Maurice Trintignant
Maurice Trintignant (October 30, 1917, Sainte-Cécile-les-Vignes, Vaucluse – February 13, 2005, Nimes) was a racing driver.
He was the brother of Bugatti race car driver, Louis Trintignant, who was killed in 1933 while practicing on the Péronne racetrack in Picardie and the uncle of renowned French film actor, Jean-Louis Trintignant.
Began racing cars in 1938 and by 1950 had been successful enough in Grand Prix motor racing to join the newly formed Formula One racing circuit where he competed until his retirement after the 1964 season. 1954 and 1955 were his best years on the F1 circuit, finishing 4th in the drivers championship both years. In 1954 he won the 24 hours of Le Mans and then the Grand Prix of Monaco in 1955 and again in 1958.
In 1955, he drove a Bugatti Type 251 in the French Grand Prix, becoming the last driver to represent the famed marque at a Grand Prix race.
Following his retirement from racing, Maurice Trintignant returned to a quiet life as a wine-grower near the town of Vergèze, in the Languedoc-Roussillon wine growing region, where he would eventually be elected mayor. Trintignant died, aged 87, in 2005.
Major career wins:
- Grand Prix d’Albigeois 1951
- Grand Prix de Caen 1952, 1954
- Grand Prix de Pau 1958, 1959 (F-2), 1962 (F-1)
- Grand Prix de Rouen 1954
- Grand Prix des Frontières 1938, 1939, 1953
- Monaco Grand Prix 1955, 1958
- 24 hours of Le Mans 1954