Belgian racing driver (1924?1998)
Olivier Jean Marie Fernand Gendebien
(
French pronunciation:
[?.li.vje
???.de.bj??]
; 12 January 1924 ? 2 October 1998) was a Belgian racing driver. He is a 4-time
24 Hours of Le Mans
winner, and has been described as "one of the greatest sportscar racers of all time".
[1]
Rally racer
[
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]
Gendebien spent some years in the Belgian Congo. On his return to Europe he teamed up with Fraikin to compete in the 1952
Liege?Rome?Liege
Rally using a
Jaguar Mk VII
saloon car. Together with Pierre Stasse, Gendebien won the sixth running of the
Tulip Rally
in
Zandvoort
in April 1954. Their car was an
Alfa Romeo 1900 TI
.
[2]
[3]
The Gendebien and Fraiken partnership gained the nickname "the eternal bridesmaids", owing to their number of second-place finishes,
[4]
but after two previous attempts they triumphed in the
Liege?Rome?Liege
Rally, the Coppa d'Oro delle Dolomiti and
Rally Stella Alpina
in 1955, driving a
Mercedes-Benz 300SL
. In 1956 Olivier Gendebien and Pierre Stasse finished in third place driving a Ferrari 250 GT Europa (Nr 0373).
Formula One driver
[
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]
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 events
and selected
Grands Prix
. 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 as 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 debut 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
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
Lotus
-
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.
[5]
Sports car competition
[
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]
However, it was in
sports car racing
, particularly the long distance and endurance events, where Gendebien excelled. Piloting a 2.5-litre 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
drivers
Ron Flockhart
and
Ninian Sanderson
.
[6]
The 1958 Grand Prix of
Buenos Aires
was a 1,000 kilometre 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.
[7]
The same year he partnered Hill and won the prestigious
24 Hours of Le Mans
. Their victory came in a 3-litre 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.
[8]
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.
[9]
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 Frere
in
1960
. Gendebien's record number of Le Mans victories was not exceeded until
1981
, 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 Nurburgring
(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."
[10]
In honour of Gendebien's three wins at the 12 Hours of Sebring, turn 15 just before the final corner, onto the Ullman straight is named after him. He also won the
Dolomites Cup
, a one-lap sportscar race that took place on a 188-mile circuit in the
Dolomite Mountains
in Italy.
Major race victories
[
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]
- Tour of Sicily : 1957
- Tour de France Automobile
: 1957, 1958, 1959
- Reims
12 Hours : 1957, 1958
- Targa Florio
: 1958, 1961, 1962
- 12 Hours of Sebring
: 1959, 1960, 1961
- 24 hours of Le Mans
:
1958
,
1960
,
1961
,
1962
- 1000km Nurburgring
: 1962
Post race life
[
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]
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
King Albert II
awarded him the Belgian
Order of the Crown
.
Olivier Gendebien died in 1998 at his home in
Les Baux-de-Provence
in southern France.
[11]
Racing record
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]
Complete Formula One World Championship results
[
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]
(
key
)
Non-championship results
[
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]
(
key
) (Races in
bold
indicate pole position)
(Races in
italics
indicate fastest lap)
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
[
edit
]
Complete 12 Hours of Sebring results
[
edit
]
Complete 24 Hours of Daytona results
[
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]
References
[
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]
External links
[
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]
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Nine-time
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Six-time
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Five-time
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Four-time
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Three-time
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Two-time
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One-time
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Six-time
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Five-time
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Four-time
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Three-time
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Two-time
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One-time
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- Charles Van Acker
(
1950
)
- Johnny Claes
(
1950
?
1953
,
1955
)
- Jacques Swaters
(
1951
,
1953
?
1954
)
- Andre Pilette
(
1951
,
1953
?
1954
,
1956
,
1961
,
1963
?
1964
)
- Roger Laurent
(
1952
)
- Charles de Tornaco
(
1952
?
1953
)
- Arthur Legat
(
1952
?
1953
)
- Paul Frere
(
1952
?
1956
)
- Georges Berger
(
1953
?
1954
)
- Olivier Gendebien
(
1955
?
1956
,
1958
?
1961
)
- Andre Milhoux
(
1956
)
- Christian Goethals
(
1958
)
- Alain de Changy
(
1959
)
- Lucien Bianchi
(
1959
?
1963
,
1965
,
1968
)
- Willy Mairesse
(
1960
?
1963
,
1965
)
- Jacky Ickx
(
1966
?
1979
)
- Teddy Pilette
(
1974
,
1977
)
- Patrick Neve
(
1976
?
1978
)
- Bernard de Dryver
(
1977
?
1978
)
- Thierry Boutsen
(
1983
?
1993
)
- Bertrand Gachot
(
1989
?
1991
)
- Eric van de Poele
(
1991
?
1992
)
- Philippe Adams
(
1994
)
- Jerome d'Ambrosio
(
2011
?
2012
)
- Stoffel Vandoorne
(
2016
?
2018
)
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International
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National
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Other
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