Jo Bonnier

JO BONNIER d1972. Swedish sportscar and Formula 1 racing driver who in a long career between 1956-1971 drove for many works teams including ; Maserati / BRM / Porsche / Rob Walker / Lotus / Brabham / Honda in addition to his own. He made 104 F1 starts (scoring 1 win 1959 Dutch GP) with one podium and 39 career points. By the early seventies, he had taken to managing his own team, entering several cars in World Sportscars events and taking a backseat to driving. He had also taken a lead in the fight for track safety which had started around that time. Nevertheless he was involved in a hideous accident on the straight between Mulsanne Corner and Indianapolis at Le Mans in 1972 when his open-top Lola T280 collided with a Ferrari Daytona driven by Swiss amateur driver Florian Vetsch. His car was catapulted over the Armco barriers and into the trees right next to the track. The 42-year old Bonnier was killed instantly.