Lucien Bianchi

Luciano "Lucien" Bianchi (, ; 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.

Bianchi also drove in 13 consecutive 24 Hours of Le Mans (1956–1968), finishing first in Class three times, including the first 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 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. 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 season competing under the French flag, died in 2015, having never regained consciousness after a crash during the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix.

Racing career 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.

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.

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.

Bianchi 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 Lucien Bianchibocht in his memory.

Racing record

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps 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

Formula One World Championship results (key)

Complete 24 Hours of Spa results Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps 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 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 PHXDNQ TRE17 INDYDNQ 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 (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 BRH SNE SIL SIL MAL SIL SILRet BRH OUL BRH NC 0 NC

Other race results Tour de France Automobile, 1st: 1957, 1958, 1959, 1964 / 2nd: 1961, 1963 Spa 24 Hours, 1st: 1964 (in Class 5) overall 4th 12 hours of Sebring, 1st: 1962 12 Hours of Reims, 1st: 1965 (in class P1.3) overall 7th Targa Florio, 1st: 1965 (in class GT1.6) overall 7th 6 Hours of Nürburgring, 1st: 1965 6 Hours of Watkins Glen, 1st: 1968 1000 km of Nürburgring, 1st: 1965 (in class S.16) overall 13th, 1967 (in class P+2.0) overall 4th 1000 km of Paris, 1st: 1960 / 2nd: 1961, 1967 Mugello Grand Prix, 1st: 1968 9 hours of Kyalami, 1st: 1968 Grand Prix of Angola, 1st: 1962 / 2nd: 1964 Grand Prix of Zolder, 1st: 1964 500 km of Nürburgring, 1st: 1965, 1963 (in class T1.0) Trophée d'Auvergne, 1st: 1963 (in class S/P+3.0)