Mathias Beche (born 28 June 1986 in
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situa ...
) is a
Swiss
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
*Swiss people
Places
* Swiss, Missouri
*Swiss, North Carolina
* Swiss, West Virginia
*Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
* Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
* Swiss Internation ...
professional racing driver. He finished eighth overall and second in the
LMP2
A Le Mans Prototype (LMP) is the type of sports prototype race car used in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA SportsCar Championship, European Le Mans Series and Asian Le Mans Series. Le Mans Prototypes were crea ...
class of the
2012 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 80th 24 Hours of Le Mans (French: ''80e 24 Heures du Mans'') was an 24-hour automobile endurance race for Le Mans Prototype and Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance cars held from 16 to 17 June 2012 at the Circuit de la Sarthe close to Le ...
and is the reigning champion of the
European Le Mans Series
The European Le Mans Series (abbreviated as ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the ...
in the LMP2 class.
Career
After starting in
karting
Kart racing or karting is a road racing variant of motorsport with open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits, although some professional kart races are also held on ...
, Beche began racing in
single-seaters
An open-wheel single-seater (often known as formula car) is a car with the wheels outside the car's main body, and usually having only one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, sports cars, stock cars, and touring cars, which have the ...
in Asia in 2007 when he contested the
Asian Formula Renault Challenge, finishing fifth overall with one win.
The following year he took part in
Formula Asia 2.0 where he ended up runner-up to
Felix Rosenqvist.
2009 saw Beche switch to
sportscar racing
Sports car racing is a form of motorsport road racing which utilises sports cars that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built prototypes or grand tourers based on road-going models. Broadly speaking, sports car racing i ...
, finishing third in
Formula Le Mans
The Le Mans Prototype Challenge (shortened to LMP Challenge or LMPC) was a spec sports prototype formula created by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), organisers of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and sports car constructor Oreca. The formula is inte ...
. In 2010 he contested four
Le Mans Series
The European Le Mans Series (abbreviated as ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the fo ...
rounds; three in the FLM class and one in GT1 in a
Ford GT
The Ford GT is a mid-engine two-seater sports car manufactured and marketed by American automobile manufacturer Ford for the 2005 model year in conjunction with the company's 2003 centenary. The second generation Ford GT became available for ...
. He then entered the last two rounds of the
FIA GT3 European Championship
The FIA GT3 European Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation (SRO) and regulated by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). It was a championship derived from the international FIA ...
, also in a Ford.
In 2011 Beche competed in the full Le Mans Series season in an LMP2
Oreca 03
The Oreca 03 is a Le Mans Prototype built by Oreca in 2011. It is built within the revised 2011 ACO regulations for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The car made its début at the 12 Hours of Sebring run by Signatech Nissan and set to race at the 2011 24 ...
for TDS Racing with
Pierre Thiriet and
Jody Firth
Jody Firth (born 11 July 1981) is a British racing driver, who most recently competed in the British GT Championship.
Having raced in a number of lower formulae, Firth has competed in the British GT Championship, the European Le Mans Series, th ...
. The trio won the rounds at
Spa and
Estoril
Estoril () is a town in the Municipality of Cascais, Portugal, on the Portuguese Riviera. It is a tourist destination, with luxury hotels, beaches, and the Casino Estoril. It has been home to numerous royal families and celebrities, and has h ...
and finished fourth in the final drivers' standings. Beche also drove in the
FIA GT1 World Championship round at
Zolder
The Circuit Zolder, also known as Circuit Terlamen, is an undulating motorsport race track in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium.
History
Built in 1963, Zolder hosted the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix on 10 separate occasions in the 1970s and 1980s, ...
in a Ford.
For
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
, LMP2 became the top class of the renamed European Le Mans Series. Partnering Thiriet at TDS, Beche won the opening round of the season 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 ...
and the season finale at
Road Atlanta
Road Atlanta (known for sponsorship reasons as Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta) is a road course located just north of Braselton, Georgia, United States. The facility is utilized for a wide variety of events, including professional and amateur spo ...
, securing his first major championship victory. For the
2012 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 80th 24 Hours of Le Mans (French: ''80e 24 Heures du Mans'') was an 24-hour automobile endurance race for Le Mans Prototype and Le Mans Grand Touring Endurance cars held from 16 to 17 June 2012 at the Circuit de la Sarthe close to Le ...
they were joined by
Christophe Tinseau
Christophe Tinseau (born 18 December 1969) is a French racing driver from Orléans.
Tinseau began racing professionally in French Formula Renault in 1991. In 1992 he moved to French Formula Three and in 1993 he placed 4th in that championship w ...
and the car finished eighth overall and second in LMP2.
Racing record
Complete European Le Mans Series results
(
key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results
(
key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
† Non World Endurance Championship entries are ineligible to score points.
* Season still in progress.
24 Hours of Le Mans results
Complete WeatherTech SportsCar Championship results
(
key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete Super GT results
(
key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beche, Mathias
1986 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Geneva
Swiss racing drivers
French racing drivers
FIA GT1 World Championship drivers
European Le Mans Series drivers
24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
American Le Mans Series drivers
FIA World Endurance Championship drivers
Swiss-French people
Blancpain Endurance Series drivers
24 Hours of Spa drivers
Asian Le Mans Series drivers
WeatherTech SportsCar Championship drivers
24H Series drivers
Formula V6 Asia drivers
Asian Formula Renault Challenge drivers
Morand Racing drivers
TDS Racing drivers
JDC Motorsports drivers
Rebellion Racing drivers
Manor Motorsport drivers
Phoenix Racing drivers
Asia Racing Team drivers
Alan Docking Racing drivers