Henri Pescarolo : biography
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Henri Pescarolo (born 25 September 1942) is a former racing driver from France. He participated in 64 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 22 September 1968. He achieved one podium, and scored a total of 12 championship points. He wore a distinctive green helmet, and still has a full-face beard that partially covers burns suffered in a crash.
Henri Pescarolo to this day drives in the yearly Dakar Rally.
After Pescarolo’s retirement from Formula 1, he went on to start his own team, which now competes in the Le Mans Endurance Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which he won as a driver in 1972 in a Matra, co-driven by Graham Hill. His team, Pescarolo Sport, is notably sponsored by Sony’s PlayStation 2 and by Gran Turismo 4. During the five years that Pescarolo has campaigned Courage C60 prototypes, so many modifications have been made to the model that Courage allowed the team to name the car after themselves, such was the differences between their model and the standard C60. In 2005, it was developed further still to meet the "hybrid" regulations, before the change to LMP1/2 format. It is unknown whether Pescarolo will use the newer Courage C70 in the future. Pescarolo holds the record for Le Mans starts with 33 and has won the race on four occasions as a driver. He has yet to win the race as a team owner, coming very close in 2005 with the Pescarolo C60H. His team did manage to win the LMES championship in the same year. His team was also second at Le Mans in 2006, followed by a third in 2007 behind a pair of diesel-powered prototypes.
Henri Pescarolo is also a keen helicopter pilot.
Racing record
24 Hours of Le Mans results
Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos.|Overall Position}} | ClassPos.|Class Position}} |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1966 | Matra Sports | Jean-Pierre Jaussaud | Matra M620-BRM | P2.0 | 35 | DNF | DNF |
1967 | Equipe Matra Sports | Jean-Pierre Jaussaud | Matra MS630-BRM | P2.0 | 55 | DNF | DNF |
1968 | Equipe Matra Sports | Johnny Servoz-Gavin | Matra MS630 | P3.0 | 283 | DNF | DNF |
1970 | Equipe Matra-Simca | Jean-Pierre Beltoise | Matra-Simca MS660 | P3.0 | 79 | DNF | DNF |
1971 | Scuderia Filipinetti | Mike Parkes | Ferrari 512F | S5.0 | ? | DNF | DNF |
1972 | Equipe Matra-Simca Shell | Graham Hill | Matra-Simca MS670 | S3.0 | 344 | 1st | 1st |
1973 | Equipe Matra-Simca Shell | Gérard Larrousse | Matra-Simca MS670B | S3.0 | 355 | 1st | 1st |
1974 | Equipe Gitanes | Gérard Larrousse | Matra-Simca MS670C | S3.0 | 337 | 1st | 1st |
1975 | Gitanes Automobiles Ligier | François Migault | Ligier JS2-Ford Cosworth | S3.0 | 146 | DNF | DNF |
1976 | Inaltera | Jean-Pierre Beltoise | Inaltera LM-Ford Cosworth | GTP | 305 | 8th | 1st |
1977 | Martini Racing Porsche System | Jacky Ickx | Porsche 936/77 | S+2.0 | 45 | DNF | DNF |
1978 | Martini Racing Porsche System | Jacky Ickx Jochen Mass | Porsche 936/78 | S+2.0 | 255 | DNF | DNF |
1979 | ITT Oceanic Jean Rondeau | Jean-Pierre Beltoise | Rondeau M379-Ford Cosworth | S+2.0 | 279 | 10th | 2nd |
1980 | ITT Jean Rondeau | Jean Ragnotti | Rondeau M379-Ford Cosworth | S+2.0 | 124 | DNF | DNF |
1981 | Oceanic Jean Rondeau | Patrick Tambay | Rondeau M379-Ford Cosworth | 2+2.0 | 41 | DNF | DNF |
1982 | Otis Automobiles Jean Rondeau | Jean Ragnotti Jean Rondeau | Rondeau M382-Ford Cosworth | C | 146 | DNF | DNF |
1983 | Ford France | Thierry Boutsen | Rondeau M482-Ford Cosworth | C | 174 | DNF | DNF |
1984 | New-Man Joest Racing | Klaus Ludwig | Porsche 956B | C1 | 360 | 1st | 1st |
1985 | Martini Lancia | Mauro Baldi | Lancia LC2-Ferrari | C1 | 358 | 7th | 7th |
1986 | Kouros Racing Team | Christian Danner Dieter Quester | Sauber C8-Mercedes | C1 | 86 | DNF | DNF |
1987 | Kouros Racing | Mike Thackwell Hideki Okada | Sauber C9-Mercedes | C1 | 123 | DNF | DNF |
1988 | Silk Cut Jaguar Tom Walkinshaw Racing | John Watson Raul Boesel | Jaguar XJR-9LM | C1 | 129 | DNF | DNF |
1989 | Joest Racing | Claude Ballot-Léna Jean-Louis Ricci | Porsche 962C | C1 | 371 | 6th | 6th |
1990 | Joest Porsche Racing | Jean-Louis Ricci Jacques Laffite | Porsche 962C | C1 | 328 | 14th | 14th |
1991 | Konrad Motorsport Joest Porsche Racing | Louis Krages Bernd Schneider | Porsche 962C | C2 | 197 | DNF | DNF |
1992 | Courage Compétition | Bob Wollek Jean-Louis Ricci | Cougar C28LM-Porsche | C3 | 335 | 6th | 1st |
1993 | Joest Porsche Racing | Bob Wollek Ronny Meixner | Porsche 962C | C2 | 351 | 9th | 4th |
1994 | Courage Compétition | Alain Ferté Franck Lagorce | Courage C32LM-Porsche | LMP1C90 | 142 | DNF | DNF |
1995 | Courage Compétition | Franck Lagorce Éric Bernard | Courage C41-Chevrolet | WSC | 26 | DNF | DNF |
1996 | La Filière Elf | Franck Lagorce Emmanuel Collard | Courage C36-Porsche | LMP1 | 327 | 7th | 2nd |
1997 | La Filière Elf | Jean-Philippe Belloc Emmanuel Clérico | Courage C36-Porsche | LMP | 319 | 7th | 4th |
1998 | Courage Compétition | Olivier Grouillard Franck Montagny | Courage C36-Porsche | LMP1 | 304 | 15th | 4th |
1999 | Pescarolo Promotion Racing Team | Michel Ferté Patrice Gay | Courage C50-Porsche | LMP | 327 | 9th | 8th |