Guy Mairesse Explained

Guy Mairesse
Nationality: French
Birth Date:10 August 1910
Years:-
Races:3
Championships:0
Wins:0
Podiums:0
Points:0
Poles:0
Fastest Laps:0

Guy Mairesse (10 August 1910 – 24 April 1954)[1] was a French racing driver. He participated in three Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 3 September 1950. He scored no championship points.

Mairesse built a haulage business during the interwar period,[2] and became interested in motor sport in 1946 through his friendship with Le Mans driver, Paul Vallée.[2] He won the Lyon-Charbonnières Rally in 1947[2] and then purchased a Delahaye from Vallée for 1948, with which he was victorious at Chimay.[2]

In 1949 Mairesse joined Vallée's team, Ecurie France, to race the Talbot-Lago and took fourth place at Pau and fifth at Albi.[2] In 1950 he finished second at Le Mans with Pierre Meyrat using a single seat Talbot.[2] Towards the end of that season the Vallée team closed and Mairesse purchased the Le Mans car and a Talbot-Lago T26C, which he used to enter the 1950 Italian Grand Prix, from which he retired, and the Swiss and French Grands Prix in 1951, finishing 11 laps down and "not classified" on both occasions.[1] Thereafter his business commitments curtailed his involvement in racing and he sold his cars in 1952 appearing infrequently in other owners' machinery.[2]

Mairesse was killed in practice for the Coupe de Paris at Montlhéry in 1954, when he swerved to avoid another car and crashed into a concrete wall.

Racing record

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key)

YearEntrantChassisEngine12345678WDCPts
1950Guy MairesseTalbot-Lago T26CTalbot 23CV 4.5 L6GBRMON500SUIBELFRAITA
NC0
1951Yves Giraud-CabantousTalbot-Lago T26CTalbot 23CV 4.5 L6SUI
500BELFRA
GBRGERITAESPNC0

Notes and References

  1. Book: Small, Steve. The Guinness Complete Grand Prix Who's Who. Guinness. 1994. 239. 0851127029.
  2. Book: Small, Steve. The Guinness Complete Grand Prix Who's Who. Guinness. 1994. 238. 0851127029.