[Driver] Jean Behra - Behra the Brave

[ottostreet]

External link to full article including pictures and video

My latest driver feature article, and I've decided to write about mercurial Frenchman Jean Behra. Would love to hear your thoughts and opinions on both the article, and the man/driver himself.

Jean Behra never won a Formula One race, but that doesn't tell the full story of how much skill, and bravery, the Frenchman had, in abundance.

Born in Nice in 1921, Behra was plagued by suffering many horrific crashes throughout his racing career. A more cautious driver may have decided to ply his trade in a more safe environment after some of these crashes, but Behra was completely fearless.

The crash that was to leave it's biggest mark on Behra's life was the one he suffered at the Dundrod TT in Northern Ireland in 1955. Racing in the RAC Tourist Trophy, Jean overturned his Maserati on a banking, resulting in his goggles slicing his ear off. Jean was given a plastic substitute ear by doctors, and delighted in displaying a somewhat macabre sense of humour, by occasionally popping his ear off in front of people that were unaware of this physical oddity.

Jean began his motorsport career on two wheels, starting off cycling as a child, before moving onto motorbikes at the age of seventeen. Showing an immediate panache for speed, Behra was to be denied the next few years of racing due to the outbreak of World War II. Resuming his career after the war, Behra began racing for a team called Moto Guzzi, and was to win four French national motorbike titles for them, between 1948 and 1951.

At one of his many motorcycling races, Jean drove a Maserati for fun at the Mont Ventoux circuit in 1949, and decided to give car racing a shot, should the opportunity arise. Some opportunities did arise, and Behra piloted a Talbot car to sixth place at Montlhery in 1949. He took part in the Le Mans in 1950, which was a frustrating race, as he suffered technical problems and had to retire. Driving a Simca in the Monte Carlo Rally the same year, Jean brought the car home in 3rd place, his first car racing podium.

Between his extremely successful bike racing career, and noticeable car appearances, Jean had come to the attention of a man called Amedee Gordini. Gordini ran the Simca-Gordini Formula 2 team, and signed Behra alongside fellow French drivers Maurice Trintignant, Andre Simon & Robert Manzon. Unfortunately for Behra, the team's cars were underwhelming on the performance front, and unreliable to boot. However, he was able to show his mettle at the 1952 Reims Grand Prix. Despite holding off the Ferrari F1 works team, this was not an F1 event, so he could not yet be considered an F1 winner.

In 1953, Jean was to suffer back injuries at the Pau circuit. Again, this was a non-F1 event. It wasn't unusual at the time for F1 drivers to take part in non-F1 events, and it really is a testament to Jean's love of racing that he would enter as many races as he could. The crash ruled him out of racing until 1954, where he continued with Gordini. He was to win at Pau, Montlhery & Cadours, but, again, these were not F1 events.

Finally frustrated of the Gordini efforts, Behra was to jump ship to drive for Maserati in 1955. While undoubtedly a step up, Behra was to be taking on the Mercedes works team of stronger opposition such as Juan Manuel Fangio & Stirling Moss. He won the non championship event at Pau again, but went winless in F1. It was frustration all round for Behra over the following years. In 1956, Stirling Moss left Mercedes and ended up at Maserati, where Stirling won the Monaco & Italian GPs. Despite going winless in F1, Behra won the Nurburgring and Paris 1000km sportscar events, as well as the Cortemaggiori sportscar race at Monza, sharing a car with Luigi Musso.

Driving a Maserati at the Grand Prix of Rome in 1956, he also set an average speed record of 174 km/h around the circuit. Despite his lack of F1 success, there was no questioning Jean's immense bravery, as he recovered from yet another crash. This time, it was at the Mille Miglia in 1957, but Jean was to recover and win two more events in 1957, at the Swedish & Italian rounds, as well as winning the non-F1 Pau Grand Prix yet again.

A superstitious man may have thought that his numerous crashes were tempting fate, but Jean was not one to allow crashes to play on his mind, which was perhaps for the best. Moving to the British BRM team for 1958, but immediately suffered a very bad crash in his very first race for the team. Racing at Goodwood, the brakes on his car failed, resulting in Behra colliding heavily with a brick chicane. Other incidents served to unsettle Behra, such as brake failure again on his BRM at the Aintree Grand Prix. Jean escaped injury when his goggles got smashed at Silverstone. F1 was not treating the Frenchman particularly well, but he was faring better in sportscar racing, winning at the Nurburgring, Avus, Reims & Mont Ventoux.

Jean was to get his big opportunity in 1959, when he was signed by the Ferrari team. Driving alongside team-mate Tony Brooks, Behra won at Aintree, but this was again a non championship event. The final straw in F1 came at the French Grand Prix at Reims. Behra had been running in third place, when his engine threw a piston, and he was out of the race. Following this, Jean was to get into an argument with his team boss Romolo Tavoni in a restauraunt. As the argument grew more heated, Behra threw a punch at his boss, as well as at another restaurant patron, and Jean was dismissed from the team.

For Jean, this was a mixed blessing, as he now had time to concentrate on his own project, which was a Formula 2 car, as well as driving a Porsche RSK at sportscar events. The first of these events was at the Avus circuit near Berlin, only three weeks after his dismissal from the Ferrari team.

Avus was a circuit of insanity, even for those less safety-conscious days. It featured two 5 miles blasts along public roads which were to become part of the Autobahn freeway systems, linked by two corners. One was a slow, tight hairpin, while the other was a monstrous banked, flat out curve, which featured a 43 degree banking. This is twelve degrees steeper than that at Daytona Internation Speedway. Speeds avaeraged around 260-270 km/h, and it was here that Jean brought his Porsche to race on a day that was raining, and meant the track was wet and slippery.

Jean passed Jack Brabham at around 110mph entering the banking, when the back of his Porsche stepped out. Attempting to correct the slide, Jean started to fishtail around in ever increasing angles, while also climbing higher and higher up the enbankment. Finally, the Porsche reached the top of the banking and was thrown off into the air. It landed heavily on it's side at the top of the banking, where it remained resting at the race continued.

Unfortunately for Jean, he had been thrown clear of the car as it destroyed itself. While being catapulted through the air, he collided with a flagpole that was one of eight flagpoles that lined the enbankment. With no barriers between the track and the flagpoles, Jean struck the pole like a ragdoll, and died instantly of massive head injuries. He also broke most of his ribs in the collision.

Jean's funeral took place six days later in Nice, an event that saw 3000 mourners line the streets of his hometown. F1 never treated Jean as well as his talent deserved, and a final insult was delivered on his final day. While the racing community turned out to pay their respects to Behra, a notable absentee was Enzo Ferrari. He had fired Jean only a few days prior to his fatal accident, and never acknowledged the death of his former driver, nor sent any form of remembrance to the funeral.

[Aysedasi]

Good article - thanks

[Razzzor]

Re video, if you look closely you can see him flying from the car, though you don't see where he lands. Did they not have seatbelts then?! It wasn't even a big accident, he would have walked away with a seatbelt.

Shame though, especially with Enzo not even acknowledging his death.

Re talent... looking at his championship round results, he didn't look particularly special. As team mate to Moss and Fangio, they finished 1-2 and he finished 11th in 1957. Brave guy though.

[ottostreet]

This is what I find curious...he was so capable a racer, but couldn't seem to crack it in F1, despite the race seats he had. He was unquestionably less talented than the likes of Moss & Fangio, but then again...most at the time were, so hardly a crime.

Was he on the level of the likes of Gonzalez & Musso maybe? Or did he plain and simply not deserve to be in F1, and should have stuck to sportscar/endurance racing?

[bauble]

Wonderful!!

So good to see someone recognising 'Jeannot', such a great 'racer' definitely one of the fastest of his era, but as pointed out somewhat in the shadow of Fangio and Moss.
I must correct an early statement, Jean certainly won a number of Formula 1 races, but not a World Championship round. Remember that in the fifties and sixties there were many Grands Prix around Europe, and Behra had his fair share of wins, Pau 1954 in a Gordini beating the entire Ferrari team. He won the first Moroccan Grand Prix the year before it became a WC event, he also took BRM's first win for their 1.5 litre car at Caen in 1957 also the Daily Express International Trophy. Numerous sports car wins as well mixed in with Grands Prix.

One of my all-time heroes, badly treated by Ferrari and fate, but never forgotten by those who love pure racers. As some scribe once said of him and Surtees " .. more balls than a Christmas Tree."

Thank you for recalling one of the finest men ever to race cars.

[Aysedasi]

Not to denigrate him but was it Behra who had addiction issues, or am I confusing him with someone else?

[ottostreet]

Originally Posted by bauble

Wonderful!!

So good to see someone recognising 'Jeannot', such a great 'racer' definitely one of the fastest of his era, but as pointed out somewhat in the shadow of Fangio and Moss.
I must correct an early statement, Jean certainly won a number of Formula 1 races, but not a World Championship round. Remember that in the fifties and sixties there were many Grands Prix around Europe, and Behra had his fair share of wins, Pau 1954 in a Gordini beating the entire Ferrari team. He won the first Moroccan Grand Prix the year before it became a WC event, he also took BRM's first win for their 1.5 litre car at Caen in 1957 also the Daily Express International Trophy. Numerous sports car wins as well mixed in with Grands Prix.

One of my all-time heroes, badly treated by Ferrari and fate, but never forgotten by those who love pure racers. As some scribe once said of him and Surtees " .. more balls than a Christmas Tree."

Thank you for recalling one of the finest men ever to race cars.

Thanks for the correction, I wasn't entirely sure what way to word it really. He never won a Formula One championship round, but won some Formula One races? I'm going on the basis that if it wasn't a championship round, then it wasn't a 'true' F1 race, even though all it may have been missing was a sanctioning body.

For those of you who are more knowledgeable than myself, was Jean the type who could thrive being an 'underdog', but choked under pressure to perform in the limelight of championship F1? I find it very curious how someone can be so convincing away from the constrains of championship F1, but fail to make a mark when it was an 'official' event.

[Malfunction Junction]

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

Not to denigrate him but was it Behra who had addiction issues, or am I confusing him with someone else?

That was Achille Varzi.

[bauble]

Jean Behra was never one to 'choke' in any situation, during the period 1952/54 he drove for the underfunded Gordini team, which was rarely able to challenge the dominant Ferraris, due often to unreliability. He joined Maserati at a time when Fangio and Mercedes Benz dominated, however, in 1956 as a team mate of El Chueco, he scored 2 second places 4 third places, 1 fourth and 4 fifth places, good consistent points scoring. Jean was the 'hard trier' type and often the car was not up to his demands, so while never in the same league as Fangio, Moss, and never in the best car at other times, he was most certainly one of the top men of his day. When he joined BRM he turned the team around with his sheer enthusiasm. He will never appear in anyone's 'All Time Top Ten' unless it is in the one that would be topped by Gilles Villenueve! The flat out at all times top ten.
Like most of his contemporaries he mixed GP's with WC Sports Car events where he had a deal of success, as well as taking part in many non-championship events. Basically he was just a 'Racing Driver'.
Sadly you do not see his type these days, and racing is the poorer for it, but that is what we call 'progress'.

I still mourn for him as I do for so many who died doing what they loved.

RIP Jean.

Bob.

"then it wasn't a 'true' F1 race"

In those days any race might have all of the top drivers entered, and to win one had to beat some of the best, they were not 'clubbies' but full blooded non-championship events.

[ottostreet]

Thank you for that Bauble. I'm only 25, so the whole concept of non-championship races, as well as drivers entering multiple events in different disciplines is a little alien to me. Researching online articles doesn't reveal the wealth of knowledge that is out there to be discovered, I often learn more from posters like yourself! Thanks!

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by Malfunction Junction

That was Achille Varzi.

Of course it was! Thanks for that.

[John Turner]

Great piece Thomas. I seem to recall that Roebuck is/was a great fan of Behra. Can't help feeling that this thread should be in our Motor Sport History forum, though! Also more on Behra here:-

http://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2482

[chunder]

Wasn't Varzi addicted to valium or something?

Very seriously!

Behra was a fave of Enzo I recall, and did amazing things with Gordini's and the like, such a shame I was not around in those days to see some of these guys.

Was overhearing a guy the other day who actually saw Nuvolari! Imagine that.