Guy Fréquelin (born 2 April 1945 at

Langres Langres () is a commune in France, commune in northeastern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Departments of France, department of Haute-Marne, in the Regions of France, region of Grand Est. History As the capital ...

) is a French former

rally Rally or rallye may refer to: Gatherings * Political demonstration, a political rally, a political demonstration of support or protest, march, or parade * Pep rally, an event held at a North American school or college sporting event Sport ...

and sports car driver.

Biography

Perhaps Fréquelin's finest hour as a driver came when he finished runner-up only to

Ari Vatanen Ari Pieti Uolevi Vatanen (; born 27 April 1952) is a Finns, Finnish rally (sports), rally driver turned politician and a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 1999 to 2009. He won the World Rally Championship drivers' title in 1981 and t ...

, alongside then-navigator

Jean Todt Jean Henri Todt (; born 25 February 1946) is a French motor racing executive and former rally co-driver. He was previously director of Peugeot Talbot Sport and then Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 team principal, before being appointed chief executi ...

, at the wheel of a briefly competitive Sunbeam Lotus Talbot in the driver's classification of the

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

World Rally Championship The World Rally Championship (abbreviated as WRC) is an international rallying series owned and governed by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA. Inaugurated in 1973, it is the oldest FIA world championship after Formula One. E ...

. It was during that year that he collected his only individual rally victory in the series, in

Rally Argentina The Rally Argentina () is an Argentine rally competition that has been a round of the World Rally Championship, the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, the South American Rally Championship and the Argentine Rally Championship. It is held in the ...

Fréquelin was also part of a four-car Renault assault on the

24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...

in 1977 with their highly successful Alpine Renault A442B. As part of a team which included the French racing drivers,

Jean-Pierre Jabouille Jean-Pierre Alain Jabouille (1 October 1942 – 2 February 2023) was a French racing driver and engineer, who competed in Formula One from to . Jabouille won two Formula One Grands Prix across seven seasons. Jabouille raced in 55 Formula One ...

Jacques Laffite Jacques-Henri Laffite (; born 21 November 1943) is a French former racing driver and broadcaster, who competed in Formula One from to . Laffite won six Formula One Grands Prix across 13 seasons. Born and raised in Paris, Laffite trained as ...

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Jean-Pierre Jaussaud Jean-Pierre Jaussaud (3 June 1937 – 22 July 2021) was a French racing driver, noted for winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1978 and 1980. Jaussaud was born in Caen, Calvados, and started racing in automobiles in 1962, taking courses in the Jim ...

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and

Didier Pironi Didier Joseph Louis Pironi (26 March 1952 – 23 August 1987) was a French racing driver and offshore powerboat racing, offshore powerboat racer, who competed in Formula One from to . Pironi was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Cham ...

, as well as the English long distance expert Derek Bell, Fréquelin was named as the third driver for both the #7 Tambay/Jaussaud and the #16 Arnoux/Pironi machines. Neither cars were to finish the race. Tambay and Jaussaud eventually retired after just 158 laps with engine troubles to blame, while the sister #16 Arnoux/Pironi car was immediately out, with no laps registered to its name, after a turbo oil seal caused a fire. Fréquelin, though, was to return to the Sarthe circuit for the 1981 race, paired with countryman

Roger Dorchy Roger Albert Marcel Dorchy (15 September 1944 – 26 July 2023) was a French racing driver. Biography Roger Dorchy was born on 15 September 1944. Dorchy was known for holding the top speed record at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, setting a top speed o ...

in the #5 WM P79/80

Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French automobile brand owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was established in 1810, making it the oldest car company in the world. On 20 November 1858, Émile Peugeot applie ...

. Again, though, he scored only a DNF after an engine fire forced the pair's exit after 46 laps. In more recent years, Fréquelin has held a position as Team Principal at the

Citroën Total World Rally Team Citroën ()The double-dot diacritic over the 'e' is a diaeresis () indicating the two vowels are sounded separately, and not as a diphthong. is a French automobile brand. The "Automobiles Citroën" manufacturing company was founded on 4 June 19 ...

. He retired at the end of 2007. In this position he oversaw the four consecutive world championship titles of

Sébastien Loeb Sébastien Loeb (; born 26 February 1974) is a French professional rally, racing and rallycross driver. He is the most successful driver in the World Rally Championship (WRC), having won the world championship a record nine times in a row. He ho ...

and an impressive number of victories in the Paris Dakar and in WRC, with cars such as the ZX, the Xsara and the C4. In rallying circles he is nicknamed the ''Grizly"

WRC victories

Racing record

Complete WRC results

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frequelin, Guy 1945 births French rally drivers Living people People from Langres 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers World Rally Championship drivers World Sportscar Championship drivers Sportspeople from Haute-Marne French racing drivers