5 replies to this topic

[cabianca]

Can someone provide me with personal background on Alain Cudini of France.  He ran over 220 races from 1970 to 2005 winning both the Euro Formula Renault and French Touring Car Championships. He won 40 races in his career. Some seasons he would drive 1-3 races, others well over 20. Did he have a business that demanded more of his time in some years? If not, does anyone know why his participation varied so much from year to year? He seems to have had some team drives as well as many rent-a-rides.

Many thanks,

 

[nexfast]

The French Autodiva Forum has a thread about him. Basically photos and results but also a few things about his personality that someone describes as bipolar. The only mention about his non-racing professional activities is as a owner of a bycicle shop. It seems he was sufficiently fast, a good test driver and  very eclectic to get team drives in different categories and race by himself when none was on offer which might explain the variation in the number of races each year.

[BMWTeamBigazzi]

Alain Cudini is like Houdini!!, all I know about him is that he was born on the 19th of April 1946 in Colombes!! The racing stats speak for themselves, for me France's forgotten man in the motorsport world!! maybe he wanted that way?? who knows?? One hugely successful career in my book, not a playboy or out for attention!! but then again... nobody ever seemed to no notice the Great Cudini!! Just a racer with no fuss or bullsh*t!!.

 

You could try picking up my futile attempts at contacting ex team mates etc!! don't expect much tho!!

 

Any driver racing well into their 50's-60's gets my vote!! and there ain't that many!! Dieter Quester and Roland Asch to name a couple, but Cudini, in his 50's too, ran very close to the '94 French Supertourisime title, if it hadn't have been for one young gun...Mr Laurent Aiello!! and four years later Cudini is winning the Spa 24hrs in '98!! Mr Versatile?? Most probably.. plenty sportscar, Le Mans activity too proved his worth even if the car didn't!!

 

So Cudini is in his 70's  now, apart from his racing career, we know little about, but i like to think Cudini prefers it that way!! and fair play to him. He's gone virtually un-noticed In the French racing world!!  All he wanted to do was just race!! Nothing More......Just A true French Enigma??.. that's Alain Cudini Houdini!! Now you see him... now you don't!! but i guess he's content  i like to think  

Edited by BMWTeamBigazzi, 10 February 2017 - 03:07.

[Rupertlt1]

Some information ref Alfa Romeo GTV6 here:

http://www.autosital...romeo,3358.html

 

I seem to remember Cudini racing at Pau? Could this have been versus Dany Snobeck in a Mercedes 190?

 

RGDS RLT

Edited by Rupertlt1, 10 February 2017 - 11:39.

[BMWTeamBigazzi]

Some information ref Alfa Romeo GTV6 here:

http://www.autosital...romeo,3358.html

 

I seem to remember Cudini racing at Pau? Could this have been versus Dany Snobeck in a Mercedes 190?

 

RGDS RLT

Both Alain Cudini (1983) and Dany Snobeck (1984) won the French Touring Car Championship in the Marlboro liveried GTV6, hence the reference to this car. Cudini and Snobeck both had a long alliance tho, with Cudini Piloting Snobeck prepared Merc 190's in the DTM and again in the French Supertourisime where Snobeck masterminded OPEL's effort in the 90's and possibly a whole lot more races that am not aware of.

[fausto]

Back in the '80s, from 1983 to 1988, used to work for the Autodromo di Monza, during the Grand Prix weekend, at the place where VIP and support races passes (bracelets, to be precise) were distributed. One year Cudini arrived to get the Snobeck Racing Service envelope, that contained the token for each team member to get later, at "our" office, the bracelets (they should wear them in front of us). Being a motor racing fan had a brief chat with him and it come out that he was there driving the Snobeck Racing Service truck, as it was part of his job. Back then was somehow surprised, it was probably the first time I heard of such practice as, in my mind, a successful racing driver couldn't take care of the "dirty jobs" later learned about other drivers doing the same, Martin Short springs to my mind but, in recent years, learned from Carlo Facetti that, back in his early days, he used to work at his father shop as long as possible, then leave driving a car towing the trailer with his racing car or a small truck, to reach the place of his next race.