Sébastien Enjolras was a French

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...

 racing driver

Auto racing

Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...

. Considered to be one of the most promising French drivers of his generation, he was killed in a practice crash for the 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans

1997 24 Hours of Le Mans

The 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 65th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 14 and 15 1997.-Pre-race:The Dunlop chicane was modified slightly in order to slow speeds again but also accommodate larger gravel traps as runoff area for the protection of motorcycle riders using the Bugatti...

 race.

Career

Enjolras was born in Seclin

Seclin

Seclin is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It is part of the Urban Community of Lille Métropole.Ghana national football team footballer Andre Ayew was born in Seclin.-Twin towns — Sister cities:...

. He was the son of Michel Enjolras, a preparer of rally cars, and the brother of Pascal, a rally driver. He began racing karts

Kart racing

Kart racing or karting is a variant of open-wheel motorsport with small, open, four-wheeled vehicles called karts, go-karts, or gearbox/shifter karts depending on the design. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits...

 in 1989. In 1994, he moved up to formula racing

Formula racing

Formula racing is a term that refers to various forms of open wheeled single seater motorsport. Its origin lies in the nomenclature that was adopted by the FIA for all of its post-World War II single seater regulations, or formulae. The best known of these formulæ are Formula One, Formula Two, and...

, finishing third in the Formula Renault Campus championship. He moved to the senior domestic championship in 1995, finishing seventh in the championship. He stayed on for another year and won the title in 1996 for the La Filière

La Filiere

Auto Sport Academy was created in 1993 by Elf Aquitaine to promote French drivers at the highest level, in line with its marketing approach and its commitment to Renault in F1...

 team, ahead of future 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...

 drivers Sébastien Bourdais

Sébastien Bourdais

Sébastien Olivier Bourdais is a French race car driver. He is one of the most successful drivers in the history of the Champ Car World Series, having won four successive championships from 2004 to 2007....

 and Franck Montagny

Franck Montagny

Franck Montagny is a French motor racing driver. He briefly raced for the Super Aguri Formula One team in 2006.-Early career:...

. This performance was partially overshadowed when he failed a dope test

Doping (sport)

The use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport is commonly referred to by the term "doping", particularly by those organizations that regulate competitions. The use of performance enhancing drugs is mostly done to improve athletic performance. This is why many sports ban the use of performance...

 at the end of the year, testing positive for cannabis

Cannabis

Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...

. Although banned for six months, he was not stripped of his championship and returned to racing when it expired. For 1997, he moved up to the French Formula Three Championship

French Formula Three Championship

French Formula Three Championship is the name of a former French Formula Three racing competition.Starting in 1964, the series ended in 2003, changed, and became part of the Formula Three Euroseries.-Champions:-External links:*...

 with La Filière, and finished a posthumous thirteenth in the final standings.

Enjolras also tried sports car racing

Sports car racing

Sports car racing is a form of circuit auto racing with automobiles that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built or related to road-going sports cars....

 in 1996, when he drove one of the Welter Racing

Welter Racing

Welter Racing is a French sports car maker that mainly enters in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, since 1990 under the name of Gérard Welter or Rachel Welter.Gerard Welter is well versed in endurance circuits, especially the 24 Hours of Le Mans...

 team's cars in the LMP2 class of the Le Mans 24 Hours alongside compatriots William David and Arnaud Trévisiol, the Peugeot

Peugeot

Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...

-powered entry failing to finish. He returned with the team for 1997.

Death

On a pre-qualifying run for the Le Mans 24 Hours a month before the race, the rear bodywork detached from Enjolras' car, causing it to become airborne and fly over the safety barriers after the Arnage corner. The car overturned and exploded at high speed, killing Enjolras instantly. Welter withdrew Enjolras' and its other entries, and single-piece bodywork was subsequently banned.

The scene of Enjolras' crash is currently denoted by a memorial stone behind the armco barriers.

Career summary

Season	Series	Team Name	Races	Poles	Wins	Points	Final Placing
1994	Formula Renault Campus France	?	?	?	1	233	3rd
1995	Championnat de France Formula Renault 2.0	?	?	?	1	?	7th
1996	Championnat de France Formula Renault 2.0	La Filière La Filiere Auto Sport Academy was created in 1993 by Elf Aquitaine to promote French drivers at the highest level, in line with its marketing approach and its commitment to Renault in F1...	16	?	9	201	1st
	Le Mans 24 Hours 1996 24 Hours of Le Mans The 1996 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 64th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 15 and 16 1996.-Race:The 1996 race was won by a car that was considered by Porsche to not be a factory-backed entry, instead run by Joest Racing...	Welter Racing Welter Racing Welter Racing is a French sports car maker that mainly enters in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, since 1990 under the name of Gérard Welter or Rachel Welter.Gerard Welter is well versed in endurance circuits, especially the 24 Hours of Le Mans...  (LMP2)	1	0	0	N/A	NC
1997	French Formula Three French Formula Three Championship French Formula Three Championship is the name of a former French Formula Three racing competition.Starting in 1964, the series ended in 2003, changed, and became part of the Formula Three Euroseries.-Champions:-External links:*...	La Filière La Filiere Auto Sport Academy was created in 1993 by Elf Aquitaine to promote French drivers at the highest level, in line with its marketing approach and its commitment to Renault in F1...	6	0	0	13	13th
	Le Mans 24 Hours 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans The 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 65th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 14 and 15 1997.-Pre-race:The Dunlop chicane was modified slightly in order to slow speeds again but also accommodate larger gravel traps as runoff area for the protection of motorcycle riders using the Bugatti...	Welter Racing Welter Racing Welter Racing is a French sports car maker that mainly enters in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, since 1990 under the name of Gérard Welter or Rachel Welter.Gerard Welter is well versed in endurance circuits, especially the 24 Hours of Le Mans... (LMP2)	0	0	0	N/A	DNQ