Photo by Graham Gauld
Story by Graham Gauld
The facts are there in plain sight. The French, who were responsible for developing all automobile racing from the very beginning, have never truly been credited for their successes in the past thirty years.
Perhaps this is because the youthful motor sporting enthusiast these days is totally wedded to Formula 1, and since 1950 only four French drivers have become World Drivers’ Champions – all of them named Alain Prost!
If, however, you turn to sports cars the picture is different with French drivers being in the winning car at Le Mans 27 times since 1950. I admit this comparison may appear ludicrous bearing in mind that at Le Mans you can have up to three drivers to one winning car, but the point is the French have tended to be more successful in sports cars than in Formula 1. This story is about one of them, Jean Guichet, who will be 98 years of age in August this year.