally Championship. Andruet took three WRC event wins during his career; 1973 Monte Carlo Rally, 1974 Tour de Corse and 1977 San Remo Rally. The 1973 Monte Carlo was the first ever rally in the FIA World Rally Championship. His best placement in the overall drivers' championship was 13th in 1982. He also competed in the European Rally Championship he won in 1970 and finished second overall in 1981.Andruet's son Gilles was a chess player and was murdered in 1995 in murky circumstances.- Birthplace: Montreuil, Pas-de-Calais, France
Laurent Aïello
Age: 55Laurent Aïello (born 23 May 1969 in Fontenay-aux-Roses) is a French former race car driver, most notable for winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1998, the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) in 1999, and the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) series in 2002. His racing career lasted from 1988 until 2005, and, in addition to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the BTCC and DTM, saw him enter the International Formula 3000, the French Supertouring Championship (CFS), the Italian Super Touring Championship (ISTC), and the Super Tourenwagen Cup (STW), in addition to several other series. He took the CFS title in 1994, and the STW title in 1997.- Birthplace: Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
Philippe Alliot
Age: 70Philippe Alliot (born 27 July 1954) is a former racing driver who participated in Formula One from 1984 to 1990 and from 1993 to 1994. He raced for RAM, Ligier, Larrousse and McLaren.- Birthplace: Chartres, France
Jean-Marc Gounon
Age: 62Jean-Marc Gounon (born 1 January 1963) is a French racing driver. He raced in Formula One in 1993 and 1994, participating in a total of 9 Grands Prix and scoring no championship points.- Birthplace: Aubenas, France
Philippe Gache
Age: 62Philippe Gache (born 31 May 1962, Avignon, France) is a French racecar driver. He has raced in a number of disciplines, but for the last 20 years (as of 2006) has specialized in off-road racing. In 1992 he competed in the Indianapolis 500, but crashed his car. He has driven in the Dakar Rally in 2003–2006 and 7 times in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 2006 he took his best finish on the Dakar, 12th place overall. In the 2010 edition of the Dakar Rally, he drove an SMG Buggy.- Birthplace: Avignon, France
Robert La Caze
Age: 107Robert La Caze (26 February 1917 – 1 July 2015) was a Moroccan-French racing driver. He was born in Paris, France, but raced under the Moroccan flag, the only driver to do so in F1 history. He participated in one Formula One World Championship Grand Prix, the 1958 Moroccan Grand Prix, driving a privately run Formula 2 Cooper. He finished 14th, five laps behind the winner, scoring no championship points. He was classified third in the F2 class. He was the oldest living World Championship driver from the death of Paul Pietsch in May 2012 until his own death in July 2015.- Birthplace: Paris, France
Guy Mairesse
Dec. at 43 (1910-1954)Guy Mairesse (10 August 1910 – 24 April 1954) was a racing driver from France. He participated in 3 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 3 September 1950. He scored no championship points. Mairesse built up a haulage business between the wars and became interested in motor sport in 1946 through his friendship with Le Mans driver, Paul Vallée. He won the Lyon-Charbonnières Rally in 1947 and then purchased a Delahaye from Vallée for 1948, with which he was victorious at Chimay.In 1949 Mairesse joined Vallée's team, Ecurie France, to race the Lago-Talbot and took fourth place at Pau and fifth at Albi. In 1950 he finished second at Le Mans with Pierre Meyrat using a single seat Talbot. Towards the end of that season the Vallée team closed and Mairesse purchased the Le Mans car and a Lago-Talbot T26C which he used to enter the 1950 Italian Grand Prix from which he retired and the Swiss and French Grands Prix in 1951, finishing 11 laps down and "not classified" on each occasion. Thereafter business commitments curtailed his involvement in racing and he sold his cars in 1952 appearing infrequently in other owners' machinery.Mairesse was killed in practice for the Coupe de Paris at Montlhéry in 1954 when he swerved to avoid another car and crashed into a concrete wall.Yannick Dalmas
Age: 63Yannick Dalmas (born 28 July 1961 in Le Beausset, Var) is a former racing driver from France. He participated in 49 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 18 October 1987, but qualified for only 24 of them. His best result in F1 was a 5th place at the 1987 Australian Grand Prix, but he was not eligible for World Championship points at that race. His F1 career was blighted by his health issues, towards the end of 1988, Dalmas was diagnosed with Legionellosis which caused him to miss the final two races. He recovered before the start of 1989 but his illness had clearly affected him. After the 1990 Formula One Season, Dalmas left the series and began racing in Le Mans Prototypes. There he found much more success, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans four times (in 1992, 1994, 1995 and 1999), each with different teams. In 1994, Dalmas made a brief return to Formula One with cash-strapped Larrousse, but only entered two races. He crashed in Italy, and finished two laps off the lead in Portugal. Dalmas was French Formula Three champion in 1986.- Birthplace: Le Beausset, France
Pascal Fabre
Age: 65Pascal Fabre (born January 9, 1960 in Lyon) is a former racing driver from France. He participated in 14 Formula One Grands Prix with the uncompetitive AGS team, debuting on April 12, 1987. He scored no championship points and was replaced before the end of the season by Roberto Moreno. His best finish was ninth place in both the French and British Grands Prix.He later raced for Courage Compétition from 1988 to 1990 in the World Sportscar Championship and made short-term appearances for various other sports car teams throughout the 1990s.- Birthplace: Lyon, France
Prince Decystria
Dec. at 44 (1898-1943)Bertrand Marie Ponce Francois Raphael Lucigne, Prince de Faucigny-Lucinge et Coligny, also known as Prince de Cystria (13 December 1898 Paris – 22 February 1943 Paris) was a French racecar driver. He made one attempt at the Indy 500 in 1923 and made a top ten finish.Jean Chassagne
Dec. at 65 (1881-1947)Jean Chassagne (26 July 1881 La Croisille-sur-Briance – 13 April 1947) was a pioneer submariner, aviator and French racecar driver active 1906-1930. Chassagne finished third in the 1913 French Grand Prix; won the 1922 Tourist Trophy and finished second in the 1925 Le Mans Grand Prix d'Endurance - all in Sunbeam motorcars. He was second in the 1921 Italian Grand Prix with a Ballot, and set speed records and won races at Brooklands and hill climbs internationally. Chassagne was also associated with the Bentley Boys, who are described as having captured the spirit of the times, partying as hard as they worked. Larger than life, their restless and often reckless love of speed and adventure complemented the big green Bentleys from Cricklewood perfectly. As a result of his association with Bentley Motors, Chassagne Square in Crewe was named in his honour. Chassagne applied to serve as a pilot during the Great War but under the request of the British Admiralty he joined Sunbeam to advise, develop and test aero engines for the war effort.Jean-Luc Thérier
Age: 79Jean-Luc Thérier (7 October 1945, Hodeng-au-Bosc – 31 July 2019, Neufchâtel-en-Bray) was a French rally driver. He was the highest scoring driver in the inaugural World Rally Championship in 1973 and the only one to win three events. However, until 1977 the championship was only formally contested by manufacturers, not individuals, so only Thérier's Alpine-Renault team were formally awarded the title. He most frequently competed in an Alpine Renault A110, winning the Rallye Sanremo and the Acropolis Rally in 1970. He won the same two events again in 1973, along with the Rallye Sanremo, during his annus memorabilis. He also won the 1974 Press-on-Regardless Rally in the United States driving a Renault 17 Gordini, and the 1980 Tour de Corse behind the wheel of a Porsche 911 SC. He participated in the Monte Carlo Rally 13 times between 1969 and 1984, with second place in 1971 as best result there. His career lasted until early 1985 when he suffered severe injuries while participating in the 1985 Paris to Dakar rally. He died on July 31 2019 at the age of 73 after a long illness.- Birthplace: France
Jules Moriceau
Dec. at 90 (1887-1977)Jules Moriceau (2 January 1887 Nantes – 20 June 1977 Garches) was a French racecar driver.Paul Bablot
Dec. at 59 (1873-1932)Paul Bablot (20 November 1873 Boulogne-sur-Seine – 23 December 1932 Marseille) was a French racecar driver. He also owned an early French-built Wright-model airplane.He later became a track builder and designed the Circuit of Miramas which held the French Grand Prix in 1926.Jean-Louis Rosier
Dec. at 86 (1925-2011)Jean-Louis Rosier (14 June 1925 – 1 July 2011) was the son of Louis Rosier. Together they won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1950, of which all except for 2 laps were driven by Louis Rosier. The Charade Circuit near Clermont-Ferrand is also named after them.Jean Lucienbonnet
Dec. at 39 (1923-1962)Jean Lucienbonnet (born Lucien Jean Bonnet, January 7, 1923 in Nice – died August 19, 1962 in Enna-Pergusa, Sicily, Italy) was a racing driver from France, racing and rallying in various series. His single Formula One World Championship entry was the 1959 Monaco Grand Prix with his Cooper T45, but he failed to qualify. He was killed in a Formula Junior race in Sicily in 1962.Guy Ligier
Age: 94Guy Camille Ligier (12 July 1930 – 23 August 2015) was a French racing driver and team owner. He maintained many varied and successful careers over the course of his life, including a racing driver and Formula One team owner.- Birthplace: Vichy, France
Roger Loyer
Dec. at 80 (1907-1988)Roger Loyer (5 August 1907 – 24 March 1988) was a motorcycle road racer and racing driver from France. He won the 1937 250cc French motorcycle Grand Prix and the 1938 350cc French motorcycle Grand Prix. He participated in one Formula One World Championship Grand Prix, the Argentine Grand Prix on 17 January 1954. His Gordini Type 16 ran out of oil, and he scored no championship points. Shortly after, this car failed again during the non-Championship Buenos Aires Grand Prix, but Loyer was able to share Élie Bayol's car to finish 10th.Romain Dumas
Age: 47Romain Dumas (born 14 December 1977) is a French professional auto racing driver and current Porsche factory driver. He has claimed overall wins at the 2010 and 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011 24 Hours of Nürburgring, the 2003 and 2010 24 Hours of Spa, and the 2008 12 Hours of Sebring. In 2016 he won the FIA World Endurance Championship with teammates Marc Lieb and Neel Jani. Also, he won the 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.- Birthplace: Alès, France
Henri Louveau
Dec. at 80 (1910-1991)Henri Louveau (January 25, 1910 – January 7, 1991) was a racing driver from France. He participated in two Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on September 3, 1950. He scored no championship points. Louveau came 2nd in the 1949 24 Hours of Le Mans.Jean Trémoulet
Dec. at 35 (1909-1944)Jean Trémoulet (12 April 1909 – 13 October 1944) was a French racing driver who won the 1938 24 Hours of Le Mans with Eugène Chaboud. He died at 35 years old, as part of the French Resistance during World War II.Max Fourny
Dec. at 87 (1904-1991)Max Fourny (4 August 1904 – 9 March 1991) was a French publisher, art collector and former motor racing driver. He founded the Musée d'Art Naïf – Max Fourny in Paris, which houses an important collection of naïve paintings and sculptures from around the world. His art collection was later distributed between the museum in Paris and the International Museum of Naive Art at Vicq, near Versailles, (Fourny's former home). Fourny was married to the painter Françoise Adnet.Ulric Amado de Carvalho
Age: 39Jean Porporato
Jean Porporato, originally named Giovanni Giacomo Bernardo Porporato (3 November 1879 – ?), was an Italian-born French automobile racing driver and mechanic from Turin who later lived much of his life Lyon, Rhône. He is mentioned in automobile press articles from 28 January 1906, where he is listed as a mechanic of the racing driver Paul Bablot on the occasion of the endurance record in a Berliet 16 to 22 horsepower (12 to 16 kW) car on the route from Salon to Arles. Paul Bablot (1873–1932), the Berliet agent at Marseille, was the named driver for the Berliet marque in competition from 1904 (Mont Ventoux race, France) until 1906 with the Targa Florio and the Tourist Trophy, and one more time in 1908 with a victory in the Boulevard Michelet Hillclimb of Marseille. Porporato, as fine-tuner and driver, drove Berliet cars in competition from 1907 until 1911. In the 1907 season he raced in the Targa Florio race, from which he retired. In the 1908 season he reached fourth place in the Targa Florio and competed in the Targa Bologna, achieving his only victory in the Berliet. In 1911 he appeared in the Coup de Voiturettes. In this race he came fifth in the 1913 season and ninth in the 1914 season. Porporato also competed in the Indianapolis 500 of 1915 and 1920, on both occasions failing to finish. In 1923 and 1924, he drove La Buire cars, notably at the French Grand Prix in Lyon in 1924. In his last, and most important, race, the 1925 24 Hours of Le Mans, he retired.Olivier Grouillard
Age: 66Olivier Grouillard (born 2 September 1958 in Fenouillet) is a racing driver from France. He started racing go-karts from the age of fourteen competing in events such as the Volant Elf. He progressed to Formula Renault winning the title before Grouillard competed in F3000 from 1985 to 1988 taking two wins. He also participated in the Birmingham Superprix but did not start the race. In 1989, Grouillard joined the Ligier Formula One team before joining the Osella team for 1990 and 1991 when the team was renamed Fondmetal. His last season came in 1992, when Grouillard drove for Tyrrell. He left the sport following the year without receiving offers for a drive in 1993. After leaving Formula One, Grouillard raced in the CART PPG World Series, competing in the Indianapolis 500 for which he did not qualify but showed consistency. Grouillard became well known for driving in Sports Cars between 1994 and 2001 having success. During his time in Sports Cars, he raced in the BPR Global GT Series, the FIA GT Championship, the Daytona 24 Hours, the Le Mans 24 Hours and the American Le Mans Series. He retired from motorsport at the end of 2001.James Andanson
Jannine Jennky
Jannine Jennky was a French racing driver. She initially entered hillclimbs, winning in Gaillion near Rouen in 1927, and in Paris in 1928. She made a successful debut in motor racing, finishing third in the 1927 Grand Prix de la Baule Her only major win was in the 1928 Coupe de Bourgogne, in Dijon, a race which counted towards the French Championship that year. She beat Louis Chiron, who crashed out of the race after 22 of the 28 laps. Jennky also set the fastest lap of the race.Philippe Alméras
Philippe Alméras is a race car driver born in France. He competed in both the 2001 and 2002 French Formula Renault championships, and drove some races in 2002 for LD in French Formula Three.Tristan Gommendy
Age: 46Tristan Gommendy (born 4 January 1979) is a French professional racing driver.- Birthplace: France
Ludovic Badey
René Thomas
Dec. at 89 (1886-1975)René Thomas (March 7, 1886 – September 23, 1975) was a French motor racing champion. Thomas was also a pioneer aviator. He won the 1914 Indianapolis 500.- Birthplace: France
Louis Rosier
Dec. at 50 (1905-1956)Louis Rosier (5 November 1905 in Chapdes-Beaufort – 29 October 1956 in Neuilly-sur-Seine) was a racing driver from France.- Birthplace: France
Dragutin Esser
Dragutin Esser was a race car driver, driving cars designed or built by Émile Mathis. The production cars of Mathis driven by Dragutin Esser or by Emile Mathis achieved numerous successes in the touring classes: Grand Prix du Mans - 1911 Grand Prix de l'A.C.F. - 1913 Tour de France - 1913 and at other venues around Europe including the U.K. and Ireland.Dragutin Esser designed two cars of 2025cc and 2253cc which were built by Mathis under license from Stoewer. In July 1914, Esser drove a Nagant on the XIV Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France - and finished 6th.Guy Moll
Dec. at 24 (1910-1934)Guillaume Laurent "Guy" Moll (28 May 1910 – 15 August 1934) was a French racing driver. Moll was the son of a French father and Spanish mother who had emigrated to Algeria, then a French colony. He had only started racing in 1930, running a Lorraine-Dietrich in sporadic local events in Algeria. In 1932 he was noticed by Marcel Lehoux, the owner of a large trade company in Algeria and a successful Grand Prix driver in his own right; Lehoux was convinced of Moll's talents and offered Moll his Bugatti for the Oran and Casablanca Grands Prix. Moll took the lead from the start in Oran, only to fall back to second and then retire, then retired again in Casablanca. Lehoux, undeterred, brought Moll to France for his first taste of continental racing for the Marseilles Grand Prix at Miramas; Moll finished a sensational third, trailing the Alfa Romeos of Raymond Sommer and Tazio Nuvolari.In 1933, Moll continued in a Bugatti, placing second to Lehoux at Pau in a snowstorm on a track he had never driven. Moll then used family money to obtain an Alfa Romeo 8C2300. Despite it being less potent than the Alfa P3s run by the likes of Scuderia Ferrari, Moll came third at Nimes (behind Étancelin and Nuvolari), Miramas, Comminges, and Nice, and scored a near-win in the Marne Grand Prix at Reims. Moll was signed to drive P3s by Enzo Ferrari for 1934. Despite facing more powerful Auto Unions and Benzes, Moll scored his first Grand Prix win at the 1934 Monaco Grand Prix when he inherited the lead after fellow Scuderia Ferrari driver Louis Chiron, babying his ill P3 home, made a mistake and spun into sandbags at the Station Hairpin with less than two laps to go. A month later, he finished a close second to teammate Achille Varzi at Tripoli amidst an accusations Varzi had tried to force him off the road. Moll also won the Avusrennen at with his Alfa Romeo in streamlined configuration (powered by a 265 hp (198 kW) 3.2 liter) when a dominant performance from rookie team Auto Union ended with Hans Stuck's clutch failure. Moll finished third in the French Grand Prix at Montlhéry, following Chiron home, while coming second at the Targa Florio and Coppa Ciano, trailing teammate Varzi both times.On a wet and windy Pescara Circuit for the Coppa Acerbo in August, running second and chasing Luigi Fagioli for the lead, Moll lost control at near top speed on a narrow straightaway while passing Ernst Henne's Mercedes. Moll's P3 went into a ditch and crashed into a bridge, and he succumbed to his injuries shortly thereafter. The cause of the wreck remains unknown.Even though he had such a short career, Enzo Ferrari ranked Moll one of the best drivers he had ever seen, and believed he could have become one of the best ever.Moll was buried in the Maison Carrée Alger cemetery in his native Algeria.- Birthplace: Algeria
Jules Devigne
Age: 148Jules Devigne (22 February 1873 – 22 December 1935) was a French racecar driver.Sylvie Valentin