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Johnny Servoz-Gavin

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Johnny Servoz-Gavin
Born(1942-01-18)18 January 1942
Grenoble, Rhône-Alpes, France
Died29 May 2006(2006-05-29) (aged 64)
Grenoble, Rhône-Alpes, France
Formula One World Championship career
NationalityFrance French
Active years1967–1970
TeamsMatra, Cooper, Tyrrell
Entries13 (12 starts)
Championships0
Wins0
Podiums1
Career points9
Pole positions0
Fastest laps0
First entry1967 Monaco Grand Prix
Last entry1970 Monaco Grand Prix

Georges-Francis "Johnny" Servoz-Gavin (18 January 1942 – 29 May 2006)[1] was a French motor racing driver in both sportscars and single seaters.

He participated in 13 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix between 1967 and 1970, failing to qualify in one. He achieved one podium, and scored a total of nine championship points. He drove for the Tyrrell Formula One team, mainly as Jackie Stewart's teammate.

Early life

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Servoz-Gavin was born in Grenoble, a city in the foothills of the Alps. As a teenager he worked as a ski instructor, during which time he became known as "Johnny".[1]

Career

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Lower formulae

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Servoz-Gavin's early work included developing sports cars for Matra.[2] After initially competing in rallying, Servoz-Gavin moved to single-seater racing. He had previously attended the racing drivers' school at the Magny-Cours circuit in the centre of France, (from which he was "thrown out")[3] and in 1965 entered the French Formula Three Championship in a private Brabham BT18.[2] By the late 1960s, Servoz-Gavin was a rising star, following in the footsteps of Jacky Ickx and Jean-Pierre Beltoise. He became French Formula Three Champion in 1966 driving a works Matra MS5, and in 1969 he won the European Formula Two Championship.[1]

Formula One

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His Formula Three racing performances won Servoz-Gavin the attention of Matra, resulting in his moving into Formula One.[2] His best season was 1968, particularly the 1968 Italian Grand Prix in which he finished second and scored six points, driving a Matra. He also impressed at the Monaco Grand Prix, entering as Jackie Stewart's stand-in, starting from the front row of the grid,[1] and leading from Graham Hill at the start, until his race ended early after clipping a barrier and breaking a driveshaft in a similar incident to the one that resulted in the death of Lorenzo Bandini in the Monaco Grand Prix the previous year.[1] Next year, he also scored a sixth place in the 1969 Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport Park, which secured him a place in history as the only driver ever to score a world championship point with a four-wheel-driven Formula One car, the Matra MS84.[3]

Servoz-Gavin suffered an eye injury in an off-road event in the winter of 1969–70, and had been worrying that his eyesight had been damaged.[1] Driving a March 701, for the Tyrrell[3] team he finished fifth (yet last) in the 1970 Spanish Grand Prix at Jarama. Then after hitting a barrier again, and failing to qualify for the 1970 Monaco Grand Prix he decided to retire.[1] Servoz-Gavin felt that the risks inherent in Formula One and racing in general were not worthwhile but the problems with his vision may have influenced his decision.[3]

Other motorsport interests

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In 1969, Servoz-Gavin participated in Matra endurance events, co-driving with Pedro Rodríguez.[2]

Later life

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A man of good looks and high society, he was among a number of Formula One drivers rumoured to be the unknown driver in Claude Lelouch's 1977 short footage film C'était un rendez-vous, although Lelouch claimed to have driven the car himself.[4][5]

After his racing career was over, Servoz-Gavin lived on a houseboat and suffered serious burns when a gas bottle exploded on his boat in 1982.[4] He died in May 2006 as the result of a pulmonary embolism, following a period of ill health. He was 64 years old.[2]

Racing record

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24 Hours of Le Mans results

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Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
1966 France Matra Sports SARL France Jean-Pierre Beltoise Matra MS620-BRM P
2.0 		112 DNF DNF
1967 France Equipe Matra Sports France Jean-Pierre Beltoise Matra MS630-BRM P
2.0 		155 DNF DNF
1968 France Equipe Matra Sports France Henri Pescarolo Matra MS630 P
3.0 		283 DNF DNF
1969 France Equipe Matra Elf Switzerland Herbert Müller Matra MS630 P
3.0 		158 DNF DNF
Source:[6]

Complete European Formula Two Championship results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pos. Pts
1967 Matra Sports Matra MS5 Ford SNE SIL NÜR
Ret 		HOC TUL
8 		JAR
5 		ZAN
Ret 		PER
5 		BRH 6th 15
Matra MS7 VAL
3
1968 Matra Sports Matra MS7 Ford HOC THR JAR PAL
Ret 		TUL ZAN PER HOC VAL NC 0
1969 Matra International Matra MS7 Ford THR
5 		HOC
6 		NÜR
6 		JAR
4 		TUL PER
2 		VAL
1 		1st 37

Complete Formula One World Championship results

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(key)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 WDC Pts
1967 Matra Sports Matra MS5 (F2) Ford Cosworth FVA 1.6 L4 RSA MON
Ret 		NED BEL FRA GBR GER CAN ITA USA MEX NC 0
1968 Matra International Matra MS10 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 RSA ESP MON
Ret 		BEL NED ITA
2 		CAN
Ret 		USA MEX
Ret 		13th 6
Cooper Car Company Cooper T86B BRM P101 3.0 V12 FRA
Ret 		GBR GER
1969 Matra International Matra MS7 (F2) Ford Cosworth FVA 1.6 L4 RSA ESP MON NED FRA GBR GER
Ret 		ITA 17th 1
Matra MS84 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 CAN
6 		USA
NC 		MEX
8
1970 Tyrrell Racing Organisation March 701 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 RSA
Ret 		ESP
5 		MON
DNQ 		BEL NED FRA GBR GER AUT ITA CAN USA MEX 20th 2
Source:[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Henry, Alan (26 July 2006). "Johnny Servoz-Gavin". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d e McDonough, Ed (2010). Matra Sports Cars: MS620, 630, 650, 660 & 670 - 1966 to 1974. p13: Veloce Publishing Limited.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  3. ^ a b c d Steve Small (1994). The Guinness Complete Grand Prix Who's Who. Guinness. p. 351. ISBN 0851127029.
  4. ^ a b "Johnny Servoz-Gavin". gp.com. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  5. ^ "Behind the Scenes of Lelouch's Rendezvous". The Motoring Enthusiast. 27 May 2009. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  6. ^ "All Results of Johnny Servoz-Gavin". racingsportscars.com. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  7. ^ Steve Small (1994). The Guinness Complete Grand Prix Who's Who. Guinness. p. 350. ISBN 0851127029.
Sporting positions
Preceded by French Formula Three
Champion
1966 		Succeeded by
Preceded by European Formula Two
Champion
1969 		Succeeded by
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