Jean-Pierre JAUSSAUD

A French driver (1937-2021)

Jean-Pierre Jaussaud got behind the wheel for the first time at the age of 10 but he had to wait until he was 25 to make his debut as a professional motor racing driver. He was the first winner of the Shell steering wheel in 1963, after which he joined the Matra team in 1965 and the following year competed in his first 24 Hours with the French manufacturer, which was also new to the event. He returned to Le Mans in 1973 while still with Matra having retired twice in 1966 and 1967. That year, he achieved his first podium finish, coming third. It was a performance that the driver repeated in 1975, associated with the Australian Vern Schuppan.

In 1976, ten years after Matra, Jean-Pierre Jaussaud accompanied the debut of another French manufacturer at the 24 Hours. He shared the wheel of the Inaltera of Le Mans driver-builder Jean Rondeau.

The consecration followed two years later. He won his first 24 Hours race in the Renault-Alpine A442B no. 2 in 1978. 

Jean-Pierre Jaussaud was reunited with Jean Rondeau in 1980, someone with whom he was a teammate at the No. 16 Rondeau M379 B. In adverse weather conditions, the French duo emerged victorious from a long duel with the Porsches of Jacky Ickx and Reinhold Joest. Jean-Pierre Jaussaud thus sealed his second Le Mans victory, albeit not without one final scare 45 minutes from the chequered flag: his engine stalled following a spin on a wet track while he was in the lead… and it took three attempts to get it going again!

The driver defended the colours of a French manufacturer on eleven occasions as he took part in the 24 Hours thirteen times from between 1966 and 1983. The passion for the automobile continues to burn. He won the 6 Hours of Le Mans for the first time at the age of 61 in 1998. The jovial Normand was affectionately nicknamed “Papy Jaussaud”.

For his funeral, his first karting and the victorious Renault-Alpine at Le Mans were set up on the forecourt of the Saint-Gilles church in Caen to pay tribute to the immense track record of this popular champion.

Renault-Alpine's victory in 1978 was also the first victory for a car equipped with Michelin tyres since… 1923!