Jean Behra Biography, Wiki, Height, Weight, Cause Of Death, Racing Career & More

Jean Behra Biography: Jean Marie Behra competed in Formula One for the Gordini, Maserati, BRM, Ferrari, and Porsche teams.

Jean Behra Biography

Jean Behra Biography: Jean Marie Behra was born on 16 February 1921 in Nice, France. He was short and stocky, with a weight of 178 pounds. Behra had broad shoulders and twelve collision scars. In 1955, he lost an ear in a car accident. On occasion, he drove magnificently, while on other occasions, he drove without enthusiasm. After being accused of overstressing engines at the 24 Hours of Le Mans & the Reims Grand Prix in 1959, Behra confronted Ferrari team managers due to his aggressive and temperamental nature.

Jean Behra Wiki

Jean Behra Cause of Death

In rainy conditions, he crashed his Porsche RSK in the sports car race preceding the German Grand Prix at AVUS in Berlin, Germany. He was ejected from the car and seriously injured when he collided with a flagpole, fracturing his skull. According to a medical report, Behra broke most of his ribs and had a skull fracture that killed him.

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Jean Behra Career

In November 1952, Behra drove a Gordini in the Panamericana road race in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. He won the 1st stage of the five-day race from Mexico’s southern border to Ciudad Juárez, near El Paso, in Texas. He began the nineteenth and completed the race in 3 hours, 41 minutes, and 44 seconds. On the second day of the competition, approximately fifty miles from Puebla, Behra crashed his car on a curve. In April 1954, Behra won the Grand Prix of Pau, France, bypassing the leader in the final ten minutes. He finished 180 meters clear of Maurice Trintignant despite making numerous pit stops due to mechanical issues. Behra was utilizing a six-cylinder Gordini.

In June 1956, Behra had surgery on his limb, which caused him to miss the 1,000-kilometer Monza Grand Prix. In July 1956, he won the top position in a Grand Prix in Rouen, France. The average pace of his Maserati was approximately 155.46 kilometers per hour. In October 1956, Behra won the Grand Prix of Rome, a 2,000 cubic centimeter sports car competition, while driving a Maserati. His winning distance was 166.030 kilometers. A single lap was completed in 2 minutes, 16.9 seconds, for an average speed of 174.003 kilometers per hour. This established a track record in Castelfusano.

In April 1957, Behra posted the fastest time at the Grand Prix of Pau. He completed the 2.77-meter course in 1 minute 35.7 seconds, only half a second slower than his previous record. The race covered 304.6 kilometers, or approximately 190 miles (310 km). Behra won the race through the streets of Pau with an average pace of 62.7 miles per hour (100.9 kilometers per hour).

In May of 1957, Behra was injured while testing a car for the Mille Miglia. On 22 June, he recovered and entered a Maserati for the 24 hours of Le Mans. In August 1957, Behra won at Kristianstad, Sweden, in a Maserati. He participated in a 6-hour Swedish Grand Prix on the 6,537-meter asphalt track at Rabelov. The following month, in September, he won the Grand Prix of Modena, Italy.