A Swiss living in Paris since before the war, Jabby Crombac is the oldest serving Formula One journalist. He got, his first pit-pass at the 48 Swiss Grand Prix in Berne, 56 years ago. Attending the first Silverstone GP that same year, he met Scottish journalist Gregor Grant which led him to become Continental Correspondent for the newly launched magazine Autosport in 1950 he was writing there until he created his own magazine Sport-Auto in France in 1962. Crombac has been involved in motor sport in many ways: he was trainee racing mechanics to the French Champion Raymond Sommer; took an important part in the organisation of most French races in the sixties, and especially at Rheims. He was assistant to the team managers at Matra and Renault, which led him to attend the meetings of the Formula One constructors Association in the seventies. He was Secretary of the World Championship Sports Car Association (WCSCA) took temporary duty as secretary of the drivers’ GPDA. He was President of the French motor sport federation’s Technical commission and French representative to the International one.
But his main passion has always been Lotus. He first met Colin Chapman in 1953 when he bought Chapman’s own car, the Lotus MkVI 1611H, the car with which his name became first popular, nicknamed in “The Motor” “the preposterously fast Lotus”. As the first Lotus owner abroad, Crombac became a sort of unofficial representative of Chapman on the continent and he followed the Grand Prix with Team Lotus, which led him to friendship links with Jimmy Clark. When Jimmy took a tax exile in Bermuda, he found it inconvenient for the European season and asked Crombac if he could share his flat in Paris. This is why Crombac became the owner of his Elan after Jimmy’s demise.
In 1981, he sided with Colin Chapman in the affair of the Lotus 88 twin-chassis F1. When the car was excluded from the Argentine GP after Long Beach and Rio, Chapman asked Crombac to write a powerful press release. He then left to watch the launch of a spaceship at Cape Canaveral. Crombac wrote the release, but there was a blatant English mistake and his translator told FISA President Balestre “This has not been written by an Englishman.” The culprit wasn’t hard to find and Balestre sacked him from the Technical commission. To compensate, Chapman gave him his Lotus Eclat.
After the death of the Lotus founder, his family asked him to write his biography: Colin Chapman, the man and his cars (PSL publishers) (ndlr ce livre est aussi disponible en Français "L'épopée Lotus en Formule 1" édité par les PUF)
Now aged 75, Crombac has lost his flying licence because of a detached retina. He can still drive but he cannot drive his Lotus in the way of their previous owners. To keep fit, a car needs to be driven and the three cars are put up for sale in the hope they can find a home where they will live a more active life.
Bio Written before Jabby's end
BRDC
News
The British Racing Drivers' Club is sorry to inform you of the death of renowned Formula 1 journalist, Jabby Crombac.
Jabby passed away in Paris on Friday, having battled cancer for a period of time.
The Club sends its condolences to all who knew and worked with Jabby - he will be sadly missed.
Ends.
En août 2007 - conformément à ses dernières volontés - les cendres de Jabby ont été dispersées dans le Golfe de Saint-Tropez depuis le pont de son dernier véhicule - son "pointu" bien aimé, Menelik ...
Jabby
aura piloté : des voitures de course, des avions (surtout Golf
Kilo qui lui a procuré tant de plaisir - photo à gauche),
des bateaux de course et ... il a souhaité partir du pont d'un
bateau qui ne saurait dépasser 5 noeuds ... L'âme humaine
restera à jamais un grand mystère ...
Page
Jabby Crombac sur Wikipédia
Gérard Crombac, surnommé « Jabby », né le Mars 1929 à Zürich et décédé le 18 novembre 2005 à Paris, était un journaliste suisse spécialisé dans la compétition automobile. Il suivait les épreuves depuis la fin des années 1940 et était considéré comme un des plus fins connaisseurs des courses automobiles, notamment la Formule 1.
Il assiste à son premier Grand Prix dès 1936 Grand Prix de France à Montlhéry) et couvre son premier Grand Prix en tant que journaliste en 1948 (Grand Prix de Suisse). En 1949, alors qu'il est mécanicien de Raymond Sommer, il rencontre en Angleterre Gregor Grant, rédacteur du magazine auto The light car qui deviendra Autosport. Jabby devient alors le correspondant continental du magazine anglais.
En 1954, il achète la Lotus MK VI personnelle de Colin Chapman et court avec elle durant quatre saisons (1954-1958). Se considérant comme un mauvais pilote, il stoppe alors sa carrière. Entre temps, il est devenu ami avec de nombreux pilotes et ami intime de Jim Clark avec lequel il partage même un appartement à Paris. Il devient manager de Jo Schlesser et de Harry Schell par le biais de l'agence Inter Auto-Courses, fondée avec Jean Lucas. Il s'essaie au motonautisme en 1958, et termine même second du GP motonautique de Monaco.
En 1961, il quitte
l'entreprise Prisunic où son père, qui est un des
dirigeants, l'avait parachuté, car il souhaite fonder son
magazine sur la course automobile. Avec son compère Jean
Lucas, il tente de racheter Moteurs, dont Lucas était un des
fondateurs, mais l'affaire capote. Ils fondent alors Sport Auto
l'année suivante. Il reste rédacteur en chef de
son magazine jusqu'en 1989. Puis, il choisit de céder sa
place pour rédiger exclusivement ses
célèbres «Carnets de route».
Ceux-ci racontent chaque mois le déroulement d'un week-end
de GP et les à-côtés de la F1. Sport
Auto est racheté en 1994 par le groupe Emap France ...
...
Page Crombac sur Mémoire des StandsVous pouvez aussi aller consulter des éléments biographiques sur le site Mémoire des stands
