Jean-Pierre Jarier
Jean -Pierre Jarier (* July 10, 1946 in Charenton near Paris ) is a French former racing driver. He started among others 1971-1983 in Formula 1
Life and career
Jarier grew up in a suburb of Paris, where his parents owned a small hotel. Its begun business studies, he broke off soon, as his interest in motorsport came to the fore. After starting out in motorcycle racing in 1967, he moved to car racing and in 1973 he won the Formula 2 European Championship in a March - BMW. Between 1971 and 1983 he competed in Formula 1, a total of 135 Grands Prix for the teams March, Shadow, ATS, Lotus, Tyrrell, Osella and Ligier, where he achieved a total of 31.5 World Championship points and three pole positions and fastest laps. However, a Grand Prix victory he did not succeed.
His twelve -year career in Formula 1 was characterized by instability and a healthy dose of bad luck. A possible Ferrari contract for 1974, he forfeited because he had gone to the trouble of Enzo Ferrari with this news prematurely to the public. Great ideas alternated regularly with matte performances from, his penchant for culinary delights and beautiful women, he nevertheless went unmoved, much to the chagrin of some team bosses. His best performances accomplished " Godasse de plomb " as he was called by his French compatriots, in the mid -1970s in the American UOP Shadow team, where he repeatedly by technical defects lost potential Grand Prix victories. When he, who had already been hailed as " coming world champion ", but was ousted in late 1976 due to lack of services and differences with the leadership team at Shadow, his star began to sink slowly.
Another highlight of his career, made his commitment of Lotus as a substitute for the fatally injured Ronnie Peterson at the end of the season 1978. Jarier dominated with the superior Lotus 79 Grand Prix of Canada, when he was brought again by a technical failure to secure victory. After the routine has become Formula 1 mercenary was indeed still bound by its experience of teams like Tyrrell, Ligier and Osella, a leap into a real top team but it was no longer possible. A rib fracture during testing prevented his obligation at Williams for the season 1982. After a disastrous 1983 season in the French Ligier team, he quit the F1 and still drove then to 2002 touring car and sports car races in the French as well as in international championships, preferably on Porsche.
In addition to his racing career, he operated a media company in Monaco and management for junior racers. He also sat down for movie stunts behind the wheel, such as in the films Ronin and taxi. In 1985 he survived a helicopter crash in southwest France is almost unhurt, while the aircraft on impact into pieces was torn.