Georges Boillot
Encyclopedia
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Grand Prix motor racing
Grand Prix motor racing
Grand Prix motor racing has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as far back as 1894. It quickly evolved from a simple road race from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car and driver...
driver and World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
fighter pilot.
Biography
Born in ValentigneyValentigney
Valentigney is a commune in the Doubs department in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France.Valentigney is best known as the place where Peugeot began operations; several members of the Peugeot family still live in the area....
, Doubs, Boillot was a mechanic by training who began automobile racing in 1908. He went on to join drivers Paul Zuccarelli
Paul Zuccarelli
Paul Zuccarelli was an Italian racecar driver. Zuccarelli was killed while testing a car prior to the 1913 French Grand Prix at Amiens.-Indy 500 results:...
and Jules Goux
Jules Goux
Jules Goux, born Valentigney 6 April 1885 - died Valentigney 6 March 1965, was a Grand Prix motor racing champion and the first Frenchman, and the first European, to win the Indianapolis 500.-Biography:...
to help create a novel range of racing cars as part of the Peugeot
Peugeot
Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...
team. He debuted with them in 1909 in the Coupe de l'Auto at Rambouillet
Rambouillet
Rambouillet is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France.It is located in the suburbs of Paris southwest from the center...
and in 1910, went to Italy to compete in the Targa Florio
Targa Florio
The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973...
.
At Dieppe, France, on June 26, 1912, Georges Boillot won the French Grand Prix
1912 French Grand Prix
The 1912 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Dieppe on 25–26 June 1912.-The Race:The race was run over two days with the drivers completing ten laps on each day and their times being aggregated to produce the winner . Coupé cars competed alongside Grand Prix cars. The coupé cars...
, in his Peugeot L76, a vehicle designed by the young Swiss engineer Ernest Henry
Ernest Henry
Ernest Henry was an Australian freestyle swimmer of the 1920s, who won a silver medal in the 4x200m freestyle relay at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. He also competed in the 100m freestyle...
in association with Zuccarelli, Goux and Boillot. This was the first motorcar in the world to have an engine with two overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder. Boillot won the Coupe de l'Auto in 1913 and became the darling of French racing fans when he won his second straight French Grand Prix
1913 French Grand Prix
The 1913 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Amiens on 12 July 1913.-The Race:The restriction on Grand Prix cars for 1913 included an minimum weight and an maximum weight, as well as a fuel consumption limit.....
at Amiens
Amiens
Amiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy...
, becoming the first driver to win the French Grand Prix
French Grand Prix
The French Grand Prix was a race held as part of Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One automobile racing championships....
twice.
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
. The following year, France sent a number of competitors to the Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
speedway where on May 27, during qualifying, Boillot came tantalizing close to breaking the 100 mile-an-hour (161 km/h) barrier when he set a new speed record of 99.86 mph (160.70 km/h). Much faster than any other driver, Boillot would most likely have won the race with ease had it not been for repeated tire trouble. He ended up finishing 14th while his fellow Frenchmen finished in the top four positions with René Thomas getting the win.
In what would turn out to be his last race, the 1914 French Grand Prix
1914 French Grand Prix
The 1914 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Lyon on 4 July 1914.-The Race:The restriction on Grand Prix cars for 1914 included an maximum weight and a 4500cc maximum engine capacity....
at Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, his Peugeot was literally falling apart at the end. After demonstrating his tremendous skills by keeping the vehicle running and near the lead, it finally overheated on the last lap and he was forced to retire.
With the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Boillot joined the new French Air Force. During his time as a flyer, he won the Croix de Guerre
Croix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
and the Legion d'Honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
. On April 21, 1916 his plane was shot down in a dogfight over Verdun-sur-Meuse and crashed near Bar-le-Duc
Bar-le-Duc
Bar-le-Duc, formerly known as Bar, is a commune in the Meuse département, of which it is the préfecture . The department is in Lorraine in north-eastern France-Geography:...
. Severely injured, he died in a military hospital at Vaudelaincourt, Meuse
Meuse
Meuse is a department in northeast France, named after the River Meuse.-History:Meuse is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
.
Legacy
In his honor, several places in France named a street for him and there is a George Boillot School in MontlhéryMontlhéry
Montlhéry is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France. It is located from Paris.Inhabitants of Montlhéry are known as Montlhériens.-History:...
in the Essonne
Essonne
Essonne is a French department in the region of Île-de-France. It is named after the Essonne River.It was formed on 1 January 1968 when Seine-et-Oise was split into smaller departments.- History :...
département near Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
His brother André
André Boillot
André Boillot was a French auto racing driver. Born in Valentigney, Doubs, he was the younger brother of race car driver, Georges Boillot. Following in his brother's footsteps, André Boillot began racing cars at a young age...
was also a race driver and at war's end, won the 1919 Targa Florio
Targa Florio
The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973...
. Georges' son, Jean, became director-general of Peugeot Talbot Sport cars and in 1981 was responsible for involving Peugeot in rallying.
Indy 500 results
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
External links
- Grand Prix History - Hall of Fame, Georges Boillot