Bernard Cahier (20 June 1927 – 10 July 2008) was a French

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

photo-journalist Photojournalism is journalism that uses images to tell a news story. It usually only refers to still images, but can also refer to video used in broadcast journalism. Photojournalism is distinguished from other close branches of photography (such ...

. In addition to his extensive photography work, Cahier was also a

racing driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...

and one-time actor in the 1966 movie ''

Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural ''Grands Prix'') most commonly refers to: * Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition ** List of Formula One Grands Prix, an auto-racing championship *** Monaco Grand Prix, the most prestigious ...

''.

Biography

Cahier was born in Marseille, where he first got a taste of motor racing at the 1932 Marseilles GP at

Miramas Miramas (; ) is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, southern France. It is the second-largest commune in metropolitan Ouest-Provence and is located at the north end of the Étang de Berre ...

. His father was a general, and aged 17, Cahier himself joined the French resistance in

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Following liberation of the region, Cahier joined General Philippe Leclerc's 2nd Armored Division clearing mines in areas such as

Royan pocket Royan (; in the Saintongeais dialect; ) is a commune and town in the south-west of France, in the department of Charente-Maritime in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Capital of the Côte de Beauté, Royan is one of the main French Atlantic coas ...

in western France and the liberation of Southern Germany in the spring of 1945. He would spend a year after the war in

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

, before travelling to the USA to study at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

. During this time, Cahier would work at International Motors alongside fellow salesman and future Formula One world champion,

Phil Hill Philip Toll Hill Jr. (April 20, 1927 – August 28, 2008) was an American racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Hill won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Ferrari, and won three Grands Prix across eight seas ...

. He would later make a cameo appearance in the 1966 movie ''Grand Prix'', having supported director

John Frankenheimer John Michael Frankenheimer (February 19, 1930 – July 6, 2002) was an American film and television director known for social dramas and action/suspense films. Among his credits are ''Birdman of Alcatraz (film), Birdman of Alcatraz'', ''The Manc ...

in production. Cahier raced in the 1956 Mille Miglia finishing 154th in a

Renault Dauphine The Renault Dauphine () is a rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive four-door economy car, economy sedan (car), sedan with three-box styling, manufactured and marketed by Renault from 1956 to 1967 across a single generation. Along with such cars as the C ...

. The following year, he would compete in his first

Targa Florio The Targa Florio was a public road Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near the island's capital of Palermo, Sicily, Palermo. Founded in 1906 Targa Florio, 1906, it was the oldest sports car ra ...

. In 1967, alongside ski racer

Jean-Claude Killy Jean-Claude Killy (born 30 August 1943) is a French former World Cup alpine ski racer. He dominated the sport in the late 1960s, and was a triple Olympic champion, winning the three alpine events at the 1968 Winter Olympics, becoming the most su ...

, Cahier would finish 7th overall in the race and first in class driving a

Porsche 911 The Porsche 911 model series (pronounced ''Nine Eleven'' or in ) is a family of German two-door, high performance Rear-engine design, rear-engine sports cars, introduced in September 1964 by Porsche, Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. Now in it ...

. Cahier was the founder of the International Racing Press Association in 1968, and later president, during the tumultuous FIA versus FOCA battle. He would also represent Goodyear in a PR role until 1983. Much of Cahier's work, and later his son Paul-Henri, is part of the Cahier Archive one of the largest archives of Formula One photographs in the world.

Filmography

Bibliography

* ''Pilotes légendaires de la Formule 1'', with Xavier Chimits and Paul-Henri Cahier, Editions Tana, 2 October 2006 * ''Mes meilleurs souvenirs'', With Xavier Chimits, Editions Drivers, 11 January 2007 * ''F-Stops, pit stops, laughter & tears'', Autosports Marketing Associates Ltd, 2007 * ''Grand Prix Racers (Portraits of Speed)'' Motorbooks International, May 2008

Gallery

File:Grand Prix i Kristianstad - L0058 902aFo30141701100032.jpg, Cahier (left) at the 1955 Grand Prix of Kristianstad File:1967-05-14_Targa_Florio_Porsche_911_Cahier_Killy.jpg, Cahier and Killy's Porsche in the 1967 Targa Florio File:1963-05-05 Targa Florio Ferrari 250 P 0812 Mairesse Scarfiotti.jpg, An example of Cahier's photography at the 1963 Targa Florio File:1957-05-12 Mille Miglia Ferrari 335S 0646 de Portago Nelson.jpg, Cahier's photograph of De Portago and Nelson at the 1957 Mille Miglia before their fatal accident

References

External links

*
The Cahier Archive
1927 births 2008 deaths French photographers French motorsport people Formula One photographers French_racing_drivers Sportspeople_from_Marseille Porsche Motorsports drivers 12_Hours_of_Sebring_drivers Targa_Florio {{France-photographer-stub