17 replies to this topic

[lukywill]

anyone knows about him?

given recent move from atlasf1 to a subscrive place i remember this man
when i was at my 20´s (70´s) i allways seek gerard crombac stories on gp´s events in sport auto (and rosinkie´s!) - also autosprint´s for fun

what appened to this pipe man? still around?

what i remember was he could write about a gp on it´s own and put the championship behind (he had a fix idea about clark´s being nº1 and knew him)

[33 route d'orleans]

lukywill,
Well, in France Gérard Crombac is some kind of bible. He is the french repliqua of Dennis Jenkinson.
Yes he is still alive and the last time I saw him (Monaco 2000) he had his pipe still stuck into his mouth, like in the good old times when he ruled his revue, Sport auto.
Nice to see his name here

[jarama]

Hi, luky,

Gérard was by then the editor of the well-known french magazine "Sport-Auto", while José Rosinski was mainly the car tester. Rosinski was racing driver back in the sixties, with experience in sportscars and formulas.

As you says, Jim Clark was the unchallenged #1 for Crombac. He had, by the way, the same penchant for the Team Lotus. He was, indeed, the author of a book about Colin Chapman and his cars, written in french and translated into english.

His articles reflected more about the F1's way of life of the day, than the race himself, and were highly rated.

I think he is now retired, lives in France and his property is named "Brands Hatch", IIRC.

[Gil Bouffard]

I first met "Jabby," Crombac at Reims in 1961. I was fascinated. He was in the garage beneath the hotel where I was staying looking over a one-off private Formula Junior car from England. It was an interesting design. We talked about Dan Gurney and the Cunningham Le Mans cars.

He has done stuff for MOTORSPORT and AUTOSPORT.

Gil

[Mike Argetsinger]

Remembering Jabby Crombac reminds me of what a colorful and approachable bunch of journalists populated European racing in the 5o's and 60's. I last visited with Jabby at the Daytona 24 Hour race a few years ago. He hadn't changed a bit as far as I could tell and retained the same charm and interest I remembered from the 60's. He was one of those people who never became jaded by it all. There were so many other great journalists back then - some who I knew either well or slightly were Peter Garnier (and when he stepped up at Autocar to Editor - Innes Ireland ), the inimitable Gregor Grant (who helped me get a job in Europe!), the Teesdale bunch starting with DSJ - who was always approachable and willing to visit for a few minutes - and including Michael Tee (who got me a couple of drives -which for a hungry driver means even more than a job!) and Alan Henry and Andrew Marriott (I'm forgetting someone here), David Phipps, Ron Easton, Henry Manney III - one of the kindest and nicest persons I have ever met anywhere - and always funny and upbeat, Paul Frere, Bernard Cahier, Randy Barnett who covered every GP for Stars&Stripes and helped more aspiring American drivers than anyone I can think of, Eoin Young (the insider's insider - but always friendly and great fun), John Bolster, Michael Cotton, Barry Gibbs, Bill Gavin - who was driving me out to Frank Williams shop when his Rover overheated - there was a phone box nearby and Frank came out to get me in his Porsche 911 (we left Bill to sort out his car) and gave me flatout (and sideways on the down ramp) ride to his shop - afterward he drove me to Heathrow- we were discussing the budget I needed for him to run me in F-3 - I didn't have it and wound up in Formula Ford instead - in hindsight I should have robbed a bank! - you wouldn't believe how little money it was at the time. Well, I will stop this "stream of conciousness" ramble here. I'm sure I have forgotten some people as this is all off the top of my head. They were a great bunch and, as I said, really added to the color and fun of what was Grand Prix racing as I remember it.

[LittleChris]

I believe that Jabby also shared a flat with Jim Clark in Paris for a while

[Milan Fistonic]

Jabby had a dog he named Lotus.
And I seem to remember reading somewhere that Jim Clark gave him his Lotus Elan.

[Barry Lake]

I was introduced to Jabby by Jeff Hutchinson. They were close friends and Jeff wrote for Modern MOTOR during my era there (from 1979-1990). I looked forward to seeing him every year at the Australian GP in recent times, but he wasn't there this year.

I suspect he has retired, as someone on this thread suggested. I think F1 finally had moved so far away from the sport he had known in earlier decades that it wasn't so much fun for him any longer.

Perhaps we will see some more good books from him in the future.

The most recent one I know of is "Les Annees Fangio" from the "50 Ans" series. Beautifully presented books with some great photos, published in 2000.

[Vitesse2]

Talking of the 50 Ans series, does anyone know if there are any plans to publish that series in English (or any other language apart from French for that matter?).

[33 route d'orleans]

Just a thing I forgot to tell... You can't find in France someone who loves more english language than Mr Crombac...
And we must know that he wrote his book on Lotus directly in your language, and then he translated it in french... Right
And I saw him, during the 1978 Spain GP, as he was a commissaire technique for the FIA, speaking english to Gerard Ducarouge...

[Barry Lake]

Vitesse2

I don't know of any plans to publish these books in English. That's why I am buying the French versions. They appear to have gone to a lot of trouble to search out excellent and unused photos. There is some great stuff in there - even if you can't read the words!

33 route d'orleans

I meant to mention in my earlier post that Jabby speaks English better than most English people - certainly better than I do.

[FLB]

There was a telephone interview with him on a local TV show last year in Québec City where I live. He said he is no longer in health enough to travel so often (he apologized fo not coming to Montréal!), but still in love with the sport. He is now, in his words, "semi-retired", still acting as a source for numerous journalists. IIRC he was working on a revision of one of his books.

A nice story is that he actually was Cosworth's first cutomer. He used to have a racing boat and asked Keith Duckworth to prep his engine!

[charro]

M. CROMBAC IS NOW WRITING FOR THE MR. E. MAGAZINE

F1 MAGAZINE WWW.F1MAGAZINE.NET

I GREW UP, JUST LIKE YOU DID, LEARNING F1. AND ALSO PRACTICING MY FRENCH.

I HARDLY BELIVE YOU DID´NT HERAD ABOUT THIS MAGAZINE

SALUDOS DESDE MEXICO

[Chris Skepis]

You can see a lot of Gerard Crombac on the "Grand Prix" film
He's always at the set trying to steal the scene.

[group7]

I am waking up this old thread with the hope that some one can let me know who holds the rights to gerard crombac's photos. I am aware that he passed in late 2005. his photos & the rights to them were apparently auctioned by artcurial in january of 2006.

 I have been in touch with someone who is interested in a photo of the howmet turbine, from le-mans 1968. the photo in question appeared in crombac's book "turbine grand prix".

I have a copy of the book, but am interested in getting a good print if possible. this is only for a personal collection, and not to be used in any media.

 

thanks in advance, michael scott (group7) in canada

Edited by group7, 16 June 2014 - 17:24.

[Doug Nye]

I bought some of Jabby's negs and colour transparencies - not including 1968 - at that Artcurial sale for our GP Library collection, but the majority went elsewhere - unfortunately.  He was a really good man, always - very amusingly - quick to point out that he was in fact Swiss-born, not French at all...

 

DCN

Edited by Doug Nye, 17 June 2014 - 08:37.

[group7]

doug, thank you for your reply, it was bob tullius (who co-drove one of the howmets)  whom I was in contact with at the VARAC race at mosport this past  weekend. I will dig a little more. someone suggested getting in touch with Artcurial, but don't know if they would, or could tell me where they went. my only option my be to take a high quality scan from the book.

 

michael scott (group7)

[Doug Nye]

We do have Howmet photos from LM '68 if you're interested...but not by Jabby.

 

DCN