A taste of unfinished business for Jabouille in Endurance

Jean-Pierre Jabouille will remain a man apart in the statistics of 24 Hours of Le Mans, and more generally in Endurance. The Parisian born to Creuse parents only came close to the top of the podium; However, his 13 participations in Sarthe have allowed him to build a trajectory like no other. He is in fact the only one to have worn the national colors ofAlpine, Matra, RenaultAnd then Peugeot in Group C with the 905. A willing patriot, “Le Grand Blond” thus defended the interests of all French manufacturers who officially raced in Endurance from the 1960s until the early 1990s.

His discovery of Le Mans came in unusual conditions, in 1968. Following the events of May, the race was postponed to the last weekend of September. The night will be longer there, the temperatures slightly cooler. Fortunately, the beginner benefits from all the wisdom of his teammate Jean Guichet, winner in 1964 with Ferrari and fifteen years his senior. The Marseillais and the Francilien take turns aboard a Alpine A220 managed by Jacques Cheinisse… with the means at hand. “ At Alpine, in 1968-69, we did not do tests before the 24 Hours, because the