Bernard Jourdain (born August 16, 1950 in Brussels) is a Belgian born Mexican racing driver. Jourdain is the uncle of racer Michel Jourdain Jr., and a pivotal figure in Michel Jr.’s progression from novice to Champ Car race winner. Now retired from racing, Bernard runs a restaurant in California, as well as other business projects.[1]
| Bernard Jourdain | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  Mexican |
| Born | 16 August 1950 Brussels, Belgium |
| Related to | Michel Jourdain Jr. (nephew) |
| Awards | |
| 1989 1989 | Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year CART Rookie of the year |
Racing career
editOpen Wheel Racing
editAlthough Jourdain had been racing professionally since 1969, he did not appear on the international scene until late 1987, when he raced twice in Formula Atlantic. Despite crashing in both these races, he gained a drive with Cimarran Racing for the following season in Formula Super Vee USA Robert Bosch/Valvoline Championship. In his first full season, racing internationally in USA, he scored two major race victories by winning the Dallas Grand Prix and St. Petersburg GTE Grand Prix.[2] This helped him to finish third in the overall standing. Also during the ’88 season, Jourdain made his CART debut. He signed with Andale Racing to race their March-Cosworth 86C in the last two races of the year. Broken suspension stopped him in his debut at Laguna Seca, he returned for the Miami Indy Challenge, where finished sixth.[3][4][5][6]
He remained with Andale for the 1989, with the team upgrading the car to a Lola-Cosworth T89/00. It was with Andale that he made the first of his two Indianapolis 500s starts. After finishing nine laps down in ninth place, he was named the Indy 500 Co-Rookie of the Year along with Scott Pruett. He would only score one more top 10 finish, taking tenth in the Molson Indy Toronto. At the end of the season, he finished 18th in the overall standing, and was awarded the CART Rookie of the Year title.[7][8]
In 1990 Jourdain returned to Andale for the Indianapolis 500. During qualifying, he wrecked his Lola-Buick T89/00, and was forced to try and qualify the spare car, a Lola-Buick T88/00. It was in this car; he ricocheted off three walls and demolished it, seriously injuring himself in the process. He underwent surgery to remove his spleen. He returned to open-wheeled racing the following season, securing a drive with A. J. Foyt Enterprises, and became the first non-US-born driver to race for four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A. J. Foyt, starting in the Toyota Long Beach Grand Prix. He raced once more with Foyt, in the Indy 500, but did not finish either of these races due to gearbox gremlins. After the race at Indianapolis, Jourdain retired from international motor sport.[9][10]
Sports Car Racing
edit1988 also was Jourdain make his international race debut in sport cars in the SunBank 24 at Daytona with Kalagian Racing. After finishing fifth, he would continue to race Kalagian’s Porsche 962 in a number of Camel GT Championship, alongside his Formula Super Vee commitments. When in 1989, he step up into CART, he cut back his sport cars racing to just another visit to the SunBank 24 at Daytona, with an outing in the works Spice Engineering team when the FIA World Sports Prototype Championship visited the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City.[11]
He returned to the Camel GT Championship in 1990, with the Spice Engineering USA team, finishing on the third step on the podium in the Camel Grand Prix of Heartland Park, prior to his big Indy crash. He would return to racing in time for the 480km of Mexico City with Team Davey in their Porsche 962C.[12]
It was October 2005, when after a break of 14 years away from the track, he dusted down his crash helmet and raced in round of the Campeonato de España de GT. He continued into 2006, with Lozano Motorsport/Estudio 2000 sa, in their Porsche 996 GT3-RSR, alongside Manuel Sáez-Merino Jr. in a selection of International GT Open race, archiving two tenth places finishes.[13]
Racing record
editCareer highlights
edit| Season | Series | Position | Team | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Formula Super Vee USA Robert Bosch/Valvoline Championship [14][15] | 3rd | Cimarran Racing | Ralt-Volkswagen RT5 |
| Camel GT Championship season [16][17] | 25th | Kalagian Racing | Porsche 962 | |
| CART PPG Indy Car World Series[18][19] | 26th | Andale Racing | March-Cosworth 86C | |
| 1989 | USAC Gold Crown Series [20] | 9th | Andale Racing | Lola-Cosworth T89/00 |
| CART PPG Indy Car World Series [21][22] | 18th | Andale Racing | Lola-Cosworth T89/00 | |
| Camel GT Championship season [23][24] | 46th | Bernard Jourdain | Porsche 962 | |
| 1990 | Camel GT Championship season [25][26] | 26th | Spice Engineering USA | Spice-Chevrolet SE90P |
| 1991 | USAC Gold Crown Series [27] | 18th | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Lola-Buick T90/00 |
| CART PPG Indy Car World Series [28][29] | 42nd | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Lola-Chevrolet T90/00 Lola-Buick T90/00 |
Complete 24 Hours of Daytona results
edit| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 |  Kalagian Racing
|
Jim Rothbarth Michel Jourdain Sr. Rob Stevens
|
Porsche 962 | GTP | 680 | 5th | 5th |
| 1989 | Bernard Jourdain
|
Oscar Manautou Allen Berg Andres Contreras
|
Porsche 962 | GTP | 485 | 18th (DNF) |
7th (DNF) |
| 1990 |  Panasonic/Carlos & Charlies
|
Jeff Kline Hiro Matsushita
|
Spice-Chevrolet SE90P | GTP | 90 | 47th (DNF) |
13th (DNF) |
Complete 12 Hours of Sebring results
edit| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | John Kalagian Racing
|
Jim Rothbarth
|
Porsche 962 | GTP | 90 | 62nd (DNF) |
13th (DNF) |
| 1990 | Spice Engineering GB
|
Tom Kendall Albert Naon Jr.
|
Spice-Chevrolet SE90P | GTP | 222 | 18th (DNF) |
8th (DNF) |
American Open Wheel racing results
edit(key)
Formula Super Vee
edit| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Cimarron Racing | PHX Ret |
LBH 3 |
DAL 1 |
IRP 4 |
MIL 5 |
DET 12 |
NIA 3 |
CLE 2 |
MEA Ret |
MDO 5 |
ROA 3 |
NAZ 2 |
STP 1 |
3rd | 152[30] |
CART
edit| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Rank | Points | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Andale Racing | PHX | LBH | INDY | MIL | POR | CLE | TOR | MEA | MIS | POC | MDO | ROA | NAZ | LS 20 |
MIA 6 |
26th | 8 | [31] | ||
| 1989 | Andale Racing | PHX 19 |
LBH 13 |
INDY 9 |
MIL 12 |
DET 15 |
POR 22 |
CLE 19 |
MEA 19 |
TOR 10 |
MIS 19 |
POC 11 |
MDO 27 |
ROA | NAZ 15 |
LS 23 |
18th | 10 | [32] | ||
| 1990 | Andale Racing | PHX |
LBH |
INDY Inj |
MIL |
DET |
POR |
CLE |
MEA |
TOR |
MIS |
DEN |
VAN |
MDO |
ROA |
NAZ |
LS |
NC | - | [33] | |
| 1991 | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | SRF |
LBH 20 |
PHX |
INDY 18 |
MIL |
DET |
POR |
CLE |
MEA |
TOR |
MIS |
DEN |
VAN |
MDO |
ROA |
NAZ |
LS |
42nd | 0 | [34] |
Indianapolis 500
edit| Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Lola T89/00 | Ford Cosworth DFX | 20 | 9 | Andale Racing |
| 1990 | Lola T89/00 | Buick | Injured | Andale Racing | |
| 1991 | Lola T91/00 | Buick | 21 | 18 | A. J. Foyt Enterprises |
References
edit- ^ http://www.oldracingcars.com/drivers/Bernard_Jourdain[permanent dead link]
- ^ Phillips, Dave (December 12, 1988). "All the Answers". On Track Magazine (December): 34–39.
...Bernard Jourdain, who went from a regular top 10 finisher last year to a bona fide contender every time out in 1988. In the midst of an IMSA and GTP program and preparations for his Indy Car debut, Bernard took two brilliant victories, besting Radisich on the phenomenally tight Dallas circuit despite having lost first and second gears, then romping home ahead of Murillo at treacherous St. Petersburg.
- ^ "A few laps with. . . Bernard Jourdain | Y-Press". www.ypress.org. Archived from the original on 25 January 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
- ^ http://www.champcarstats.com/atlantic/drivers/JourdainBernard.html[permanent dead link]
- ^ "1988 Valvoline Championship for Bosch-Volkswagen Super Vee". Archived from the original on 2015-08-01. Retrieved 2015-01-25.
- ^ http://www.champcarstats.com/drivers/JourdainBernard.html[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Gainesville Sun - Google News Archive Search".
- ^ http://www.champcarstats.com/drivers/JourdainBernard.html[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Driver Bernard Jourdain, injured Friday when his car... - tribunedigital-chicagotribune". Archived from the original on 2015-10-22. Retrieved 2015-01-25.
- ^ http://www.ulitmateracinghistory.com/racelist2.php?uniqid=16822[permanent dead link]
- ^ http://www.racingsportscars.com/drivers/results/Bernard-Jourdain-MEX.html[permanent dead link]
- ^ http://www.racingsportscars.com/drivers/results/Bernard-Jourdain-MEX.html[permanent dead link]
- ^ http://www.racingsportscars.com/drivers/results/Bernard-Jourdain-MEX.html[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Formula Super Vee USA Robert Bosch/Valvoline Championship 1988 standings | Driver Database".
- ^ "1988 Valvoline Championship for Bosch-Volkswagen Super Vee". Archived from the original on 2015-08-01. Retrieved 2015-01-25.
- ^ "IMSA Camel GTP Championship 1988 standings | Driver Database".
- ^ http://www.classicscars.com/wspr/results/imsa/tableimsa.html#1988GTP
- ^ "PPG Indy Car World Series 1988 standings | Driver Database".
- ^ "Standings".
- ^ "Standings".
- ^ "PPG Indy Car World Series 1989 standings | Driver Database".
- ^ "Standings".
- ^ "IMSA Camel GTP Championship 1989 standings | Driver Database".
- ^ http://www.classicscars.com/wspr/results/imsa/tableimsa.html#1989GTP
- ^ "IMSA Camel GTP Championship 1990 standings | Driver Database".
- ^ http://www.classicscars.com/wspr/results/imsa/tableimsa.html#1990GTP
- ^ "Standings".
- ^ "PPG Indy Car World Series 1991 standings | Driver Database".
- ^ "Standings".
- ^ Phillips, Dave (December 12, 1988). "All the Answers". On Track Magazine (December): 34–39.
...Bernard Jourdain, who went from a regular top 10 finisher last year to a bona fide contender every time out in 1988. In the midst of an IMSA and GTP program and preparations for his Indy Car debut, Bernard took two brilliant victories, besting Radisich on the phenomenally tight Dallas circuit despite having lost first and second gears, then romping home ahead of Murillo at treacherous St. Petersburg.
- ^ "Bernard Jourdain – 1988 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ "Bernard Jourdain – 1989 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ "Bernard Jourdain – 1990 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ "Bernard Jourdain – 1991 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2023.