Carel Godin de Beaufort

Carel Godin de Beaufort

Carel Godin de Beaufort's Ecurie Maarsbergen badge.
Born 10 April 1934(1934-04-10)
Died 2 August 1964(1964-08-02) (aged 30)
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality Dutch
Active years 1957 - 1964
Teams Ecurie Maarsbergen (privateer Porsche and Cooper)
Scuderia Ugolini (privateer Maserati)
Races 31 (28 starts)
Championships 0
Wins 0
Podiums 0
Career points 4
Pole positions 0
Fastest laps 0
First race 1957 German Grand Prix
Last race 1964 German Grand Prix
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Participating years 1956 – 1960, 1962 – 1963
Teams Wolfgang Seidel
Ed Hugus
privateer
Porsche System Engineering
Best finish 5th (1958)
Class wins 1 (1957)

Jonkheer Karel Pieter Antoni Jan Hubertus (Carel) Godin de Beaufort (10 April 1934, Maarsbergen – 2 August 1964, Cologne, Germany) was a Dutch nobleman and motor racing driver from the Netherlands. He competed in Formula One between 1957 and 1964.

Contents

Career

He participated in 31 World Championship Grands Prix, becoming the first Dutchman ever to score points in the Formula One World Championship, and numerous non-Championship Formula One races. He was one of the last truly amateur drivers in F1, and ran his own cars — painted the vibrant Dutch racing colour: orange — under the Ecurie Maarsbergen banner, the team taking its name from de Beaufort's country estate. In early years he was considered something of a mobile chicane, and a danger to other drivers on the track. However, in later years he matured into a competent and popular competitor.

Always a Porsche devotee (he only drove two World Championship races in anything else) he was a familiar sight at both Championship and non-Championship races in his orange Porsche 718, bought from the Rob Walker Racing Team. Although the 718 was outclassed even in its first year with him, he persisted with it as it was the only design into which he could fit his burly frame. The size of the car, and a streak of self-deprecating humour in de Beaufort himself, earned it the nickname "Fatty Porsche". With stereotypical aristocratic eccentricity he often drove without shoes,[1] and at his final race in Germany was even seen taking practice laps wearing a Beatles wig, rather than his helmet.[2]

Death

He died after an accident at the Nürburgring, during practice for the 1964 German Grand Prix. Driving the Porsche 718, the car suddenly veered off the track at the infamous Bergwerk corner. He was thrown out of the car and suffered massive injuries to his head, chest and legs. Initially de Beaufort was taken to a local hospital, but on the arrival of his family he was swiftly transferred to a major neurological hospital in Cologne. Sadly even they could not help him, and he died from his injuries three days after the accident.


Formula One results

World Championship results

(key)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 WDC Points
1957 Ecurie Maarsbergen Porsche 550RS Porsche Flat-4 ARG MON 500 FRA GBR GER
14*		 PES ITA NC 0
1958 Ecurie Maarsbergen Porsche RSK Porsche Flat-4 ARG MON NED
11		 500 BEL FRA GBR GER
Ret*		 POR ITA MOR NC 0
1959 Ecurie Maarsbergen Porsche RSK Porsche Flat-4 MON 500 NED
10		 GBR GER POR ITA USA NC 0
Scuderia Ugolini Maserati 250F Maserati Straight-6 FRA
Ret
1960 Ecurie Maarsbergen Cooper T51 Climax Straight-4 ARG MON 500 NED
8*		 BEL FRA GBR POR ITA USA NC 0
1961 Ecurie Maarsbergen Porsche 718 Porsche Flat-4 MON NED
14		 BEL
11		 FRA
Ret		 GBR
16		 GER
14		 ITA
7		 USA NC 0
1962 Ecurie Maarsbergen Porsche 718 Porsche Flat-4 NED
6		 MON
DNQ		 BEL
7		 FRA
6		 GBR
14		 GER
13		 ITA
10		 USA
Ret		 RSA
11		 16th 2
1963 Ecurie Maarsbergen Porsche 718 Porsche Flat-4 MON BEL
6		 NED
9		 FRA GBR
10		 GER
Ret		 ITA
DNQ		 USA
6		 MEX
10		 RSA
10		 14th 2
1964 Ecurie Maarsbergen Porsche 718 Porsche Flat-4 MON NED
Ret		 BEL FRA GBR GER
DNS		 AUT ITA USA MEX NC 0

* Formula 2 entry.

Non-Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
1961 Ecurie Maarsbergen Porsche 718 Porsche Flat-4 LOM GLV PAU BRX VIE AIN SYR NAP LON SIL SOL
Ret		 KAN DAN
Ret		 MOD
DNQ		 FLG
6		 OUL LEW VAL RAN NAT RSA
1962 Ecurie Maarsbergen Porsche 718 Porsche Flat-4 CAP BRX LOM LAV GLV PAU AIN INT NAP MAL
9		 CLP RMS
7		 SOL
5		 KAN
6		 MED DAN
7		 OUL
7		 MEX
7		 RAN NAT
1963 Ecurie Maarsbergen Porsche 718 Porsche Flat-4 LOM GLV PAU
4		 IMO
6		 SYR
2		 AIN INT
9		 ROM
2		 SOL
7		 KAN
7		 MED
DNS		 AUT
3		 OUL
10		 RAN
1964 Ecurie Maarsbergen Porsche 718 Porsche Flat-4 DMT NWT SYR
WD		 AIN INT
13		 SOL
8		 MED RAN

References

Preceded by
Gary Hocking		 Formula One fatal accidents
3 August 1964		 Succeeded by
John Taylor