Jean-Louis Lafosse (15 March 1941 – 13 June 1981) was a French

racing driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...

. He was most closely associated with the

24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance r ...

race, in which he finished second in 1975 and 1976. In the

European Touring Car Championship The European Touring Car Championship was an international touring car racing series organised by the FIA. It had two incarnations, the first one between 1963 and 1988, and the second between 2000 and 2004. In 2005 it was superseded by the World T ...

, he won the 1974 500km of Vallelunga, and the four-hour race at Monza the same year. He was runner-up in the Tourist Trophy in 1976. He had been provisionally entered in the

1974 Italian Grand Prix The 1974 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on 8 September 1974. It was race 13 of 15 in both the 1974 World Championship of Drivers and the 1974 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 52-lap race was won ...

, scheduled to drive a

Brabham Brabham () is the common name for Motor Racing Developments Ltd., a British racing car manufacturer and Formula One racing team. Founded in 1960 by Australian driver Jack Brabham and British-Australian designer Ron Tauranac, the team won four ...

for

Scuderia Finotto Scuderia Finotto was a motor racing team from Italy, founded by Jürg Dubler. It raced in Formula One in 1974, using customer Brabham cars. Formula One For the season, Martino Finotto bought two Brabham BT42s, and leased both cars to the Swiss J ...

alongside

Carlo Facetti Carlo Giovanni Facetti (born 26 June 1935) is a former racing driver from Italy, mainly known for his success in touring car and sports car racing. In his single attempt at Formula One he failed to qualify for the 1974 Italian Grand Prix with a ...

, but his entry was refused by the organisers. Lafosse was killed during the

1981 24 Hours of Le Mans The 1981 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 49th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 13 and 14 June 1981. It was also the eighth round of the World Endurance Championship of Drivers, and the fifth round of the World Championship for Makes. De ...

, when his Rondeau M379C suffered a mechanical failure on the Mulsanne Straight, veered to the right, and struck the guard rail next to a marshals' post at unabated speed, before crossing the track and striking the opposite guard rail. Two marshals were injured, but Lafosse died instantly. Lafosse' body was partially ejected and can be seen being dragged across the track with only his legs and lower body remaining in the cockpit. Photographs immediately prior to the accident showed damage to the front of Lafosse's car, with grass in the front air intake, suggesting that he had run off the track moments previously, possibly causing the damage that contributed to the fatal accident.

Racing record

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

)

References

1941 births 1981 deaths French racing drivers French Formula One drivers European Formula Two Championship drivers 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers Racing drivers who died while racing World Sportscar Championship drivers Sport deaths in France {{France-autoracing-bio-stub