17 replies to this topic

[HistoryFan]

Hello at all!

I have some questions about Guy Ligier and his Ligier team:


1. Guy Ligier himself raced in some F1 races in the mid 60s. He entered private Coopers and Brabhams. Had he some mechanics who helped him or was he only a one-man-team? Did this people later also worked in the real Ligier F1 team?

2. Guy Ligier and Jo Schlesser planed a own racing team. They bought several F2-McLarens. But then Schlesser died in a crash before that could become true. After that every Ligier car was calles JS (for Jo Schlesser). Can you tell me more about their team? Did they want to enter F1 with that team?

3. Ligier sold his team to Cyril de Rouvre in 1992. Why did he sell his team to him? Were there no other candidated who were interested in buying Ligier?

4. Alain Prost bought the team in 1997. Flavio Briatore who owned the team before, said there were 6 candidates, who were also interested in buying that team. Who were they?

Thank you for helping me!

[Arjan de Roos]

Originally posted by HistoryFan


3. Ligier sold his team to Cyril de Rouvre in 1992. Why did he sell his team to him?

De Rouvre owned AGS before that time, he was a business man, he had the money to buy it, he is a petrol head, he did business with Guy Ligier before.

4. Alain Prost bought the team in 1997. Flavio Briatore who owned the team before, said there were 6 candidates, who were also interested in buying that team. Who were they?

Maybe BAT was one of them.

[HistoryFan]

De Rouvre in buissness with Ligier before? Can you tell me more about that.

And I don't think so, that De Rouvre had so much money, because he must sell AGS to two Italians because the team ran out of money...

[Macca]

Here is a scanned photo of Ligier and helpers in the pits at Brands Hatch during the 1966 British GP meeting:



Paul M

[Bjorn Kjer]

GL : French 500cc MC champion ,from 1963 did Rally , Hillclimbs , GT and F2(Ford France) , imported Shelby cars which helped his selffinanced racing.
1966 : Bought a Cooper Maserati F1 (F1-4-66) and raced , 2 mechanics fulltime , a French and a British , no firm base , working out of Coopers or Maserati premises. For 67 bought the BT19 Repco and for 68 set up Ecurie Inter Sports for himself and Schlesser with Mclaren F2's ending the season midways.

If you speak French there are a lot to pick up on 3 French forums.

With a bit of patience you can find more here on the TNF , f.ex. about the Ligiers Brabham Recpo.

[Arjan de Roos]

Originally posted by HistoryFan
De Rouvre in buissness with Ligier before? Can you tell me more about that.

I read somewhere that he was involved with a Ligier/Williams deal on a semi-automatic gearbox.

And I don't think so, that De Rouvre had so much money, because he must sell AGS to two Italians because the team ran out of money...

I thought he was in the sugar business (next to mayor of a french town). The sale of AGS should be seen independently from his personal financial situation.

[bschenker]

For 67 bought the BT19 Repco

Think right is Brabham Repco BT20-2
.

[HistoryFan]

Thank you for helping me!

[philippe charuest]

Originally posted by HistoryFan
Hello at all!

I have some questions about Guy Ligier and his Ligier team:


1. Guy Ligier himself raced in some F1 races in the mid 60s. He entered private Coopers and Brabhams. Had he some mechanics who helped him or was he only a one-man-team? Did this people later also worked in the real Ligier F1 team?

the 66-67 races done with the cooper maserati and later with a brabham repco was already a joint project of ligier AND schlesser .schlesser was racing in f2 on a matra but i dont recall if it was a factory"tyrell " car or as a privateer ,and both were driving the ford-france white gt40 . but later most people in the early days of the ligier F1 team (75-76) were former Matra boys

[Bjorn Kjer]

Jo Schlesser raced F2 Brabhams for Ford France in 64/65 & 67 , In 66 he did for Matra Sports.

Guy Ligier raced F2 Brabhams for Ford France in 64/65 & 66.

For 1968 they of course formed Ecurie Inter Course with F2 Mclarens.

It is new to me that JS had to do with GL's F1 racing ?

[HistoryFan]

It's new to me too. I know that they were good friends and that they were planing a project together (-> question 2). But that project began in the late 60s with buying some F2 McLarens and not with the F1 races of Guy Ligier, so are my information speaking...

[David McKinney]

I always thought that the Schlesser/Ligier partnership began in F2 in 1964 (or possibly even in FJ before that) and that Ford France were at that stage merely sponsors

[Bjorn Kjer]

According to my records Guy Ligier did not drive in FJ .

[stavelot]

Originally posted by Bjørn Kjer


If you speak French there are a lot to pick up on 3 French forums.

Please could you give us the URL of these forums?

[Bjorn Kjer]

http://www.forum-auto.com/

http://forums.motorlegend.com/vb/

http://www.autodiva.fr/

[962C]

Originally posted by Bjørn Kjer
According to my records Guy Ligier did not drive in FJ .

Gérard Crombac writes in his autobiography that Ligier bought a (hopeless according to Jabby) Elva-DKW FJ at the 1960 London Racing Car Show. He doesn't say anything about him racing it though.

[Bjorn Kjer]

Sorry, I should have said : According to my records , I have not registered Ligier in any FJ race . But interesting still.

[HistoryFan]

Originally posted by Arjan de Roos





I thought he was in the sugar business (next to mayor of a french town). The sale of AGS should be seen independently from his personal financial situation.

To the AGS sale...

I've heard that AGS wanted to merge with Larrousse before the beginning of the 1991 season?
Has anyone more details about that plans?

Later, in 1995, Larrousse wanted to merge with DAMS, but that failed, too.