Stéphane Proulx

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Stéphane Proulx (born December 12, 1965 in Saint-Adèle , Canada ; † November 21, 1993 ibid) was a Canadian racing driver .

Life

Stéphane Proulx was born in the Canadian province of Québec . His mother Monique Proulx (1947–2012) was a model , actress and racing driver. She competed in Formula Atlantic championship races until the early 1980s and took part in numerous stock car races in Canada and the United States of America . She was a single parent. In 1983, she quit her own professional career and focused on promoting her son's racing career.

In 1983 Stéphane Proulx moved to California with his mother . Here he completed an apprenticeship at the Spenard-David-Racing School in Riverside . Subsequently, there was initially no opportunity to race; Proulx earned his living during this time, among other things, as a vacuum cleaner salesman . In 1987 he received a sponsorship contract with the tobacco company Imperial Tobacco , brokered by the racing driver school, which enabled him to enter Formula Ford . The support of the Imperial Tobacco brand "Player's" continued in the following years; The long-term goal was to establish Proulx as the first Canadian after Gilles Villeneuve in Formula 1 .

Stéfane Proulx was seen as a contradicting, opaque person. On the one hand, he was a colorful person whose behavior was sometimes perceived as hurtful by teammates and mechanics. At other times it was closed and withdrawn.

Motorsport career

The beginnings: Formula Ford

In his first year as a professional racing driver, Proulx became the American Formula Ford 2000 champion. He won six out of nine races and finished every championship run on the podium.

Europe: Formula 3000

In 1989 Proulx moved to Europe and took part in the International Formula 3000 Championship . He drove for the British team GA Motorsport , which included the Proulx sponsor Player's in the registration designation this year. Proulx was the most solvent driver on the team. He had priority access to the replacement car and had his own motorhome. Proulx competed in every race of the championship. He finished four out of ten races and scored one point: in the race on the French Circuit de la Sarthe , he finished fifth. Proulx finished the championship with two points in 17th place.

For the 1990 Formula 3000 season , Proulx moved to Pacific Racing , where he drove alongside Marco Greco and his compatriot Claude Bourbonnais . Proulx's support from Imperial Tobacco enabled the Pacific team, which had previously lost its sponsorship deal with Philip Morris to competitor DAMS , to continue racing. Proulx only finished three out of eleven races; seven failures were due to driving errors and the resulting accidents. Proulx's best result this year was seventh in the last race of the season in Nogaro . Proulx was dissatisfied with his treatment by the team. He believed that Pacific installed frequently used parts in his car; this was the reason for his repeated accidents.

After the unsuccessful second year in Formula 3000, Imperial Tobacco ended its support.

Formula Atlantic

Proulx then returned to Canada. He contested two seasons here in Formula Atlantic. In 1991 he became the Canadian Formula Atlantic Champion. After taking part in the French Formula 3 championship in 1992, he continued his involvement in Formula Atlantic in 1993. During a race at the Phoenix International Raceway in April 1993, he suffered a serious accident: he was hit in the head by a wheel that had previously jumped off a competitor's car. Proulx suffered severe head injuries from which he did not fully recover. After that, he stopped driving.

death

Stéphane Proulx was gay . He had been infected with HIV since 1990 at the latest; since the end of 1992 HIV-related illnesses made themselves felt. During the summer of 1993, his condition worsened. Proulx spent several months in a hospital in his hometown of Sainte-Adèle, where he died in November 1993 of complications from HIV infection.

literature

NN: Stéphane Proulx . Obituary in: Motor Sport, issue 1/1994, p. 7.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c N.N .: Stéphane Proulx . Obituary in: Motor Sport, issue 1/1994, p. 7.
  2. ↑ Biography with various quotes from companions on the website www.sniffermedia.com (accessed on March 16, 2015).
personal data
SURNAME Proulx, Stéphane
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian racing car driver
DATE OF BIRTH December 12, 1965
PLACE OF BIRTH Sainte-Adèle , Québec , Canada
DATE OF DEATH November 21, 1993
Place of death Sainte-Adèle , Québec , Canada