Most of my readers are aware of my interest (some would say “fixation, others would say “obsession”) with 1970s European Endurance racing so I thought I’d share a little snapshot of one of the greats of the era.
Bearing in mind that this was no “quietly tucked away in a corner” pursuit, the achievements of this rider in an era of racing that was massively supported by both factories and privateers are nothing short of amazing. The rider is Jean Claude Chemarin who, today celebrates his 70th birthday.
Here are his achievements
4 times winner of the Bol d’Or 1976-1977-1978-1979
3 times winner of the 24 hours of Liege 1974, 1976, 1982
3 times winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 1978, 1979, 1981
4 times European Endurance Champion 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979
1-time World Endurance Champion 1982
The photo is courtesy of Vincenzo Zaccaria (as noted below) and was taken at Imola on the 4th of April 1976
200 MIGLIA AGV
Autodromo Dino Ferrari, Imola
#60 Jean-Claude Chemarin, F, Yamaha 750
Team Delta Charly
Braking on the Rivazza corner during the race
Race Result: DNF
fotografia©Vincenzo Zaccaria
I’ll just leave this here, it really doesn’t require any more comment, does it?