7/3/1929 - 18/11/2005
Record updated 06-Mar-07
Gérard Crombac nicknamed Jabby was one of the most famous and longest serving F1 journalists.
In 1954 he bought Colin Chapman's own Lotus MK VI and began racing. This was the start of his long friendship with Chapman. Accepting that he was not going to make it as a racing driver he retired from driving in 1958.
In 1959 he became Jo Schlesser manager in association with Jean Lucas while working for the Prisunic.
He was much loved and was a travelling regular to Grand Prix even before the modern F1 World Championship began in 1950. 'Jabby', wearer of tweed caps and smoker of pipes was a great mate of Jim Clark. They had shared an apartment in Paris when Clark officially lived in Switzerland for tax reasons.
He established the French 'Sport Auto' magazine with Jean Lucas and was the first European Autosport correspondent always welcome in the Grand Prix Media Centres and paddocks around the world.
Crombac was also the proud owner of an ex-Clark Lotus Elan S3. As Jabby's famous anecdote goes, he dropped Clark off at an airport in 1968. 'It's your car now,' the late Clark told him. A few days later, Clark died in a crash at Hockenheim.
Jabby Crombac succumbed to cancer on 18th of November 2005.
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