Thierry Boutsen

Biography Thierry Boutsen

Born : July 13 1957

Thierry Boutsen was born in Brussels (Belgium. He enjoyed a 163-race Formula 1 career during which he scored 3 victories. Promising in the junior categories, this unassuming Belgian perhaps lacked the assertiveness or self-belief required to be more than the occasional star.

Championship challenger during his formative years

Thierry Boutsen abandoned University studies in engineering to race in 1977 . Soon he attracted the attention of Jacky Ickx. Winner of the 1978 Benelux Formula Ford 1600 Championship with a Crosslé, it was his form in European Formula 3 that suggested Belgium had a new star. He impressed in the final race of 1979 and his works Martini MK31-Toyota dominated the early stages of the 1980 championship. But Boutsen suffered as a tyre war engulfed the series and he lost the title to Michele Alboreto at the final round.

Boutsen graduated to Formula 2 in 1981 and immediately challenged for the title. His works March 812-BMW won twice but he was ultimately beaten by Geoff Lees and Ralt-Honda at the penultimate round. Also part of the WM-Peugeot line-up for that year’s Le Mans 24 Hours, he crashed on the Mulsanne Straight at about 220mph. Boutsen emerged unscathed but two marshals were seriously injured.

With continued backing from Marlboro, Boutsen switched to the ambitious new Spirit-Honda team for the 1982 F2 season. He won three times (including an impressive repeat victory on the Nürburgring Nordschleife) but he was only third in the standings as March team-mates Corrado Fabi and Johnny Cecotto disputed the title.

Formula 1 with Arrows and Benetton

Boutsen began 1983 in sports cars – winning at Monza in a Joest Racing Porsche 956 – but he replaced Chico Serra at Arrows from the Belgian Grand Prix. Three times a points scorer in 1984, he finished second in the 1985 San Marino GP at Imola.

After four seasons with the Milton Keynes-based outfit, Boutsen joined Benetton for 1987. It was an impressive campaign that culminated in third position in the Australian GP. His five podium finishes gave Boutsen fourth place in the 1988 World Championship – the leading normally aspirated runner in the final season of the turbocharged era.

Grand Prix winner for Williams

The Belgian joined Williams for 1989 as the team entered into a new partnership with Renault. He starred in the wet to score breakthrough victories in Canada and Australia. He qualified on pole position for the 1990 Hungarian GP and drove a defensive race to hold off a train of quicker cars and register his third GP victory. But, he was released when Nigel Mansell became available for 1991.

Two seasons with Ligier yielded just one top-six finish when fifth in the 1992 Australian GP. Without a drive at the start of 1993, Boutsen replaced Jordan’s Ivan Capelli after two races. It proved a disappointing final campaign and he too was eased out of the team after the Belgian GP.

Life after Formula 1

He later raced in both sports cars and GTs and he came close at Le Mans. Second in the 1993 and 1996 races for Peugeot and Porsche respectively, his Toyota GT-One led with 80 minutes to go in 1998 only to suffer gearbox failure.

Boutsen retired from racing after breaking his vertebrae during the following year’s race. He now runs Boutsen Aviation – the Monte Carlo-based company he founded in 1996 to buy and sell private corporate aircraft – and teams in both sports cars and the junior formulae.

Porsche Race Results Thierry Boutsen

Source Race Results : Racing Sports Cars