Jean-Christophe Boullion

Jean-Christophe Joël Louis "Jules" Boullion (born 27 December 1969) is a French former racing driver. He won the 1994 International Formula 3000 Championship with DAMS, took two Le Mans Series titles with the Pescarolo Sport outfit in 2005 and 2006, and took two podium finishes at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Boullion also competed in 11 Formula One races for the Sauber team.

Career

Born in Saint-Brieuc, near Côtes d'Armor, Boullion started karting in 1982 and moved to cars in 1988 after attending a racing school outside Paris. He started racing in Formula Ford 1600 in 1989. The following year he won the French title and moved to Formula 3. In 1993 he entered Formula 3000 and won the FIA International Championship in 1994. Although he was signed to test for Williams, he was loaned to Sauber to replace Karl Wendlinger for much of the 1995 season, scoring points twice but rarely matching his team-mate Heinz-Harald Frentzen. The following year he returned to his testing role at Williams, and he later tested for Jordan and Tyrrell.

In 1997 he raced briefly in the Renault Spider Eurocup, and he campaigned a Renault Laguna touring car for the Williams team in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) in 1999, acquiring the nickname ' JCB' from commentator Charlie Cox.

From 2000 onward, Boullion would turn his focus to prototype racing. Having raced at Le Mans with Racing Organisation Course in 2000, the Frenchman moved to the Pescarolo Sport outfit the following year, taking a first success with a win at Magny-Cours in the FIA Sportscar Championship. He remained in the series for the 2002 season, winning the opening and final race respectively alongside Sébastien Bourdais, though Boullion missed out on the title to Racing for Holland after missing the round at Brno. After returning for two races in 2003 to take a victory at Estoril, Boullion did not race at all in 2004 as a result of the FIA Sportscar Championship's demise. In 2005, he returned to race in the newer Le Mans Endurance Series, partnering Emmanuel Collard at Pescarolo. The duo ended up as title winners with two victories to their names, beating Zytek Motorsport by just two points. In the same year, Boullion and Collard, along with endurance-race teammate Érik Comas finished second overall at the Le Mans 24 Hours. The 2006 season proved to be a particular highlight for Boullion despite not racing at Le Mans, as he would win all five races in the Le Mans Series together with Collard on their way to a successful title defence.

From the 2007 season, things would become more difficult for Boullion and Pescarolo, as they would now have to compete as a privateer against their factory outfit in Team Peugeot. Though the title battle lasted until the final round owing to Peugeot's non-participation at Silverstone, the factory team came out victorious, with Boullion having to settle for the runner-up spot with four podiums from six events. At Le Mans, the Frenchman scored his second and final podium at the Sarthe, coming third behind the Audi and Peugeot works entries. The former would pose a further threat in the Le Mans Series in 2008, as Audi entered two cars into the championship, with Boullion still driving for the Pescarolo privateer. Having scored one podium at the end of the year, the French driver ended up sixth in the points battle.

In 2009, Boullion was joined by Christophe Tinseau, with whom he would take two second places at the start of the campaign before winning at the Algarve. However, a retirement at the Nürburgring would cost the pair dearly, as it handed the title advantage to Aston Martin Racing, who would take the championship at the final round, leaving Boullion and his teammate in second.

He moved to Rebellion Racing ahead of the 2010 season, where he and Andrea Belicchi scored a sole podium. The pair remained together for 2011 as a pair of podiums landed them second in the standings, just three points behind the title-winning Pescarolo squad. Subsequently, Boullion would return there for 2012, driving in the opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship at Sebring. He was later slated to race at Le Mans, but a practice crash which damaged his ribs would sideline him from the race.

Racing record

Complete International Formula 3000 results

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

Complete Formula One results

( key)

† Driver did not finish the race, but was still classified as they completed 90% of the race distance.

Complete British Touring Car Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position â€“ 1 point awarded all races) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) (* signifies that driver lead feature race for at least one lap â€“ 1 point awarded)

24 Hours of Le Mans results

Complete European Le Mans Series results

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

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

References

External links

Motorsport interview
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Boullion, Jean-Christophe
1969 births
Living people
French racing drivers
French Formula One drivers
Sauber Formula One drivers
International Formula 3000 Champions
British Touring Car Championship drivers
French Formula Three Championship drivers
24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
International Formula 3000 drivers
European Le Mans Series drivers
FIA World Endurance Championship drivers
Pescarolo Sport drivers
Rebellion Racing drivers
DAMS drivers
Graff Racing drivers
Sportspeople from Saint-Brieuc