Alain Oreille (born 22 April 1953 in

Sarre-Union Sarre-Union (; ) is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It consists of two older towns that were unified on 16 June 1794. On the east bank of the river Sarre is the town of Bouquenom () and on the west b ...

) is a former

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

rally Rally or rallye may refer to: Gatherings * Political demonstration, a political rally, a political demonstration of support or protest, march, or parade * Pep rally, an event held at a North American school or college sporting event Sport ...

driver, who won the

Rallye Côte d'Ivoire The Rallye Côte d'Ivoire, perhaps better known as the Rallye Bandama as it was originally called, or the Ivory Coast Rally, is a rally race held annually in Côte d'Ivoire in Africa. In common with other races on the continent, it is known for i ...

in 1989, a round of the

World Rally Championship The World Rally Championship (abbreviated as WRC) is an international rallying series owned and governed by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA. Inaugurated in 1973, it is the oldest FIA world championship after Formula One. E ...

. He won the FIA Cup for Drivers of Production Cars in 1989 and 1990.

Career

Oreille's first race was a 24-hour endurance race at

Paul Ricard Paul Louis Marius Ricard (; July 9, 1909 – November 7, 1997) was a French industrialist and creator of an eponymous pastis brand which merged in 1975 with its competitor Pernod to create Pernod Ricard. Ricard was also an environmentalist and t ...

in 1974, where he raced his own Simca Rallye 2. He worked full time as a mason to finance his racing, but his race winnings were enough to invest in a rally-prepped Opel Kadett GT/E at the end of 1980. Bridier, p. 136. From an underdog position Oreille managed to win the French ''Trophée Opel'' (Opel Trophy) in 1983, the last year in which it was contested. After this Oreille signed up with the Budget Marseille racing team, which is how he ended up in his first Renaults, an R5 Alpine Turbo and soon thereafter an R11 Turbo. He finished fifth in the national championship in his first year. Bridier, p. 139. Until 1987, his wife Sylvie acted as his navigator. In 1985 he won the Group N class at the

Rallye Monte Carlo The Monte Carlo Rally or Rallye Monte-Carlo (officially Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo) is a rallying event organized each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco. From its inception in 1911 by Prince Albert I, the rally was intended to demonstra ...

in an R11 Turbo. In 1986 he won the Group A category at Monte Carlo, again in an R11 Turbo. This was enough for an eighth position in the overall standings. In 1988 Group B was no more, and Oreille's fourth place in his group in Monte Carlo was also fourth overall. Oreille went on to win the Group N world championships in both 1989 and 1990, both times in an R5 GT Turbo for the Diac-Simon Racing Team. In 1989 Gilles Thimonier was his navigator, in 1990 Michel Roissard. Oreille drove

Renault Renault S.A., commonly referred to as Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English), is a French Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company curr ...

s for most of his professional career, including all 28 of his WRC starts. He took back-to-back wins in the FIA Cup for Drivers of Production Cars in 1989 and 1990 in a Group N Renault 5 GT Turbo. By winning the

in 1989 he became the first and only driver to win a WRC round in a

Group N In relation to international motorsport governed by the FIA, Group N refers to regulations providing "standard" large-scale series production vehicles for competition. They are limited in terms of modifications permitted to the standard specifi ...

car.

WRC victories

References

External links

Profile at World Rally ArchiveProfile at RallyBase
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oreille, Alain Living people 1953 births People from Saverne French rally drivers World Rally Championship drivers Sportspeople from Bas-Rhin