Jacque Lafitte
#1
Posted 01 October 2002 - 14:28
Does anyone have any great memories of his driving to share? I saw him race
for several years at Watkins Glen in the USGP and I always rated him pretty
high. I explained that I would be driving his Ralt RT-4 car in the Southern
Festival of Speed in New Zealand this year and his eyes just lit up. What
a nice man!
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#2
Posted 01 October 2002 - 17:12
#3
Posted 01 October 2002 - 19:20
It was a wet and cold september day back in 1981 when Jacques won his last ever GP in Montreal.
He drove a masterful race in very difficult conditions.
#4
Posted 01 October 2002 - 19:23
Dave, When? I had planned to drop by on Sunday, but got waylaid. Plus, Burt Levy and I got to yakking....
#5
Posted 01 October 2002 - 19:47
#6
Posted 02 October 2002 - 15:47
I thought his career may have come to a stop with WIlliams in 1983-84, but those 1985-86 drives for Ligier were impressive...a number of podiums including at least 2 second places before his unfortunate accident at Brands. The funniest was when he was trying to preserve a 2-3 finish in Australia and signaled his teammate to stay behind him, then the teammate (was it Phillippe Streiff?) smashed into him and drove the last lap on 3 wheels to keep his 3rd!
#7
Posted 02 October 2002 - 22:57
#8
Posted 02 October 2002 - 23:32
told him that I liked how he always wore a Ligier Tshirt under
his suit even when driving for someone else. It was in the pits
before qualifying and he talked with me for probably 10 min. and
acted like he had nothing more pressing to do that day than chat!
What a nice guy he is, when he finally said the team would be look-
ing for him he asked ME if I wanted an autograph (I hadn't thought to
ask). One of my all time favorite drivers.
#9
Posted 02 October 2002 - 23:43
DCN
#10
Posted 03 October 2002 - 01:57
#11
Posted 03 October 2002 - 02:24
#12
Posted 03 October 2002 - 14:58
#13
Posted 03 October 2002 - 15:52
Murray Walker
I saw Jacques at the Glen quite a bit. We had a great name for his determined style of driving - and called him Jacques La-FOOT!
He represented the Matra entries very well... they were awesome in both sight and sound.
He was truly a class guy... in the 82 battle for the championship, while he could have figured in the outcome, he sportingly moved aside in the Austrian GP to let Rosberg and de Angelis fight it out.
He also remarked of Gilles skill at his famous run in the wet at the '79 Glen event:
"....the Ferrari breathless and steaming. In the pits the other drivers, aghast, had giggled nervously every time he skittered by at 160 mph. "Why do we bother ? He's different from the rest of us," Jacques Laffite said. "On another level ..."
From Nigel Robuck's Grand Prix Greats.
#14
Posted 04 October 2002 - 02:59
#15
Posted 04 October 2002 - 03:05