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Benoît Jean-Marie Tréluyer (; born 7 December 1976) is a French professional racing driver.
Throughout his time in Nippon Tréluyer also competed in Japan's GT category having debuted in the series during the 2001 season aboard a Dome Project Honda NSX. From the next year, he drove for
Further wins in Great Britain and Bahrain, as well as podiums in Brazil, Japan and China, saw the trio go on to claim the 2012
Early career
Beginning his motorsport career in motocross and karting,Alençon
Alençon (, , ; ) is a commune in Normandy, France, and the capital of the Orne department. It is situated between Paris and Rennes (about west of Paris) and a little over north of Le Mans. Alençon belongs to the intercommunality of Alen� ...
-born Tréluyer switched to single-seaters in Formula Renault Campus for 1995. He was a race winner in the French Formula Renault championship in 1996, finishing sixth overall in 1997 before moving up to domestic F3 for 1998. He would go on to finish ninth overall in his rookie season and third the following year, and also claimed the European Formula Three Cup at the Pau Circuit in 1999.
Formula Nippon and Super GT
Tréluyer relocated to Asia to contest the Japanese F3 category in 2000, a title he would win in 2001 with 15 wins and 13 pole positions from 19 races. He also finished second in the blue riband Macau GP and third in the F3 World Cup in Korea. In 2002 he graduated from F3 to Formula Nippon, only racing in 5 rounds. He finished second overall the following season and finally claiming the title in 2006 with 4 wins from 9 races. He would take two more runner-up finishes in the championship (2007 and 2009) before calling time on his single-seater career to focus on sportscar competition.
Throughout his time in Nippon Tréluyer also competed in Japan's GT category having debuted in the series during the 2001 season aboard a Dome Project Honda NSX. From the next year, he drove for Nissan
is a Japanese multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the ''Nissan'' and ''Infiniti'' brands, and formerly the ''Datsun'' brand, with in-house ...
-backed teams for ten years. He would win the title in 2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
alongside co-driver Satoshi Motoyama and also finished as runner-up in 2011, his final year in Japan before making the factory Audi squad his sole racing priority.
Endurance racing and Le Mans
Tréluyer made his Le Mans 24 Hours debut in 2002, claiming a GT class podium in the Chrysler Viper he shared with fellow countrymen Jonathan Cochet and Jean-Philippe Belloc. He would return to the race in 2004 to contest the premier LMP1 class with legendary French outfitPescarolo Sport
Pescarolo Sport was a motorsport team based in Le Mans, France, and founded in February 2000 by French racing driver Henri Pescarolo and his friend and partner, French publisher François Granet. They raced in the Le Mans Series and the 24 ...
, taking a best finish of fourth overall. During the 2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
race Tréluyer was involved in a frightening accident that saw him transported to the infield care centre at the Circuit de la Sarthe. He was treated and released without serious injury.
In 2010 he joined the factory Audi squad alongside André Lotterer
André Lotterer (born 19 November 1981) is a German racing driver, who most recently competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Porsche in motorsport, Porsche. In formula racing, Lotterer competed in Formula One at the in , and Formu ...
and Marcel Fässler. The trio took second position in their maiden 24 Hours together before triumphing in the 2011 race, holding off the charging Peugeot cars as their fellow Audis both exited in terrifying accidents. They would retain their crown in 2012 piloting the first hybrid-powered car to claim victory at La Sarthe. Tréluyer fell ill on the morning of the race, forcing him to swap shifts with Fässler, but recovered to play his part in the triumph.
Further wins in Great Britain and Bahrain, as well as podiums in Brazil, Japan and China, saw the trio go on to claim the 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship
The FIA World Endurance Championship, abbreviated as WEC, is a world championship for automobile endurance racing organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The se ...
drivers' title, becoming the first recipients of an officially sanctioned world sportscar title in two decades. Afterwards Tréluyer revealed that he was "very proud to finish ahead of Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish
Allan McNish (born 29 December 1969) is a British former racing driver, commentator, and journalist from Scotland. He is a three-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, most recently in 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, 2013, as well as a three-time wi ...
who are fantastic drivers."
In March 2013 Tréluyer, along with Audi team-mates Fässler and Oliver Jarvis, took victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring
The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance race for Sports car racing, sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, on the site of the former Hendricks Army Airfield World War II air base in S ...
. The Frenchman will defend his world title in the 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship alongside regular partners Lotterer and Fässler.
Career highlights
* 3-time winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours (2011, 2012, 2014) * FIA World Endurance Champion (2012) * Winner of 8 other FIA World Endurance races from 2012 to 2015. * 12 Hours of Sebring winner (2013) * Japanese Super GT Champion (2008) * Formula Nippon Champion (2006) * Japanese Formula Three Champion (2001) * Pau Grand Prix winner (1999)Racing record
Complete Japanese Formula 3 results
( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)Complete JGTC/Super GT results
( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)Complete Formula Nippon results
24 Hours of Le Mans results
Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results
References
External links
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Treluyer, Benoit 1976 births Living people Sportspeople from Alençon French racing drivers French Formula Renault 2.0 drivers French Formula Three Championship drivers Japanese Formula 3 Championship drivers British Formula Three Championship drivers Formula Nippon drivers Super GT drivers 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers 24 Hours of Le Mans winning drivers European Le Mans Series drivers American Le Mans Series drivers FIA World Endurance Championship drivers GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup drivers 24 Hours of Spa drivers 12 Hours of Sebring drivers Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters drivers Audi Sport drivers Mugen Motorsports drivers Nismo drivers Oreca drivers Team Joest drivers Phoenix Racing drivers W Racing Team drivers Pescarolo Sport drivers Signature Team drivers Comtoyou Racing drivers