In Memoriam: Jean-Pierre Jabouille

In Memoriam: Jean-Pierre Jabouille

SRO wishes to express its deep sadness at the passing of one of France's true motorsport legends and a founding father of GT3 racing, Jean-Pierre Jabouille.

Jabouille is best remembered for his grand prix exploits during the late nineteen-seventies, particularly as part of the Renault team. His career continued through the eighties, nineties and into the 21st century. Indeed, in 1996 Jabouille made a one-off appearance in the BPR Global Series, driving a Porsche 993 GT2 at Spa-Francorchamps.

Later still, Jabouille made an important contribution to the burgeoning GT3 category. Working alongside former Renault teammate Jacques Laffite, his AutoGT concern produced and ran the Morgan Aero 8 GT3 car. This distinctive machine contested the FIA European GT3 Championship between 2007 and 2009, demonstrating the remarkable variety of models that could contest the category and helping to pave the way for its future success. 

Indeed, when the 10th anniversary of the category was celebrated in 2016, Stéphane Ratel included Jabouille among the 'founding members who gave life to the first generation of GT3 cars.' SRO sends its sincere condolences to Jean-Pierre's family and friends at this sad time.

Morgan GT3 photos by DPPI