Greatest Racecars

Jean-Pierre Jabouille Favorite Racecar – The 1980 Renault RE23

Jean-Pierre Jabouille
1980 Austrian GP, Jabouille leads JonesPhoto: Maureen Magee
1980 Austrian GP, Jabouille leads Jones.

Photo: Maureen Magee

I choose the 1980 Renault RE23 as a Greatest Racecar with a little controversy, you’ll see what I mean.  Since the first design of the Renault turbo engine for Formula One, I was there testing and assisting in the development. The driving and work was hard, but I really enjoyed myself, it was very satisfying and rewarding. I was quite sceptical about the concept of this new engine which suffered many, many setbacks for a variety of reasons. We had a tough time trying to get the best out of the combination of a new engine, new car and new tires. Despite these initial problems, and as history shows, the car was eventually successful. For the 1977 season, which we joined after the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, and the 1978 season, I was the lone driver—something teams are not able to do in this modern era of racing.

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