Luciano "Lucien" Bianchi (, ; 10 November 1934 – 30 March 1969) was an Italian-born Belgian

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 ...

who raced for the Cooper, ENB,

UDT Laystall British Racing Partnership (BRP) was a racing team, and latterly constructor, from the United Kingdom. It was established by Alfred Moss and Ken Gregory – Stirling Moss's father and former manager, respectively – in 1957 to run cars for Sti ...

and

Scuderia Centro Sud Scuderia Centro Sud was a Privateer (motorsport), privateer racing team founded in Modena by Guglielmo "Mimmo" Dei and active in Formula One and sports car racing between 1956 and 1965. Dei had been an amateur driver in the 1930s. In the early 19 ...

teams in

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 ...

. He entered a total of 19 Formula One World Championship races, scoring six points and had a best finish of third at the

1968 Monaco Grand Prix The 1968 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Monte Carlo Circuit on 26 May 1968. It was race 3 of 12 in both the 1968 World Championship of Drivers and the 1968 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The race wa ...

. He also drove in 13 consecutive

24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...

(1956–1968), finishing 1st in Class three times, including the 1st overall win at the

1968 24 Hours of Le Mans The 1968 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 36th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 28 and 29 September 1968 on the Circuit de la Sarthe, in Le Mans, France. A significant change was the imposition of engine limits on Group 4 racers, to lower o ...

, with co-driver Pedro Rodríguez. Bianchi died in a crash while testing for the

1969 24 Hours of Le Mans The 1969 24 Hours of Le Mans was a motor race staged at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France on 14 and 15 June 1969. It was the 37th Grand Prix of Endurance and was the eighth round of the 1969 International Championship for Makes. The race ...

Personal life

Bianchi was born in

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

, Italy, but moved to Belgium in 1946 with his father, who before the

Second World War 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 ...

was a race mechanic working in the

Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian carmaker known for its sports-oriented vehicles, strong auto racing heritage, and iconic design. Headquartered in Turin, Italy, it is a subsidiary of Stellantis Europe and one of 14 brands of mu ...

competition department. His brother, Mauro Bianchi, also became a racing driver. They drove to victory together in the 1965 Nürburgring 500 km. Mauro later won the P1.6 class at the

1967 24 Hours of Le Mans The 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 35th 24 Hours of Le Mans, Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 10 and 11 June 1967. It was also the seventh round of the 1967 World Sportscar Championship. Dan Gurney and A. J. Foyt, driving a Ford GT40 ...

. His grandnephew,

Jules Bianchi Jules Lucien André Bianchi (; 3 August 1989 – 17 July 2015) was a French racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Born and raised in Nice, Bianchi was the grandson of endurance racing driver Mauro Bianchi and the great-nephew ...

, who made his

debut with the

Marussia Marussia Motors ( ) was a Russian sports car company founded in 2007. It was the first Russian company to produce a supercar. It designed, and manufactured prototypes of both the B1 and the B2 sport cars. Marussia was led by former motor racer Ni ...

team for the season competing under the French flag, died in 2015, having never regained consciousness after a crash during the

2014 Japanese Grand Prix The 2014 Japanese Grand Prix (formally the 2014 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 5 October 2014 at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, Mie. It was the 15th race of the 2014 FIA Formula One World Championship, and ...

Racing career

Lucien Bianchi's first race event was at the

Alpine Rally The Alpine Rally, also known by its official name Coupe des Alpes, was a rally competition based in Marseille and held from 1932 to 1971. In the 1950s and the 1960s, it was among the most prestigious rallies in the world and featured an interna ...

in 1951. He won the 1957, 1958 and 1959 ''

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...

'' as well as the Paris 1000 sports car race in the latter two years. Bianchi and McLaren at 1968 Dutch Grand Prix

He entered Formula One in 1959, although only with sporadic appearances at first. He drove various cars under the banner of the ENB team, including a Cooper T51, a Lotus 18 and an

Emeryson Emeryson was a 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 ...

. After a couple of races for the UDT Laystall team in 1961, driving another Lotus, he returned to ENB for whom he drove their ENB-

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. Ma ...

. He finally secured a more regular drive in Formula One in 1968, with the Cooper-BRM team, although success was elusive despite a bright start. Bianchi managed his best Formula One performance, finishing third at the

, in his first race for Cooper. Bianchi also raced

touring car Touring car and tourer are both terms for open cars (i.e. cars without a fixed roof). "Touring car" is a style of open car built in the United States which seats four or more people. The style was popular from the early 1900s to the 1930s. The ...

sports cars A sports car is a type of automobile that is designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving, and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1910s and ar ...

and

rally car Rallying is a wide-ranging form of motorsport with various competitive motoring elements such as speed tests (sometimes called "rally racing" in United States), navigation tests, or the ability to reach waypoints or a destination at a prescribed ...

s, being successful in all disciplines, his biggest victories coming in the

, behind the wheel of a

Ford GT40 The Ford GT40 is a high-performance mid-engined racing car originally designed and built for and by the Ford Motor Company to compete in 1960s European endurance racing. Its specific impetus was to beat Scuderia Ferrari, which had won the pr ...

with Pedro Rodríguez and at Sebring in 1962 with

Jo Bonnier Karl Jockum Jonas "Joakim" Bonnier (31 January 1930 – 11 June 1972), commonly known as Jo Bonnier, was a Swedish racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Bonnier won the 1959 Dutch Grand Prix with BRM. ...

. He was also leading the 1968 London–Sydney Marathon when his

Citroën DS The Citroën DS () is a Front-mid-engine, front-wheel-drive layout, front mid-engined, front-wheel drive executive car manufactured and marketed by Citroën from 1955 to 1975, in fastback/sedan, wagon/estate, and convertible body configurations ...

collided with a non-competing car on the closed course near

Nowra Nowra () is a city in the South Coast, New South Wales, South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It is located south-southwest of the state capital of Sydney (about as the crow flies). As of the 2021 census, Nowra has an estimated po ...

, 100 km south of

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. He was killed when his Alfa Romeo T33 spun into a telegraph pole during

Le Mans Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...

testing in 1969. At

Circuit Zolder The Circuit Zolder, also known as Circuit Terlamen, is an undulating motorsport race track in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium. History Built in 1963, Zolder hosted the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix on 10 separate occasions in the 1970s and 1980s, ...

, the fourth turn of the circuit, entering the back stretch, is named LucienBianchiBocht in his memory.

Racing record

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Formula One World Championship results

( key)

Complete 24 Hours of Spa results

Complete USAC Championship Car results

Complete British Saloon Car Championship results

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

Other race results

Tour de France Automobile Tour de France Automobile was a sports car race held on roads around France regularly (mostly annually) between 1899 and 1986. History The first edition in 1899 was won by René de Knyff driving a Panhard et Levassor at 30 mph (50&nbs ...

, 1st: 1957, 1958, 1959, 1964 / 2nd: 1961, 1963 *

Spa 24 Hours The 24 Hours of Spa is an endurance racing event for cars held annually since 1924 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot, Belgium. It is currently sponsored by CrowdStrike. History The Spa 24 Hours was conceived by Jules de Their and ...

, 1st: 1964 (in Class 5) overall 4th *

12 hours of Sebring The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance race for Sports car racing, sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, on the site of the former Hendricks Army Airfield World War II air base in S ...

, 1st: 1962 *

12 Hours of Reims The 12 Hours of Reims (official name: 12 Heures internationales de Reims) was a sports car endurance race held from 1953 to 1967 at the Reims (Gueux) circuit in the Marne district of the Champagne region in north-eastern France. The 1926 Coupe d� ...

, 1st: 1965 (in class P1.3) overall 7th *

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 ...

, 1st: 1965 (in class GT1.6) overall 7th *

6 Hours of Nürburgring 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics A six-sided polygon is a hexagon, one of the three regular polygons capable of tiling the plane. A hexagon a ...

, 1st: 1965 *

6 Hours of Watkins Glen The Six Hours of Watkins Glen (currently sponsored as the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen) is a sports car endurance race held annually at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York. The race dates from 1948, and has been a part of the ...

, 1st: 1968 * 1000 km of Nürburgring, 1st: 1965 (in class S.16) overall 13th, 1967 (in class P+2.0) overall 4th * 1000 km of Paris, 1st: 1960 / 2nd: 1961, 1967 * Mugello Grand Prix, 1st: 1968 * 9 hours of Kyalami, 1st: 1968 * Grand Prix of Angola, 1st: 1962 / 2nd: 1964 * Grand Prix of Zolder, 1st: 1964 * 500 km of Nürburgring, 1st: 1965, 1963 (in class T1.0) * Trophée d'Auvergne, 1st: 1963 (in class S/P+3.0)

References

External links

GrandPrix.com
— Bianchi's entry at GrandPrix.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Bianchi, Lucien 1934 births 1969 deaths Racing drivers from Milan Belgian Formula One drivers Belgian racing drivers Ecurie Nationale Belge Formula One drivers British Racing Partnership Formula One drivers Reg Parnell Racing Formula One drivers Scuderia Centro Sud Formula One drivers Cooper Formula One drivers 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers 24 Hours of Le Mans winning drivers Racing drivers who died while racing Sport deaths in France World Sportscar Championship drivers Italian emigrants to Belgium 12 Hours of Sebring drivers 12 Hours of Reims drivers