Octave John “Johnny” Claes (11 August 1916 – 3 February 1956) was an English-born racing driver who competed for Belgium. Before his fame as a racing driver, Claes was also a jazz trumpeter and successful bandleader in Britain. Info from Wiki
Bio by Stephen Latham
Originally starting off as a professional jazz musician and band leader, Johnny Claes became involved in motor racing, becoming one of only four men to start every GP in the first two seasons of the new world championship, though sadly passed away at a young age due to ill health.
Born in London in 1916, to a Scottish mother and Belgian father, while at grammar school he became a popular rugby player and swimmer before discovering a passion for jazz. He later became a professional trumpet player and travelled around Western Europe, playing with various groups then returned to London in 1939 when War broke out. By 1941 he had formed his own band (variously called Johnny Claes and his Band, Johnny Claes and his Clay Pigeons plus Johnny Claes and his Clae Pigeons) and signed for EMI and amongst the musicians to play in his band was a young drummer named Alfred Fingleston, better known as Les Leston. His band began to appear in feature films, including 1942’s ‘Escape To Justice’ (with Johnny cast as a German agent) and later in a George Formby movie ‘George in Civvy Street’; the band played some songs at the end plus get involved in a brawl, with Johnny having one speaking line. Over the next few years he did some writing, owned a club in England and returned to his father’s business in Belgium, where he worked as a crane operator.
1947 saw his initial involvement in motor racing when he interpreted for the British drivers at the French GP in Lyon, as he spoke French and English. When he decided to actually race himself, he contested 1948’s Grand Prix des Frontières at Chimay in a Talbot-Lago Speciale and was third of the six finishers. Later that year he and Emile Cornet competed in the 12 Hours of Paris in a Veritas Meteor, where, after starting eighteenth of the forty nine cars, they went on to complete the 1236.533 kilometres and finish eighth.
In 1949 he raced a Talbot-Lago in the Paris GP at Montlhery and in in his first F1 race finished third of seven finishers. Encouraged by the result, four days later he contested an F1 race in Jersey but failed to qualify though received a mention in Motorsport magazine, where it stated “A most imposing yellow Fargo van brought Claes’ yellow Lago-Talbot, the inscription on the van’s sides reading ‘ECURIE BELGE, BRUXELLES, BELGIQUE, Spécialités Voitures Courses et Sport.’ A very fashionably-dressed blonde assisted in the pit, and the whole equipe was most distinguished.” He would enter twelve races in total in 1949 and besides his podium place at Montlhéry he took a further podium placing in the GP des Frontières at Chimay.
When the World Championship started in 1950, he contested it with Ecurie Belge’s Talbot-Lago T26C and his best finish was seventh at Monaco. He also signed with George Abecassis and his first HWM drive came in F2 at the Grand Prix de l’Automobile Club du Nord (in Northern France) where he came home fourth. In the following weekend he took his Talbot-Lago to Silverstone for the inaugural F1 World Championship Grand Prix. Despite setting the slowest qualifying time, he made a good start and was running sixteenth at the end of the first lap and eventually finished the very first championship GP eleventh, last of the classified finishers. He contested Monaco with his Talbot-Lago but an incident in the race involving several cars caused the circuit to be almost completely blocked at one section. Johnny luckily was one of the cars that avoided the first lap chaos and managed to complete the race in seventh (and final) position. The following race, the Grand Prix des Frontières, was an F2 event but though HWM had decided not to enter, fellow driver Anthony Baring let Johnny drive his own HWM instead. Against drivers such as André Pilette, Kenneth McAlpine, Roger Laurent and Jacques Swaters, he started on pole and went on to win both heats, achieving his first career victory.
In the Grand Prix des Nations in Geneva, he retired while running in the top ten with only a few laps laps remaining but the event was overshadowed by Luigi Villoresi’s accident where he skidded on oil and three spectators were killed and twenty injured. At the season’s final World Championship race in Monza, he retired after twenty three laps with overheating issues. Although the championship had ended, he then raced for Amédée Gordini in F2 races at Mettet (Belgium), Goodwood and Pedralbes. At the end of 1950, alongside Farina, Fangio, Fagioli, Rosier and Etancelin, he was one of six drivers to compete in all six European rounds of the championship and the Belgian national automobile club, the RACB, awarded him the title of Belgian Drivers’ Champion.
In 1951, racing an improved Talbot-Lago (prepared by Roberto Bianchi, whose sons Lucien and Mauro would both become racers themselves) his best result was seventh at Spa (which would be his best championship result). In non-championship races he was fifth in the Albi GP, took pole position and victory with the Gordini at Chimay’s Grand Prix des Frontières (run to F2 regulations) then finished seventh with the Talbot at Goodwood’s Festival of Britain Trophy. The World Championship’s first race came at the Swiss GP, where he finished thirteenth and the following week was ninth in the Ulster Trophy. Sadly, at San Remo, his Talbot crashed into the crowd after his brakes failed and one person was killed and three more were seriously injured. When he travelled to Goodwood his car arrived via Bristol Freighter and the rest of his team arrived in a London taxi and in one of the event’s four Formula Libre races he took a dominant victory, despite failing brakes and gear lever problems.
He won the Liege-Rome-Liege Rally in 1951, driving a privately entered Jaguar XK120 with Jaques Ickx and it was the only time the rally was won without incurring any penalties. Jacque’s 13 year old son Pascal was the world’s youngest aeroplane pilot, and would later win the 24 Hours of Spa and motor racing fans will all know his other son, Jacky. They were awarded the Belgian National Sports Merit Award, which was only the third time the award had gone to racing drivers.
After contesting the Luxembourg Grand Prix, he travelled to Silverstone for the International Trophy but the race would take place in a major storm. Duncan Hamilton described the race, stating “Visibility was practically nil and my cockpit was half full of water…No driver could see more than his own bonnet. The hail lay on the track, so that on corners brakes merely locked the wheels and the cars went straight on, and if there was another car or a marker tub in the way, the driver could not even see it. Cars went off on to the grass, they spun round, they travelled forwards, backwards and sideways…Out of the wall of water shot Parnell and he rushed past in a smother of spray to thunders of applause.” The race was stopped after six laps and Johnny finished eighth. The French Grand Prix in Reims saw one of his best championship performances. After qualifying twelfth out of twenty three cars, he was unfortunately last by the end of the first lap though he fought back and was running ninth until he crashed out. The year saw his Le Mans debut when he joined William Spear in a Ferrari 340 America but after qualifying thirteenth fastest, competing in the S 5.0 class, their race ended after 132 laps due to a burnt clutch. The final race of the season came at Pedralbes, for the first post-War Spanish Grand Prix and he was running eleventh but crashed through the straw bales and though he made it back to the pits he had to retire. This would be his most successful year in the sport and he was crowned Belgian Drivers’ Champion for the second year running.
Into 1952 his Talbot-Lago was almost obsolete because of the World Championship’s switch to F2 regulations but he raced it to sixth place in the shared F1/F2 GP del Valentino in Turin. The year saw drives for Gordini and he took third in non-championship races at Marseille and Sables d’Olonne then went back to his own Ecurie Belge and contested two GPs for them. Then came a further switch, to HWM, for the German GP and his final Championship race that year came with Vickomtesse de Walckiers at Monza though he failed to qualify.
The Vicomtesse de Walckiers was a wealthy Belgian noblewoman with a passion for motor racing and besides sponsoring him for some races, also loaned him a Gordini F2 car, which allowed him to enter both the F2 championship and the World Championship. He chose to miss the Swiss GP and instead contested a Grand Prix des Voitures de Série at Spa, an event which saw local car dealerships proving road cars and paying drivers to race them. The cars received a handicap based on fuel consumption and sale price then contested a two-hour handicap race but Johnny retired when one of his Oldsmobile’s wheels buckled due to the constant high speed driving. At the Grand Prix des Frontières at Chimay, he and Roger Laurent started on the front row but they collided at the start and finished the race in a ditch, ending Johnny’s winning streak at the circuit. With the Gordini under repair and the Talbot-Lago destroyed, he found himself without a car but using his previous connection with George Abecassis, he was able to race for HWM in the Monza Grand Prix. That particular race is remembered for Juan Manuel Fangio travelling non-stop from Northern Ireland to Monza in an attempt to make the race, resulting in a severe accident caused by fatigue. Johnny was classified eighth on aggregate in the event.
n 1953 Ecurie Belge switched to a Connaught A-type and he drove it in four Championship events plus some F2 and shared F1/F2 races, with his best results sixth place finishes at Bordeaux, Albi and AVUS. For the Belgian GP, he drove for Maserati, in a works entry alongside Fangio and Gonzalez plus de Graffenried and Marimon were racing privately entered cars. Johnny was in an early model that ran at Naples but in the last practice session he changed his car for the one that Bonetto had driven at Zandvoort and qualified tenth, on row four. As the race progressed Gonzalez and Fangio were leading and seemed on course for victory but on lap eleven, Gonzalez was out with a broken accelerator pedal. Fangio took the lead but soon after he drew into the pits and the car was withdrawn with engine trouble and Ferraris were now running 1-2-3. Johnny was then called-in for Fangio to take over his car and he jumped out without hesitation, giving Fangio an encouraging pat on the back, to which he responded by shaking Johnny’s hand as he started off. He was now in eighth place and, pushing hard, began passing cars. Eventually, on the last lap, Ascari led with only Villoresi and Fangio on the same lap but on the approach to Stavelot, Fangio suffered a steering failure which sent him flying into a ditch. Fortunately he escaped with only cuts and bruises though made his return to the pits in the back of an ambulance. He would finish only one World Championship GP out of five starts although away from F1 he won the Liege-Rome-Liege rally, after a stunning solo drive of 52 hours as his co-driver Jean Trasenster was taken ill before the start.
In 1954, his health became a serious problem and caused him to cut back on his racing though he became involved with Autosport magazine as its continental correspondent.
In January he travelled to South America to compete in the Rio GP at Gavéa, sharing a Ferrari 166MM with Jacques Herzet and finished sixth while the following week in Sao Paolo, he raced alone at Interlagos and finished tenth. He competed in the Mille Miglia for the first time, in a Fiat Marino Coupe with Marino Brandoli then raced a Porsche 550 Spyder to twelfth overall, and 1500cc class winner, at Le Mans. Following this he entered the 12 Hours of Reims in a Ferrari 166 with Jacques Herzet but his only other race after this was in a support race to the Spanish Grand Prix at Pedralbes. For the first time since 1949 he was not crowned Belgian Drivers’ Champion and the title went to André Pilette.
Into 1955, Johnny and J.Swaters had formed Ecurie Nationale Belge (whose drivers would include André Pilette, Roger Laurent, Paul Frère and Olivier Gendebien) and his health seemed to improve. He felt well enough to start attending races and his first would be a production car race at Spa. The event was split into three races, with him in the third, and at the finish he and André Milhoux finished the race side by side, unable to be separated even through a frame-by-frame photo review. This was followed by retirement at Bari but in the Grand Prix des Frontières, he dominated the race from the start and had a commanding lead but lost control of the Ferrari 750 on the last lap and crashed out.
He was third with Jacques Swaters’ Ecurie Francorchamps Jaguar D-type at Le Mans though any result was overshadowed by the tragic accident during the race. The Dutch GP at Zandvoort would be his twenty fifth and final world championship race but after competing in the sportscar Portuguese GP, his ill health would cause him to almost completely stop racing at this point. However, he managed to enter the Liege-Rome-Liege rally for one final attempt and raced a Lancia Aurelia with Lucien Bianchi (who had come over from Milan with his father to work as a mechanic for Johnny in 1950). Despite suffering during the race, he and Lucien went on to finish third and then in the September he drove in the Tourist Trophy at Dundrod with Jacques Swaters and finished thirteenth in a Ferrari 750 but this would be his last race.
By the middle of 1955 his health had rapidly deteriorated and left him unable to drive and at the end of the year he handed over control of Ecurie Nationale Belge to Jacques Swaters. Johnny retired to his home in Brussels and sadly succumbed to tuberculosis on the 3rd February 1956.
Johnny Claes – The Belgian jazz in F1 – from 
