Johnny Claes
Born | (1916-08-11)11 August 1916 Fulham, London, England |
---|---|
Died | 3 February 1956(1956-02-03) (aged 39) Brussels, Belgium |
Formula One World Championship career | |
Nationality | Belgian |
Active years | 1950 – 1953, 1955 |
Teams | Écurie Belge, Gordini, HWM, Maserati, Ecurie Nationale Belge |
Entries | 25 (23 starts) |
Championships | 0 |
Wins | 0 |
Podiums | 0 |
Career points | 0 |
Pole positions | 0 |
Fastest laps | 0 |
First entry | 1950 British Grand Prix |
Last entry | 1955 Dutch Grand Prix |
Octave John Claes (/kleɪz/; 11 August 1916 – 3 February 1956) was a British-born racing driver who competed for Belgium. Before his fame as a racing driver, Claes was also a jazz trumpeter and successful bandleader in Britain.
Early life and jazz career
Claes was born in London to a Scottish mother and Belgian father. He was educated in England at Lord Williams's School. In England, he began playing trumpet in a jazz band that included Max Jones on reeds, and another with Billy Mason on piano. In the 1930s he moved to the Netherlands, where he worked with Valaida Snow and Coleman Hawkins. He also worked with Jack Kluger's band in Belgium. Returning to England, he led his own group, the Claepigeons, making a recording in 1942. In the late 1940s he abandoned his jazz career and settled in Belgium as a professional racing driver.[1]
Racing career
Claes was one of several gentlemen drivers who took part in Grand Prix racing of post-World War II. His first contact with racing was at the 1947 French Grand Prix, where he served as interpreter for British drivers. He made his debut in 1948, in his own Talbot-Lago, raced under the Écurie Belge banner. Although Claes never scored any points in the World Drivers Championship, he was, like many of his contemporaries, very active in non-Championship Grand Prix races and sports car races. His first win was at the 1950 Grand Prix des Frontières, held at the Chimay race track.
In April 1951 Claes crashed into a crowd while practicing at San Remo Grand Prix in Sanremo, Italy. He was uninjured but an observer was killed and three onlookers were seriously injured.[2] In 1952 he exchanged his outdated Talbot for a Gordini, and later for a Connaught, always with the Écurie Belge colours, but he also raced occasionally for works teams, including Gordini and Maserati. He also won the 1953 Liège–Rome–Liège Rally and took a class win at the 1954 24 Hours of Le Mans. Claes teamed with Pierre Stasse to finish 12th in the 1954 24 Hours of Le Mans. They drove a Porsche.[3] Together with compatriot Jacques Swaters, Claes finished third in the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Later in 1955 Claes' health problems worsened, as he had contracted tuberculosis. Claes sold his outfit to Swaters, who merged it with his own Écurie Francorchamps to form Écurie Nationale Belge. Claes entered occasional events until the end of the year, but finally succumbed to the disease in Brussels in 1956, aged 39.
Complete Formula One World Championship results
(key)
Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | WDC | Pts. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1950 | Écurie Belge | Talbot-Lago T26C | Talbot L6 | GBR 11 | MON 7 | 500 | SUI 10 | BEL 8 | FRA Ret | ITA Ret | NC | 0 | ||
1951 | Écurie Belge | Talbot-Lago T26C-DA | Talbot L6 | SUI 13 | 500 | BEL 7 | FRA Ret | GBR 13 | GER 11 | ITA Ret | ESP Ret | NC | 0 | |
1952 | Équipe Gordini | Gordini T16 | Gordini L6 | SUI | 500 | BEL 8 | NC | 0 | ||||||
Écurie Belge | Simca-Gordini T15 | Simca-Gordini L4 | FRA Ret | GBR 14 | ||||||||||
HW Motors | HWM 52 | Alta L4 | GER 10 | NED | ||||||||||
Vicomtesse de Walckiers | Simca-Gordini T15 | Simca-Gordini L4 | ITA DNQ | |||||||||||
1953 | Écurie Belge | Connaught Type A | Lea-Francis L4 | ARG | 500 | NED Ret | FRA 12 | GBR | GER Ret | SUI | ITA Ret | NC | 0 | |
Officine Alfieri Maserati | Maserati A6GCM | Maserati L6 | BEL Ret | |||||||||||
1955 | Stirling Moss Ltd. | Maserati 250F | Maserati L6 | ARG | MON | 500 | BEL DNS | NC | 0 | |||||
Écurie Nationale Belge | Ferrari 500 | Ferrari L4 | NED 11 | GBR | ITA |
Non-championship Formula One results
(key)
Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1950 | Johnny Claes | Talbot-Lago T26C | Talbot L6 | PAU | RIC | SRM | PAR DNA | EMP | BAR 8 | JER | ALB NC | NED Ret | NAT Ret | NOT | ULS | PES | STT | INT Ret | GOO Ret | PEN Ret | ||||||||||||||||||
1951 | Johnny Claes | Talbot-Lago T26C-DA | Talbot L6 | SYR | PAU | RIC 4 | SRM DNS | BOR | INT 8 | PAR | ULS 9 | SCO | NED Ret | ALB 5 | PES | BAR 8 | GOO | |||||||||||||||||||||
1952 | Johnny Claes | Talbot-Lago T26C-DA | Talbot L6 | RIO | SYR | VAL 6 | RIC | LAV | PAU Ret | IBS | ULS DNA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Simca-Gordini T15 | Simca-Gordini L4 | MAR 3 | AST | INT 8 | ELÄ | NAP | EIF DNA | PAR Ret | ALB | FRO Ret | MAR 6 | SAB 3 | CAE | DAI | COM Ret | NAT | BAU 8 | MOD NC | CAD | SKA | MAD | AVU | JOE | NEW Ret | RIO | |||||||||||||
HWM 52 | Alta L4 | MNZ NC | LAC | ESS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1953 | Johny Claes | Connaught Type A | Lea-Francis L4 | SYR | PAU Ret | LAV | AST | BOR 6 | INT 15 | ELÄ | NAP | ULS | WIN | FRO NC | COR | EIF | ALB 6 | PRI | ESS | MID | ROU Ret | CRY | AVU 6 | USF | LAC | BRI | CHE | SAB Ret | NEW | CAD | RED | SKA | LON | MOD NC | MAD | JOE | CUR |
References
- ^ Pernet, Robert (2001). "Johnny Claes". In Sadie, Stanley; Tyrrell, John (eds.). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (2nd ed.). London: Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 978-1-56159-239-5.
- ^ "Racing Car Kills Fan". The New York Times. 21 April 1951. p. 12.
- ^ "Gonzalez Defeats Rolt-Hamilton In 24-Hour Le Mans Auto Race". The New York Times. 14 June 1954. p. 26.
- v
- t
- e
- 1928 Louis Crooy and Victor Groenen
- 1929 Georges Ronsse
- 1930 Hyacinte Roosen
- 1931 René Milhoux and Jules Tacheny
- 1932 not awarded
- 1933 Jef Scherens
- 1934 Union SG
- 1935 Count Arnold de Looz-Corswarem
- 1936 Ernest Demuyter
- 1937 Joseph Mostert
- 1938 Hubert Carton de Wiart
- 1939 Commandant Henry de Menten de Horne
- 1940 Fernande Caroen
- 1941 Jan Guilini
- 1942 Pol Braekman
- 1943 Prince Albert de Ligne
- 1944 not awarded
- 1945 Flying personnel of the Belgian Royal Air Force-section
- 1946 Gaston Reiff
- 1947 Micheline Lannoy and Pierre Baugniet
- 1948 Étienne Gailly
- 1949 Feru Moulin
- 1950 Briek Schotte
- 1951 Johnny Claes and Jacky Ickx
- 1952 André Noyelle
- 1953 Crew of the Yacht Omoo (Mr. and Mrs. Van de Wielle and Fred Debels)
- 1954 Adolph Verschueren
- 1955 Roger Moens
- 1956 Gilberte Thirion
- 1957 Jacques Brichant and Philippe Washer
- 1958 René Baeten
- 1959 Belgium men's national field hockey team
- 1960 Flory Van Donck
- 1961 Rik Van Looy
- 1962 Gaston Roelants
- 1963 Aurèle Vandendriessche
- 1964 Joël Robert
- 1965 First jachtwing of the Belgian Air Component
- 1966 Raymond Ceulemans
- 1967 Ferdinand Bracke and Eddy Merckx
- 1968 Jacky Ickx
- 1969 Serge Reding
- 1970 Freddy Herbrand
- 1971 Emiel Puttemans
- 1972 Karel Lismont
- 1973 Roger De Coster
- 1974 Paul Van Himst
- 1975 Jean-Pierre Burny
- 1976 Ivo Van Damme
- 1977 Gaston Rahier
- 1978 Anderlecht
- 1979 Robert Van de Walle
- 1980 Belgium national football team
- 1981 Annie Lambrechts
- 1982 Ingrid Berghmans
- 1983 Eddy Annys
- 1984 André Malherbe
- 1985 not awarded
- 1986 William Van Dijck
- 1987 Ingrid Lempereur
- 1988 Eric Geboers
- 1989 Michel Preud'homme
- 1990 Jan Ceulemans
- 1991 Jean-Michel Saive
- 1992 Annelies Bredael
- 1993 Vincent Rousseau
- 1994 Brigitte Becue
- 1995 Fred Deburghgraeve
- 1996 Johan Museeuw
- 1997 Luc Van Lierde
- 1998 Ulla Werbrouck
- 1999 Gella Vandecaveye
- 2000 Joël Smets
- 2001 Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin
- 2002 Marc Wilmots
- 2003 Stefan Everts
- 2004 Axel Merckx
- 2005 Tom Boonen
- 2006 Kim Gevaert and Tia Hellebaut
- 2007 Belgian Women's 4×100 metres relay team
- 2008 not awarded
- 2009 Philippe Gilbert
- 2010 Philippe Le Jeune
- 2011 Kevin Borlée
- 2012 Evi Van Acker
- 2013 Frederik Van Lierde
- 2014 Daniel Van Buyten
- 2015 Belgian men's 4 × 400 metres relay team
- 2016 Nafissatou Thiam
- 2017 David Goffin
- 2018 Nina Derwael
- 2019 Belgium men's national field hockey team
- 2020 Wout van Aert
- 2021 Bashir Abdi
- 2022 Remco Evenepoel
- 2023 Bart Swings