Michel Jourdain Sr., Michel Jourdain Declercq (born August 25, 1947) is a

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

former racing driver from

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

. Born in Belgium, Jourdain's family emigrated to Mexico when he was 4. Jourdain competed in a number of different Mexican racing series and competed in the

CART A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by draught animals such as horses, donkeys, mules and oxen, or even smaller animals such as goats or large dogs. A handcart ...

's 1980 Primera Copa Indy 150 at

Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez Autodromo or Autódromo is an Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish word for race track. It may refer to: * Autódromo de Benguela, Benguela, Angola * Autódromo Chiapas, Berriozábal, Chiapas * Autódromo Ciudad de Concordia, Concordia, Entre Río ...

in his hometown of Mexico City. He started 20th in an

Offy The Offenhauser Racing Engine, or Offy, is a racing engine design that dominated American open wheel racing for more than 50 years and is still popular among vintage sprint and midget car racers. History The Offenhauser engine, familiarly ...

powered

Eagle Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...

but was knocked out after 5 laps by an oil line failure. He entered the race two weeks later at

Phoenix International Raceway Phoenix Raceway (formerly known as ISM Raceway from 2018–2020, Phoenix International Raceway from 1964–1973 and 1976–2017, and FasTrack International Speedway from 1973–1976) is a dogleg oval track in Avondale, Arizona. The track has ...

but failed to qualify. He drove in the 1981 Mexico City race but was again knocked out by an oil line failure after 18 laps. He competed in the

Baja 1000 The Baja 1000 is an annual Mexican off-road motorsport race held on the Baja California Peninsula, with a course of up to about 850 or more miles. It is one of the most prestigious off-road races in the world, having attracted competitors from ...

in 2004 and 2005 alongside his son Michel Jr. and brother

Bernard Bernard ('' Bernhard'') is a French and West Germanic masculine given name. It has West Germanic origin and is also a surname. The name is attested from at least the 9th century. West Germanic ''Bernhard'' is composed from the two elements ''be ...

who both also competed in CART. They won the Baja Challenge class for Celebrity Pro-Am teams in 2004 and placed third in 2005. Jourdain is also a motorsport promoter and track owner. In 1984 he founded the Mexican Fórmula K, later Formula 2 and Formula 3000. He became manager of the

Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is a motorsport race track in Mexico City, Mexico, named after the racing drivers Ricardo Rodríguez (1942–1962) and Pedro Rodríguez (1940–1971). The circuit got its current name in 1979 after Ricardo ...

in the 1990s. In 1997 he founded the Copa Mustang. In 2004 he became manager of the

Desafío Corona The Desafío Corona was a stock car racing series in Mexico. NASCAR founded the series in 2004 in conjunction with OCESA, a Mexican entertainment company. The business partnership between NASCAR and OCESA resulted in the creation of a new entit ...

. In 2011 he created the Super Copa Telcel. He has been described as the " Bill France of Mexico", having said in 2003 to have founded 28 different racing series.Kirby, Gordon
Gordon Kirby's Inside Track: Why Champ Car World Series is so big in Mexico
, ChampCarWorldSeries.com, March 18, 2003

References

1947 births Champ Car drivers Mexican racing drivers Mexican people of Belgian descent Racing drivers from Mexico City Trans-Am Series drivers Living people Belgian emigrants to Mexico {{Mexico-autoracing-bio-stub