Carel Godin de Beaufort

Carel Godin de Beaufort

Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	Dutch
Active years	1957 - 1964
Teams	Ecurie Maarsbergen (privateer Porsche and Cooper) Scuderia Ugolini (privateer Maserati)
Entries	31 (28 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Career points	4
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	1957 German Grand Prix
Last entry	1964 German Grand Prix

24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years	1956 – 1960, 1962 – 1963
Teams	Wolfgang Seidel Ed Hugus privateer Porsche System Engineering
Best finish	5th (1958)
Class wins	1 (1957)

Count Carel Pieter Antoni Jan Hubertus Godin de Beaufort (b.10 April 1934, Maarsbergen – d. 2 August 1964, Cologne, Germany) was a motor racing driver from the Netherlands. He competed in Formula One between 1957 and 1964.

He participated in 31 World Championship Grands Prix, becoming the first Dutchman ever to score points in the Formula One World Championship, and numerous non-Championship Formula One races. He was one of the last truly amateur drivers in F1, and ran his own cars — painted the vibrant Dutch racing colour: orange — under the Ecurie Maarsbergen banner, the team taking its name from de Beaufort's country estate. In early years he was considered something of a mobile chicane, and a danger to other drivers on the track. However, in later years he matured into a competent and popular competitor.

Always a Porsche devotee (he only drove two races in anything else) he was a familiar sight at both Championship and non-Championship races in his orange Porsche 718, bought from the Rob Walker Racing Team. Although the 718 was outclassed even in its first year with him, he persisted with it as it was the only design into which he could fit his burly frame. The size of the car, and a streak of self-deprecating humour in de Beaufort himself, earned it the nickname "Fatty Porsche". With stereotypical aristocratic eccentricity he often drove without shoes,[1] and at his final race in Germany was even seen taking practice laps wearing a Beatles wig, rather than his helmet.[2]

Carel Godin de Beaufort's Porsche 718 single-seater, in Dutch racing orange.

He died after an accident at the Nürburgring, during practice for the 1964 German Grand Prix. Driving the Porsche 718, the car suddenly veered off the track at the infamous Bergwerk corner. He was thrown out of the car and suffered massive injuries to his head, chest and legs. Initially de Beaufort was taken to a local hospital, but on the arrival of his family he was swiftly transferred to a major neurological hospital in Cologne. Sadly even they could not help him, and he died from his injuries three days after the accident.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key)

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	WDC	Points
1957	Ecurie Maarsbergen	Porsche 550RS	Porsche Flat-4	ARG	MON	500	FRA	GBR	GER 14*	PES	ITA				-	0
1958	Ecurie Maarsbergen	Porsche RSK	Porsche Flat-4	ARG	MON	NED 11	500	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER Ret*	POR	ITA	MOR	-	0
1959	Ecurie Maarsbergen	Porsche RSK	Porsche Flat-4	MON	500	NED 10		GBR	GER	POR	ITA	USA			-	0
	Scuderia Ugolini	Maserati 250F	Maserati Straight-6				FRA Ret
1960	Ecurie Maarsbergen	Cooper T51	Climax Straight-4	ARG	MON	500	NED 8*	BEL	FRA	GBR	POR	ITA	USA		-	0
1961	Ecurie Maarsbergen	Porsche 718	Porsche Flat-4	MON	NED 14	BEL 11	FRA Ret	GBR 16	GER 14	ITA 7	USA				-	0
1962	Ecurie Maarsbergen	Porsche 718	Porsche Flat-4	NED 6	MON DNQ	BEL 7	FRA 6	GBR 14	GER 13	ITA 10	USA Ret	RSA 11			16th	2
1963	Ecurie Maarsbergen	Porsche 718	Porsche Flat-4	MON	BEL 6	NED 9	FRA	GBR 10	GER Ret	ITA DNQ	USA 6	MEX 10	RSA 10		14th	2
1964	Ecurie Maarsbergen	Porsche 718	Porsche Flat-4	MON	NED Ret	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER DNS	AUT	ITA	USA	MEX		-	0

^* Formula 2 entry.

References

• Mattijs Diepraam, The last knight of Grand Prix racing, 8W, May 2000.
• Full GP results
• "dB: The Carel Godin de Beaufort Tribute Site". Retrieved 2007-03-25.