LE MANS miniatures Figure 1/18 Didier Pironi

Year : 1980s

The career of the French racing driver Didier Pironi marked the spirits by its fulgurance and its diversity and the numerous friendships which he had bound within the automobile world.

He indeed ran for the biggest automobile marks of the 70s both in Formula 1 as in endurance: Tyrrell, Ligier, Ferrari Porsche or Alpine Renault. He takes away the most prestigious races among which the LeMans 24 hours in 1978 beside Jean-Pierre Jaussaud. In spite of the accident which stops clear his career in 1983 he is a vice-champion of the World of F1.

The most striking friendship is the one that he maintained with Gilles Villeneuve whom he meets at Ferrari: competitors on the track, faithful friends in the life until the death separates them when Villeneuve who wants to take his revenge on his defeat of San Marin kills during the qualifications of Grand Prix of Belgium in May, 1982 by wanting to beat Pironi.

After his racing driver's career is broken he dashes in 1986 thanks to Philippe Streiff into the offshore race. He kills at the wheel of his boat the Colibri ("Hummingbird") in August, 1987.