Among the mourners were his father, behras year old son and racing colleague maurice trintignant. But then hindsight also indicates that jean behra momentarily had a better fii idea than did porsche. Behra was small in stature, stocky, and weighed 178 pounds, he had big shoulders and was scarred from 12 crashes and 1955 he had an ear torn off from a collision. He was also a regular competitor in sports car races, becoming one of the victims of the deadliest period in a history of motorsport, losing a life in a crash during sports car race at avus circuit in berlin. It wasnt unusual at the time for f1 drivers to take part in other championship events, and it really is a testament to jeans love of racing that. I have found, also, many interpretations of the facts. Behra was thrown out and for a fleeting moment he could be seen against the background of the sky, with his arms outstretched as though attempting to fly. Behra with raymond mays after winning the 1957 brdc international trophy for brm. Click on the site to see jean behra s career results at that track. Behra had big shoulders and was scarred from 12 crashes.
Trintignant comforted behras family and called on the young men of france to defend the colors of their country in international motor racing. A more cautious driver may have decided to ply his trade in a safer. Lets look at the spectacular injury list, and career, of fifites french racing driver jean behra. His legacy includes his casque, which may be the most famous racing helmet ever and whose image. Here was frenchman jean behra, who wore a prosthetic ear from a motor racing accident, and would remove it. The infamous wall of death was eventually replaced with a normal curve with a wall. Jean behra was a match for anyone on his day but unfortunately that was never in a world championship. Any good driver s death is a loss to motor racing, but in losing jean behra we have lost a rare personality in the present age of racing, for he really had a passion for for racing cars that was a joy to have known.
He started racing motorcycles in 1938 and rode a moto guzzi to successive national titles from 1948 to 1951. This was, at the time, considered to be the most dangerous race. Jean marie behra born 6 february 1921 in nice, alpsmaritimes, provencealpescote dazur, france died 1 august 1959 at the avus, in west berlin, west germany was a french racing driver who competed in formula one the 1950s. Behra could have been frances first title winner, but despite having the talent never won a world championship grand prix. Behra porsche was a formula one constructor which entered four world championship grands prix across the 1959 and 1960 seasons. Jean behra never won a formula one race, but that statistic does a tremendous disservice to the frenchmans abundant talent. In 1949 while at mont ventoux for a motorcycle race he tried his hand at car racing at the wheel of a maserati and found. Behra was a ferrari official driver in the f1 team, but he had troubles with mr tavoni at reims gp just few days before his fatalcrash. For the last four years of his life, behra raced with an artificial ear, after losing it in a heavy crash in dundrod in 1955.
At a paris church august 5 the funeral took place of jean behra, the 38 year old french motor racing driver. The obscure book that every racing fan should own the drive. Jean marie behra born in nice, france, 16 february 1921 died in berlin, germany, 1 august 1959 was a formula one driver who raced for the gordini, maserati, brm, ferrari and porsche teams. You can see part of his left ear is missing as well as part of his nose due to racing bike crashes. Click on the site to see jean behra s career results at that track glossary. A star of the maserati team from 1955 until the italian factory withdrew from racing in 1957, behra had spent 1958 racing for brm in formula i and for porsche in sports car events. Jean behra had always been a professional racing driver, first of all on motorcyles, then in carsand essentially in grand prix racing, for the single seater pure racing car had a fascination for behra since he was a small boy in nice and pressed his nose on the window of friedricks garagge where rene dreyfus bugatti was kept. He was a quick driver but never won a grand prix, although the driver from nice won a series of victories in non. Not all racing drivers are sane and balanced individuals. The spectacular injury list of legendary french racing driver. Nov 25, 2004 jean behras fatal accident posted in tnfs archive. Jean didnt switch to cars until 1949, and initially appeared in hillclimbs and rallies. Jean behra, the most successful french driver of the 1950s. Jean behra number 4 in his simcagordini, holding off the ferrari of piero taruffi, at the 1952 french gp.
See more ideas about race cars, racing and vintage racing. And it reminds me again how lucky i am to have this life. After a career racing motorcycles, he switched to fourwheeled competition in 1949 and within three years he had moved on to formula one, winning the. Trintignant comforted behras family and called on the young men of france to defend the colours of their country in international motor racing. Behra initially started racing in motorcycles in the 1930s before war intervened. Jean behras fatal accident tnfs archive the autosport. The constructor started and finished two races, both in the 1960 season, but scored no championship points in the process. Jean behra was a french racing driver, who by the end of the 1950s was a stalwart of the formula one paddock. It was a sad moment made worse by behra s death just four weeks later driving in a modest support race to the german grand prix at avus where he was to race his own formula 1 car, the behra porsche.
Born in 1921, behra started cycling as a child, and motorcycle racing when he was 17,in 1938, but after showing an immediate panache for speed, behra was robbed of his best years by the war. Driver jean behra 1952 formula one results racingreference. I must say i found that to be rather moving and somewhat different from most racing drivers ive known. Some of them are rather difficult personalities and often that is a part of the reason that they are successful or not. Behra crashed during pretesting, breaking his wrist. He had been a favourite of mine since his maserati days.
Dec 14, 2001 jean behra had always been a professional racing driver, first of all on motorcyles, then in carsand essentially in grand prix racing, for the single seater pure racing car had a fascination for behra since he was a small boy in nice and pressed his nose on the window of friedricks garagge where rene dreyfus bugatti was kept. Oct 04, 2015 in motorsports edition of september 1959, denis jenkinson wrote. Jan 27, 2019 behra left a nineteenyearold son, jean paul. Jean behra in his ferrari at reims for the 1959 french gp. This list does not include drivers who raced ferrari cars that were entered by teams other than ferrari. Jeanpaul behra racing career profile driver database. August 1959, after three laps of race at german gran prix held on avus circuit, behra.
Behras demise left only maurice trintignant among living french drivers of fame. Racing years is a complete racing database with results of the most important championships since the beginnings of the motor racing,where you can share your favourites drivers,cars and teams with your friends. Jean behra had the talent to have been frances first world champion in the early 1950s. Thus when maserati withdrew from racing at the start of 1958, jean signed to drive a gp brm, and for porsche in sportscar racing. Conspicuously absent among those present in the racing community was enzo ferrari. Fiery with great car control behra wrung the most he could in a maserati 250f against the mighty mercedes team. Car and motor racing related images that appeal to me.
Media in category jean behra the following 7 files are in this category, out of 7 total. Behra s demise left only maurice trintignant among living french drivers of fame. Stirling moss helped a friend at the 1958 portuguese grand. Jean behra horrific fatal crash 1959 german grand prix at. Jean behra lost part of his nose, an entire ear and, eventually, his life to his zeal for racing. Behra was small in stature, stocky, and weighed 178 pounds. Paris funeral of racing driver behra british pathe. Had he lived, the great french driver jean behra would have been 96 last month february. Jean behra never won a formula one race, but that doesnt tell the full story of how much.
The spectacular injury list of legendary french racing driver, jean behra. Behra puts me in mind of the sword fighting knight in monty pythons quest for the holy grail, losing both arms and legs in a bloody fight the knight refuses to surrender. Although he never won a world championship grand prix, he remains a legend, winning 10 nonchampionship f1 events, the nurburgring kms and sebring in his career, before being killed in a sportscar race in berlin. Jun 16, 2018 77 rallye nice jean behra 2018 show racing show racing. Behra was a fearless gp and sports car driver from france. Jean behra 19211959 was a french racing driver who competed in grand prix races in the early years of the formula one championship, between 1952 and 1959.
Any good drivers death is a loss to motor racing, but in losing jean behra we have lost a rare personality in the present age of racing, for he really had a passion for for racing cars that was a joy to have known. Attended in 8 seasons and have 53 race entrances was born on 16 february 1921, france. As it turned out, for various reasons behra never even recorded a grand prix win. Aged 38, he left a son, and a legacy, which sadly is mostly forgotten through time.
In 1953, jean was to suffer back injuries at the pau circuit, again in a nonf1 event. Jean behra was a match for anyone on his day but unfortunately that was never in a world championship grand prix. Jean marie behra born in nice, france, 16 february 1921 died in berlin, germany, 1 august 1959 was a formula one driver who raced for the. His fellow maserati driver, stirling moss, was also out of the race with a broken brake pedal. He dropped behra as a factory driver ten days before his death and sent no remembrance to the funeral masses. The spectacular injury list, and career, of fifites. In motorsports edition of september 1959, denis jenkinson wrote.
I say, had he lived because behra was a hard, tough racing driver who had started out racing on motorcycles and had survived a number of accidents. A brave french national hero lost to the racing track. A 2000 mile targa florio style rally across the inhospitable mexican countryside. Hma french racing driver jean behra vfs motor racing videos. This is jean behra, a man who would not let a spectacular injury list stop him enjoying a long and successful career in motor racing. Trintignant comforted behra s family and called on the young men of france to defend the colours of their country in international motor racing. I read some articles and reconstructions about this terrible accident, but, definitely, i couldnt understand the accidents dynamic. One of my christmas presents in 1959 was the bp book of motor racing and and in it was a fullpage colour plate of jean behra motoring briskly past a roadside cafe in the 1958 targa florio. This was, at the time, considered to be the most dangerous race in the world. He hit the headlines when he won the nontitle reims grand prix. The spectacular injury list of legendary french racing. Jean behra horrific fatal crash 1959 german grand prix at avus motordrone in germany.
The spectacular injury list of legendary french racing driver, jean. In july 2008 i visited his grave in nice and said a quiet prayer. Jean behra was a tough and mercurial racing driver who drove hard and won often, but temperamentally he could be volatile, as was the case with. Born in 1921 behra took up motorcycle racing in 1938 but was robbed of his best racing years by the war. Jean behra had always been a professional racing driver, first of all on motorcyles, then in cars and essentially in grand prix racing, for the single seater pure racing car had a fascination for behra since he was a small boy in nice and pressed his nose on the window of friedricks garage where rene dreyfus bugatti was kept. Published in 20, jean luc fourniers outstanding book, behra, prince des damiers was a welcome and timely addition to the library of post war racing. Hi friends, im interested on know more informations also photos if possible about fatal accident of jean behra avus 1959. Jean behra racing driver behra drove a porsche to victory in the 6th rouen grand prix. Jean behra driver data born 6 february 192119210206 nice. A few weeks later, he was killed after being thrown from his porsche rsk and hitting a flagpole during a sportscar race at avus. The spectacular injury list, and career, of fifites french. When the war was finally over, he won the french 500cc title four times with moto guzzi between 1948 and 1951. In the postwar era he raced for moto guzzi and won four french national titles between 1948 and 1951.