Before becoming one of the most iconic figures in motorsport, Jean Todt—who served as Director of Peugeot Talbot Sport in 1981, Head of Scuderia Ferrari in 1993, Ferrari administrator, and FIA President for 12 years—harbored dreams of a racing career. His time at the Winfield Racing School, while pursuing that dream, remains a cherished memory for him.

A passionate motorsport enthusiast and admirer of Jim Clark and Dan Gurney, the young Todt ussed to balance his studies at the École des Cadres with rally co-driving, particularly with Guy Chasseuil. He also experimented driving his father’s Mini Cooper. His father was a doctor in Pierrefort, in the Cantal region of France.

In 1967, alongside his friend François Mazet who also aspired to a racing career, Todt enrolled at the Winfield Racing School in Magny-Cours. “We were in1967; I was already a rally co-driver, but my goal was to become a race driver myself,” Todt recalls. “Co-driving was the path I had found to get closer to that dream. I entered the Volant Shell competition and made it to the finals, but unfortunately, I spun out. That ended my journey, as spins or off-track incidents were grounds for elimination. I was deeply disappointed.”

He further adds, “A plastic cushion had been placed behind my back to bring me closer to the steering wheel and allow me to reach the pedals. Needless to say, the driving position was far from ideal. Eventually, my journey stopped there, and it was my friend Mazet who won the Volant Shell title for the 1968 season. He was incredibly skilled behind the wheel but had a taste for living life on the edge, which didn’t always work out. It was a different era, full of carefree moments for us.”

Despite shifting his focus to rally co-driving—where he soon became a master—Todt never missed an opportunity to follow his friend during the competitions. “I often supported François to the circuits with photographer Manou Zurini, crammed into Zurini’s Citroën DS wagon!” he reminisces. “François was obsessed with track racing. I remember the 1970 Monte-Carlo Rally, where I co-drove with our mutual friend Jean-François Piot in a Ford Escort. François came to cheer us on, marveling at what we were doing but swearing he’d never attempt it himself.”

However, just months later, Todt taught Mazet the basics of co-driving for an event where Mazet shared a Capri with Rauno Aaltonen at the Tour Auto. They teamed up again for the 1970 Infernal Rally and the 1971 Tour Auto in a Ford GT 70. “Things were going well until he made a mistake during a stage,” Todt recalls. Following this heavy crash and the death of Jo Siffert, one of Mazet’s close friends, he would retire from racing one year later.

As Todt became increasingly absorbed in his co-driving career, he never forgot the lessons and memories from the Winfield Racing School. “Those were truly great moments that I’ll always treasure,” he concludes.