Pierre Veyron
Pierre Veyron (born October 1, 1903 in Berc ; † November 2, 1970 in Èze ) was a French automobile racing driver who was active between 1933 and 1953.
Career
In 1932, Veyron was hired by Ettore Bugatti's son Jean . Veyron became a test driver and development engineer and from then on optimized the racing cars. As a works driver, he continued to drive until 1937 and won the Berlin AVUS race in 1933 and 1934 with a Type 51 A. As a developer, Veyron mainly worked on the Type 57, the sale of which formed the company's economic backbone from 1933 onwards. In 1939 he won as the highlight of his racing career, alternating with Jean-Pierre Wimille in the 24-hour race at Le Mans .
During the Second World War , Pierre Veyron, like many Bugatti employees, joined the French resistance and fought against the German occupiers. The resistance group was headed by racing drivers Robert Benoist and William Grover-Williams , both of whom were captured and executed in concentration camps. In 1945 Veyron was awarded the French Legion of Honor for his services during the occupation . After the war, Veyron drove a few races, but mainly devoted himself to his family and his company. In 1970 Pierre Veyron died in Èze , which lies between Monte Carlo and Nice.
The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 super sports car is named after Veyron .
statistics
Le Mans results
year | team | vehicle | Teammate | placement | Failure reason |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1934 | Roger Labric | Bugatti Type 50S | Roger Labric | failure | Engine failure |
1935 | Roger Labric | Bugatti Type 50S | Roger Labric | failure | Engine failure |
1937 | Roger Labric | Bugatti Type 57G tank | Roger Labric | failure | malfunction |
1939 | Jean-Pierre Wimille | Bugatti Type 57C tank | Jean-Pierre Wimille | Overall victory | |
1949 | Amédée Gordini | Simca-Gordini Type 8 | José Scaron | failure | Clutch damage |
1950 | MAP | MAP | François Lacour | failure | Leak in the water tank |
1951 | Equipe Gordini | Gordini T15S | Georges Monneret | failure | Power transmission |
1952 | Donald Healey | Nash-Healey | Yves Giraud-Cabantous | failure | Gearbox damage |
1953 | Nash-Healey Inc. | Nash-Healey Sports | Yves Giraud-Cabantous | failure | no oil pressure |
Individual results in the sports car world championship
season | team | race car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4th | 5 | 6th | 7th |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1953 | Nash-Healey | Nash-Healey Sports | SEB | MIM | LEM | SPA | ONLY | RTT | CAP |
DNF |
Web links
- Biography on Bugatti.com
- Pierre Veyron. www.motorsportmemorial.org, accessed on May 15, 2020 (English).
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Veyron, Pierre |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French racing car driver |
DATE OF BIRTH | October 1, 1903 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Berc |
DATE OF DEATH | 2nd November 1970 |
Place of death | Èze |