The seventies was a boom time fro French motor racing, with a succession of talented drivers making an impact in international competition. One of these drivers was Jean-Pierre Jabouille, a Parisian who won two Formula 1 Grand Prix races with Renault.
Jabouille was born during World War Two, on October 1st, 1942. As a young man he was interested in engineering and modern art. It was not until his early twenties that Jabouille decided to try motor racing. After some promising outings in hillclimb events he took the plunge and entered the no-holds barred world of Formula 3.
Jabouille’s Early Motor Racing Career
In 1968 Jabouille finished the Formula 3 season as runner-up to François Cevert, who would go on to have a distinguished Formula 1 career with Tyrrell. During the late sixties and early seventies Jabouille gained considerable experience driving for Alpine-Renault and Matra in Formula 3, Formula 2 and sports prototypes.
Grand Prix Debut with Tyrrell
1974 saw Jabouille attempt to qualify for Formula 1 events in both a Williams and a Surtees, but he was unsuccessful. His Grand Prix debut finally came at the 1975 French Grand Prix, where he drove a Tyrrell to 12th place. In 1976 Jabouille won the European Formula 2 title, having finished runner-up to his good friend Jacques Laffite the previous year.
Jabouille Tastes Formula 1 Success with Renault
Renault gave Jabouille his big Formula 1 break when they signed him to develop their new turbocharged Grand Prix car. It made its debut at the 1977 British Grand Prix and it took many races before the car was competitive. Finally, at the 1979 French Grand Prix, Jabouille won a race in the turbocharged machine. Unfortunately, his victory was mostly forgotten due to a scintillating battle for second place between his team-mate René Arnoux and Ferrari’s Gilles Villeneuve.
Jabouille’s Life after Formula 1
Jabouille won just once more in Formula 1 before suffering a serious crash at the 1980 Canadian Grand Prix. He tried to return in 1981 with the French Ligier team, but was not on the pace, and decided to retire from Formula 1Grand Prix racing for good.
After walking away from Grand Prix racing Jabouille continued to race elsewhere. He competed in touring car events and at Le Mans for the Peugeot team. In the nineties he was appointed as the boss of Peugeot Sports. Jabouille continues to be involved in racing, running his own sports car team.
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