Alain de Cadenet

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Alain de Cadenet
Born(1945-11-27)27 November 1945
Died1 July 2022(2022-07-01) (aged 76)
Occupation(s)Television presenter and racing driver
Spouses
  • Anna Gerrard
  • Alison Larmon
Children3, including Alexander and Amanda
Alain de Cadenet 1975
De Cadenet driving a Ferrari
Driving an Alfa Romeo P3

Alain de Cadenet (27 November 1945 – 1 July 2022)[a] was an English television presenter and racing driver. He was noted for racing in 15 editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans during the 1970s and 1980s, achieving one podium finish with third place in 1976.

Early life[edit]

De Cadenet was born on 27 November 1945, the son of Maxime de Cadenet, a lieutenant or a film technician in the French Air Force, and his English first wife, Valerie (née Braham), who occasionally acted in Hollywood.[1][3][4] According to The Times, he "claimed that his French ancestors had fought with Charlemagne in the 9th century".[3] As a baby he and his family were abandoned by his father.[3][4] He attended Framlingham College in Suffolk.[1][5] Although he studied to become a barrister, he did not pursue the profession.[6] He first worked as a fashion and music photographer for Radio Caroline and Wonderful Radio London.[1][7]

Career[edit]

De Cadenet decided to pursue racing after attending a race meeting at Brands Hatch in which his friend was participating.[1][7] He made his reputation building and driving his own sports prototypes, taking on works teams and occasionally beating them. After a life-threatening accident at the Targa Florio, he first raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1971 driving a Ferrari 512M.[1] A year later, he persuaded Duckhams Oil to sponsor a car he commissioned Gordon Murray to design for the Le Mans race. He finished 12th overall. De Cadenet later finished third overall at Le Mans in 1976.[8] In 1980, with co-driver Desiré Wilson, he won two rounds of the World Sportscar Championship – the Monza 1000 kilometers and Silverstone six hour events. This was a major achievement in an era of increasing professionalism, when it was very difficult for privateers to defeat larger, better-funded teams that had factory support.[1][7]

Later life[edit]

After retiring from sports car endurance racing, de Cadenet hosted numerous shows and broadcasts for the Speed Channel, ESPN,[9] the Velocity Channel, and the Petrolicious website.[10] He hosted Legends of Motorsport for Speed between 1996 and 2000, as well as the network's coverage of the Goodwood Festival of Speed.[11]

During the 2000s, he was the host of Speed's Victory By Design, in which he drove vintage racing cars and discussed their history.[1] The New York Times described the series as "car pornography".[12] In 2012, de Cadenet hosted Renaissance Man for the Velocity Channel (now called the Motor Trend network), covering cars, motorcycles, the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine and racing at Monaco.[11][13]

Collecting[edit]

De Cadenet also raced classic and vintage cars, having owned and raced numerous models, particularly Alfa Romeos. In addition to cars, he also collected motorcycles and aircraft, and operated a Supermarine Spitfire. A video on the Internet shows a clip from a documentary in which a Spitfire flies extremely low over his head.[1][14] He was also a collector and authority on George V stamps, and advised the Royal Mail on their collection.[1]

Personal life[edit]

De Cadenet's first marriage was to Anna Gerrard, an interior designer and model. Together, they had two children: Alexander and Amanda. They eventually divorced. He later married Alison Larmon, with whom he had a son, Aidan. They remained married until his death.[1]

De Cadenet died on 1 July 2022.[a] He was 76, and suffered from cholangiocarcinoma prior to his death. He was buried at the Putney Vale Cemetery; his grave is alongside pre-war racing driver Richard Seaman.[3]

Official results[edit]

24 Hours of Le Mans[edit]

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
1971 Belgium Ecurie Francorchamps Belgium Baron Hughes de Fierlandt Ferrari 512M S
5.0
235 DNF DNF
1972 United Kingdom Duckham's Oil Motor Racing United Kingdom Chris Craft Duckhams LM72 Ford-Cosworth S
3.0
288 12th 5th
1973 United Kingdom Duckham's Oil Motor Racing United Kingdom Chris Craft Duckhams LM72 Ford-Cosworth S
3.0
81 DNF DNF
1975 United Kingdom Alain de Cadenet United Kingdom Chris Craft De Cadenet-Lola T380 Ford-Cosworth S
3.0
291 14th 5th
1976 United Kingdom Alain de Cadenet United Kingdom Chris Craft De Cadenet-Lola T380 Ford-Cosworth S
3.0
338 3rd 3rd
1977 United Kingdom Alain de Cadenet United Kingdom Chris Craft De Cadenet-Lola T380 Ford-Cosworth S
2.0
315 5th 3rd
1978 United Kingdom Alain de Cadenet United Kingdom Chris Craft De Cadenet-Lola T380 Ford-Cosworth S
2.0
273 15th 6th
1979 United Kingdom Alain de Cadenet France François Migault De Cadenet-Lola T380 Ford-Cosworth S
2.0
10 DNF DNF
1980 United Kingdom Alain de Cadenet France François Migault De Cadenet-Lola LM Ford-Cosworth S
2.0
313 7th 3rd
1981 United Kingdom Alain de Cadenet
Belgium Belga
Belgium Jean-Michel Martin
Belgium Philippe Martin
De Cadenet-Lola LM Ford-Cosworth S
+2.0
210 DNF DNF
1982 United Kingdom Grid Racing South Africa Desiré Wilson
Spain Emilio de Villota
Grid Plaza S1 Ford-Cosworth C 7 DNF DNF
1983 France Primagaz France Yves Courage
France Michel Dubois
Cougar C01B Ford-Cosworth C 86 DNF DNF
1984 United Kingdom Charles Ivey Racing United Kingdom Chris Craft
Australia Allan Grice
Porsche 956B C1 274 DNF DNF
1985 France Primagaz Team Cougar
France Compagnie Primagaz
France Yves Courage
France Jean-François Yvon
Cougar C12 Porsche C1 279 20th 15th
1986 France Primagaz Team Cougar France Yves Courage
France Pierre-Henri Raphanel
Cougar C12 Porsche C1 267 18th 11th
Source:[15]

Explanatory notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b There is some confusion with de Cadenet's date of death. Most sources indicate that de Cadenet died on 2 July 2022.[1][2] However, The Times and The Telegraph reported that he died on 1 July 2022.[3][4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Williams, Richard (5 July 2022). "Alain de Cadenet obituary". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  2. ^ "Endurance. Alain de Cadenet s'en est allé le jour de Le Mans Classic". Ouest-France. 3 July 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2022. (in French)
  3. ^ a b c d e "Alain de Cadenet obituary". The Times. 5 July 2022. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "Alain de Cadenet, 'gentleman hero' of motorsport who later brought his suave charm to television – obituary". The Telegraph. 13 July 2022. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  5. ^ "De Cadenet, Maxine". Andrews Newspaper Index Cards, 1790–1976. Andrews Collection, Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies, Canterbury, Kent, England: Ancestry.com.
  6. ^ Pashi, Phil (21 May 1978). "Driver Combines Racing and Philately". The New York Times. p. S9. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Easthope, Alex (27 November 2015). "Alain de Cadenet – 'I went racing for the women, but I got to like the cars'". Classic Driver. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  8. ^ "Alain de Cadenet 24 hours of lemans". Florence Tri-city Times Daily. 16 June 1974.
  9. ^ Watkins, Gary (3 July 2022). "Le Mans podium finisher and broadcaster Alain de Cadenet dies aged 76". Autosport. London. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  10. ^ Petrolicious. "Homologation Specials: 1972 BMW 3.0 CSL". YouTube. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  11. ^ a b Marriott, Andrew (5 July 2022). "Playboy racer with a love for Le Mans: Alain de Cadenet obituary". Motor Sport. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  12. ^ Woodward, Richard B. (6 August 2004). "DRIVING; DVD's With a Ferrari Rumble". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  13. ^ "Alain de Cadenet List of Movies and TV Shows". TV Guide. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  14. ^ Wings TV: The Original Spitfire Surprise Low Pass on YouTube. 1996.
  15. ^ "Alain de Cadenet – Prize list & statistics". 24 Hours of Le Mans. Retrieved 6 July 2022.

External links[edit]