Écurie Francorchamps was a Belgian motor racing team. They are principally known for running

privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...

cars in

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

and sports car racing during the 1950s and 1970s. The team was founded by racing driver

Jacques Swaters Jacques Swaters (; 30 October 1926 – 10 December 2010) was a racing driver from Belgium and former team owner of Ecurie Belgique, Ecurie Francorchamps, and Ecurie Nationale Belge. Racing career Swaters made his debut in the 24 Hours of S ...

. Between 1952 and 1954 Ecurie Francorchamps raced in Formula One, and raced in sports cars into the 1970s.

Formula One

Écurie Francorchamps raced in Formula One between 1952 and 1954, and campaigned

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and be ...

cars. They won one race. Écurie Francorchamps made their début at the

1952 Belgian Grand Prix The 1952 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 22 June 1952 at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. It was race 3 of 8 in the 1952 World Championship of Drivers, in which each Grand Prix was run to Formula Two rules rather than the Formula O ...

with

Charles de Tornaco Baron Charles Victor Raymond André Evance de Tornaco (; 7 June 1927 – 18 September 1953) was a racing driver from Belgium. He participated in 4 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 22 June 1952. He scored no championship ...

as their driver. De Tornaco finished seventh at that event, retired from the

1952 Dutch Grand Prix The 1952 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 17 August 1952 at the Circuit Zandvoort. It was race 7 of 8 in the 1952 World Championship of Drivers, in which each Grand Prix was run to Formula Two rules rather than the Formula One regul ...

, and failed to qualify for the

1952 Italian Grand Prix The 1952 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 7 September 1952 at Monza. It was the eighth and final round of the 1952 World Championship of Drivers, in which each Grand Prix was run to Formula Two rules rather than the Formula One re ...

Roger Laurent Roger Laurent (; 21 February 1913 – 6 February 1997) was a racing driver and motorcycle racer from Belgium. He was born in Liège and died in Uccle. Laurent competed aboard a Moto Guzzi in the 1949 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, entering ...

drove the team's Ferrari in the

1952 German Grand Prix The 1952 German Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 3 August 1952 at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. It was race 6 of 8 in the 1952 World Championship of Drivers, in which each Grand Prix was run to Formula Two rules rather than the Formula ...

, where he finished sixth. In

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito ...

Swaters and de Tornaco both entered the

1953 Belgian Grand Prix The 1953 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 21 June 1953 at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. It was race 4 of 9 in the 1953 World Championship of Drivers, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than the Formula One ...

but neither started the race. Swaters finished seventh in the

1953 German Grand Prix The 1953 German Grand Prix was a Formula Two motor racing event held on 2 August 1953 at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. It was race 7 of 9 in the 1953 World Championship of Drivers, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than ...

, and retired from the

1953 Swiss Grand Prix The 1953 Swiss Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 23 August 1953 at Bremgarten Circuit. It was race 8 of 9 in the 1953 World Championship of Drivers, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than the Formula One regulat ...

because he spun off during the first lap. In

1954 Events January * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown–IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York, at the head ...

Swaters retired in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

because his engine failed. He finished eighth in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

and failed to finish in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, when his engine failed again. The team's single victory came when owner Jacques Swaters won the non-Championship Avusrennen in 1953.

Sports car racing

Écurie Francorchamps raced in sports car racing from the 1950s until the 1970s. Écurie Francorchamps first started in Le Mans in

with a

Jaguar C-Type The Jaguar C-Type (officially called the Jaguar XK120-C) is a racing sports car built by Jaguar and sold from 1951 to 1953. The "C" stands for "competition". The car combined the running gear of the contemporary, road-proven XK120, with a li ...

finishing ninth;

and

were the drivers. In

they finished fourth with

Laurent Laurent may refer to: *Laurent (name), a French masculine given name and a surname **Saint Laurence (aka: Saint ''Laurent''), the martyr Laurent **Pierre Alphonse Laurent, mathematician **Joseph Jean Pierre Laurent, amateur astronomer, discoverer ...

and team owner

as the drivers. Écurie Francorchamps had their best Le Mans finish in

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

coming home in third place in a

Jaguar D-Type The Jaguar D-Type is a sports racing car that was produced by Jaguar Cars Ltd. between 1954 and 1957. Designed specifically to win the Le Mans 24-hour race, it shared the straight-6 XK engine and many mechanical components with its C-Type ...

. In 1956 Écurie Francorchamps prepared the Ferrari 250 GT Europa of

Olivier Gendebien Olivier Jean Marie Fernand Gendebien (; 12 January 1924 – 2 October 1998) was a Belgian racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Widely regarded as one of the greatest drivers in the history of sportscar racing, Gendebien was a Li ...

and Pierre Stasse who finished in third place of the Liège–Rome–Liège Rally. In

1957 Events January * January 1 – The Saarland joins West Germany. * January 3 – Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch. * January 5 – South African player Russell Endean becomes the first batsman to be Dismissal (cricke ...

they returned at Le Mans with

Lucien Bianchi Luciano "Lucien" Bianchi (, ; 10 November 1934 – 30 March 1969) was an Italian-born Belgian racing driver who raced for the Cooper Car Company, Cooper, Ecurie Nationale Belge, ENB, British Racing Partnership, UDT Laystall and Scuderia Centro Su ...

and Georges Harris finishing seventh in a Ferrari 500 TRC and winning the S2000 class. Écurie Francorchamps would keep returning in

Ferraris Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and be ...

every single time. Jean Blaton and Alain de Changy finished sixth in

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...

. In

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

Léon Dernier and Pierre Noblet finished sixth overall and third in their GT category. Lucien Bianchi and

Georges Berger Georges Berger (14 September 1918 – 23 August 1967) was a racing driver who raced a Gordini in his two World Championship Formula One Grands Prix. He initially competed during the 1950s in a Formula 2 BMW-engined Jicey with which he finishe ...

didn't finish in

1961 Events January * January 1 – Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1961, Monetary reform in the Soviet Union. * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and cons ...

. Pierre Dumay and Léon Dernier finished in a fine fourth place in

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

also finishing second in their class. In the

1965 24 Hours of Le Mans The 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 33rd Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 19 and 20 June 1965. It was also the twelfth round of the World Sportscar Championship. After the disappointing results of the previous year's race, Ford retu ...

Écurie Francorchamps finished in third place with

Willy Mairesse Willy Mairesse (; 1 October 1928 – 2 September 1969) was a Formula One and sports-car driver from Belgium. He participated in 13 World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 19 June 1960. He achieved one podium and scored a total of seven cha ...

and Jean Blaton at the wheel of a

Ferrari 275 The Ferrari 275 is a series of FR layout, front-engined V12-powered Grand tourer, grand touring automobiles with two-seater coupé and Roadster (automobile), spider bodies produced by Ferrari between 1964 and 1968. The first 275 series cars we ...

GTB, equalling their best result of

and also winning their GT class. Pierre Noblet and Claude Dubois finished tenth in

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

. Écurie Francorchamps would not return to Le Mans until

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...

where Hughes de Fierlandt and Alistair Walker finished in fifth place in a

Ferrari 512S Ferrari 512 S was a sports prototype car produced by Italian manufacturer Ferrari from 1969 to 1970. As it name suggests, the car had a 5.0L V12 engine, V12 engine. A total 25 units were built. The car entered in the 1970 International Champi ...

. Hughes de Fierlandt and

Alain de Cadenet Alain de Cadenet (27 November 1945 – 1 July 2022) was an English television presenter and racing driver. He was noted for racing in 15 editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans during the 1970s and 1980s, achieving one podium finish with third ...

retired in

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

. In

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

Derek Bell,

Teddy Pilette Theodore "Teddy" Pilette (; born 26 July 1942) is a former racing driver from Belgium. He participated in 4 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, the first on 12 May 1974 with Bernie Ecclestone's Brabham team. Son of André Pilette and g ...

and Richard Bond brought the

home in eighth position. The following year Richard Bond and

Jean-Claude Andruet Jean-Claude Andruet (born 13 August 1940 in Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis, Montreuil) is a retired French professional Rallying, rally driver who competed in the World Rally Championship. Andruet took three WRC event wins during his career; 1973 M ...

only could finish 20th. In

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

Hughes de Fierlandt and Richard Bond retired from the race driving a

Porsche 911 The Porsche 911 model series (pronounced ''Nine Eleven'' or in ) is a family of German two-door, high performance Rear-engine design, rear-engine sports cars, introduced in September 1964 by Porsche, Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. Now in it ...

Carrera RSR.

and Hughes de Fierlandt finished 12th in

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

. In the

1978 24 Hours of Le Mans The 1978 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 46th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 10 and 11 June 1978. In many ways it was a continuation of the race from the year before – the two main protagonists would be the very evenly-matched works tea ...

, Écurie Francorchamps' last Le Mans,

, Jean Blaton and Raymond Touroul failed to finish at the wheel of a

Ferrari 512BB Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and be ...

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(

key Key, Keys, The Key or The Keys may refer to: Common uses * Key (cryptography), a piece of information needed to encode or decode a message * Key (instrument), a component of a musical instrument * Key (lock), a device used to operate a lock * K ...

) (results in bold indicate pole position; results in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

References

{{reflist

External links

* http://www.autosport.nl/news/4203/racing_shows_ecurie_francorchamps_hoogtepunt_tijdens_25e_brussels_retro_festival.html * http://www.autosportvision.nl/?page=news&cat=17&item=3032 Formula One entrants Belgian auto racing teams Sport in Stavelot Auto racing teams established in 1952 Auto racing teams disestablished in 1978 24 Hours of Le Mans teams