Racing driver. Patrick Andre Eugene Joseph Depailler was born in Clermont-Ferrand, France, whose circuit was for many years the home of the French Grand Prix. After many years in the minor formulae, it wasn't until 1974 that he finally got into an F1 team, when he teamed up with Jody Scheckter in a Tyrrell. He stayed with Tyrrell for a few years finally winning the Monaco GP in 1978. He moved to the Ligier team in 1979 and won the Spanish GP but a hang-gliding accident seriously injured his legs ending his racing for that year. Struggling back to fitness, he moved to Alfa Romeo and began to develop their difficult and unreliable car. Just as he was beginning to make real progress, a suspension breakage during testing at Hockenheim pitched his car into the Armco at high speed and an unsurvivable crash. (His cemetery is 10 miles NE of Clermont-Ferrand).
Racing driver. Patrick Andre Eugene Joseph Depailler was born in Clermont-Ferrand, France, whose circuit was for many years the home of the French Grand Prix. After many years in the minor formulae, it wasn't until 1974 that he finally got into an F1 team, when he teamed up with Jody Scheckter in a Tyrrell. He stayed with Tyrrell for a few years finally winning the Monaco GP in 1978. He moved to the Ligier team in 1979 and won the Spanish GP but a hang-gliding accident seriously injured his legs ending his racing for that year. Struggling back to fitness, he moved to Alfa Romeo and began to develop their difficult and unreliable car. Just as he was beginning to make real progress, a suspension breakage during testing at Hockenheim pitched his car into the Armco at high speed and an unsurvivable crash. (His cemetery is 10 miles NE of Clermont-Ferrand).
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
