Juan Jover Sañes (23 November 1903 – 28 June 1960) was a Spanish racing driver, born in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

. With Paco Godia, Jover was the first Spanish driver to compete in

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

. Jover raced for

Scuderia Milano Scuderia Milano was an Italian Formula One motor racing team founded in Milan by Arialdo and Emilio Ruggeri, two brothers who had raced Maseratis in the early post-war period. The team scored two World Championship points on its debut, when Feli ...

- Maserati in the 1947 Bari Grand Prix, where he finished sixth, and in the 1948 Albi Grand Prix, where he came seventh. He then finished second in the

1949 24 Hours of Le Mans The 1949 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 17th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 25 and 26 June 1949. Luigi Chinetti won the race for a third time in the first Ferrari barchetta by driving 22.5 hours. This race also saw the death of British ...

with

Henri Louveau Henri Louveau (January 25, 1910 – January 7, 1991) was a racing driver from France. He participated in two Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on September 3, 1950. He scored no championship points. Louveau came 2nd in ...

. In

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...

he participated in the

1951 Spanish Grand Prix, qualifying 18th, but he did not start the race after blowing his engine. Jover then switched to

hillclimbing Hillclimbing, also known as hill climbing, speed hillclimbing, or speed hill climbing, is a branch of motorsport in which drivers compete against the clock to complete an uphill course. It is one of the oldest forms of motorsport, since the firs ...

, and also endurance racing with Scuderia Pegaso. He suffered serious injuries to his left leg when he crashed his

Pegaso Z-102 The Pegaso Z-102 is a Spanish sports car produced by Pegaso in Spain in both coupé and cabriolet form from 1951 until 1958. The Z-102 was the fastest production car in the world at the time of production, having reached a top speed of . Backg ...

during trials for the

1953 24 Hours of Le Mans The 1953 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 21st Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 13 and 14 June 1953, at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans (France). It was also the third round of the F.I.A. World Sports Car Championship. British drivers ...

, but returned to hillclimbing in June 1954. In 1957, he won the Gran Premio de Barajas in a Maserati 200S, and the following year he won the La Rabassada hillclimb, driving a

Mercedes-Benz 300SL The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (chassis code W 198) is a two-seat sports car which was produced by Mercedes-Benz as a gullwinged coupe (1954–1957) and roadster (1957–1963).Werner Oswald: ''Mercedes-Benz Personenwagen 1945–1985''. Motorbuch Ve ...

. Jover died in a road accident in 1960, when his

convertible A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers. A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving expe ...

left the road and fell off a cliff near

Sitges Sitges (, , ) is a town about 35 kilometres southwest of Barcelona, in Spain, renowned worldwide for its Film Festival, Carnival, and LGBT Culture. Located between the Garraf Massif and the Mediterranean Sea, it is known for its beaches, nights ...

in Catalonia.

Complete Formula One results

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jover, Juan 1903 births 1960 deaths Spanish racing drivers Spanish Formula One drivers Catalan Formula One drivers Scuderia Milano Formula One drivers Road incident deaths in Spain 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers