Guy Chasseuil

26/1/1942

Record updated 19-Feb-07

Guy Chasseuil
Rally driver who also participated in endurance racing. 1968 Le Mans Porsche 911T with Claude Ballot-Lena. Retired in 1969, raced at Le Mans 24 hours in a Porsche 911S driving with Claude Ballot-Lena. Finished 2 2nd in GT class. Then went on to take victory at the Spa 24 hour race once again driving the Sonauto Team 911S with Claude Ballot-Lena. Victory came when the lead car of Gaban and Larrousse had to give up at 6 in the morning with no oil pressure.

In 1970 he was back at the Sarthe in a Porsche 914/6 GT in BP livery. Again he shared the driving wth Ballot-Lena and they finished 6th overall and victory in GT class. He also drove with Bjorn Waldegaard and Ove Andersson in the Marathon de la Route in the 914/6 GT finishing 3rd overall. He was back with his regular partner, Claude Ballot-Lena, for the 1000 kms of Paris in a 908.

1971 saw victory at the 3 hours of Le Mans in a privately entered Porsche 908 in BP/Sonauto colours of yellow and green with Claude Ballot-Lena was followed by the 24 hour ace at Spa in the same 908. They finished 5th overall. At the Nürburgring in the 908 they finished 7th followed by an accident and subsequent retirement at Le Mans. He drove one of three works Porsche 914/6 GT in the Monté Carlo rally but retired.

1972 Le Mans, De Tomaso Pantera Ford with Jean Vinatier. retired 1973 Le Mans, Porsche Carrera RS with Peter Gregg. 7th GTS. 1974 Le Mans, Ligier JS2 Maserati with Michel Leclére. retired.

In 1975 When Jean-Marie Balestre dropped the green flag to start the Le Man 24 hour race, the two Gulf-Mirage launched ahead of the pack and opened a commanding lead, switching positions time and again. In the meantime the other teams - notably the Ligiers, the de Cadenet and the top Porsche privateers - opted for a more prudent pace, surrounded by fuel consumption worries and betting that John Wyer's cars could not keep that rhythm until the end of the race. Additionally, Lafosse and Chasseuil's car was affected by niggling problems that slowed them down at the beginning of the race. On the fourth hour of the race Beltoise and Jarier - maybe trying a little too hard - crashed their car. Ten hours later it was the team leading vehicle of Pescarolo and Migault abandoned followed a puncture. This left the French hopes on the hands of Lafosse and Chasseuil. With this in mind and keeping an eye at the times clocked by the Gulf cars Guy Ligier decided to change strategy, letting Lafosse and Chasseuil increase the pace of number 5 up and up, and the car begun a steady climb through the classification. Throughout Sunday morning the duo continued to gain terrain; the public noticed their effort and shouts the names of the drivers when the car passes in front of the tribunes. As it had happened during the three consecutive Matra wins of 1972, 1973 and 1974, shouts of "Allez les Bleus" could be heard at the Le Mans grandstands. Ligier mechanics frantically signed to Lafosse and Chasseuil to go faster, but the car is now not only racing against its competitors, particularly the Gulf-Mirages: it is also a fight against time, as the race is due to finish at 16h00. Excitement keeped building up, and a great celebration is heard when the blue car overtakes the Gulf-Mirage of Vern Schuppan and Jean-Pierre Jaussaud. However, there is no time to catch the other one, driven by Jacky Ickx and Derek Bell; Lafosse and Chasseuil finish the race in second place, only one lap behind the leaders. The difference between the two cars in terms of relative distance covered was of less than half a percent after twenty-four hours of competition. It was a great result to Ligier but a sad defeat as well, which can possibly be attributed to the too conservative pace on the early phases of the race.

1976 Le Mans, WM P76 Peugeot with Claude Ballot-Lena. Retired 1977 Le Mans, Porsche Carrera RSR with Hubert Striebig and Hughes Kirschoffer. Retired. 1978 Le Mans, Porsche 934 with Jean-Claude Lefévre and Marcel Mignot. Retired.

1981 he returned to 24 hours of Le Mans with Bob Wollek and Xavier Lapeyre. Over some years, the Kremer brothers had been collecting parts to build up a 917 coupé, more for their own enjoyment than with any real intention to race it seriously. But in the transition year, 1981, before the sports car regulations changed to the new Group C fuel consumption formula, they saw an opportunity for a prototype based on the 917. The Automobile Club de l'Ouest was enthusiastic and an entry was made for the 1981 24 Hours. While the cockpit area was pure 917, the rest of the body was updated to then current thinking. The most obvious difference was the move away from the original coupe's flowing curves, to a more flat-sided angular shape. The nose became less concave, but acquired a horizontal splitter, while a full-width wing was hung out at the rear between cantilevered vertical fins. A new frame was constructed, complete with additional cockpit strengthening and air jacks. The customer racing department at Weissach supplied the team with a 4,9-litre twelve for the race and a late-version four-speed transmission from the Can-Am car. Designated the 917/81, the car faced the Jules -sponsored, factory 936/81s- themselves directly evolved from the 917 Can-Am cars. It was no contest. While the 936 would win its third Le Mans, the 917/81 would only last until the eighth hour. An off-course excursion led to a broken oil line. With no desire to destroy the expensive engine after running with little oil, the car was retired.



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