Robert Choulet (born 28 February 1935) is a French

aerodynamics Aerodynamics, from grc, ἀήρ ''aero'' (air) + grc, δυναμική (dynamics), is the study of the motion of air, particularly when affected by a solid object, such as an airplane wing. It involves topics covered in the field of fluid dy ...

engineer influential in race car dynamics.

Career

A disciple of aerodynamics pioneer

Charles Deutsch Charles Deutsch (1911–1980) was a French aerodynamics engineer and automobile maker, founder of the brand " DB" with René Bonnet, and later of the "CD". Early history Deutsch was born at Champigny-sur-Marne on 6 September 1911. His father was ...

, Choulet worked for Deutsch's Société d'Études et de Réalisations Automobiles (SERA-CD ) from 1963 to 1967. During this period, he worked on the aerodynamics of the CD cars. He then joined Matra in 1968. One of his first projects was the Matra M640

Le Mans 24 Hours The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active endurance racing event. Unlike fixed-distance races whose w ...

car. Following that, he returned to SERA-CD and was involved in designing the famous

Porsche 917 The Porsche 917 is a sports prototype race car developed by German manufacturer Porsche to exploit the regulations regarding the construction of 5-litre sports cars. Powered by a Type 912 flat-12 engine which was progressively enlarged from ...

especially the LH version, and the

Can-Am The Canadian-American Challenge Cup, or Can-Am, was an SCCA/ CASC sports car racing series from 1966 to 1987. History Can-Am started out as a race series for group 7 sports racers with two races in Canada (''Can'') and four races in the United ...

cars that followed. He later was influential in designing the Alfa Romeo 33TT12. From 1976 to 1980, Choulet worked with the

Ligier Ligier (() is a French automobile and minibus maker created by former racing driver and rugby player Guy Ligier (1930–2015), specialized in the manufacturing of microcars. Ligier is best known for its involvement in the Formula 1 World Champ ...

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, ...

team, being involved in the design of the JS5, JS7, JS9, JS11 and JS11/15 models. SERA and Choulet also worked with the

Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis. The company was founded on 24 June 1910, in Milan, Italy. "Alfa" is an acronym of its founding name, "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili." "A ...

sports car team in 1977 and on Alfa's Formula One car in 1979. Choulet created the Aérodyne company in 1983 working on such different cars as Formula Ford Rondeau and Audi Quattro for rally racing. He then worked for many years for

Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French brand of automobiles owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was founded in 1810, with a steel foundry that soon started making hand tools and kitchen equipment, and then ...

. He was also influential in the Group C

Peugeot 905 The Peugeot 905 is a sports-prototype racing car built by Peugeot's racing department, Peugeot Talbot Sport. The car was initially unveiled in February 1990 and was developed throughout 1990 before making its race debut in the final two races of ...

programme (notably the Ev1bis and Ev 2 "Supercopter" with radical aerodynamic solutions) as well as for

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

Formula One team and the rally cars Peugeot 206 and Citroën Xsara WRC. In the 2000s, he became involved with Panasonic Toyota Racing and has been a consultant for

Toyota Motorsport GmbH Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe GmbH (TGR-E), formerly Andersson Motorsport GmbH and Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG), is a fully-owned and controlled entity of Toyota Motor Corporation, based in Cologne, Germany, which provides motorsport and automo ...

(TMG) in Cologne since 2011.

Education

Lycée du Parc The Lycée du Parc is a public secondary school located in the sixth ''arrondissement'' of Lyon, France. Its name comes from the Parc de la Tête d'Or, one of Europe's largest urban parks, which is situated nearby. It provides a ''lycée''-level ...

* Ecole centrale Paris in 1959 *

IFP School The IFP School (French: ''ENSPM - École Nationale Supérieure du Pétrole et des Moteurs'') is a graduate engineering school located in Rueil-Malmaison, France. Founded in 1954, IFP School is part of the IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPEN), a French ...

- Ecole Nationale Supérieure du Pétrole et des Moteurs (Major : Engines) in 1960.

Distinctions

*Joseph Béthenod Prize *Society of Automotive Engineers : Massion Award (1987)

Others

*Membership : SIA (Society of Automotive Engineers) *Auto Hebdo n° 229, 21 August 1980

References

Robert Choulet profile at GrandPrix.comRobert Choulet profile at ChicaneF1
*S.I.A. Journal Société des ingénieurs de l'automobile, September 1984 issue : ''Rappel des conclusions sur le comportement des véhicules freinés à grande vitesse'' *Auto Technologies Congress, Monte-Carlo, January 1985 : ''La stabilité de plate-forme des véhicules futurs''

External links

SERA
French automotive engineers Formula One designers 1935 births Living people Aerodynamicists French motorsport people Alfa Romeo people {{automobile-bio-stub