32 replies to this topic

[cheesy poofs]

I am looking for pictures, quotes, accident info and any other valuable information on this promising & talented french-canadian who, sadly, was to lose his life during an F3 test in early 1986 at Goodwood. Fabi was going to be WSR's main challenger for that season's British F3 campaign. Damon Hill was going to be his teammate !
The Sherbrooke, Quebec native was also the defending Benelux FF2000 champion.

Thanks.

[lumepo03]

I remember seeing him test the car and thought to myself this guys going to kill himself. He was just quick but was pushing too hard and lapping too quickly for the conditions. The trip back to Paris was pretty much centered around him. We were all in agreement that if Bennetts could calm him down he was the next big F1 driver. We also agreed he was going to have a big one soon. Getting the bags out of the car the news came across the radio and we just stood there for a minute. Youth was the only thing we could think of. A shame.
I also remember a young American driver who was a real hotshoe. He had just signed a large NASCAR contract and ended up killing himself and injurying his girlfriend in a road accident. He was traveling in excess of 120 mph when he hit another vehicle head-on.

[lumepo03]

monsieur Donald Demers, promoteur de l'événement, que les organisateurs du Challenge automobile sur glace du Canada ont inauguré aujourd'hui le Circuit de Course sur Glace Bertrand-Fabi, en mémoire du pilote sherbrookois décédé au printemps 1986, à l'aube d'une carrière prometteuse.

Bertrand Fabi a connu une ascension fulgurante en course automobile. Après deux ans de succès au pays, il débarque en Europe au début de 1985 pour participer à divers championnats de Formule 2000, et l'aussi il fait rapidement sa marque. En 26 courses, il établit à huit reprises le tour le plus rapide et, à deux reprises, le record du tour. De plus, il signe 10
positions de tête et remporte 10 victoires. Ces impressionnants faits d'armes lui permettent de remporter le Championnat britannique de Formule
2000, le Championnat européen de Formule 2000 et le Championnat du Bénélux de Formule 2000. Il meurt au printemps suivant lors d'essais privés en Formule 3000, la formule préparatoire à la F1. "C'était tout naturel de nommer le circuit en l'honneur de Bertrand Fabi", raconte le promoteur de l'événement Donald Demers. "Même si sa carrière a été brusquement écourtée, il a marqué le sport automobile de façon on ne peut plus directe et sans équivoque. Prolonger la mémoire de son nom ici même à Sherbrooke, sa ville natale, saura sûrement insuffler à d'autres jeunes le désir de se dépasser et de gagner."

M. Carlo Fabi, le père de Bertrand, a participé à la cérémonie, en compagnie de ses deux autres fils, Antoine et Christian. "Bertrand vivait pour la course. Son nom a été honoré de bien des façons dans la région, mais je crois sincèrement u'il apprécierait", a-t-il déclaré lors de l'inauguration.

[cheesy poofs]

Thanks lumepo03.

I have seen this before.
BTW- you say you saw him test...did you see him test in Canada or Europe ?
I saw him race here in Canada and what a gifted driver he was !!
Dick Bennetts once said he was as fast, if not faster, than Senna

[jk]

Just a small quote i remember from a danish magazine. Henrik Larsen who was a close rival to Mika Hakkinen in the European Opel-Lotus championship in 1988 says: "But he (Mika) is not the best driver i've raced against. That would belong to Ayrton Senna and the young canadian Bertrand Fabi. He would have been a superstar if he wasn't killed in a F3 accident."
Not much, but it still says that Larsen ranks him on level with Senna and higher than Hakkinen. That is really something!

[lumepo03]

I saw him testing at Goodwood around the beginning of February. We were looking at leaving the French F3 series and going to the British F3 series.
He definetly was going to be a star or dead. One thing that really stuck out was his amazing car control. You just knew if he left the tarmac he was going to be in trouble. Several times he looked seriously ready to suff it into the guardrail and the car would just come back as if it was a Yo-Yo on a string. The wet grass and cold weather must have contributed to his accident. I just remember saying to myself "How is he getting grip?". It was like "snot on glass".

[Rob G]

Originally posted by lumepo03
I also remember a young American driver who was a real hotshoe. He had just signed a large NASCAR contract and ended up killing himself and injurying his girlfriend in a road accident. He was traveling in excess of 120 mph when he hit another vehicle head-on.

Rob Moroso?

[Jim Thurman]

Originally posted by lumepo03
I also remember a young American driver who was a real hotshoe. He had just signed a large NASCAR contract and ended up killing himself and injurying his girlfriend in a road accident. He was traveling in excess of 120 mph when he hit another vehicle head-on.

Rob Moroso. He and has girlfriend had stopped at a restaurant or sports bar and watched a replay of that day's NASCAR race (I believe North Wilkesboro). He drank several alcoholic beverages while there and was legally drunk by North Carolina standards when his car ran into another car head-on. Not only was he killed and his girlfriend injured, sadly, the woman in the other car also died.


Jim Thurman

[dolomite]

I saw Bertrand Fabi race in FF2000 at Castle Combe in 1985. I'll see if I can find any photos for you.

[dolomite]

OK these are taken at Castle Combe, 6 May 1985. Fabi is no.10. I think he led the race from start to finish.

[Buford]

Yeah Rob Moroso but even though it is not nice to say bad things about the dead, I am not sure he was all that great a talent. He was only racing because his father ran the successful Moroso Speed Equipment company. OTHO I have nude photos of his sister. They were taken at Fantasy Fest where she got Moroso Speed Equipment painted on her chest.

[cheesy poofs]

dolomite,

Thanks for those pics.

BTW - Can anyone tell me which F1 driver had a very similar helmet design ?

[fines]

Giovanni Alberto Cecotto?

[cheesy poofs]

Originally posted by fines
Giovanni Alberto Cecotto?

No.
Try again !

[MaTT2799]

Ricardo Paletti?

[cheesy poofs]

Originally posted by MaTT2799
Ricardo Paletti?

Spot on

Compare with this picture from FORIX

[MaTT2799]

Thats the exact photo, and exact same site, I just checked that on

[mp4]

I'm glad someone brought up Bertrand Fabi. Very quick and very determined. He SHOULD have been the next big thing from Canada. Sadly, he wasn't.

[ghinzani]

Originally posted by cheesy poofs


Spot on

Compare with this picture from FORIX

You dont reckon Bert was at Montreal in 82 and chose to base his lid on the fallen Italians? spooky... he was a great loss - Fabi, Proulx (I think - died of aids) and Moore - not forgetting Gilles.. Canada begining to look like the Austrians for losing good racers.

[mp4]

ghinzani,
You are quite correct about the demise of Mr. Proulx.
I recall an interview with his mom when it became apparent he'd no longer be with us. It was a telling tale and very sad.

[ghinzani]

Somehow I seem to remember that Fabi was testing on a day when there was ice on the surface at Goodwood. Maybe that contributed? I dont recall hearing a reason for the crash, such as mechanical breakage. Goodwoods not the sort of place to go off thats for sure, that Ferrari 360 a couple of years ago was proof of that.

[cheesy poofs]

Was surprised in a way to see that Fabi was included in Autosport's 'Top 50 drivers who never made it to F1' list.

[ghinzani]

Was surprised in a way to see that Fabi was included in Autosport's 'Top 50 drivers who never made it to F1' list.

Really? I would have him in the top ten, havent seen the list so I dont know where they put him. He would have been amazing in a F3000 car. Right at the time Herbert, Alesi, Blundell, Bertie Gash & Donnelly were coming into F1 the time would have been just right for Fabi. Such a shame. Was he of Italian extraction given his Fathers name?

[ryan86]

Autosport put him in 39th.

[Jackmancer]

 

Who is this? Is this Bertrand Fabi?

[Doug Nye]

Somehow I seem to remember that Fabi was testing on a day when there was ice on the surface at Goodwood. Maybe that contributed? I dont recall hearing a reason for the crash, such as mechanical breakage. Goodwoods not the sort of place to go off thats for sure, that Ferrari 360 a couple of years ago was proof of that.

 

I believe the unfortunate Fabi left the track in Madgwick Corner, slithered across the grass and hit a pile of soil from works going on at the time.  Not only were there ice patches on the track surface but the spoil heap itself was frozen solid, so it was like striking concrete. The chassis was torn apart at the front and my understanding is that the unfortunate driver sustained unsurvivable lower-body injuries....

 

DCN

[Jackmancer]

I believe the unfortunate Fabi left the track in Madgwick Corner, slithered across the grass and hit a pile of soil from works going on at the time.  Not only were there ice patches on the track surface but the spoil heap itself was frozen solid, so it was like striking concrete. The chassis was torn apart at the front and my understanding is that the unfortunate driver sustained unsurvivable lower-body injuries....

 

DCN

 

Just quoting an article I wrote about Fabi:

"The weather wasn’t much better at Goodwood, the team started testing on Friday February 20th, 1986. It was cold and slightly damp, and there was some icing on the surface of the track. Fabi, fearlessly, went out anyway and drove some blistering fast laps that day. Testing resumed in similar conditions the following day, and Bertrand went out again. In his typical all-out approach style with superb car control, he went faster and faster, driving the car up to its very limit. His mechanics looked on from the pitwall – partly amazed by Fabi’s ability with the car, partly petrified with the chances of an imminent crash."

 

and

 

"Fabi was gravely injured to his head, legs and abdomen, and was taken to the nearby Royal West Sussex Hospital in Chichester. In an three-hour long emergency operation, the medical team amputated one of his legs, and fought for his life. With Fabi in critical condition in the intensive care unit, his family in Canada was informed of the accidents. His parents directly flew to England, and reached the hospital the following day, on Saturday February 22nd, 1986."

 

 

http://www.igpmanage...shades-of-senna

[cheesy poofs]

Who is this? Is this Bertrand Fabi?

Yes that's him.

[Alan Cox]

An Alan Cox copyright photograph

[cheesy poofs]

An Alan Cox copyright photograph

Where and when was this Alan?

[cheesy poofs]

Just quoting an article I wrote about Fabi:
"The weather wasn’t much better at Goodwood, the team started testing on Friday February 20th, 1986. It was cold and slightly damp, and there was some icing on the surface of the track. Fabi, fearlessly, went out anyway and drove some blistering fast laps that day. Testing resumed in similar conditions the following day, and Bertrand went out again. In his typical all-out approach style with superb car control, he went faster and faster, driving the car up to its very limit. His mechanics looked on from the pitwall – partly amazed by Fabi’s ability with the car, partly petrified with the chances of an imminent crash."
 
and
 
"Fabi was gravely injured to his head, legs and abdomen, and was taken to the nearby Royal West Sussex Hospital in Chichester. In an three-hour long emergency operation, the medical team amputated one of his legs, and fought for his life. With Fabi in critical condition in the intensive care unit, his family in Canada was informed of the accidents. His parents directly flew to England, and reached the hospital the following day, on Saturday February 22nd, 1986."
 
 
http://www.igpmanage...shades-of-senna

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http://autocourse.ca...le=results.html

[GMiranda]

http://www.motorspor...-bertrand-fabi/

[MaxCrazyEddieCayer]

My wife does session work for both his brothers every now and then, who are music producers/writters/conductors in Montreal/Quebec. I was invited to go check out the Super Bowl last year at Ray's place, could not make it taht time because i was in the studio working on a record, but i'm going this year, might gather the courage to ask him a few questions about his brother. I don't want to bother him either, you know what i'm saying?  I know he used to post here and other forums when ever the subject of his brother showed up, but I haven't seen him online In a long time . For a while I played with the idea of doing a book or something about him, article/video or some sort of retrospective of what he did, just so more folks can know about his tremendous raw talent, but gathering data, Infos, pictures, ect... about him is quite hard, not a whole lot on the net,and he is/was not that well known too, even here in Canada, not a whole lot of folks remember him, or Stephane Proulx for that mattter.. I played a gig in Sherbrooke a few years ago and I was talking about him and the fact that he was from around town in between songs, and all I got was blank stares from the locals punks, they knew a street was named after the fellow i was talking about, but had no idea that he was on his way to stardom and Formula 1, but then again, was I really expecting to find a petrol head among thoses punk?Not really..... Apart form gas huffing, they don't really care about race cars/motorports/local fallen hero.

Edited by MaxCrazyEddieCayer, 26 January 2015 - 23:59.