The Club des Pilotes’s club-house, in the Singher grandstand, was inaugurated yesterday at Le Mans by Gérard Larrousse (president of the Club des Pilotes), Henri Pescarolo (vice-president of the Club des Pilotes) and Pierre Fillon (president of the ACO).
Nearly 3500 drivers have raced in the 24 hours of Le Mans and 126 have won it. The Club des Pilotes was founded in 1953 by André Carré. Today it has 252 members.
Gérard Larrousse, president of the Club des Pilotes since 2007, said:
“We needed absolutely a place to gather together the drivers, like the BRDC. Several projects have been considered with Jean-Claude Plassart [the previous president of the ACO]: a house in the [Mulsanne] straight, a building behind the Module Sportif…
“In 2011, Jean-Claude Plassart proposed us this level of the Singher grandstand. We were delighted. The place had to be fitted a little, because the drivers can get cold!
“We’ve made several works projects, one including the whole grandstand and one more modest that nows seems to me largely enough to welcome the drivers and gather them together during 24 hours.
“Here it’s the most exceptional place to see the race. Myself, I must say that each time I see the cars pass here, I have a knot in my stomach and I feel a rush of adrenalin, like if I was driver on board. I must say that for us, the professional drivers of that era, it’s obviously important to have a place to gather together.
“We have been used to be well treated by our teams, to have a red carpet to race and when you find yourself at a race where you have nothing to do, you’re a spectator, it’s very difficult. I can say that it’s very pleasant to have a place to watch the race and be well welcomed. For the amateur drivers that do the 24 hours of Le Mans, it’s even more important. I believe that for an amateur driver doing the 24 hours of Le Mans its the outcome of a career. They think about it, they dream about it, and the day they hang their helmet up, they’re very pleased to be welcomed and to have the gratitude from the ACO for the show they produced.”
23 drivers that have participated at Le Mans were present for the event, including Gérard Larrousse (1973 & 1974 winner), Henri Pescarolo (1972, 1973, 1974, 1984), Emanuele Pirro (2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007), Jürgen Barth (1977), Brian Redman, Alain de Cadenet, Yves Courage…
David Legangneux
