Johnny
Servoz-Gavin

Georges-Francis Servoz-Gavin, known as Johnny, was born in Grenoble on 18 January 1942. As a teenager he worked as a ski instructor, and it was during this time that he picked up his nickname. He started out in rallying before moving into single-seater racing. He attended the racing drivers' school at Magny-Cours and in 1965 entered the French Formula Three Championship in a privately owned Brabham BT18. In 1966 he became French Formula Three champion in a works Matra MS5. His early work also included developing sports cars for Matra.

His Formula Three results took him into Formula One. In 1967 he made one start for Matra, and in 1968 he started five races for Cooper and Matra. At the 1968 Monaco Grand Prix he stood in for Jackie Stewart, started from the front row and led early on, until he touched a barrier and broke a driveshaft. He finished second at the 1968 Italian Grand Prix, his only podium. He ended that season 13th in the World Championship, his best championship position.

In 1969 he won the European Formula Two Championship and also drove Matra in endurance races alongside Pedro Rodríguez. In Formula One he started four races for Matra and finished 16th in the championship. At the Canadian Grand Prix he took sixth place in the four-wheel-drive Matra MS84, which makes him the only driver to score a championship point with a four-wheel-drive car. In 1970 he drove a March and finished fifth at the Spanish Grand Prix. After failing to qualify for the Monaco Grand Prix, he retired, feeling that the risks of racing were no longer worth taking. He died on 29 May 2006, aged 64.

Source: Wikipedia, “Johnny Servoz-Gavin”. Text licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.