Gerard Crombac

Gerard Crombac , called “Jabby”, born the March 7th 1929 with Zurich and deceased the November 18th 2005 with Paris, was a Journaliste Suisse specialized in the automobile competition.

Biography

It attends its first Grand Prix as of 1936 (Grand Prix of France with Montlhéry) and covers its first Grand Prix as a journalist in 1948 (Grand Prix of Switzerland). In 1949, whereas he is mechanic of Raymond Sommer, he meets in England Gregor Grant, writer of the magazine car The light because which will become Autosport . Jabby then becomes corresponding continental English magazine.

In 1954, it buys the Lotus personal MK VI of Colin Chapman and runs with it lasting four seasons (1954 - 1958). Regarding itself as a bad pilot, it stops his career then. Meanwhile, it became friendly with many pilots and close friend of Jim Clark with which it divides even an apartment with Paris. He becomes manager of OJ Schlesser and Harry Schell by the means of the agency Inter Car-Races, founded with Jean Lucas. He tests himself with the motonautism in 1958, and finishes even second of the speedboat GP of Monaco.

In 1961, it leaves the Prisunic company to base its magazine on the automobile race. With Jean Lucas, it tries without success to repurchase Moteurs , whose Lucas was one of the founders. They found Sport Car then the following year. There remains editor association of its magazine until in 1989 then chooses to yield its place to exclusively write its “Log books”. Those tell each month the course of one weekend of Grand Prix and the asides of F1. Sport Auto is repurchased in 1994 by the group Emap France (today Mondadori France). In parallel, Gerard collaborates with the Japanese magazine: Because Graphic where it holds the chronicle " Jabby' S Column".

In March 2001, it takes part in the birth of a new magazine directed by the Belgian sports correspondent Pierre van Vliet entirely devoted to Formula 1, Formula 1 magazine (which will become F1i magazine in March 2003). It successively written there the chronicles “Opinion of expert”, “Memories”, “It was once” and “Timeless”.

Beginning 2005, Gerard Crombac, weakened by several heart attacks and feeling its close end, demolishes its collection of private cars (in particular of the Lotuses). Its last chronicle appears in the n° 36 of F1i in November 2005. It is entitled “To slip by to English…”

Jabby shared its life between its apartment of the street of Passy to Paris, " Brands-Hatch" , its residence of Dhuizon and Cogolin.

External bonds

Official site of Gerard Crombac

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