# Henri Pescarolo

Henri Jacques William Pescarolo (French pronunciation:; born 25 September 1942) is a French former racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from 1968 to 1976. In endurance racing, Pescarolo is a four-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and won the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1991 with Joest.
Born and raised in Paris, Pescarolo began his career in a Lotus Seven aged 22. Pescarolo participated in 64 Formula One Grands Prix, achieving one fastest lap, one podium finish, and 12 championship points. He also entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans a record 33 times between 1966 and 1999, with four overall and six class wins; he won several other major sportscar racing events, including the: 24 Hours of Daytona, 1000 km of Monza, 1000 km of Spa-Francorchamps, 6 Hours of Nürburgring and 1000 km Buenos Aires. Pescarolo also drove in the Dakar Rally in the 1990s, before retiring from racing aged 57.
Upon his retirement from motor racing in 1999, Pescarolo founded the eponymous racing team, Pescarolo Sport, which competed at Le Mans until 2013. He was widely known for his distinctive green helmet, and full-face beard that partially covers burns suffered in a crash.

## Early career and Formula One

Born in Montfermeil near Paris, Pescarolo began his career in 1965 with a Lotus Seven. He was successful enough to be offered a third car in the Matra Formula 3 team for 1966, but the car was not ready until mid-season. However, in 1967 he won the European Championship with Matra and was promoted to Formula 2 for 1968. That season he was team-mate to Jean-Pierre Beltoise and achieved several second places and a win at Albi, which led to him being given a drive in Matra's Formula One team for the last three races of 1968.
His career suffered a setback, in 1969, when he crashed on the Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans whilst testing the Matra sports car. Pescarolo was badly burned and did not compete again until mid-season. He returned at the German GP where he drove a Formula 2 Matra into fifth place winning the small capacity class, in his only Grand Prix race that season.
For 1970 Pescarolo was signed full-time by Matra for their Formula One team and once again as team-mate to Beltoise, put in a solid season with a third place at the Monaco Grand Prix being the high point. He also won the Paris 1000 km and Buenos Aires 1000 km sports car races partnered with Beltoise. Pescarolo was not retained by Matra, and in 1971, 1972, and 1973 with Motul sponsorship, he drove for the fledgling Formula One team run by the young Frank Williams, but with little success. In 1974, Pescarolo drove for BRM, again with Motul backing, but the team's best days were gone and a ninth place in Argentina was his best result in a season with many retirements.
Pescarolo did not compete in Formula One in 1975 but returned to the championship in 1976 with a Surtees privately entered by BS Fabrications. Although neither car nor driver was considered to be competitive, failing to qualify for 2 of 9 Grands Prix entered, Pescarolo did begin to show speed in the final 5 races, even scoring a season's best finish of 9th at the 1976 Austrian Grand Prix.

## Career after Formula One – sportscars

After Pescarolo's retirement from Formula One, he went on to start his own team, which competed until 2012 in the Le Mans Endurance Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which he won as a driver four times (1972, 1973, 1974 and 1984). His team, Pescarolo Sport, was notably sponsored by Sony's PlayStation 2 and by Gran Turismo 4. During the five years that Pescarolo has campaigned Courage C60 prototypes, so many modifications have been made to the model that Courage allowed the team to name the car after themselves, such was the differences between their model and the standard C60. In 2005, it was developed further still to meet the "hybrid" regulations, before the change to LMP1/2 format.
In 1977, 1978 and 1979 Pescarolo drove in Australia's most famous motor race, the Bathurst 1000 for touring cars held at the Mount Panorama Circuit, driving on all three occasions with 1974 race winner John Goss. Unfortunately all races resulted in a DNF for the Goss built Ford XC Falcon GS500 Hardtops, completing only 113 laps (of 163) in 1977, 68 in 1978 and 118 in 1979. The 1977 race saw Pescarolo's Le Mans rival Jacky Ickx win the race in a semi-works Falcon driving with Allan Moffat.
Pescarolo holds the record for Le Mans starts with 33 and has won the race on four occasions as a driver. He has yet to win the race as a team owner, coming very close in 2005 with the Pescarolo C60H. His team did manage to win the LMES championship in the same year. His team was also second at Le Mans in 2006, followed by a third in 2007 behind a pair of diesel-powered prototypes.
Pescarolo drove the Dakar Rally in the 1990s, and is also a keen helicopter pilot.

## Racing record
### 24 Hours of Le Mans results

| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
| 1966 | Matra Sports | Jean-Pierre Jaussaud | Matra M620-BRM | P 2.0 | 35 | DNF | DNF |
| 1967 | Equipe Matra Sports | Jean-Pierre Jaussaud | Matra MS630-BRM | P 2.0 | 55 | DNF | DNF |
| 1968 | Equipe Matra Sports | Johnny Servoz-Gavin | Matra MS630 | P 3.0 | 283 | DNF | DNF |
| 1970 | Equipe Matra-Simca | Jean-Pierre Beltoise | Matra-Simca MS660 | P 3.0 | 79 | DNF | DNF |
| 1971 | Scuderia Filipinetti | Mike Parkes | Ferrari 512F | S 5.0 | 120 | DNF | DNF |
| 1972 | Equipe Matra-Simca Shell | Graham Hill | Matra-Simca MS670 | S 3.0 | 344 | 1st | 1st |
| 1973 | Equipe Matra-Simca Shell | Gérard Larrousse | Matra-Simca MS670B | S 3.0 | 355 | 1st | 1st |
| 1974 | Equipe Gitanes | Gérard Larrousse | Matra-Simca MS670C | S 3.0 | 337 | 1st | 1st |
| 1975 | Gitanes Automobiles Ligier | François Migault | Ligier JS2-Ford Cosworth | S 3.0 | 146 | DNF | DNF |
| 1976 | Inaltera | Jean-Pierre Beltoise | Inaltera LM-Ford Cosworth | GTP | 305 | 8th | 1st |
| 1977 | Martini Racing Porsche System | Jacky Ickx | Porsche 936/77 | S +2.0 | 45 | DNF | DNF |
| 1978 | Martini Racing Porsche System | Jacky Ickx Jochen Mass | Porsche 936/78 | S +2.0 | 255 | DNF | DNF |
| 1979 | ITT Oceanic Jean Rondeau | Jean-Pierre Beltoise | Rondeau M379-Ford Cosworth | S +2.0 | 279 | 10th | 2nd |
| 1980 | ITT Jean Rondeau | Jean Ragnotti | Rondeau M379-Ford Cosworth | S +2.0 | 124 | DNF | DNF |
| 1981 | Oceanic Jean Rondeau | Patrick Tambay | Rondeau M379-Ford Cosworth | 2 +2.0 | 41 | DNF | DNF |
| 1982 | Otis Automobiles Jean Rondeau | Jean Ragnotti Jean Rondeau | Rondeau M382-Ford Cosworth | C | 146 | DNF | DNF |
| 1983 | Ford France | Thierry Boutsen | Rondeau M482-Ford Cosworth | C | 174 | DNF | DNF |
| 1984 | New-Man Joest Racing | Klaus Ludwig | Porsche 956B | C1 | 360 | 1st | 1st |
| 1985 | Martini Lancia | Mauro Baldi | Lancia LC2-Ferrari | C1 | 358 | 7th | 7th |
| 1986 | Kouros Racing Team | Christian Danner Dieter Quester | Sauber C8-Mercedes | C1 | 86 | DNF | DNF |
| 1987 | Kouros Racing | Mike Thackwell Hideki Okada | Sauber C9-Mercedes | C1 | 123 | DNF | DNF |
| 1988 | Silk Cut Jaguar Tom Walkinshaw Racing | John Watson Raul Boesel | Jaguar XJR-9LM | C1 | 129 | DNF | DNF |
| 1989 | Joest Racing | Claude Ballot-Léna Jean-Louis Ricci | Porsche 962C | C1 | 371 | 6th | 6th |
| 1990 | Joest Porsche Racing | Jean-Louis Ricci Jacques Laffite | Porsche 962C | C1 | 328 | 14th | 14th |
| 1991 | Konrad Motorsport Joest Porsche Racing | Louis Krages Bernd Schneider | Porsche 962C | C2 | 197 | DNF | DNF |
| 1992 | Courage Compétition | Bob Wollek Jean-Louis Ricci | Cougar C28LM-Porsche | C3 | 335 | 6th | 1st |
| 1993 | Joest Porsche Racing | Bob Wollek Ronny Meixner | Porsche 962C | C2 | 351 | 9th | 4th |
| 1994 | Courage Compétition | Alain Ferté Franck Lagorce | Courage C32LM-Porsche | LMP1 C90 | 142 | DNF | DNF |
| 1995 | Courage Compétition | Franck Lagorce Éric Bernard | Courage C41-Chevrolet | WSC | 26 | DNF | DNF |
| 1996 | La Filière Elf | Franck Lagorce Emmanuel Collard | Courage C36-Porsche | LMP1 | 327 | 7th | 2nd |
| 1997 | La Filière Elf | Jean-Philippe Belloc Emmanuel Clérico | Courage C36-Porsche | LMP | 319 | 7th | 4th |
| 1998 | Courage Compétition | Olivier Grouillard Franck Montagny | Courage C36-Porsche | LMP1 | 304 | 15th | 4th |
| 1999 | Pescarolo Promotion Racing Team | Michel Ferté Patrice Gay | Courage C50-Porsche | LMP | 327 | 9th | 8th |
| Source: ||||||||

### Complete European Formula Two Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Pos. | Pts |
| 1967 | Matra Sports | Matra MS7 | Ford | SNE | SIL | NÜR | HOC | TUL | JAR | ZAN | PER | BRH 10 | VAL | | | | | | | | NC | 0 |
| 1968 | Matra Sports | Matra MS7 | Ford | HOC 2 | THR Ret | JAR 4 | PAL DNQ | TUL 3 | ZAN 2 | PER 8 | HOC 2 | VAL 5 | | | | | | | | | 2nd | 30 |
| 1969 | Matra Sports | Matra MS7 | Ford | THR 4 | HOC 5 | NÜR | JAR | TUL Ret | PER NC | VAL | | | | | | | | | | | 4th | 13 |
| 1970 | Bob Gerard Racing | Brabham BT30 | Ford | THR | HOC | BAR 2 | ROU Ret | PER | TUL | IMO | HOC | | | | | | | | | | 10th | 6 |
| 1971 | Frank Williams Racing Cars | March 712M | Ford | HOC | THR Ret | NÜR Ret | JAR | PAL Ret | ROU | MAN | TUL Ret | ALB DNQ | VAL Ret | VAL | | | | | | | NC | 0 |
| 1972 | Motul-Rondel Racing | Brabham BT38 | Ford | MAL | THR DNS | HOC Ret | PAU DNQ | PAL DNQ | HOC | ROU Ret | ÖST | IMO | MAN | PER 1 | SAL | ALB | HOC 7 | | | | NC | 0$^‡$ |
| 1973 | Motul-Rondel Racing | Motul M1 | Ford | MAL | HOC 4 | THR 1 | NÜR | PAU | KIN | NIV | HOC 5 | ROU | MNZ | MAN | KAR | PER Ret | SAL | NOR 3 | ALB Ret | VAL | NC | 0$^‡$ |
| Source: |||||||||||||||||||||||
$^‡$ Graded drivers not eligible for European Formula Two Championship points

### Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | WDC | Pts |
| 1968 | Matra Sports | Matra MS11 | Matra MS9 3.0 V12 | RSA | ESP | MON | BEL | NED | FRA | GBR | GER | ITA | CAN Ret | USA DNS | MEX 9 | | | | | NC | 0 |
| 1969 | Matra Sports | Matra MS7 (F2) | Ford Cosworth FVA 1.6 L4 | RSA | ESP | MON | NED | FRA | GBR | GER 5 | ITA | CAN | USA | MEX | | | | | | NC | 0 |
| 1970 | Équipe Matra Elf | Matra-Simca MS120 | Matra MS12 3.0 V12 | RSA 7 | ESP Ret | MON 3 | BEL 6 | NED 8 | FRA 5 | GBR Ret | GER 6 | AUT 14 | ITA Ret | CAN 7 | USA 8 | MEX 9 | | | | 12th | 8 |
| 1971 | Frank Williams Racing Cars | March 701 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | RSA 11 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 17th | 4 |
| 1971 | Frank Williams Racing Cars | March 711 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | | ESP Ret | MON 8 | NED 13 | FRA Ret | GBR 4 | GER Ret | AUT 6 | ITA Ret | CAN DNS | USA Ret | | | | | | 17th | 4 |
| 1972 | Team Williams Motul | March 721 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ARG 8 | RSA 11 | ESP 11 | MON Ret | BEL NC | FRA DNS | | GER Ret | AUT DNS | ITA DNQ | CAN 13 | USA 14 | | | | | NC | 0 |
| 1972 | Team Williams Motul | Politoys FX3 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | | | | | | | GBR Ret | | | | | | | | | | NC | 0 |
| 1973 | STP March Racing Team | March 721G/731 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ARG | BRA | RSA | ESP 8 | BEL | MON | SWE | | | | | | | | | | NC | 0 |
| 1973 | Frank Williams Racing Cars | Iso-Marlboro IR | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | | | | | | | | FRA Ret | GBR | NED | GER 10 | AUT | ITA | CAN | USA | | NC | 0 |
| 1974 | Team BRM | BRM P160E | BRM P142 3.0 V12 | ARG 9 | BRA 14 | RSA 18 | ESP 12 | BEL Ret | MON Ret | | NED Ret | | | | | | | | | NC | 0 |
| 1974 | Team BRM | BRM P201 | BRM P200 3.0 V12 | | | | | | | SWE Ret | | FRA Ret | GBR Ret | GER 10 | AUT | ITA Ret | CAN | USA | | NC | 0 |
| 1976 | Team Norev Racing with BS Fabrications | Surtees TS19 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | BRA | RSA | USW | ESP | BEL | MON DNQ | SWE | FRA Ret | GBR Ret | GER DNQ | AUT 9 | NED 11 | ITA 17 | CAN 19 | USA NC | JPN | NC | 0 |
| Source: ||||||||||||||||||||||

### Non-Championship Formula One results

(key)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| 1967 | Matra Sports | Matra MS5 (F2) | Ford Cosworth FVA 1.6 L4 | ROC | SPC | INT | SYR | OUL 8 | | | |
| 1967 | Matra Sports | Matra MS7 (F2) | Ford Cosworth FVA 1.6 L4 | | | | | | ESP 7 | | |
| 1971 | Frank Williams Racing Cars | March 701 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ARG 2 | ROC | | | | | | |
| 1971 | Frank Williams Racing Cars | March 711 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | | | QUE Ret | SPR | INT 6 | RIN | OUL Ret | VIC Ret |
| 1972 | Team Williams Motul | March 721 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | ROC | BRA Ret | INT Ret | OUL | | VIC Ret | | |
| 1972 | Team Williams Motul | March 711 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | | | | | REP Ret | | | |
| 1974 | Team BRM | BRM P160E | BRM P142 3.0 V12 | PRE 7 | ROC 7 | INT 4 | | | | | |
| Source: ||||||||||||

### Major race results

* 24 hours of Daytona : 1st, 1991
* 1000 km Buenos Aires : 1st, 1970
* 6 Hours of Nürburgring : 1st, 1986
* Brands Hatch 1000 km : 1st, 1971
* 1000 km Zeltweg : 1st, 1972, 1974, 1975
* Dijon 1000 km : 1st, 1972, 1978, 1979
* 6 Hours of Imola : 1st, 1974
* Spa 1000 km : 1st, 1975
* Suzuka 10 Hours : 1st, 1981
* 1000 km Monza : 1st, 1982
* 6 Hours of Vallelunga : 1st, 1972, 1978
* 6 Hours of Kyalami : 1st, 1974
* 6 Hours of Watkins Glen : 1st, 1972, 1974, 1975
* Interserie Siegerland : 1st, 1984
* 1000 km of Paris : 1st, 1969, 1994