24h Le Mans
24 HOURS CENTENARY – PEOPLE and MACHINES ⎮ A winning driver and team manager, and president of the Drivers' Club: Gérard Larrousse has proven inextricably linked to the legendary race for nearly 50 years. From Alpine to Matra by way of Porsche then Renault-Alpine, here is a look back at an atypical career, marked by three victories at Le Mans, two as a driver and one as a sporting director.
After his first participations in the 24 Hours representing Alpine in 1967 and 1968, Gérard Larrousse became a factory Porsche driver for the subsequent three runnings of the race. In 1969, he finished second after teammate Hans Herrmann got beaten in the final lap by Jacky Ickx at the wheel of a Ford GT40. Larrousse also reached the second step on the podium the following year with another German driver, Willi Kauhsen, in a Porsche 917 in a now famous livery.
After a retirement in 1971 again in a 917 (with British driver Vic Elford), Larrousse won the Tour de France Automobile at the wheel of a Matra prototype with journalist Johnny Rives. Jean-Luc Lagardère, head of Matra's automotive activities, would not soon forget the triumph that foreshadowed Larrousse's destiny at Le Mans.
In 1973, Larrousse succeeded Graham Hill as Henri Pescarolo's teammate for two wins in a row. Gérard Larrousse: "Of my two wins with Matra at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the most exciting will have been the first in 1973. We fought hard all night against the Ferraris. When we got to Le Mans that year, Jean-Luc Lagardère had summoned everyone to Matra Simca. The day before the race, all the car dealers were gathered under a tent and Lagardère introduced them to the team and drivers and said: 'this is who is going to win on Sunday!' That definitely put pressure on everyone (smile, Ed.). Matra brought aeronautical techniques into the world of auto racing which made it possible to have extraordinarily good cars. Everyone benefitted from the dynamics of the adventure. It was something special."
In the wake of the 1974 season and his second victory at Le Mans, Larrousse became the head of sporting activities at Renault with a twofold mission: to win the 24 Hours and to prepare the arrival of the turbocharged engine in Formula 1.
After having represented Porsche as a factory driver in three runnnings of the 24 Hours, Renault-Alpine and Larrousse's main adversary from 1976 to 1978 was none other than the German marque. Following two consecutive Porsche victories, Renault-Alpine succeeded Matra as a winning French constructor at Le Mans in 1978 thanks to Didier Pironi/Jean-Pierre Jaussaud.
Larrousse: "That was a long prepared win, the achievement of a great team and people." Renault-Alpine ended its involvement in the 24 Hours afterwards, as had Matra after its wins in 1972, 1973 and 1974. Later, Renault's focus on technology culminated in victory at the 1979 French Grand Prix, making history as the first for a turbocharged engine.
After managing his own team in Formula 1, Larrousse now serves as president of the Drivers' Club, with 2023 promising to be a special year for the former driver, namely due to the 24 Hours Centenary. "The goal of the Drivers' Club is to be prepared for the Centenary after having gotten back to normal in 2022." With the development of the Hypercar class as well as the return of Ferrari, Larrousse predicts "several cars will finish the race within the same minute."
Next year will also mark the 50th anniversary of his first win at Le Mans. For spectators, the legend of Matra is still going strong as Larrousse saw in 2019 when he took the wheel of the blue prototype during Classic Days at the Bugatti circuit and the sound of his Matra V12 brought cheers and applause from the crowd. "It is always an extraordinary sound and it was an era that left a huge impact on the history of auto racing." In anticipation of the Centenary which heralds a magnificent future for the legend of the 24 Hours.
PHOTOS: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS (Copyright - ACO Archives): Gérard Larrousse at the wheel of the Matra MS670 prototype before its wins in 1973 and 1974. PARIS (FRANCE), RETROMOBILE SHOW, FEBRUARY 2019 (Copyright - ACO/Louis Monnier): Gérard Larrousse in the 1949 Ferrari 166 MM now in the 24 Hours Museum at the first annual Drivers' Club reunion with Patrick Tambay (second row, third from the left) who passed away on 4 December. LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), BUGATTI CIRCUIT, JULY 2019 (Copyright - ACO/Michel Jamin): a few months after the Drivers' Club event, Gérard Larrousse climbed back in the Matra prototype for Classic Days.
