Alain Oreille (born 22 April 1953 in

Sarre-Union Sarre-Union () is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It consists of two older towns that were unified on 16 June 1794. On the east bank of the river Sarre is the town of Bouquenom () and on the west bank ...

) is a former French

rally Rally or rallye may refer to: Gatherings * Demonstration (political), a political rally, a political demonstration of support or protest, march, or parade * Pep rally, an event held at a United States school or college sporting event Sport ...

driver, who won the

Rallye Côte d'Ivoire The Rallye Côte d'Ivoire, perhaps better known as the Rallye Bandama as it was originally called, or the Ivory Coast Rally is a rally race held annually in Côte d'Ivoire in Africa. In common with other races on the continent, it is known for its ...

in 1989, a round of the

World Rally Championship The World Rally Championship (abbreviated as WRC) is the highest level of global competition in the motorsport discipline of rallying, owned and governed by the FIA. There are separate championships for drivers, co-drivers, manufacturers and t ...

. He won the FIA Cup for Drivers of Production Cars in 1989 and 1990.

Career

Oreille's first race was a 24-hour endurance race at

Paul Ricard Paul Louis Marius Ricard (; July 9, 1909 – November 7, 1997) was a French industrialist and creator of an eponymous pastis brand which merged in 1975 with its competitor Pernod to create Pernod Ricard. Ricard was also an environmentalist and t ...

in 1974, where he raced his own

Simca Rallye 2 The Simca 1000 is a small, rear-engined, four-door saloon which was manufactured by the French automaker Simca from 1961 to 1978. Origins The origins of the Simca 1000 lie not in France but in Italy. Simca's President-director general, Henri Pig ...

. He worked full time as a mason to finance his racing, but his race winnings were enough to invest in a rally-prepped Opel Kadett GT/E at the end of 1980. Bridier, p. 136. From an underdog position Oreille managed to win the French ''Trophée Opel'' (Opel Trophy) in 1983, the last year in which it was contested. After this Oreille signed up with the Budget Marseille racing team, which is how he ended up in his first Renaults, an R5 Alpine Turbo and soon thereafter an R11 Turbo. He finished fifth in the national championship in his first year. Bridier, p. 139. Until 1987, his wife Sylvie acted as his navigator. In 1985 he won the Group N class at the

Rallye Monte Carlo The Monte Carlo Rally or Rallye Monte-Carlo (officially ''Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo'') is a rallying event organised each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco. The rally now takes place along the French Riviera in Monaco and southeast ...

in an R11 Turbo. In 1986 he won the Group A category at Monte Carlo, again in an R11 Turbo. This was enough for an eighth position in the overall standings. In 1988 Group B was no more, and Oreille's fourth place in his group in Monte Carlo was also fourth overall. Oreille went on to win the Group N world championships in both 1989 and 1990, both times in an R5 GT Turbo for the Diac-Simon Racing Team. In 1989

Gilles Thimonier The Gilles are the oldest and principal participants in the Carnival of Binche in Belgium. They go out on Shrove Tuesday from 4 am until late hours and dance to traditional songs. Other cities, such as La Louvière and Nivelles, have a traditio ...

was his navigator, in 1990

Michel Roissard Michel may refer to: * Michel (name), a given name or surname of French origin (and list of people with the name) * Míchel (nickname), a nickname (a list of people with the nickname, mainly Spanish footballers) * Míchel (footballer, born 1963), ...

. Oreille drove

Renault Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufacture ...

s for most of his professional career, including all 28 of his WRC starts. He took back-to-back wins in the FIA Cup for Drivers of Production Cars in 1989 and 1990 in a Group N

Renault 5 GT Turbo The Renault 5 is a four-passenger, three or five-door, front-engine, front-wheel drive hatchback supermini manufactured and marketed by the French automaker Renault over two generations: 1972–1985 (also called R5) and 1984–1996 (also called Su ...

. By winning the

in 1989 he became the first and only driver to win a WRC round in a

Group N In relation to international motorsport governed by the FIA, Group N refers to regulations providing 'standard' large scale series production vehicles for competition. They are limited in terms of modifications permitted to the standard specifi ...

car.

WRC victories

References

External links

Profile at World Rally ArchiveProfile at RallyBase
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oreille, Alain Living people 1953 births People from Saverne French rally drivers World Rally Championship drivers Sportspeople from Bas-Rhin