Gérard Ducarouge
Encyclopedia
Gérard Ducarouge is a French
former Formula One
car designer. Like many designers, his background was based in aeronautical engineering. He qualified at college with Bacalaureat Technique et Mathematique and won his Degre Superieur after studying at the Ecole National Technique d’Aeronautique.
After leaving college he joined Nord Aviation
in 1964 where he worked on various missile projects. However, he became restless and applied for a job as a technician at Matra
racing in December 1965. This was shortly after the creation of Matra-Sports and Gérard started work on their Formula 3 programme, and from 1966 he also began improving their Formula 2 cars. Ducarouge steadily rose within the organisation to Head of Operations where he designed the Cosworth-powered Matra MS10 and MS80
, the latter winning the 1969 Formula One World Championship
with Jackie Stewart
; Ducarouge then masterminded Matra’s hat-trick of Le Mans
wins from 1972-1974. At the end of 1974 Matra pulled out of racing.
Ducarouge resigned shortly after to begin work at the new Formula 1 team founded by Guy Ligier
at Vichy, close to Gerard’s home town of Paray-le-Monial
. He began work on Ligier’s entrant to the season, the JS5 which retained links with Matra including their 3-litre V12 engine and SEITA Gitanes brand sponsorship. By the Swedish Grand Prix of 1977
the team celebrated its maiden Grand Prix victory.
Subsequent victories were to occur throughout the season. In a revised Matra V12 was fitted in the latest Liger chassis and with Talbot
backing it seemed as though the team would be contenders to win the constructors championship. But by mid season Gérard was unceremoniously sacked by Guy Ligier. He quickly accepted an offer to join the Alfa Romeo
team where he persuaded the team to create his first carbon fibre chassis. Despite this and other innovations instigated by Ducarouge, Alfa Romeo failed to deliver on increasingly high expectations. Following the 1st qualifying session of the 1983 French Grand Prix
where Andrea de Cesaris
was disqualified for his car being underweight, Ducarouge was blamed and dismissed.
He was not to remain out of work for long, as Peter Warr
from Team Lotus
head hunted Ducarouge. Lotus had witnessed a severe decline in fortunes following their dominant campaign, and had culminated with the death of their founder Colin Chapman
in December 1982. Following extensive persuasion Ducarouge joined the team following the 1983 Belgian Grand Prix
. He immediately began work on the Type 94T
which was designed and built in five weeks, and helped salvage some degree of success for the remainder of the 1983 season. Team Lotus began a major restructuring headed by Ducarouge and culminated with the years 1984-1987 representing a major revival of the team’s fortunes. The Lotus 95T
, which followed the 94T, was widely regarded as the finest handling chassis throughout the season and was only let down by the unreliable and uneconomical Renault
V6 engine.
The still born Lotus 96T
Indy Car
incorporated the innovative use of lightweight aluminium foil honeycomb in the chassis replacing the previous nomex construction. The gain of strength with no weight penalty was to become a hallmark of subsequent Lotus Formula 1 chassis.
For the start of the season Gérard was joined at Lotus by the talented Ayrton Senna
. By the Portuguese Grand Prix
held at a torrential Estoril, Senna would score his maiden win in a Ducarouge Lotus 97T
. This was to be the first of 7 and culminated in the 1987 victory in Detroit. Senna would depart for McLaren for the start of the season leaving Ducarouge to develop and enter the much hoped landmark Lotus 100T
. Despite some encouraging performance throughout a season dominated by McLaren, the team finished in 4th position, with fault allegedly laid at incorrect aerodynamic data amassed during testing at Comtec.
Ducarouge departed Lotus to return to France and take up an offer from the Larrousse
team. At Larrousse he developed the Lola chassis with Chris Murphy (who would later join Lotus for the 1992 season). In he rejoined Liger and remained as Technical Director until mid 1994.
Now in the twilight of his career, Ducarouge has retraced his career path back to Matra where he worked as the International development director on various projects.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
former Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
car designer. Like many designers, his background was based in aeronautical engineering. He qualified at college with Bacalaureat Technique et Mathematique and won his Degre Superieur after studying at the Ecole National Technique d’Aeronautique.
After leaving college he joined Nord Aviation
Nord Aviation
Nord-Aviation was a state-owned French aircraft manufacturer. It was created on October 1, 1954 upon the acquisition of SFECMAS by SNCAN...
in 1964 where he worked on various missile projects. However, he became restless and applied for a job as a technician at Matra
Matra
Mécanique Aviation Traction or Matra was a French company covering a wide range of activities mainly related to automobile, bicycles, aeronautics and weaponry. In 1994, it became a subsidiary of the Lagardère Group and now operates under that name.Matra was owned by the Floirat family...
racing in December 1965. This was shortly after the creation of Matra-Sports and Gérard started work on their Formula 3 programme, and from 1966 he also began improving their Formula 2 cars. Ducarouge steadily rose within the organisation to Head of Operations where he designed the Cosworth-powered Matra MS10 and MS80
Matra MS80
The Matra MS80 was the fourth Formula One car produced by Matra . The Ford Cosworth DFV-powered car took Jackie Stewart to the Formula One World Championship title in 1969....
, the latter winning the 1969 Formula One World Championship
1969 Formula One season
The 1969 Formula One season included the 20th FIA Formula One World Championship season, which commenced on March 1, 1969, and ended on October 19 after eleven races.-Season summary:...
with Jackie Stewart
Jackie Stewart
Sir John Young Stewart, OBE , better known as Jackie Stewart, and nicknamed The Flying Scotsman, is a Scottish former racing driver and team owner. He competed in Formula One between 1965 and 1973, winning three World Drivers' Championships. He also competed in Can-Am...
; Ducarouge then masterminded Matra’s hat-trick of Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
wins from 1972-1974. At the end of 1974 Matra pulled out of racing.
Ducarouge resigned shortly after to begin work at the new Formula 1 team founded by Guy Ligier
Guy Ligier
Guy Ligier is a French former rugby player and racing driver.He first made his name as a rugby player in the late 1940s when he was working as a butcher's assistant in his home town of Vichy. An orphan, he was determined to build up a successful business and saved all his money in order to buy a...
at Vichy, close to Gerard’s home town of Paray-le-Monial
Paray-le-Monial
Paray-le-Monial is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Burgundy in eastern France.-History:Paray existed before the monks who gave it its surname of Le Monial, for when Count Lambert of Chalon, together with his wife Adelaide and his friend Mayeul de Cluny, founded there in...
. He began work on Ligier’s entrant to the season, the JS5 which retained links with Matra including their 3-litre V12 engine and SEITA Gitanes brand sponsorship. By the Swedish Grand Prix of 1977
1977 Swedish Grand Prix
The 1977 Swedish Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at the Scandinavian Raceway on 19 June 1977.-Report:The Swedish race was full of anticipation after Gunnar Nilsson's win last time out, but once again in qualifying, it was his teammate Mario Andretti leading the way from John Watson, with...
the team celebrated its maiden Grand Prix victory.
Subsequent victories were to occur throughout the season. In a revised Matra V12 was fitted in the latest Liger chassis and with Talbot
Talbot
Talbot was an automobile marque that existed from 1903 to 1986, with a hiatus from 1960 to 1978, under a number of different owners, latterly under Peugeot...
backing it seemed as though the team would be contenders to win the constructors championship. But by mid season Gérard was unceremoniously sacked by Guy Ligier. He quickly accepted an offer to join the Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo in Formula One
Alfa Romeo participated in Formula One, as both a constructor and engine supplier, from to .-Success, 1950-1951:In 1950 Nino Farina won the inaugural Formula One World Championship in a 158 with supercharger, in 1951 Juan Manuel Fangio won while driving an Alfetta 159...
team where he persuaded the team to create his first carbon fibre chassis. Despite this and other innovations instigated by Ducarouge, Alfa Romeo failed to deliver on increasingly high expectations. Following the 1st qualifying session of the 1983 French Grand Prix
1983 French Grand Prix
The 1983 French Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Paul Ricard on April 17, 1983. French driver Alain Prost won the race for the Renault team, and this was the French marque's 3rd French Grand Prix win in a row and the 4th in 5 seasons....
where Andrea de Cesaris
Andrea de Cesaris
Andrea de Cesaris is an Italian former race car driver. He started 208 races but never won; his is the longest career without a race victory. A string of accidents early in his career earned him the nickname 'Andrea de Crasheris',...
was disqualified for his car being underweight, Ducarouge was blamed and dismissed.
He was not to remain out of work for long, as Peter Warr
Peter Warr
Peter E. Warr was an English businessman, racing driver and a manager for several Formula One teams, including Walter Wolf Racing, Fittipaldi Automotive, and Team Lotus....
from Team Lotus
Team Lotus
Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing...
head hunted Ducarouge. Lotus had witnessed a severe decline in fortunes following their dominant campaign, and had culminated with the death of their founder Colin Chapman
Colin Chapman
Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman CBE was an influential British designer, inventor, and builder in the automotive industry, and founder of Lotus Cars....
in December 1982. Following extensive persuasion Ducarouge joined the team following the 1983 Belgian Grand Prix
1983 Belgian Grand Prix
The 1983 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Spa-Francorchamps on May 22, 1983. After 13 years, the F1 circus returned to Spa after the track had been shortened...
. He immediately began work on the Type 94T
Lotus 94T
The Lotus 94T was a Formula One racing car used by Team Lotus in the second part of the 1983 Formula One season. The car was powered by the Renault Gordini EF1 V6 turbo engine, and ran on Pirelli tyres...
which was designed and built in five weeks, and helped salvage some degree of success for the remainder of the 1983 season. Team Lotus began a major restructuring headed by Ducarouge and culminated with the years 1984-1987 representing a major revival of the team’s fortunes. The Lotus 95T
Lotus 95T
The Lotus 95T was an F1 car designed by Gérard Ducarouge for Team Lotus' use in the 1984 Formula One season. It was Lotus' first newly designed chassis since the Lotus 88. The car was powered by a Renault turbo V6 engine with twin Garrett turbochargers. It was a development of the previous Lotus...
, which followed the 94T, was widely regarded as the finest handling chassis throughout the season and was only let down by the unreliable and uneconomical Renault
Renault F1
Lotus Renault GP, formerly the Renault F1 Team, is a British Formula One racing team. The Oxfordshire-based team can trace its roots back through the Benetton team of the late 1980s and 1990s to the Toleman team of the early 1980s. Renault had also competed in various forms since , before taking...
V6 engine.
The still born Lotus 96T
Lotus 96T
The Lotus type 96T was Team Lotus's last Indycar.The project was the brainchild of former Formula 2 team owner Roy Winkelmann. During the 1960s Winklemann had proved successful running Brabhams and scoring successes with Jochen Rindt...
Indy Car
Champ Car
Champ Car was the name for a class and specification of open wheel cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades, primarily for use in the Indianapolis 500 auto race...
incorporated the innovative use of lightweight aluminium foil honeycomb in the chassis replacing the previous nomex construction. The gain of strength with no weight penalty was to become a hallmark of subsequent Lotus Formula 1 chassis.
For the start of the season Gérard was joined at Lotus by the talented Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver. A three-time Formula One world champion, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time...
. By the Portuguese Grand Prix
1985 Portuguese Grand Prix
The 1985 Portuguese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held in Estoril on April 21, 1985. It was the second round of the 1985 Formula One season and was won by Ayrton Senna from pole position, taking both his first pole position and win in the process....
held at a torrential Estoril, Senna would score his maiden win in a Ducarouge Lotus 97T
Lotus 97T
The Lotus 97T was a Formula One racing car designed by Gérard Ducarouge and built by Team Lotus. A development of the Lotus 95T of 1984, it was designed for the 1985 Formula One season by French engineer Gérard Ducarouge and powered by a 1500cc Renault turbocharged engine. Sponsorship came from...
. This was to be the first of 7 and culminated in the 1987 victory in Detroit. Senna would depart for McLaren for the start of the season leaving Ducarouge to develop and enter the much hoped landmark Lotus 100T
Lotus 100T
The Lotus 100T was a Formula One car designed by Gérard Ducarouge and Martin Ogilvie for Team Lotus, used during the 1988 Formula One season. The 100T was an update of the previous Lotus 99T model; the car technically was virtually unchanged, except for a redesigned nose section and rear bodywork...
. Despite some encouraging performance throughout a season dominated by McLaren, the team finished in 4th position, with fault allegedly laid at incorrect aerodynamic data amassed during testing at Comtec.
Ducarouge departed Lotus to return to France and take up an offer from the Larrousse
Larrousse
Larrousse Formula One was a motorsports racing team founded in 1987 by Didier Calmels and former racer Gérard Larrousse, originally under the name Larrousse & Calmels. It was based in Antony, in the southern suburbs of Paris. It was renamed Larrousse after the departure of Calmels for legal reasons...
team. At Larrousse he developed the Lola chassis with Chris Murphy (who would later join Lotus for the 1992 season). In he rejoined Liger and remained as Technical Director until mid 1994.
Now in the twilight of his career, Ducarouge has retraced his career path back to Matra where he worked as the International development director on various projects.