In 1968, Jean-Pierre Jabouille was invited to drive a Marcos in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, sharing it with Jean-Louis Marnat and Claude Ballot-Léna. As usual, he brought along his friend Jacques Laffite. This time, though, the young Laffite’s personality caught the attention of Hubert Giraud, who was managing the car.
“I was only karting for fun and never thought of becoming a race driver,” remembers Jacques Laffite. “It hadn’t even crossed my mind. I just loved cars, that was it. And even if I had wanted to, I didn’t have any money. Back then, guys started out in hill climbing or at the R8 Gordini Cup, like Jabouille. Jean-Pierre and I were friends; I even worked on his car. We met at an ice rink when we were 15 or 16. In Paris, it was where teenagers used to hang out. He had a Scania scooter, and I had a bike. For me, racing was pure luck. Since I went with Jean-Pierre to his races, I tried to be helpful, bringing sandwiches and so on. I was the water boy.”
In February of the following year, the two friends joined Mr. Giraud for a ski weekend in La Plagne. “I don’t understand why Jacques, who’s such a good skier, doesn’t try car racing,” Mr. Giraud asked. “Because he doesn’t have any money,” Jabouille replied. “He’s skiing with my wife’s boots, my grandfather’s pass, and he even drove us down from Paris.” Hubert Giraud thought about it and decided that this guy, who’d been helping out for a while, deserved a chance. “He took me aside and told me he’d bring me with him to attend the Winfield Racing School at Magny-Cours,” recalls the future Grand Prix winner. “When he saw I was hesitant, he told me he needed a driver to take his Ferrari 365 around, and he’d pay for the Winfield School in exchange for my help. He financed me for the 1969 Volant Shell.”
Jacques Laffite, with Winfield stickers on his helmet, during a Formula Renault race in 1972.
The Winfield’s instructors included the Knight brothers, Simon de Lautour, and Tico Martini. “I remember Richard and Simon doing a demo on how to pass another car at Turn 5, but they ended up showing us how to crash without getting hurt! They really put their hearts into it. I always liked a little understeer, and they kept telling me that wasn’t the right way. But I didn’t know any other way. Late braking on the inside to drift all four wheels wasn’t common back then.”
Jacques didn’t win the “Volant Shell” (Jean-Luc Salomon did), but he received the “Trophée Shell” instead, a program created by Winfield to give promising drivers a second chance. “That got me a car for six races. It felt like a miraculous catch for someone like me who loved fishing. I was already 26, so it was late, but I didn’t waste any time. I told myself that if I couldn’t win in Formula France, there was no point going further. I could drive fast, but I didn’t know if I could win. It took me five and a half years to reach F1 after winning the Formula Renault title in ’72 and Formula 3 in ’73. Not bad! I owe a lot to Winfield, to the instructors, and to Tico, whom I still adore and see regularly.” Jacques Laffite never forgot this experience and permanently included the Winfield logo on his helmet design.
Presentation of the Martini MK16-BMW, with Jacques Laffite, Tico Martini (co-founder of Winfield Racing School), and Hugues de Chaunac.
Photo credits: DPPI / Jeff Lehalle
