Camille Jenatzy

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Camille Jenatzy in the record electric car La Jamais Contente

Camille Jenatzy (born November 4, 1868 in Schaerbeek , † December 8, 1913 near Habay-la-Neuve , in the Belgian Ardennes ) was a Belgian racing driver and designer of electric cars .

As a driver, he held the land speed record three times , and on April 29, 1899, on his third record, which he also won as a designer, he became the first person  to drive a land vehicle - the La Jamais Contente electric car  - over 100 km / h.

World speed records

Camille Jenatzy with his wife on the Victory Parade on May 1, 1899 after the 100 km / h record run on April 29, 1899
Bosch advertising poster from 1910 with a drawing by Camille Jenatzy designed according to his nickname "Red Devil"

Jenatzy experienced his first record on January 17, 1899 with 66.66 km / h on a CGA dogcart , which made him the second record holder after the first record by Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat . After being surpassed again by Chasseloup-Laubat, he again achieved his second record with the electric car CGA-Dogcart on January 27, 1899 with 80.35 km / h. So he was also the fourth holder of the land speed record.

Jenatzy, who was called the “Red Devil” because of his red beard and his daring driving style, began building his own vehicles at the end of the 19th century , with which he primarily wanted to achieve the world speed record . In April 1899 he had improved the record to 105.88 km / h with his self-built, cigar-shaped electric car La Jamais Contente , a record that was to last for three years. He only lost it to Léon Serpollet on April 13, 1902, with his steam car Œuf de Pâques.

Racing driver

At Mors

Camille Jenatzy began his racing career on Mors , finishing ninth in the Tour de France for automobiles in 1899. His claims were evident in the fact that he drove one night without a break to make up for the time lost in repairs.

At Mercedes

In 1903 Jenatzy came to Mercedes , he finished 14th in the canceled Paris – Madrid race in 1903 and gave the German brand its first international victory with his victory in the Gordon Bennett Cup in 1903 . At the Gordon Bennett Race in Homburg in 1904 , he finished second, but was very lucky when a train missed him by centimeters at a level crossing .

After this shock, his driving skills were never as good as before. He tried his hand at car races with Mors and Mercedes until 1910, but he was no longer successful.

death

On December 8, 1913, Camille Jenatzy died in a hunting accident from a shot by Alfred Madoux, director of the journal L'Etoile Belge . The final resting place of Camille Jenatzy is in the family grave on the Cimetière de Laeken in the Belgian capital Brussels, Laken district .

Web links

Commons : Camille Jenatzy  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Entry on electric cars. In: Römpp Online . Georg Thieme Verlag, accessed on June 20, 2011.
  2. ↑ Jenatzy Shot Dead. Famous Belgian “Red Devil” Auto Racer Killed in Hunting Accident. - The New York Times, December 9, 1913.
  3. ↑ The grave of Camille Jenatzy on knerger.de
personal data
SURNAME Jenatzy, Camille
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Belgian racing driver
DATE OF BIRTH November 4, 1868
PLACE OF BIRTH Schaerbeek
DATE OF DEATH December 8, 1913
Place of death near Habay-la-Neuve , Belgium