Robert Manzon
Robert Manzon ( born April 12, 1917 in Marseille ) is a French former Formula 1 racing driver.
The South of France was a little younger than most of his countrymen who are interested in following the Second World War for racing. At 29, he had previously denied a single race.
In 1946, he participated on a Simca 8 Cabriolet Coupe on the " Alpes ". The following year, Robert tried the wheel of a race car right on a Cisitalia Grand Prix du Comminges in the class up to 1100 cc, and took second place.
Since he also drivers like Tazio Nuvolari, Achille Varzi Luigi Villoresi and left in the circuit races in Angoulême behind, Amédée Gordini was, the innovative founder of a French sports car manufacturer, noticed him and hired him as a works driver.
Marked with many advanced detailed solutions Gordini cars were known for their defect susceptibility, which then also met Manzon at the Grand Prix of Italy in Turin since the late 1940s.
Qualified With effort strike the car in the first lap of the race. In hillclimb Robert held in those years, however harmless, as he twice the legendary "CC du Mont Ventoux " was able to win on a Simca - Gordini 1500, the mountain is mostly known today only by the stage finish of the annual Tour de France. That race should be Manzons " home track ", where until 1952 he was able to win each time after 1948 and 1949.
During the 1950 Formula 1 season Robert Manzon experienced with a fourth place finish at the Grand Prix of France a renewed moment of happiness - at the race in Périgueux, which does not count for the World Cup, he won ahead of teammate André Simon and Stirling Moss.
Robert Manzon is the last surviving driver who drove in 1950 racing in the Formula 1 season and reached points.
Like all smaller teams is to bring for Gordini in the Formula 1 season in 1951 during the titanic struggle between Alfa Romeo and Ferrari, not a single point.
To compensate for this competitive disadvantage, a new six- cylinder engine was constructed. This Manzon was during the Formula 1 season in 1952, which was simultaneously denied even after Formula 2 regulations, a third place at the Belgian Grand Prix after Alberto Ascari and Giuseppe Farina, a fourth-place finish at the GP of France and a fifth-place finish at the Grand Prix of Holland retract, which he took sixth place in the world Cup final settlement with nine points.
Since no regular world championship race was held again this year in Monte Carlo, Robert Manzon took part in the Monaco Grand Prix and won with the old Simca - Gordini 1500. At the 24 - hour race at Le Mans it would have in 1952 at the Jean page Behras enough almost to overall victory, but brake problems forced the French to surrender.
1953 at no successful year at Gordini back auspicious beginnings. At the Grand Prix of Buenos Aires Robert was despite poor performances in training suddenly for a long time in, sat down by the field from surprising. After a tire change led ten laps before the end of the race again the great Alberto Ascari. Manzon made in pursuit of the Italian, was almost within striking distance, when he lost a few kilometers before the finish line a wheel of his cars and had to retire.
Given that disappointment Manzon signed for the Formula 1 1954 season at the "Equipe Rosier ," who used a Ferrari 625. At the Grand Prix of France behind Juan Manuel Fangio and Karl Kling, both in a Mercedes -Benz, he finished in third place.
In the two following years, the South of France again denied all WRC rounds in a car of his old Förders Gordini. As always prevent respectable results either pitch or the defect devil declared 1956 Manzon his retirement from active racing, although he did on that year took another few select sports car racing, winning the Mille Miglia in the small GT -1100 class on a DB Panhard could.