0/0/1911 - 0/0/1982
Record updated 19-May-14
René Carrière was a leading French sportscar driver who made occasional Grand Prix apperances in the 1930s.
René Auguste Joseph Carrière was from Marseilles. He was a leading French sportscar driver who made occasional Grand Prix apperances in the 1930s, he also drove in rallies
He raced a Riley sportscar in 1934 finishing 12th at Le Mans. He was back in 1935 with the Riley, finishing a creditable 7th, driving with Jean Trevoux. That year he joined the works Delahaye team of Lucy O´Reilly-Schell, Ecurie Bleue.
In 1936 he came 6th in the Monet Carlo Rally in a Matford, a Ford V8 built in France by Emile Mathis. He also finished 8th in the British Grand Prix at Donnington sharing a Delahaye with George Field in a race won by Hans Ruesch and David Seaman
He took a stirring third placing in the 1937 Mille Miglia for Ecurie Bleue, a creditable effort in a race which always favoured Italian cars and especially Italian drivers. He retired at Le Mans that year but finished 4th in the IX Grand Prix de Tunisie, 3rd in the Grand Prix de la Loterie Algérienne and then 4th again in the VI Grand Prix de Marseille and French Grand Prix. However overall his results were somwhat dissapointing and, at the end of 1937, he was dropped by Ecurie Bleue became works Talbot Darracq driver for 1938.
He finished 4th in the 1938 French Grand Prix at Reims-Gueux in a Talbot T150C, though only four cars finished and he was 10 laps behind the winner Manfred von Brauchitsch in a Mercedes W154.
He also showed well in the 1938 Royal Automobile Club Tourist Trophy at Donnington Park on the 3rd September. The race was won by Louis Gérard driving a Delage with Carrière fourth in a T150Cs.
In 1939 Carrière continued to race for Talbot. He crashed out at Pau in the Ecurie France Talbot MD90 when an oil pipe came loose on lap 31. Carrière lost control in the smoke from the engine and crashed destroying the new car. He was fourth in the Coupe de Paris at Monthèry but then another crash in practice for the Eifelrennen in May brought his career to an end.
historicracing.com with thanks to David McKinney