Robert Buchet
Robert Buchet was a French racing driver.
Biography
Robert Buchet was born 18 May 1922 in La Trimouille, France.Buchet achieved his first victories in 1956, winning successively the Rallye des Routes du Nord, the Coupe des Alpes, and the Armagnac Rally, with Claude Storez as co-driver, driving a Porsche 356. In 1957, he and Storez also won the Liège–Rome–Liège Rally. He repeated his success in that event in 1959, this time with Paul Ernst Strähle, driving a Porsche 356B Abarth GTL. His racing record also includes victories in the Bordeaux Rally, the Limousin Rally, the Rallye de l'Ouest, the Cognac Rally, and the La Baule Rally.
From 1961 to 1968, Buchet participated six times in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 1964, driving a Porsche 904 with Guy Ligier, he won the GT class under 2 litres at Le Mans. That same year, he finished third in the Tour de France Automobile with German driver Herbert Linge. He won the Rallye d'Automne twice in a row, in 1965 and 1966, driving first a Porsche 904 GTS and then a Porsche 911, and also won the Rallye de l'A.C.O. in the Grand Touring category in 1965.
In 1967, he became French Circuit Racing Champion, again with Porsche.
A Porsche dealer in Poitiers, Buchet raced various Porsche models throughout his career, including the 356, 904, 906, 907, 910, and 911.
He retired from driving in 1969 after an accident during the Critérium de Touraine. In the early 1970s, he founded the Écurie Robert Buchet, achieving further national and European successes with drivers such as Claude Ballot-Léna and Bob Wollek. Other drivers who raced for Écurie Robert Buchet include Jacques Bienvenue, Vic Elford, Cyril Grandet, and Jacques Hoden.
Robert Buchet died in 1974 at the age of 52, in a road accident that occurred near Poitiers. After his death, his wife ran the Écurie Robert Buchet for several years.