Georges-Francis "Johnny" Servoz-Gavin (18 January 1942 – 29 May 2006)[1] was a French motor racing driver in both sportscars and single seaters.
| Born | 18 January 1942 Grenoble, Rhône-Alpes, France |
|---|---|
| Died | 29 May 2006 (aged 64) Grenoble, Rhône-Alpes, France |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  French |
| Active years | 1967–1970 |
| Teams | Matra, Cooper, Tyrrell |
| Entries | 13 (12 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 1 |
| Career points | 9 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1967 Monaco Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1970 Monaco Grand Prix |
He participated in 13 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix between 1967 and 1970, failing to qualify in one. He achieved one podium, and scored a total of nine championship points. He drove for the Tyrrell Formula One team, mainly as Jackie Stewart's teammate.
Early life
editServoz-Gavin was born in Grenoble, a city in the foothills of the Alps. As a teenager he worked as a ski instructor, during which time he became known as "Johnny".[1]
Career
editLower formulae
editServoz-Gavin's early work included developing sports cars for Matra.[2] After initially competing in rallying, Servoz-Gavin moved to single-seater racing. He had previously attended the racing drivers' school at the Magny-Cours circuit in the centre of France, (from which he was "thrown out")[3] and in 1965 entered the French Formula Three Championship in a private Brabham BT18.[2] By the late 1960s, Servoz-Gavin was a rising star, following in the footsteps of Jacky Ickx and Jean-Pierre Beltoise. He became French Formula Three Champion in 1966 driving a works Matra MS5, and in 1969 he won the European Formula Two Championship.[1]
Formula One
editHis Formula Three racing performances won Servoz-Gavin the attention of Matra, resulting in his moving into Formula One.[2] His best season was 1968, particularly the 1968 Italian Grand Prix in which he finished second and scored six points, driving a Matra. He also impressed at the Monaco Grand Prix, entering as Jackie Stewart's stand-in, starting from the front row of the grid,[1] and leading from Graham Hill at the start, until his race ended early after clipping a barrier and breaking a driveshaft in a similar incident to the one that resulted in the death of Lorenzo Bandini in the Monaco Grand Prix the previous year.[1] Next year, he also scored a sixth place in the 1969 Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport Park, which secured him a place in history as the only driver ever to score a world championship point with a four-wheel-driven Formula One car, the Matra MS84.[3]
Servoz-Gavin suffered an eye injury in an off-road event in the winter of 1969–70, and had been worrying that his eyesight had been damaged.[1] Driving a March 701, for the Tyrrell[3] team he finished fifth (yet last) in the 1970 Spanish Grand Prix at Jarama. Then after hitting a barrier again, and failing to qualify for the 1970 Monaco Grand Prix he decided to retire.[1] Servoz-Gavin felt that the risks inherent in Formula One and racing in general were not worthwhile but the problems with his vision may have influenced his decision.[3]
Other motorsport interests
editIn 1969, Servoz-Gavin participated in Matra endurance events, co-driving with Pedro Rodríguez.[2]
Later life
editA man of good looks and high society, he was among a number of Formula One drivers rumoured to be the unknown driver in Claude Lelouch's 1977 short footage film C'était un rendez-vous, although Lelouch claimed to have driven the car himself.[4][5]
After his racing career was over, Servoz-Gavin lived on a houseboat and suffered serious burns when a gas bottle exploded on his boat in 1982.[4] He died in May 2006 as the result of a pulmonary embolism, following a period of ill health. He was 64 years old.[2]
Racing record
edit24 Hours of Le Mans results
edit| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Matra Sports SARL
|
Jean-Pierre Beltoise
|
Matra MS620-BRM | P 2.0 |
112 | DNF | DNF |
| 1967 | Equipe Matra Sports
|
Jean-Pierre Beltoise
|
Matra MS630-BRM | P 2.0 |
155 | DNF | DNF |
| 1968 | Equipe Matra Sports
|
Henri Pescarolo
|
Matra MS630 | P 3.0 |
283 | DNF | DNF |
| 1969 | Equipe Matra Elf
|
 Herbert Müller
|
Matra MS630 | P 3.0 |
158 | DNF | DNF |
Source:[6]
| |||||||
Complete European Formula Two Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Pos. | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Matra Sports | Matra MS5 | Ford | SNE | SIL | NÜR Ret |
HOC | TUL 8 |
JAR 5 |
ZAN Ret |
PER 5 |
BRH | 6th | 15 | |
| Matra MS7 | VAL 3 | ||||||||||||||
| 1968 | Matra Sports | Matra MS7 | Ford | HOC | THR | JAR | PAL Ret |
TUL | ZAN | PER | HOC | VAL | NC | 0 | |
| 1969 | Matra International | Matra MS7 | Ford | THR 5 |
HOC 6 |
NÜR 6 |
JAR 4 |
TUL | PER 2 |
VAL 1 |
1st | 37 |
Complete Formula One World Championship results
edit(key)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | WDC | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Matra Sports | Matra MS5 (F2) | Ford Cosworth FVA 1.6 L4 | RSA | MON Ret |
NED | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | CAN | ITA | USA | MEX | NC | 0 | ||
| 1968 | Matra International | Matra MS10 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | RSA | ESP | MON Ret |
BEL | NED | ITA 2 |
CAN Ret |
USA | MEX Ret |
13th | 6 | ||||
| Cooper Car Company | Cooper T86B | BRM P101 3.0 V12 | FRA Ret |
GBR | GER | |||||||||||||
| 1969 | Matra International | Matra MS7 (F2) | Ford Cosworth FVA 1.6 L4 | RSA | ESP | MON | NED | FRA | GBR | GER Ret |
ITA | 17th | 1 | |||||
| Matra MS84 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | CAN 6 |
USA NC |
MEX 8 |
||||||||||||||
| 1970 | Tyrrell Racing Organisation | March 701 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | RSA Ret |
ESP 5 |
MON DNQ |
BEL | NED | FRA | GBR | GER | AUT | ITA | CAN | USA | MEX | 20th | 2 |
Source:[7]
| ||||||||||||||||||
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Henry, Alan (26 July 2006). "Johnny Servoz-Gavin". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
- ^ a b c d e McDonough, Ed (2010). Matra Sports Cars: MS620, 630, 650, 660 & 670 - 1966 to 1974. p13: Veloce Publishing Limited.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ a b c d Steve Small (1994). The Guinness Complete Grand Prix Who's Who. Guinness. p. 351. ISBN 0851127029.
- ^ a b "Johnny Servoz-Gavin". gp.com. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
- ^ "Behind the Scenes of Lelouch's Rendezvous". The Motoring Enthusiast. 27 May 2009. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
- ^ "All Results of Johnny Servoz-Gavin". racingsportscars.com. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
- ^ Steve Small (1994). The Guinness Complete Grand Prix Who's Who. Guinness. p. 350. ISBN 0851127029.