Paris (AFP)
Jean-Paul Driot, co-founder and director of the DAMS racing team, which has passed many great drivers, has died as a result of a long illness, DAMS announced Sunday.
"It is with great sadness that Driot Associés Motor Sport (DAMS) announces that Jean-Paul Driot, founder and owner of the team, died at the age of 68. Jean-Paul has unfortunately lost its long fight against the disease, "said a statement.
"Since the creation of the team in 1988, Jean-Paul Driot and DAMS have won 13 driver titles, 12 championships and no less than 147 wins in Formula 3000, Formula Renault 3.5, GP3 Series, GP2 Series, Formula 2 and Formula E ", says one source, adding that" thanks to Jean-Paul, many young drivers have also been able to access the Formula 1. "
Driot founded DAMS in 1988 with former French F1 driver René Arnoux, and then, along with another French motorsport legend, Alain Prost, the Renault e.dams team, joined him in the Formula Electric championship.
Among the French drivers who went through DAMS before going into F1, Olivier Panis, Sébastien Bourdais, Romain Grosjean, and Pierre Gasly are among the most famous.
© 2019 AFP