Robert Choulet (born 28 February 1935) is a French
aerodynamics
Aerodynamics () is the study of the motion of atmosphere of Earth, air, particularly when affected by a solid object, such as an airplane wing. It involves topics covered in the field of fluid dynamics and its subfield of gas dynamics, and is an ...
engineer influential in race car
dynamics.
Career
A disciple of aerodynamics pioneer
Charles Deutsch
Charles Deutsch (1911–1980) was a French aerodynamics engineer and automobile maker, founder of the brand " DB" with René Bonnet, and later of the "CD".
Early history
Deutsch was born at Champigny-sur-Marne on 6 September 1911. His father wa ...
, Choulet worked for Deutsch's Société d'Études et de Réalisations Automobiles (SERA-CD ) from 1963 to 1967. During this period, he worked on the aerodynamics of the CD cars.
He then joined Matra in 1968. One of his first projects was the Matra M640
Le Mans 24 Hours
The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused 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 the Monaco Grand ...
car. Following that, he returned to SERA-CD and was involved in designing the famous
Porsche 917
The Porsche 917 is a sports prototype race car developed by German manufacturer Porsche to exploit the regulations regarding the construction of 5-litre sports cars. Powered by a Type 912 flat-12 engine which was progressively enlarged from 4. ...
especially the LH version, and the
Can-Am
The Canadian-American Challenge Cup, or Can-Am, was an SCCA/ CASC sports car racing series from 1966 to 1974, and again from 1977 to 1987.
The Can-Am rules were deliberately simple and placed few limits on the entries. This led to a wide variet ...
cars that followed. He later was influential in designing the
Alfa Romeo 33TT12.
From 1976 to 1980, Choulet worked with the
Ligier
Ligier () is a French automobile and minibus maker created by former racing driver and rugby player Guy Ligier (1930–2015), specialized in the manufacturing of microcars.
Ligier is best known for its involvement in the Formula 1 World Cham ...
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 ...
team, being involved in the design of the
JS5,
JS7,
JS9,
JS11 and
JS11/15 models.
SERA and Choulet also worked with 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 ...
sports car team in 1977 and on Alfa's Formula One car in 1979.
Choulet created the Aérodyne company in 1983 working on such different cars as Formula Ford Rondeau and Audi Quattro for rally racing. He then worked for many years for
Peugeot
Peugeot (, , ) is a French automobile brand owned by Stellantis.
The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was established in 1810, making it the oldest car company in the world. On 20 November 1858, Émile Peugeot applie ...
. He was also influential in the
Group C
Group C was a category of sports car racing introduced by the FIA in 1982 and continuing until 1993, with ''Group A'' for Touring car racing, touring cars and ''Group B'' for Grand tourer, GTs.
It was designed to replace both Group 5 (motorspor ...
Peugeot 905 programme (notably the Ev1bis and Ev 2 "Supercopter" with radical aerodynamic solutions) as well as for
Jordan
Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...
Formula One team and the rally cars Peugeot 206 and Citroën Xsara WRC.
In the 2000s, he became involved with Panasonic
Toyota Racing Toyota Racing may refer to:
* Toyota Gazoo Racing
* Toyota Motorsport GmbH
* Toyota Racing (Formula One team)
* Toyota Racing Development
* Toyota Racing Series
See also
* Toyota Supra in motorsport
* Toyota in motorsport
{{disambiguation ...
and has been a consultant for
Toyota Motorsport GmbH
Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe GmbH (TGR-E) is an automotive engineering and motorsport services facility based in Cologne, Germany. It is fully-owned and controlled by Toyota Motor Corporation.
TGR-E's principal operation is technical developmen ...
(TMG) in Cologne since 2011.
Education
*
Lycée du Parc
The Lycée du Parc is a public secondary school located in the sixth ''arrondissement'' of Lyon, France. Its name comes from the Parc de la Tête d'Or, one of Europe's largest urban parks, which is situated nearby.
It provides a ''lycée''-level ...
*
Ecole centrale Paris in 1959
*
IFP School
The IFP School ( French: ''ENSPM - École Nationale Supérieure du Pétrole et des Moteurs'') is a graduate engineering school located in Rueil-Malmaison, France. Founded in 1954, IFP School is part of the IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPEN), a Frenc ...
- Ecole Nationale Supérieure du Pétrole et des Moteurs (Major : Engines) in 1960.
Distinctions
*Joseph Béthenod Prize
*Society of Automotive Engineers : Massion Award (1987)
Others
*Membership : SIA (Society of Automotive Engineers)
*Auto Hebdo n° 229, 21 August 1980
References
Robert Choulet profile at GrandPrix.comRobert Choulet profile at ChicaneF1
*S.I.A. Journal Société des ingénieurs de l'automobile
The French Society of Automotive Engineers (, SIA) is an association of French engineers, managers, technicians and automotive professionals working in the automotive sector in France.The association is regulated under the '' loi de 1901''. Its m ...
, September 1984 issue : ''Rappel des conclusions sur le comportement des véhicules freinés à grande vitesse''
*Auto Technologies Congress, Monte-Carlo, January 1985 : ''La stabilité de plate-forme des véhicules futurs''
External links
SERA
French automotive engineers
Formula One designers
1935 births
Living people
Aerodynamicists
French motorsport people
Alfa Romeo people
{{automobile-bio-stub