Lucien Bianchi

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Luciano "Lucien" Bianchi (Italian: [luˈtʃaːno ˈbjaŋki], French: [lysjɛ̃ bjɑ̃ki]; 10 November 1934 – 30 March 1969) was an Italian-born Belgian racing driver who raced for the Cooper, ENB, UDT Laystall and Scuderia Centro Sud teams in Formula One. He entered a total of 19 Formula One World Championship races, scoring six points and had a best finish of third at the 1968 Monaco Grand Prix.

Lucien Bianchi
Bianchi in 1968
BornLuciano Bianchi
(1934-11-10)10 November 1934
Milan, Italy
Died30 March 1969(1969-03-30) (aged 34)
Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France
Formula One World Championship career
NationalityBelgium Belgian
Active years19591963, 1965, 1968
TeamsENB, UDT Laystall, Reg Parnell, Scuderia Centro Sud, Cooper
Entries19 (17 starts)
Championships0
Wins0
Podiums1
Career points6
Pole positions0
Fastest laps0
First entry1959 Monaco Grand Prix
Last entry1968 Mexican Grand Prix

He also drove in 13 consecutive 24 Hours of Le Mans (1956–1968), finishing 1st in Class three times, including the 1st overall win at the 1968 24 Hours of Le Mans, with co-driver Pedro Rodríguez. Bianchi died in a crash while testing for the 1969 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Personal life

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Bianchi was born in Milan, Italy, but moved to Belgium in 1946 with his father, who before the Second World War was a race mechanic working in the Alfa Romeo competition department.[1] His brother, Mauro Bianchi, also became a racing driver. They drove to victory together in the 1965 Nürburgring 500 km. Mauro later won the P1.6 class at the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans. His grandnephew, Jules Bianchi, who made his Formula One debut with the Marussia team for the 2013 season competing under the French flag, died in 2015, having never regained consciousness after a crash during the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix.[2]

Racing career

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Lucien Bianchi's first race event was at the Alpine Rally in 1951. He won the 1957, 1958 and 1959 Tour de France as well as the Paris 1000 sports car race in the latter two years.

 
Bianchi driving for Cooper at the 1968 Dutch Grand Prix.

He entered Formula One in 1959, although only with sporadic appearances at first. He drove various cars under the banner of the ENB team, including a Cooper T51, a Lotus 18 and an Emeryson. After a couple of races for the UDT Laystall team in 1961, driving another Lotus, he returned to ENB for whom he drove their ENB-Maserati. He finally secured a more regular drive in Formula One in 1968, with the Cooper-BRM team, although success was elusive despite a bright start. Bianchi managed his best Formula One performance, finishing third at the 1968 Monaco Grand Prix, in his first race for Cooper.[3]

Bianchi also raced touring cars, sports cars and rally cars, being successful in all disciplines, his biggest victories coming in the 1968 24 Hours of Le Mans, behind the wheel of a Ford GT40 with Pedro Rodríguez and at Sebring in 1962 with Jo Bonnier. He was also leading the 1968 London–Sydney Marathon when his Citroën DS collided with a non-competing car on the closed course near Nowra, 100 km south of Sydney.

He was killed when his Alfa Romeo T33 spun into a telegraph pole during Le Mans testing in 1969.

At Circuit Zolder, the fourth turn of the circuit, entering the back stretch, is named LucienBianchiBocht in his memory.

 
Replica of a Ford GT40 with the # 9 of Rodríguez and Bianchi winners of the 1968 24 Hours of Le Mans

Racing record

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Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

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Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
1956   Equipe Nationale Belge   Alain de Changy Ferrari 500 TR S 2.0 76 DNF DNF
1957   Equipe Nationale Belge   Georges Harris Ferrari 500 TRC S 2.0 288 7th 1st
1958   Ecurie Francorchamps   Willy Mairesse Ferrari 250 TR S 3.0 33 DNF DNF
1959   Equipe Nationale Belge   Alain de Changy Ferrari 250 TR S 3.0 47 DNF DNF
1960   Equipe Nationale Belge   Jean Blaton Ferrari 250 GT GT 3.0 29 DNF DNF
1961   Ecurie Francorchamps   Georges Berger Ferrari 250 GT GT 3.0 60 DNF DNF
1962   Maserati France   Maurice Trintignant Maserati Tipo 151 E +3.0 152 DNF DNF
1963   David Brown   Phil Hill Aston Martin DP215 P+3.0 29 DNF DNF
1964   Equipe Nationale Belge   Jean Blaton Ferrari 250 GTO GT 3.0 333 5th 1st
1965   Maranello Concessionaires Ltd.   Michael Salmon Ferrari 250LM P 5.0 99 DNF DNF
1966   Holman & Moody   Mario Andretti Ford GT40 Mk.II P +5.0 97 DNF DNF
1967   Holman & Moody   Mario Andretti Ford GT40 Mk.IV P +5.0 188 DNF DNF
1968   J.W. Automotive Engineering Ltd.   Pedro Rodriguez Ford GT40 S 5.0 331 1st 1st
Source:[4]

Formula One World Championship results

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(key)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 WDC Pts
1959 Equipe National Belge Cooper T51 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 MON
DNQ
500 NED FRA GBR GER POR ITA USA NC 0
1960 Equipe National Belge Cooper T51 Climax FPF 2.5 L4 ARG MON 500 NED BEL
6
24th 1
Fred Tuck Cars FRA
Ret
GBR
Ret
POR ITA USA
1961 Equipe National Belge Emeryson 61 Maserati Tipo 6 1.5 L4 MON
DNQ
NED NC 0
Lotus 18 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 BEL
Ret
UDT Laystall Racing Team Lotus 18/21 FRA
Ret
GBR
Ret
GER ITA USA
1962 Equipe National Belge Lotus 18/21 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 NED MON BEL
9
FRA GBR NC 0
ENB F1 Maserati Tipo 6 1.5 L4 GER
16
ITA USA RSA
1963 Reg Parnell Racing Lola Mk4 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 MON BEL
Ret
NED FRA GBR GER ITA USA MEX RSA NC 0
1965 Scuderia Centro Sud BRM P57 BRM P56 1.5 V8 RSA MON BEL
12
FRA GBR NED GER ITA USA MEX NC 0
1968 Cooper Car Company Cooper T86B BRM P101 3.0 V12 RSA ESP MON
3
BEL
6
NED
Ret
FRA GBR GER
Ret
ITA CAN
NC
USA
NC
MEX
Ret
17th 5
Source:[5]

Complete 24 Hours of Spa results

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Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
1964   Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A   Fernando Masoero Alfa Romeo Giulia TI Super C5 265 4th 1st
1966   Autodelta S.p.A.   Giancarlo Baghetti Alfa Romeo 1600 GTA T 1.6 DNF DNF
1968   Alfa Romeo Benelux   Jean-Marie Lagae Alfa Romeo 1750 Berlina Gr. 1 2.5 250 17th 13th

Complete USAC Championship Car results

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Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Pos Points
1967 Jim Robbins PHX
DNQ
TRE
17
INDY
DNQ
MIL LAN PIP MOS MOS IRP LAN MTR MTR SPR MIL DUQ ISF TRE SAC HAN PHX RIV - 0

Complete British Saloon Car Championship results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.)

Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DC Pts Class
1967 Team Lotus Ford Cortina Lotus C BRH SNE SIL SIL MAL SIL SIL
Ret
BRH OUL BRH NC 0 NC
Source:[6]

Other race results

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References

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  1. ^ "Lucien Bianchi brief obituary". Autocar. Vol. 130 (nbr 3816). 3 April 1969. p. 25.
  2. ^ Cooper, Adam (1 March 2013). "Marussia F1 team drops driver Luiz Razia, hires Jules Bianchi". Autoweek. Archived from the original on 2 March 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  3. ^ "Lucien Bianchi 1968 Results". Formula. Formula One Administration Ltd. Archived from the original on 17 February 2010. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
  4. ^ "All Results of Lucien Bianchi". racingsportscars.com. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  5. ^ "Profile for racing driver Lucien Bianchi". motorsportmagazine.com. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  6. ^ de Jong, Frank. "British Saloon Car Championship". History of Touring Car Racing 1952-1993. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
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Sporting positions
Preceded by Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans
1968
With: Pedro Rodríguez
Succeeded by