Henri Pescarolo is unlikely to forget Friday October 15, 2010, in a hurry. Thanks to his friends Jacques Nicolet, Joël Rivière and Maître Poulain, Pescarolo Sport has been raised from its ashes and will now be known as Pescarolo Team.

Pescarolo is up and running again

It’s a year since the last win of a Pescarolo LMP1 prototype; a year since the beginning of the hell in which the legendary driver found himself after court action, administrative problems and the mystifying deeds of fellow human beings.

The great Henri was a sad sight to see writing his daily feature in the press office during last June’s Le Mans 24 hours. His true place was in the garages below; with his team, his drivers and his cars. A brief spin in an Inaltera during the LeMansClassic wasn’t really enough to bring a smile back to his face.

On Friday October 15, however, the date chosen for Pescarolo Sport to be auctioned off, Henri and his close friends turned up to watch the team he founded in 2000 broken down and sold to the highest bidder. “I had the horrible impression I was attending my own funeral,” he noted. “All the members of my team who were with me were horrified as they saw everything we had built and won together sold to buyers from across Europe.”

The hammer fell with the highest bid having been made by his friend Maître Poulain and buddies Jacques Nicolet (OAK Racing) and Joël Rivière (Prestige Racing) for a price of €400,000, and there was thunderous applause when the successful trio handed over the keys to Henri Pescarolo.

Pescarolo Sport is dead; long live Pescarolo Team! The team’s assets are two LMP1 prototypes, a few tool boxes and a handful of passionate helpers. It’s now up to Henri and his colleagues to put together an Endurance programme for 2011 and revive the celebrated blue and green colours.

24 Hours of Le Mans, Pescarolo