André Testut (13 April 1926,

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

– 24 September 2005,

) was a French-born

racing driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...

and team owner from

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign ''Sovereign'' is a title which can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word ...

Career

Testut's debut in racing took place at the beginning of September 1956 at the Course de Cote de Vuillafans-Echevanne in France, driving an O.S.C.A. MT4 roadster where he finished second. This was followed up with a 3rd-place finish at the wheel of a Porsche 356 at the Coupe d’Automne toward the end of September. In 1957 Testut partnered with his compatriot

Louis Chiron Louis Alexandre Chiron (3 August 1899 – 22 June 1979) was a Monégasque racing driver who competed in rallies, sports car races, and Grands Prix. Among the greatest drivers between the two World Wars, his career embraced over thirty years, ...

for the 24th edition of the

Mille Miglia The Mille Miglia (, ''Thousand Miles'') was an open-road, motorsport endurance race established in 1927 by the young Counts Francesco Mazzotti and Aymo Maggi, which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957 (thirteen before Worl ...

. The two raced a Citroen DS19 under the monicker Montecarlo Team and finished in 103rd place. Testut's victory at the Vuillafans-Echevannes sport car event in 1957 earned him a congratulatory letter from the

Maserati Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914, in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. ...

brothers, who had formed OSCA after being forced out of their company bearing their name. Testut entered 2

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship ...

World Championship Grands Prix, both in

, in 1958 and

1959 Events January * January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...

. On both occasions he drove his

Maserati 250F The Maserati 250F was a racing car made by Maserati of Italy used in '2.5 litre' Formula One racing between January 1954 and November 1960. Twenty-six examples were made. Mechanical details The 250F principally used the SSG 220 bhp (@ 7400 rpm) 2 ...

and both times he failed to qualify. In 1958 he also entered a car for Chiron. For both drivers it would be their last attempt to race in Monaco. Testut performed better at the 1958 Syracuse Grand Prix when he retired with engine failure when he was running seventh with ten laps to go.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

( key)

Complete Formula One Non-Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

References

External links

Profile on OldRacingCars.com
Monegasque racing drivers Monegasque Formula One drivers Formula One team owners Formula One team principals French racing drivers 1926 births 2005 deaths Sportspeople from Lyon 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers World Sportscar Championship drivers {{Monaco-sport-bio-stub