Alain de Cadenet

British racing driver (1945–2022)

Alain de Cadenet

Born| (1945-11-27)27 November 1945
Died| 1 July 2022(2022-07-01) (aged 76)
Occupation(s)| Television presenter and racing driver
Spouses|

* Anna Gerrard
* Alison Larmon

Children| 3, 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

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### 24 Hours of Le Mans

[edit]

Year  | Team  | Co-Drivers  | Car  | Class  | Laps  | Pos. | Class
Pos.

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

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

## Explanatory notes

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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

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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

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* Alain de Cadenet at Historic Racing
* Alain de Cadenet at IMDb
* Alain and the Spitfire low pass
* https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/241680200/alain-de_cadenet

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* United States