Dix Mille Tours: Larrousse, the local lad‏

DIX MILLE TOURS - THIS WEEKEND IN FRANCE - OCTOBER 4-5, 2014

At the age of 74, Gérard Larrousse is a familiar figure in the paddocks. And he still drives with the same talent boosted by his undying passion. He lives in Marseille and will be at the wheel of a Porsche 911 RSR in the Dix Mille Tours.

A HERO OF THE MATRA SAGA

He was born in Lyon and has occupied all the top jobs in the field of motor sport. He was a works rally driver for NSU, Alpine, Porsche and Alfa Romeo as well as a factory driver for Ford in Touring Cars. Above all, he won the Le Mans 24 Hours twice with Henri Pescarolo in a Matra Simca in 1973 and 1974.

A SUCCESS STORY WITH RENAULT SPORT

In 1977, Renault Sport entered the first turbocharged Formula 1 car at Silverstone: the RS01. In 1978 Renault Sport won the Le Mans 24 Hours and in 1979, the French make scored its first victory in Formula 1 in the French Grand Prix on the Dijon circuit with Jean-Pierre Jabouille at the wheel. In 1980 came the Renault 5 Turbo’s first win in the Monte-Carlo Rally. In 1983, the team’s near miss in the Formula 1 World title chase caused internal strife, and at the end of the following season Larrousse took the same job at Ligier before setting up his own F1 team in 1987. It competed in the F1 world championship until 1994.

AN HISTORIC RACING ENTHUSIAST

Since then Larrousse has started racing again in historic events. On 4-5 October he will be the local lad as he lives in Marseille, and he will race in the CER 1 field with Claudio Roddaro from Monaco in the first Porsche 911 RSR 2.8L built by the factory in 1973. The car won’t pass unnoticed as it will be in the Martini colours of the era!

General Admission is free for all visitors.


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