Pages:
Click on one of the following images to open up the page:
Page 1 - 1950s - 1960s: Part 1
Page 2 - 1960s: Part 2
Page 3 - 1960s: Part 3
|
THE FASTLANE :: Features :: Willy Mairesse - A Tribute:: Page 1
In August and early September 2005, groubite wrote a fitting tribute to the late-Willy Mairesse as what would have been his 77th birthday, and the 36th anniversary of his death approached. Here's what he wrote.
Please click on each image to enlarge:
Willy Mairesse, a tribute to a great man from my hometown, 36 years on…
Willy Mairesse was born on 1 October 1928 in Momignies, a small village in the surround of fields and forests, deep in the southern part of Belgium, near the French Border. He grew up there, travelled the world, made his mark in motor racing’s history, and finally came back, some 41 years later, to be laid to rest on 6 October 1969.
Willy Mairesse belongs to the class of those often forgotten racing drivers, who, in the 50's and 60's competed in many different cars, proving themselves to be successful all-round talents - so different from today where everything practically revolves around F1.
Like many drivers of his time, Mairesse was a privateer, assigned to races by works and private teams. These ambitious and talented drivers of his era drove sports cars, prototypes as well as monoposti. Willy Mairesse sat behind the wheel in Rallies (amongst many other: Marathon de la Route, Tour de France, Tour de Corse), Endurances (Spa 1000 km, Nürburgring 1000 km, Paris 1000 km, Targa Florio, Le Mans 24h, Spa-Francorchamps 24h) and Grand Prix races. He was simply what one would call today a 'complete driver'.
Willy Mairesse’s career began in 1953. He and his friend Dr. Henry Misonne debuted in the Liege-Rome-Liege (also known as Marathon de la Route) driving a Porsche 356, yet their amateurish attempt found a quick end due to a motor defect. In 1954, he again attempted this race in his own Peugeot 203, along with Raymond Pirson. They finished the race in 28th place, being placed 8th in their class. Always striving for more, Mairesse again entered this race in 1955. He drove the same Peugeot 203, with Maurice Desse as his co-driver. Improving with their past experience, they achieved an overall 8th position, placed 1st in their 1300cc class!
The first real breakthrough came in 1956. Mairesse changed to a Mercedes 300 SL, competing in several rallies and his first races on closed circuits. These included the Grand Prix des Frontières in Chimay and especially the GT Race supporting the German F1 Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, where he significantly achieved a 3rd place. As in the previous years, Willy Mairesse also participated in the Liege-Rome-Liege together with Willy Genin. Thanks to their good preparation and untiring engagement, they achieved a well-earned 1st place. This was the victory, which caught the attention of the team Equipe Nationale Belge (ENB).
| The two 'Willies', relieved and obviously delighted, sitting on the top of the very car that brought them home in first place! From left: Willy Genin, Willy Mairesse |
The ENB assigned Mairesse to drive several of their cars in the seasons of 1957 and 1958. Among other races in 1958, he drove his first Nürburgring 1000 km (DNF due to a technical defect) and the Le Mans 24h (DNF due to an accident). Yet the outcome of his attempts resulted very often in a demolished car rather than in positive race results. Obviously, Mairesse needed to daunt his fieriness before he would become a successful racer.
A very difficult year followed in 1959, ending with the unforgettable battle against Olivier Gendebien during the Tour de France. Yet it was precisely this last contest on the Cols of the Tour de France, which brought Enzo Ferraris' attention to Willy Mairesse. And so Mairesse became an official driver in the Scuderia Ferrari from the year 1960 to 1963. He began as a testing driver for the Scuderia with some long distance drives, counting for the World Manufacturers’ Championship, and had some appearances into Formula One races.
Willy made his Grand Prix debut at home, at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, for the 1960 Belgian Grand Prix. He was in front of his home crowd and gave his best to please the huge amount of spectators that had poured in around the Ardennian racetrack. In the race, Mairesse had been dicing with young English driver, Chris Bristow, for lap after lap. Sadly, on lap 20, the worst happened. Poor Bristow crashed at Burnenville as he tried to stay ahead of Willy’s Ferrari. The Englishmen was killed instantly. This terrible experience brought Mairesse a ‘bad boy’ reputation amongst his fellow drivers that would not leave him until the end of his own F1 career… As far as Mairesse was concerned, his race ended with a DNF, as he held sixth place. His next shot at F1 came at Reims some weeks later. Mairesse's race also ended prematurely due to technical failure. Then came Monza. This time, the car held together and Willy came in 3rd. That would remain his one and only podium ever in F1!
| 1960 Italian F1 GP at Monza. Willy's 3rd crack at it in 3 months. And by the way, yes, this is a pit stop... Nothing to do with the modern days pits stop we are used to! |
| Monza's good old banking! We can only dream of ever seeing this live... |
| The Winners. From left: Ricardo Rodriguez, Olivier Gendebien and Willy Mairesse |
| Mairesse shared this 250 GTO with Mike Parkes. They finished 2nd. |
No different to the 50's, F1 races in the sixties were the blue ribbon class of motor racing. However, several other big races did exist where drivers could be successful and acquire fame. Races such as the Le Mans 24h, the Nürburgring 1000 km, the Paris 1000 km, the Sebring 12h and Targa Florio attracted manufacturers, spectators and drivers alike.
Mairesse's credibility in the Scuderia was consolidated with some outstanding wins: Tour de France 1960 und 1961, the non-Championship 1962 Syracuse and Brussels Grand Prix, Targa Florio 1962, 1963 Spa 500km, 1963 Nürburgring 1000 km.
However, three freak accidents overshadowed this great period:
- A collision with Trevor Taylor in the 1962 Belgian F1 GP, with six laps to go, fighting for second place.
- After a badly done refueling, his car catching fire at the 1963 Le Mans 24h race whilst he was in the lead.
- Finally, a tragic crash during the 1963 German F1 GP at the Nürburgring, which left him badly hurt.
This last accident meant the end of his career with Ferrari and kept Mairesse away from racing until the end of 1964.
Impressions of the 1961 German F1 GP:
 
Impression of the 1962 Brussels F1 GP (non Championship race):
1962 Road & Track ad Ferrari Winner Brussels F1 GP:
Impressions of the 1962 Targa Florio:
Impression of the 1962 Nürburgring 1000 km:
Impressions of the 1962 Monaco F1 GP:
 
Impressions of the 1962 Belgian F1 GP:
  
Impression of the 1962 Italian F1 GP:
| Excellent portrait of Willy shot by Rainer Schlegelmilch. This was Willy's first race after his freak accident at Spa. Marks left from his burns can be seen on his face. Ferrari would entrust Willy to drive the evolution of the F156 (without its 'shark nose' shaped front-end). He would finish a good fourth. Bruce McLaren would 'rob' him from a third place through a very smart slip-streaming move in the last metres of the race. |
Continue to Page 2... |
|
