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Lucien Bianchi

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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 years1959–1963, 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

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.

He also drove in 13 consecutive 24 Hours of Le Mans (1956–1968), finishing 1st in Class three times, including the 1968 24 Hours of Le Mans, when he and co-driver Pedro Rodríguez finished 1st overall. Bianchi died in a testing crash in preparation for the 1969 24 Hours of Le Mans. His grandnephew, Formula One driver Jules Bianchi, died in 2015, having never regained consciousness after a crash during the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix.[1]

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.[2] 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, also died as a result of injuries sustained in a racing accident.

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 Belgium Equipe Nationale Belge Belgium Alain de Changy Ferrari 500 TR S 2.0 76 DNF DNF
1957 Belgium Equipe Nationale Belge Belgium Georges Harris Ferrari 500 TRC S 2.0 288 7th 1st
1958 Belgium Ecurie Francorchamps Belgium Willy Mairesse Ferrari 250 TR S 3.0 33 DNF DNF
1959 Belgium Equipe Nationale Belge Belgium Alain de Changy Ferrari 250 TR S 3.0 47 DNF DNF
1960 Belgium Equipe Nationale Belge Belgium Jean Blaton Ferrari 250 GT GT 3.0 29 DNF DNF
1961 Belgium Ecurie Francorchamps Belgium Georges Berger Ferrari 250 GT GT 3.0 60 DNF DNF
1962 France Maserati France France Maurice Trintignant Maserati Tipo 151 E +3.0 152 DNF DNF
1963 United Kingdom David Brown United States Phil Hill Aston Martin DP215 P+3.0 29 DNF DNF
1964 Belgium Equipe Nationale Belge Belgium Jean Blaton Ferrari 250 GTO GT 3.0 333 5th 1st
1965 United Kingdom Maranello Concessionaires Ltd. United Kingdom Michael Salmon Ferrari 250LM P 5.0 99 DNF DNF
1966 United States Holman & Moody United States Mario Andretti Ford GT40 Mk.II P +5.0 97 DNF DNF
1967 United States Holman & Moody United States Mario Andretti Ford GT40 Mk.IV P +5.0 188 DNF DNF
1968 United Kingdom J.W. Automotive Engineering Ltd. Mexico 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 Italy Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A Italy Fernando Masoero Alfa Romeo Giulia TI Super C5 265 4th 1st
1966 Italy Autodelta S.p.A. Italy Giancarlo Baghetti Alfa Romeo 1600 GTA T 1.6 DNF DNF
1968 Luxembourg Alfa Romeo Benelux Belgium 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. ^ 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.
  2. ^ "Lucien Bianchi brief obituary". Autocar. Vol. 130 (nbr 3816). 3 April 1969. p. 25.
  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
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