Thierry Boutsen
Thierry Marc Boutsen is a Belgian former racing driver who raced for the Arrows, Benetton, Williams, Ligier and Jordan teams in Formula One. He competed in 164 World Championship Grands Prix, winning three races, achieving 15 podiums and scoring 132 career points. His best finish in the World Drivers' Championship was fourth in whilst driving for Benetton. He also twice finished second in the 24 Hours of Le Mans sportscar race.
Career
Junior formulae and sportscars
After winning the "Volant V" in 1977 at the André Pilette Racing School, Zolder, Boutsen entered the Belgian Formula Ford 1600 championship and won it in 1978 with 15 victories in 18 races. He also entered the 1978 Spa 24 Hours race, the very last auto race on the old 14 km Spa-Francorchamps circuit- driving a Toyota Trueno. For 1979 he moved to Formula 3, winning three races in 1980 and second place in the European title race, behind Michele Alboreto. In 1981 he moved to Formula 2 and was again second in the European championship, including winning at the 14-mile Nürburgring- this time behind Geoff Lees.He also entered the 1981 24 Hours of Le Mans. The race started at 3pm – one hour earlier than usual due to the Parliamentary elections held on the same weekend. At 4:06pm Boutsen suffered a massive accident just after the Hunaudières kink, some before the Mulsanne bosse when his WM P81-Peugeot was travelling at some. A suspension piece had failed and the car hit the guard-rail losing the entire rear end. Boutsen was untouched, but the debris field of hurled parts and bodywork was spread over. Three marshals were struck by the debris. One of them, Thierry Mabilat, was killed - struck in the chest by a detached piece of the guard rail. Two of his colleagues, Claude Hertault and Serge David, were seriously injured.
In 1983 Boutsen drove in the European Touring Car Championship and in World Sportscar races, where he won the very first Group C race, the Monza 1000 km with Bob Wollek driving a Porsche 956. He also won the famous Daytona 24 hour race in 1985, co-driving the Porsche 956 from the Preston Henn Racing with Bob Wollek, AJ Foyt and Al Unser Sr.
Formula One
Arrows
Boutsen was considered a promising driver, testing for McLaren and Brabham. He was briefly attached to the Spirit Honda F1 project before losing out to his Formula Two teammate Stefan Johansson..In 1983 he paid $500,000 for a drive in Formula One and made his debut with Arrows at his home race, the 1983 Belgian Grand Prix at the shortened 7 km Spa. While he scored no points in 1983 his careful handling and close performance compared to experienced teammate Marc Surer. With backing from Barclay cigarettes he remained with the team for a further three seasons. The first saw Arrows struggle with their difficult first turbocharged car, with powerful BMW turbo engines but poor handling. Boutsen scored points twice in the old Cosworth DFV powered A6 and once in the turbo machine. His second season saw several notable results, including 2nd place at Imola. Boutsen crossed the line third, behind Alain Prost and Elio de Angelis but after the race, Prost was disqualified because his car was 2 kg underweight. Three more points scores saw him 11th overall in the standings. A final season with Arrows saw no points for Boutsen in an uncompetitive car, but in parallel to F1 he drove for the Walter Brun team in Group C and clinched the World Championship title with them in 1986, winning that year's Spa 1000 km.Benetton
Boutsen got his big chance when he switched to the works Ford F1 team, Benetton, for the season as teammate to Teo Fabi. While the package wasn't a race winner it did allow him to run regularly in the top 6. He scored points in six races, his best being awarded 3rd place in Adelaide after the disqualification of Ayrton Senna's Lotus and moved to 8th overall. At the Australian Grand Prix, Boutsen was furious with Fabi when the Italian refused to let his teammate lap him for a number of laps. When Boutsen confronted Fabi about this after the race, a frustrated Fabi, told the Belgian to "come back and see me when you have a pole position". Fabi scored no wins in his F1 career but did have 3 poles to his name while at that stage Boutsen could only boast his 2nd place at Imola in 1985.saw Boutsen with a new teammate, the fast, chain-smoking Italian Alessandro Nannini. When Cosworth stopped development of their turbocharged V6 engine, Benetton were forced to switch to normally aspirated Ford DFR V8 engines in anticipation of the banning of turbos in 1989. Boutsen's consistency, mechanical sympathy and speed in the Rory Byrne designed Benetton B188 saw him score points in 10 of the 16 races, including five 3rd-place finishes, and place 4th overall as the best non-turbo driver in the field.
Williams
His reputation as a reliable, fast driver with good development skills saw Frank Williams sign him on a two-year contract to replace Nigel Mansell and drive the new V10 Renault powered Williams FW12C. began with Boutsen on the back foot due to a heavy pre-season testing crash in Rio and because veteran teammate Riccardo Patrese had a major resurgence in form. However at the Canadian Grand Prix, Boutsen drove well in wet conditions and took his maiden victory after Senna suffered a late engine failure. Although it was a welcome win, it was considered a lucky win for the Belgian as he had been last at one stage and had a full 360° spin, though luckily he managed to keep his car off the walls. He managed to catch and pass Patrese who was suffering with a loose undertray and took the lead 3 laps from the end when the Honda V10 engine in Senna's McLaren MP4/5 seized. Three more podium finishes came before Boutsen rounded the year off with a second victory at the rain-soaked Australian Grand Prix. Ironically Boutsen had been one of the drivers protesting about the conditions at the circuit before the race.saw more consistent points scoring drives, including his third and final Grand Prix victory - a lights-to-flag victory in Hungary where he took his first pole position and held off sustained pressure from Alessandro Nannini and Ayrton Senna to win. However, with Nigel Mansell available in 1991, Williams Renault felt they needed a 'star' driver to put together a championship bid. Despite Boutsen winning three races in two years to Patrese's one, the team felt that Patrese had been more consistent and decided to keep the Italian to drive alongside Mansell.
Ligier
With no vacancies among the top teams Boutsen had to drop down to the Ligier team. Despite having a sizeable budget and Lamborghini V12 engines, the JS35 was an uncompetitive car and Boutsen was frequently unable to disguise his disgust with the machinery given to him. The arrival of Renault engines in 1992 improved matters a little and in his final race for the team he scored 5th place, his first points since leaving Williams.Jordan
Initially he was unable to find a drive for 1993 but Barclay secured him a slot at Jordan, replacing Ivan Capelli. Boutsen was rusty, too tall for the car and largely outpaced by young teammate Rubens Barrichello, failing to score any points in ten races. With Eddie Jordan keen to bring in younger, well-sponsored drivers to the seat the decision was taken to turn Boutsen's home race into a farewell event, though he retired on the first lap.Touring cars
For 1994, Boutsen was hired by Ford Motorsport to lead their works challenge on the newly created Super Tourenwagen Cup in Germany. Driving a factory prepared Ford Mondeo built by Eggenberger Motorsport, that first season was a learning year for both Boutsen and the team.The following year, Boutsen was joined by his old Williams teammate Riccardo Patrese, but the season was a disaster. Attempting to follow Audi's lead by developing a four-wheel drive car, the Mondeo was totally uncompetitive.
Boutsen started in only the first four races in 1996 before leaving the team and turning his attention to sports car racing. After three years of limited success, Ford pulled the plug on the project at the end of that season to focus solely on the British series.
Sportscars
Boutsen then drove sports cars in the US, driving for Champion Racing in a Porsche 911 GT1, alongside Bill Adam and Hans Stuck. The trio finished 2nd in class at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1997, Boutsen won the GT-One US Championship with the Champion Racing in 1998. After a crash at Le Mans in 1999 at the wheel of a Toyota GT-One he retired from racing altogether.Helmet
Boutsen's helmet was black with a red, orange and yellow ribbon design surrounding the visor and the rear area. The colours used are the colours of the Belgian flag.Business
Today Boutsen runs his own company, Boutsen Aviation, in Monaco. Its business is the "Sale and Acquisition of Business Jets". He founded the company in 1997 with his wife Daniela and up to May 2011, the company had sold 205 aircraft, ranging from Airbus Corporate Jets to Cessna Citation. He is also co-owner of Boutsen Energy Racing alongside his brother-in-law Olivier Lainé and Georges Kaczka. The team competes in the Formula Le Mans class in the Le Mans Series. Boutsen also runs cars in Formula Renault and Eurocup Mégane Trophy.Racing record
Complete European Formula Two Championship results
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Pts | |
| Marlboro Racing for Zolder | March 812 | BMW | SIL Ret | HOC Ret | THR Ret | NÜR 1 | VAL 3 | MUG Ret | PAU 2 | PER 1 | SPA 2 | DON 12 | MIS 8 | MAN 4 | 2nd | 37 | ||
| Marlboro Team Spirit | Spirit 201 | Honda | SIL 12 | HOC 2 | THR 3 | NÜR 1 | MUG 4 | VAL 6 | PAU 2 | SPA 1 | HOC Ret | DON 9 | MAN 4 | PER 1 | MIS 6 | 3rd | 50 |
Complete Formula One results
| Year | Team | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Pts | |
| 1983 | Arrows Racing Team | Arrows A6 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | BRA | USW | FRA | SMR | MON | BEL Ret | DET 7 | CAN 7 | GBR 15 | GER 9 | AUT 13 | NED 14 | ITA Ret | EUR 11 | RSA 9 | NC | 0 | |
| 1984 | Barclay Nordica Arrows BMW | Arrows A6 | Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 | BRA 6 | RSA 12 | SMR 5 | 15th | 5 | |||||||||||||
| 1984 | Barclay Nordica Arrows BMW | Arrows A7 | BMW M12/13 1.5 L4t | BEL Ret | FRA 11 | MON DNQ | CAN Ret | DET Ret | DAL Ret | GBR Ret | GER Ret | AUT 5 | NED Ret | ITA 10 | EUR 9 | POR Ret | 15th | 5 | |||
| 1985 | Barclay Arrows BMW | Arrows A8 | BMW M12/13 1.5 L4t | BRA 11 | POR Ret | SMR 2 | MON 9 | CAN 9 | DET 7 | FRA 9 | GBR Ret | GER 4 | AUT 8 | NED Ret | ITA 9 | BEL 10 | EUR 6 | RSA 6 | AUS Ret | 11th | 11 |
| 1986 | Barclay Arrows BMW | Arrows A8 | BMW M12/13 1.5 L4t | BRA Ret | ESP 7 | SMR 7 | MON 8 | BEL Ret | CAN Ret | DET Ret | FRA NC | GBR NC | HUN Ret | ITA 7 | POR 10 | MEX 7 | AUS Ret | NC | 0 | ||
| 1986 | Barclay Arrows BMW | Arrows A9 | BMW M12/13 1.5 L4t | GER Ret | AUT Ret | NC | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| 1987 | Benetton Formula Ltd. | Benetton B187 | Ford Cosworth GBA 1.5 V6t | BRA 5 | SMR Ret | BEL Ret | MON Ret | DET Ret | FRA Ret | GBR 7 | GER Ret | HUN 4 | AUT 4 | ITA 5 | POR 14 | ESP 16 | MEX Ret | JPN 5 | AUS 3 | 8th | 16 |
| 1988 | Benetton Formula Ltd. | Benetton B188 | Ford Cosworth DFR 3.5 V8 | BRA 7 | SMR 4 | MON 8 | MEX 8 | CAN 3 | DET 3 | FRA Ret | GBR Ret | GER 6 | HUN 3 | BEL DSQ | ITA 6 | POR 3 | ESP 9 | JPN 3 | AUS 5 | 4th | 27 |
| 1989 | Canon Williams Team | Williams FW12C | Renault RS1 3.5 V10 | BRA Ret | SMR 4 | MON 10 | MEX Ret | USA 6 | CAN 1 | FRA Ret | GBR 10 | GER Ret | HUN 3 | BEL 4 | ITA 3 | 5th | 37 | ||||
| 1989 | Canon Williams Team | Williams FW13 | Renault RS1 3.5 V10 | POR Ret | ESP Ret | JPN 3 | AUS 1 | 5th | 37 | ||||||||||||
| 1990 | Canon Williams Renault | Williams FW13B | Renault RS2 3.5 V10 | USA 3 | BRA 5 | SMR Ret | MON 4 | CAN Ret | MEX 5 | FRA Ret | GBR 2 | GER 6 | HUN 1 | BEL Ret | ITA Ret | POR Ret | ESP 4 | JPN 5 | AUS 5 | 6th | 34 |
| 1991 | Ligier Gitanes | Ligier JS35 | Lamborghini 3512 3.5 V12 | USA Ret | BRA 10 | SMR 7 | MON 7 | CAN Ret | MEX 8 | NC | 0 | ||||||||||
| 1991 | Ligier Gitanes | Ligier JS35B | Lamborghini 3512 3.5 V12 | FRA 12 | GBR Ret | GER 9 | HUN 17 | BEL 11 | ITA Ret | POR 16 | ESP Ret | JPN 9 | AUS Ret | NC | 0 | ||||||
| 1992 | Ligier Gitanes Blondes | Ligier JS37 | Renault RS3C 3.5 V10 | RSA Ret | MEX 10 | BRA Ret | ESP Ret | SMR Ret | MON 12 | CAN 10 | FRA Ret | GBR 10 | GER 7 | HUN Ret | BEL Ret | ITA Ret | POR 8 | JPN Ret | AUS 5 | 14th | 2 |
| 1993 | Sasol Jordan | Jordan 193 | Hart 1035 3.5 V10 | RSA | BRA | EUR Ret | SMR Ret | ESP 11 | MON Ret | CAN 12 | FRA 11 | GBR Ret | GER 13 | HUN 9 | BEL Ret | ITA | POR | JPN | AUS | NC | 0 |
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
Complete Super Tourenwagen Cup results
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Pts | |
| 1994 | Eggenberger Motorsport | Ford Mondeo | AVU 4 | WUN 11 | ZOL 14 | ZAN Ret | ÖST 7 | SAL 6 | SPA Ret | NÜR 8 | 10th | 23 | ||||||||||
| 1995 | Ford Mondeo Team Schübel | Ford Mondeo | ZOL 1 10 | ZOL 2 Ret | SPA 1 Ret | SPA 2 NC | ÖST 1 22 | ÖST 2 Ret | HOC 1 NC | HOC 2 12 | NÜR 1 Ret | NÜR 2 15 | SAL 1 14 | SAL 2 Ret | AVU 1 14 | AVU 2 10 | NÜR 1 14 | NÜR 2 10 | 18th | 95 | ||
| 1996 | Ford Mondeo Team Schübel | Ford Mondeo Ghia | ZOL 1 13 | ZOL 2 Ret | ASS 1 18 | ASS 2 16 | HOC 1 | HOC 2 | SAC 1 | SAC 2 | WUN 1 | WUN 2 | ZWE 1 | ZWE 2 | SAL 1 | SAL 2 | AVU 1 | AVU 2 | NÜR 1 | NÜR 2 | 30th | 21 |
Complete FIA GT Championship results
| Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Pts | |
| 1997 | Porsche AG | Porsche 911 GT1 | GT1 | HOC 4 | SIL 5 | HEL | 15th | 18 | ||||||||
| 1997 | Porsche AG | Porsche 911 GT1 Evo | GT1 | NÜR 10 | SPA Ret | A1R 6 | SUZ 5 | DON 11 | MUG 4 | SEB 6 | LAG 5 | 15th | 18 |