Jean Rondeau facts for kids
Jean Rondeau (born May 13, 1946, in Le Mans, France) was a French race car driver and car builder. He achieved something very special in 1980: he won the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race in a car that he himself had built and named after himself! No one else has ever done that in the history of this tough race. He passed away on December 27, 1985, in Champagné, France.
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Jean Rondeau's Racing Journey
Jean Rondeau started his racing career briefly in Formula Renault. After that, he moved on to racing saloon cars. He raced in a few Le Mans events as a guest driver. Then, in 1976, he led the Inaltera racing team.
After the Inaltera company stopped their support, Rondeau continued building his own cars. These cars used Ford engines and were called GTP cars. In 1979, he made a big move by hiring the famous driver Henri Pescarolo for his team.
Winning Le Mans in 1980
In 1980, Jean Rondeau and Jean-Pierre Jaussaud won the 1980 24 Hours of Le Mans race. They had a tough fight against the Porsche 908/80 driven by Jacky Ickx and Reinhold Joest. Rondeau is still the only person to win this race in a car he designed and named himself.
Their teammates, Pescarolo and Jean Ragnotti, had to stop racing during the night due to engine problems. But Rondeau and Jaussaud kept going. They won the race by two laps, which is a great achievement!
Other Le Mans Races
In 1984, Rondeau finished second in the 1984 24 Hours of Le Mans. He was part of the American Preston Henn's racing team. He raced with John Paul, Jr. in a Porsche 956B car. They finished two laps behind the winning Porsche team.
Building His Own Race Cars
Jean Rondeau joined a project to create a new type of race car. This was after French factory teams stopped making these cars in 1975. The first idea was to use a Peugeot V8 engine. However, Rondeau believed that the Ford-Cosworth DFV V8 engine would be better. This engine had powered the winning car in the 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Rondeau got support from a French wallpaper company called Inaltera. He then built a group of six cars that could race in the GT prototype class. Rondeau's car factory was located near Le Mans, just like other famous racing teams. The first car Rondeau built to race at Le Mans was the Inaltera GTP in 1976. This car won its class for two years in a row. In 1977, it finished fourth overall in the race.
From Inaltera to Rondeau Cars
After Inaltera stopped their sponsorship, Rondeau found new support from the Otis elevator company. He then built slightly changed versions of the Inaltera cars. These new cars carried his own name. The Rondeau M378 was first shown in 1978, and the M379 came out the next year.
Many people thought the DFV engine was not strong enough for Group Six racing. But in 1980, the Rondeau team surprised everyone. Their M379B cars finished first and third in the Le Mans race! This win made Rondeau one of only two independent builders to win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 1949.
In 1981, Rondeau entered five cars in the race. They finished second and third. However, this race was sad because Rondeau team driver Jean-Louis Lafosse died after a crash. After this, Rondeau cars never reached such high results at Le Mans again.
Challenges and End of the Team
In 1982, the Rondeau team tried hard to win the manufacturers' title in the World Endurance Championship. They won a race at Monza and had two other top-three finishes. This put them in second place behind Porsche in the season points.
However, their new Cosworth DFL engines were not reliable enough for Le Mans. All three of their main M382 cars had to stop due to mechanical problems. A rule change allowed Porsche to get points from another car, which helped them win the championship. Rondeau's main sponsor, Otis, was very upset and stopped supporting the team.
In 1983, Ford became Rondeau's main supporter. They introduced a new car, the M482, at Le Mans. But the DFL engines were still not reliable. Also, Rondeau had trouble developing new car designs that would make them competitive. Because of these challenges, Rondeau's team was closed down at the end of 1983.
The last time a Rondeau car was seen at Le Mans was in 1988, driven by private teams. Some of the old Rondeau M379B cars are still raced today in historic competitions. A total of 19 Rondeau cars were built, and 17 of them still exist.
A Sad End
Jean Rondeau died in an accident when his car was hit by a train. This happened near Champagné. He was following a police car across train tracks when the safety gates were down. His car was hit by the train that the gates had closed for.
