Olivier Gendebien
From Ferrari Wiki
FIA Super Licence  Belgium | |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
|---|---|
| Active years | 1956 Formula One season, 1958 Formula One season - 1961 Formula One season |
| Teams | Ferrari, Reg Parnell Racing, Emeryson |
| Races | 15 (14 starts) |
| List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 2 |
| Career points | 18 |
| Pole position | 0 |
| Fastest lap | 0 |
| First race | 1956 Argentine Grand Prix |
| Last race | 1961 United States Grand Prix |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
|---|---|
| Participating years | 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans-1962 24 Hours of Le Mans |
| Teams | Equipe Nationale Belge Scuderia Ferrari |
| Best finish | 1st (1958 24 Hours of Le Mans, 1960 24 Hours of Le Mans, 1961 24 Hours of Le Mans, 1962 24 Hours of Le Mans) |
| Class wins | 4 (1958 24 Hours of Le Mans, 1960 24 Hours of Le Mans, 1961 24 Hours of Le Mans, 1962 24 Hours of Le Mans) |
Olivier Gendebien (12 January 1924, Brussels, Belgium – 2 October 1998, Les Baux de Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône, France) was a war hero and race car driver. He has been cited as "one of the greatest sportscar racers of all time".[1]
Contents |
Background
Born into a wealthy family, an heir to the industrial holdings of the Solvay family, Olivier Gendebien studied engineering at university. When World War II erupted and the Nazis occupied Belgium, he joined the Belgian Resistance movement. Fluent in the English language, he served as the liaison with the United Kingdom agents being parachuted into Belgium. Later in the War he went to England, serving with the British army as part of a Belgian paratrooper unit. When the war ended Gendebien switched to the study of agriculture, spending several years working in forestry in the Belgian Congo where he met a rally driver named Charles Fraikin.
Rally racer
On his return to Belgium, Gendebien entered a Veritas (automobile) sports car in the 1955 Grand Prix des Frontières at Chimay. However, following this race he switched his focus, and teamed up with Fraikin to compete in Rally racing using a Jaguar Cars sports car.[2] Together with Pierre Stassen, Gendebien won the sixth running of the Tulip Rally in Zandvoort in April 1954. Their car was an Alfa Romeo.[3] The Gendebien and Fraiken partnership gained the nickname "the eternal bridesmaids", owing to their number of second-place finishes,[2] but after two previous attempts they triumphed in the Liège-Rome-Liège Rally and the Coppa d'Oro delle Dolomiti in 1955, driving a Mercedes-Benz 300SL.
Formula One driver
Gendebien's success in rally competitions brought him to the attention of Enzo Ferrari, who offered him a contract to drive a Ferrari in Sports car racing and selected Formula One. Much respected as a true gentleman by everyone who knew him, he remained a member of the Ferrari team until he retired from racing. Enzo Ferrari summed him up as "a gentleman who never forgets that Noblesse oblige and, when he is at the wheel, he translates this code of behaviour into an elegant and discerning forcefulness."[1] During his career he competed in only 15 Formula One races — most of the time he was Ferrari's spare driver, filling in only occasionally — he nonetheless scored points in five races, and was only one place away from a points-scoring finish on a further two occasions. He made his début at the 1956 Argentine Grand Prix, with the Ferrari team, but it was during a stint driving for the British Racing Partnership's Yeoman Credit Racing team in 1960 Formula One season that Gendebien scored his best finishes; he took second in the 1960 French Grand Prix and third in front of a home crowd at the 1960 Belgian Grand Prix. The second of these was a somewhat bitter-sweet success, as Gendebien's team-mate at the time, Chris Bristow, was killed in an accident during the race. Gendebien himself walked away with slight injuries in October 1961 after his Team Lotus-Coventry Climax failed to negotiate a turn during practice for the 1961 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, New York. The car flipped over and Gendebien's shoes were torn off by the impact.[4]
Sports car competition
However, it was in Sports car racing, particularly the long distance and endurance events, where Gendebien excelled. Piloting a 2.5-liter Ferrari, Gendebien teamed up with Maurice Trintignant to place third in the 1956 24 Hours of Le Mans. They were seven laps behind the winners, privateer Ecurie Ecosse Jaguar Cars drivers Ron Flockhart and Ninian Sanderson.[5] The 1958 Grand Prix of Buenos Aires was a 1,000 kilometer event in which Gendebien paired with Wolfgang von Trips. They finished second to a fellow Ferrari pairing Phil Hill and Peter Collins. In the race Argentine Maserati driver, Jorge Magnasco, died after his car skidded and turned over.[6]
The same year he partnered with Hill and won the prestigious 1958 24 Hours of Le Mans. Their victory came in a 3-liter Ferrari and secured the World Sportscar Championship for the Ferrari factory. They covered 2,511 miles with an average speed of 107 miles per hour. Hill became the first American to win the event and their Ferrari was the sole factory-sponsored car running at the end.[7] Ferrari drivers took the first three positions at the conclusion of the 1961 24 Hours of Le Mans and, as they were to be again the following year, Hill and Gendebien were first, averaging 115.89 miles per hour, and establishing a race record.[8] The duo were a natural fit and together they won the Le Mans race three times in total, with Gendebien winning it a fourth time, partnered by fellow Belgian Paul Frère in 1960 24 Hours of Le Mans. Gendebien's record number of Le Mans victories was not exceeded until 1981 24 Hours of Le Mans, when fellow-Belgian Jacky Ickx won for the fifth time.
Away from Circuit de la Sarthe, Gendebien also triumphed in the Targa Florio (1958, '61, '62), the 12 Hours of Sebring (1959, '60, '61), the 12 Hours of Reims (1957, '58) and the 1000 km Nürburgring (1962).[1] When asked about the key to winning as a race car driver, Gendebien responded: "It is a matter of taking the corners a little faster than one would want."[9] In honour of Gendebien's three wins at the 12 Hours of Sebring, the turn onto the Ullman straight is named after him.
Major race victories
- Tour of Sicily : 1957
- Tour de France (auto) : 1957, 1958, 1959
- Reims 12 Hour race : 1957, 1958
- Targa Florio : 1958, 1961, 1962
- 12 Hours of Sebring : 1959, 1960, 1961
- 24 hours of Le Mans : 1958 24 Hours of Le Mans, 1960 24 Hours of Le Mans, 1961 24 Hours of Le Mans, 1962 24 Hours of Le Mans
- 1000km Nürburgring : 1962
Post race life
Married with three children, Gendebien’s wife pressured him to get out of the dangerous sport of automobile racing where more than two dozen of his competitors had died at the wheel. At 38 years of age, in 1962 Olivier Gendebien retired following his fourth victory at Le Mans. Independently wealthy, and an avid skier, tennis player, and equestrian rider, he devoted the rest of his life to running a variety of businesses. In 1998 Albert II of Belgium awarded him the Belgian Order of the Crown (Belgium)
Olivier Gendebien died in 1998 at his home in Les Baux de Provence in southern France.
Complete F1 World Championship results
(F1 driver results legend 2)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | WDC | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 Formula One season | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari Ferrari 555 | Ferrari Straight-4 | 1956 Argentine Grand Prix 5 | 1956 Monaco Grand Prix | 1956 Indianapolis 500 | 1956 Belgian Grand Prix | 23rd | 2 | |||||||
| Lancia in Formula One-Ferrari Lancia-Ferrari D50 | Lancia in Formula One V8 | 1956 French Grand Prix ret | 1956 British Grand Prix | 1956 German Grand Prix | 1956 Italian Grand Prix | |||||||||||
| 1958 Formula One season | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari Ferrari Dino 246 | Ferrari V6 | 1958 Argentine Grand Prix | 1958 Monaco Grand Prix | 1958 Dutch Grand Prix | 1958 Indianapolis 500 | 1958 Belgian Grand Prix 6 | 1958 French Grand Prix | 1958 British Grand Prix | 1958 German Grand Prix | 1958 Portuguese Grand Prix | 1958 Italian Grand Prix ret | 1958 Moroccan Grand Prix ret | NC | 0 |
| 1959 Formula One season | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari Ferrari Dino 246 | Ferrari V6 | 1959 Monaco Grand Prix | 1959 Indianapolis 500 | 1959 Dutch Grand Prix | 1959 French Grand Prix 4 | 1959 British Grand Prix | 1959 German Grand Prix | 1959 Portuguese Grand Prix | 1959 Italian Grand Prix 6 | 1959 United States Grand Prix | 15th | 3 | ||
| 1960 Formula One season | Yeoman Credit Racing | Cooper Car Company Cooper T51 | Coventry Climax Straight-4 | 1960 Argentine Grand Prix | 1960 Monaco Grand Prix | 1960 Indianapolis 500 | 1960 Dutch Grand Prix | 1960 Belgian Grand Prix 3 | 1960 French Grand Prix 2 | 1960 British Grand Prix 9 | 1960 Portuguese Grand Prix 7 | 1960 Italian Grand Prix | 1960 United States Grand Prix 12 | 6th | 10 | |
| 1961 Formula One season | Equipe Nationale Belge | Emeryson Emeryson Mk2 | Maserati Straight-4 | 1961 Monaco Grand Prix DNQ | 1961 Dutch Grand Prix | 14th | 3 | |||||||||
| Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari Ferrari 156 | Ferrari V6 | 1961 Belgian Grand Prix 4 | 1961 French Grand Prix | 1961 British Grand Prix | 1961 German Grand Prix | 1961 Italian Grand Prix | |||||||||
| British Racing Partnership | Team Lotus Lotus 18 | Coventry Climax Straight-4 | 1961 United States Grand Prix 11 |
| Preceded by Ron Flockhart (auto racing) Ivor Bueb | List of 24 Hours of Le Mans winners 1958 24 Hours of Le Mans with: Phil Hill | Succeeded by Carroll Shelby Roy Salvadori |
| Preceded by Carroll Shelby Roy Salvadori | List of 24 Hours of Le Mans winners 1960 24 Hours of Le Mans with: Paul Frère | Succeeded by Olivier Gendebien Phil Hill |
| Preceded by Olivier Gendebien Paul Frère | List of 24 Hours of Le Mans winners 1961 24 Hours of Le Mans-1962 24 Hours of Le Mans with: Phil Hill | Succeeded by Ludovico Scarfiotti Lorenzo Bandini |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Cooper, A. 1998. Obituary: Olivier Gendebien. Motor Sport, LXXIV/11 (November 1998), 4
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Driver: Gendebien, Olivier". Autocourse Grand Prix Archive. http://www.autocoursegpa.com/driver~driver_id~11763.htm. Retrieved on 18 November 2007.
- ↑ Belgians Win Auto Race, New York Times, May 1, 1954, Page 20.
- ↑ Belgian Racing Ace Crashes, Los Angeles Times, October 7, 1961, Page A1.
- ↑ Flockhart and Sanderson Take Le Mans Auto Endurance Race, New York Times, July 30, 1956, Page 26.
- ↑ Auto Race Driver Dies of Injuries, New York Times, January 27, 1958, Page 31.
- ↑ Hill of California and Gendebien Triumph With Ferrari in Le Mans, New York Times, June 23, 1958, Page 30.
- ↑ First Three At Le Mans All Ferraris, The Times, June 12, 1961, Page 4.
- ↑ Life in a Sports Car, Los Angeles Times, October 2, 1961. Page C1.
