ALAIN DE CADENET

Fast, fun and often controversial, but never boring, C&SC's own Alain de Cadenet was one of motorsport's great characters

- MICK WALSH

From wily privateer endurance racer and team founder to suave TV presenter, Alain de Cadenet was a one-off. Hugely knowledgeable on a range of subjects, 'de Cad' made the most of every phase of his colourful career. Be it losing his girlfriend to a racing driver on his first visit to a track, searching out historic competition cars in South America or parking his prized pre-war Alfa 8C inside the gates of Buckingham Palace on a visit to view the royal stamp collection, de Cad always pushed life to the limit - as his passengers will attest.

Born in 1945, de Cad claimed he never met his French father, Maxime de Cadenet, who was a lieutenant radio operator in the French Air Force. He later became personal photographer to Charles de Gaulle and was involved in the Resistance movie Tomorrow We Live. In 1942 Maxime met an English girl, Valerie Braham, in London and Alain followed in '45. The marriage didn't last, and Braham moved to California to become an actress under the name Karen Scott.

Left behind in England with his grandparents, de Cad was educated at Framlingham College and initially aspired to be a fashion photographer, but after a trip to Brands Hatch in '66 his focus switched to motorsport with a newly acquired AC Ace 2.6. After a series of Porsches, de Cad's first overseas success was sixth in the 1969 Vila Real Six Hours in a Ferrari Dino 206S with Mike Walton. Always wheeling and dealing to finance his racing, de Cad's team included the winning 908/02 driven by Chris Craft and David Piper.

Aged 26, de Cad made his debut at Le Mans with the Ecurie Francorchamps Ferrari 512M in 1971. His race nearly ended before it started after he lost the sight in one eye in a fiery shunt with his Lola on the Targa Florio. Two months later his vision hadn't recovered, but somehow he tricked the medics and survived his one-eyed 190mph night blasts down the Mulsanne.