Jean Behra – Porschiste
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www.porscheroadandrace.com Jean Behra – Porschiste Published: 1st November 2017 By: Kieron Fennelly Online version: https://www.porscheroadandrace.com/jean-behra-porschiste/ www.porscheroadandrace.com Jean Behra following his accident at Caracas 3 November 1957 www.porscheroadandrace.com Staring out of period black and white photographs, Jean Behra’s handsome, but battered face tells its own story: a combative soul who seemed to thrive only when living on the ragged edge and for whom an exploit was either going to work or it wasn’t: “Ou ca passe ou ça casse.” The British press used to talk about the ‘fiery’ Frenchman while L’Equipe would refer to his ‘Mediterranean’ temperament. In fact, Behra’s famously quick temper probably did little to enhance his career and often meant he was battling in less competitive or reliable racing cars which he would usually drive with great determination until either they broke or he crashed. However, his indomitable spirit and pugnacious driving also won him admirers including Enzo Ferrari who invited him to drive for the Scuderia in 1959, a season which might have been Behra’s finest but sadly turned out to be one he would not complete for he died at the Avus, the day before the German GP. www.porscheroadandrace.com Jean Behra at the Nürburgring, 1957 www.porscheroadandrace.com Published in 2013, Jean Luc Fournier’s outstanding book, ‘Behra, Prince des Damiers’ was a welcome and timely addition to the library of post war racing. Fournier confirms what we already knew, that Behra was by far France’s best driver of the 1950s, but he shows just how good ‘Jeannot’ was, at times the equal of any competitor except perhaps Fangio. In an eight-year grand prix career Behra never fulfilled his potential, dogged by uncompetitive cars and frustrated by team managers who seemingly ignored his suggestions. A six-time national motorcycle champion who had built and prepared his own machines, he never entirely adapted to the Formula 1 establishment (Fournier ably describes his long rivalry with Maurice Trintignant as well as the highs and lows of his close friendship with Amedée Gordini, and his intense regret at leaving the French firm for Maserati in 1955). Apart from a couple of reasonable seasons with the Maserati 250 F which included a fourth, eight points behind Fangio in the 1956 drivers’ championship, his GP career brought only disappointment. He had more success in sports cars, particularly with Maserati again, and it was when the Modena firm withdrew from competition during 1957 that Behra turned to Porsche for sports car events. Even though it was late in his career, Porsche would be so nearly the making of Jean Behra. www.porscheroadandrace.com Jean Behra at the Nürburgring GP in 1956 with his 356 Carrera Behra was no stranger to Porsches: he bought a 356A as a road car and with his younger brother José as co-driver, finished second in the 1956 Tour de France Auto. Behra’s only child, Jean Paul Behra, who when prevailed upon by author Fournier, finally consented to release documents and photographs to make ‘Le prince des damiers’ possible. Jean Paul recalls driving from Monza to Modena in his father’s 356. “I was crammed into the back because he had Maserati’s chief mechanic in the front seat and they were talking about suspensions and engines all the way. I was trying hard to listen, but I was really suffering because I had absolutely no space and papa www.porscheroadandrace.com was driving incredibly fast. I think we must have averaged 160km/h that day!” 1956 was also the year in which the Porsche 550 Spyder came of age, emerging from being a habitual 1500cc class winner to an overall winner, Umberto Maglioli scored the first of Porsche’s eleven outright victories in the Targa Florio. By now the 550A had 14mm anti roll bars at the front and independent rear suspension at a time when competitors were persevering with rigid or live rear axles. Its successor, the 718, which appeared in late 1957, was faster and more competitive still. Stirling Moss and Jean Behra drove the #48 Porsche 550 RS Spyder to third place overall in the the Buenos Aires 1000km in 1958 In January 1958 at the Argentinian GP, Behra finished fifth in his penultimate outing with www.porscheroadandrace.com the Maserati 250F and typically he stayed to race in the 1000km sports car event the following weekend. He shared a 550A with Stirling Moss and they finished third. Huschke von Hanstein, Porsche’s racing manager, had managed to get Moss into a works Porsche in 1955 and in Argentina he was pleased to recruit Behra as well to make a formidable team. For ‘Jeannot’ it was the beginning of an illustrious and all too brief run of good fortune. His grand prix activity was depressing – he was now with BRM and as Jean Luc Fournier explains, he got on well with the British, especially BRM’s French speaking engineer, Tony Rudd. Alas BRM’s F1 car, like the Gordinis with which Behra tried so hard with was not competitive; it also had unreliable brakes which cost Behra the lead at Monaco and caused him to hit the wall of the Goodwood chicane very hard, happily without serious injury – Jean Luc Fournier’s book has a fine picture of a bruised Behra being helped from the car and the photo also shows that the famous chicane wall really was made of bricks in those days! Meanwhile his experience with Porsche was proving a refreshing contrast: in March 1958, the new RSK gave notice at Sebring when Behra held third place until the gearbox failed. But then second at the Targa Florio, and then third overall and first in the efficiency index at Le Mans confirmed that the Porsche RSK was now capable of competing with the 3-litre cars. www.porscheroadandrace.com Jean Behra drove the #21 Porsche 718 RSK to fourth place overall in the 1958 Goodwood Tourist Trophy, winning the class for Sports cars up to 2000cc www.porscheroadandrace.com Targa Florio 11 May 1958: (from R-L) Huschke von Hanstein, Giorgio Scarlatti, Edgar Barth, Wolfgang Seidel, Wilhelm Hild, unknown, Jean Behra and Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips, stand around a Porsche 550 A Spyder www.porscheroadandrace.com 12 Hours of Sebring in March 1958: Relaxing before the race (from R-L) Jean Behra, Herbert Linge, Mister Landmann, Edgar Barth, Harry Schell (behind) and Wolfgang von Trips Then began Behra’s five-month purple patch with the 718 which brought him a win in the Coupe du Rhin, second at Zeltweg, fourth with Edgar Barth in the Tourist Trophy and then two more wins at Avus and in November at Riverside. For good measure, while in the Americas, he travelled south to Venezuela to win the sports car grand prix for Ferrari. 1958 marked the high point of his career. At 37 Jean Behra was the French and German sports car champion and following the retirement of Hawthorn, the Commendatore had invited him to the Scuderia for the 1959 F1 season. www.porscheroadandrace.com 12 Hours of Sebring, 22 March 1958: Jean Behra stands behind the Porsche 718 RSK (in dark sweater with hands in pockets) www.porscheroadandrace.com Nürburgring 1000 km, 1 June 1958: Jean Behra at speed in his Porsche 718 RSK www.porscheroadandrace.com 24 Hours of Le Mans, 21/22 June 1958: Jean Behra sits in the Porsche 718 RSK Spyder, while Herbert Linge (3rd from right), Karl Dubies (5th from right) and Hubert Mimler (7th from right) look on www.porscheroadandrace.com Zeltweg, 17 August 1958: #112 Jean Behra is followed by #115 Edgar Barth, #114 Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips (all driving Porsche 718 RSK), while Huschke von Hanstein is just behind in fourth place in the #98 Porsche 550 A Spyder The experience with Porsche suited the independent Behra. It was a more arm’s length relationship than with his previous teams. Porsche also built race cars for private clients and its cars were designed to be relatively easy to modify. Huschke von Hanstein was more than pleased to help Jean Behra, with Moss, the best driver in Porsche’s stable of independent clients and the Frenchman could race his own 718 or turn out for the factory team if von Hanstein invited him. When he asked Behra to drive the latest works 718 at Reims in the 1958 Formula 2 race, ‘Jeannot’ duly obliged by winning in front of his home crowd. The previous year, Formula 2 had returned after a three-season absence, its rules www.porscheroadandrace.com permitting naturally aspirated engines up to 1500cc and also closed wheel cars like the 718. Porsche used the 1958 race on the fast Reims circuit to try out revised aerodynamics and as F2 races were short, a more highly tuned version of its flat four. The next year, F2 assumed much more importance as the FIA announced that from 1961, F1 would be limited to 1500cc – effectively a beefed up F2 and clearly favouring rear engine manufacturers like Porsche. Reims GP, 1958: Jean Behra drives the #14 Porsche 718 RSK in the Formula 2 race With F2, Behra also saw the opportunity of developing his own car and of finally being able to implement his own design ideas. He bought a 718 from Ferry Porsche at what was described as un prix d’ami and with assistance from his friend Alessandro de Tomaso, had the car rebodied by Valerio Colotti (of later gearbox fame) in Modena.