View source for Johnny Claes

{{Short description|English jazz trumpeter and racing driver (1916–1956)}}
{{sources needed|date=December 2025}}
{{redirect-distinguish|Ecurie Belge|Ecurie Nationale Belge}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2012}}
{{Infobox F1 driver
| name = Johnny Claes
| image =Johnny_Claes-1950.png
| image_size =  
| nationality = {{flagicon|BEL}} Belgian
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1916|8|11|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Fulham]], [[London]], England
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1956|2|3|1916|8|11|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Brussels]], Belgium
| Years = {{F1|1950}} – {{F1|1953}}, {{F1|1955}}
| Team(s) =  Écurie Belge, [[Gordini]], [[Hersham and Walton Motors|HWM]], [[Maserati in motorsport|Maserati]], [[Ecurie Nationale Belge]]
| Races = 25 (23 starts)
| Championships = 0
| Wins = 0
| Podiums = 0
| Points = 0
| Poles = 0
| Fastest laps = 0
| First race = [[1950 British Grand Prix]]
| First win =
| Last win =
| Last race = [[1955 Dutch Grand Prix]]
|caption=Johnny Claes during the 1950 British GP in Silverstone}}
[[File:Talbot F1 vr yellow EMS.jpg|thumb|right|Claes's Talbot Lago T26C, Ecurie Belge 1950]]
'''Octave John Claes''' ({{IPAc-en|k|l|eː|z}}; 11 August 1916 – 3 February 1956) was a British-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.

==Early life and jazz career==

Claes was born in [[London]] to a Scottish mother and Belgian father. He was educated in England at [[Lord Williams's School]]. In England, he began playing trumpet in a jazz band that included [[Max Jones (musician)|Max Jones]] on reeds, and another with Billy Mason on piano. In the 1930s, he moved to the Netherlands, where he worked with [[Valaida Snow]] and [[Coleman Hawkins]]. He also worked with [[Jack Kluger]]'s band in Belgium. Returning to England, he led his own group, the Claepigeons, making a recording in 1942. In the late 1940s, he abandoned his jazz career and settled in Belgium as a professional racing driver.<ref name="Grove">{{Cite Grove |last=Pernet |first=Robert |title=Johnny Claes}}</ref>

==Racing career==
Claes was one of several gentlemen drivers who took part in Grand Prix racing of post-[[World War II]]. His first contact with racing was at the 1947 [[French Grand Prix]], where he served as interpreter for British drivers. He made his debut in 1948, in his own [[Talbot-Lago]], raced under the ''Écurie Belge'' banner. Although Claes never scored any points in the World Drivers Championship, he was, like many of his contemporaries, very active in non-Championship Grand Prix races and sports car races. His first win was at the 1950 Grand Prix des Frontières, held at the [[Chimay]] race track.

In April 1951, Claes crashed into a crowd while practicing at [[San Remo Grand Prix]] in [[Sanremo, Italy]]. He was uninjured but an observer was killed and three onlookers were seriously injured.<ref>{{cite news | title=Racing Car Kills Fan | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | date=21 April 1951 | page=12}}</ref> In 1952 he exchanged his outdated Talbot for a [[Gordini]], and later for a [[Connaught Engineering|Connaught]], always with the Écurie Belge colours, but he also raced occasionally for works teams, including Gordini and [[Maserati in motorsport|Maserati]]. He also won the 1953 [[Liège–Rome–Liège]] Rally and took a class win at the 1954 [[24 Hours of Le Mans]]. Claes teamed with [[Pierre Stasse]] to finish 12th in the [[1954 24 Hours of Le Mans]]. They drove a [[Porsche in motorsport|Porsche]].<ref>{{cite news | title=Gonzalez Defeats Rolt-Hamilton In 24-Hour Le Mans Auto Race | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | date=14 June 1954 | page=26}}</ref> Together with compatriot [[Jacques Swaters]], Claes finished third in the [[1955 24 Hours of Le Mans]].

Later in 1955, Claes's health problems worsened, as he had contracted [[tuberculosis]]. Claes sold his outfit to Swaters, who merged it with his own [[Écurie Francorchamps]] to form [[Écurie Nationale Belge]]. Claes entered occasional events until the end of the year, but finally succumbed to the disease in Brussels in 1956, aged 39.

==Complete Formula One World Championship results==
([[:Template:F1 driver results legend 2|key]])
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%"
! Year
! Entrant
! Chassis
! Engine
! 1
! 2
! 3
! 4
! 5
! 6
! 7
! 8
! 9
! WDC
! Pts.
|-
| [[1950 Formula One season|1950]]
! [[Écurie Belge]]
! [[Talbot-Lago]] [[Talbot-Lago T26C|T26C]]
! [[Talbot (automobile)|Talbot]] [[Straight-6|L6]]
|style="background:#cfcfff;"| [[1950 British Grand Prix|GBR]]<br />{{small|11}}
|style="background:#cfcfff;"| [[1950 Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]<br />{{small|7}}
| [[1950 Indianapolis 500|500]]
|style="background:#cfcfff;"| [[1950 Swiss Grand Prix|SUI]]<br />{{small|10}}
|style="background:#cfcfff;"| [[1950 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]<br />{{small|8}}
|style="background:#efcfff;"| [[1950 French Grand Prix|FRA]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#efcfff;"| [[1950 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|
|
! NC
! 0
|-
| [[1951 Formula One season|1951]]
! [[Écurie Belge]]
! [[Talbot-Lago]] [[Talbot-Lago T26C|T26C-DA]]
! [[Talbot (automobile)|Talbot]] [[Straight-6|L6]]
|style="background:#cfcfff;"| [[1951 Swiss Grand Prix|SUI]]<br />{{small|13}}
| [[1951 Indianapolis 500|500]]
|style="background:#cfcfff;"| [[1951 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]<br />{{small|7}}
|style="background:#efcfff;"| [[1951 French Grand Prix|FRA]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#cfcfff;"| [[1951 British Grand Prix|GBR]]<br />{{small|13}}
|style="background:#cfcfff;"| [[1951 German Grand Prix|GER]]<br />{{small|11}}
|style="background:#efcfff;"| [[1951 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#efcfff;"| [[1951 Spanish Grand Prix|ESP]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|
! NC
! 0
|-
|rowspan="4"| [[1952 Formula One season|1952]]
! [[Gordini|Équipe Gordini]]
! [[Gordini]] [[Gordini T16|T16]]
! [[Gordini]] [[Straight-6|L6]]
| [[1952 Swiss Grand Prix|SUI]]
| [[1952 Indianapolis 500|500]]
|style="background:#cfcfff;"| [[1952 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]<br />{{small|8}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
!rowspan="4"| NC
!rowspan="4"| 0
|-
! [[Écurie Belge]]
! [[Simca]]-[[Gordini]] [[Simca-Gordini T15|T15]]
! [[Simca]]-[[Gordini]] [[Straight-4|L4]]
|
|
|
|style="background:#efcfff;"| [[1952 French Grand Prix|FRA]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#cfcfff;"| [[1952 British Grand Prix|GBR]]<br />{{small|14}}
|
|
|
|
|-
! [[Hersham and Walton Motors|HW Motors]]
! [[Hersham and Walton Motors|HWM]] [[HWM 52|52]]
! [[Alta Car and Engineering Company|Alta]] [[Straight-4|L4]]
|
|
|
|
|
|style="background:#cfcfff;"| [[1952 German Grand Prix|GER]]<br />{{small|10}}
| [[1952 Dutch Grand Prix|NED]]
|
|
|-
! Vicomtesse de Walckiers
! [[Simca]]-[[Gordini]] [[Simca-Gordini T15|T15]]
! [[Simca]]-[[Gordini]] [[Straight-4|L4]]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|style="background:#ffcfcf;"| [[1952 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]<br />{{small|DNQ}}
|
|-
|rowspan="2"| [[1953 Formula One season|1953]]
! [[Écurie Belge]]
! [[Connaught Engineering|Connaught]] [[Connaught Type A|Type A]]
! [[Lea-Francis]] [[Straight-4|L4]]
| [[1953 Argentine Grand Prix|ARG]]
| [[1953 Indianapolis 500|500]]
|style="background:#efcfff;"| [[1953 Dutch Grand Prix|NED]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|
|style="background:#cfcfff;"| [[1953 French Grand Prix|FRA]]<br />{{small|12}}
| [[1953 British Grand Prix|GBR]]
|style="background:#efcfff;"| [[1953 German Grand Prix|GER]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
| [[1953 Swiss Grand Prix|SUI]]
|style="background:#efcfff;"| [[1953 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
!rowspan="2"| NC
!rowspan="2"| 0
|-
! [[Maserati in motorsport|Officine Alfieri Maserati]]
! [[Maserati in motorsport|Maserati]] [[Maserati A6GCM|A6GCM]]
! [[Maserati in motorsport|Maserati]] [[Straight-6|L6]]
|
|
|
|style="background:#efcfff;"| [[1953 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|rowspan="2"| [[1955 Formula One season|1955]]
! [[Stirling Moss|Stirling Moss Ltd.]]
! [[Maserati in motorsport|Maserati]] [[Maserati 250F|250F]]
! [[Maserati in motorsport|Maserati]] [[Straight-6|L6]]
| [[1955 Argentine Grand Prix|ARG]]
| [[1955 Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]
| [[1955 Indianapolis 500|500]]
|style="background:#ffffff;"| [[1955 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]<br />{{small|DNS}}
|
|
|
|
|
!rowspan="2"| NC
!rowspan="2"| 0
|-
! [[Écurie Nationale Belge]]
! [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]] [[Ferrari 500|500]]
! [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]] [[Straight-4|L4]]
|
|
|
|
|style="background:#cfcfff;"| [[1955 Dutch Grand Prix|NED]]<br />{{small|11}}
| [[1955 British Grand Prix|GBR]]
| [[1955 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]
|
|
|}

===Non-championship Formula One results===
([[:Template:F1 driver results legend 3|key]])
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%"
|-
! Year
! Entrant
! Chassis
! Engine
! 1
! 2
! 3
! 4
! 5
! 6
! 7
! 8
! 9
! 10
! 11
! 12
! 13
! 14
! 15
! 16
! 17
! 18
! 19
! 20
! 21
! 22
! 23
! 24
! 25
! 26
! 27
! 28
! 29
! 30
! 31
! 32
! 33
! 34
! 35
|-
| 1950
! Johnny Claes
! [[Talbot-Lago]] [[Talbot-Lago T26C|T26C]]
! [[Talbot (automobile)|Talbot]] [[Straight-6|L6]]
| [[1950 Pau Grand Prix|PAU]]
| [[1950 Richmond Trophy|RIC]]
| [[1950 San Remo Grand Prix|SRM]]
| [[1950 Paris Grand Prix|PAR]]<br /><small>DNA</small>
| [[1950 British Empire Trophy|EMP]]
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[1950 Bari Grand Prix|BAR]]<br />{{small|8}}
| [[1950 Jersey Road Race|JER]]
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[1950 Albi Grand Prix|ALB]]<br />{{small|NC}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1950 Dutch Grand Prix|NED]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1950 Nations Grand Prix|NAT]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
| [[1950 Nottingham Trophy|NOT]]
| [[1950 Ulster Trophy|ULS]]
| [[1950 Coppa Acerbo|PES]]
| [[1950 Sheffield Telegraph Trophy|STT]]
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1950 BRDC International Trophy|INT]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1950 Goodwood Trophy|GOO]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1950 Penya Rhin Grand Prix|PEN]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|-
| 1951
! Johnny Claes
! [[Talbot-Lago]] [[Talbot-Lago T26C|T26C-DA]]
! [[Talbot (automobile)|Talbot]] [[Straight-6|L6]]
| [[1951 Syracuse Grand Prix|SYR]]
| [[1951 Pau Grand Prix|PAU]]
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1951 Richmond Trophy|RIC]]<br />{{small|4}}
| [[1951 San Remo Grand Prix|SRM]]<br />{{small|DNS}}
| [[1951 Bordeaux Grand Prix|BOR]]
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[1951 BRDC International Trophy|INT]]<br />{{small|8}}
| [[1951 Paris Grand Prix|PAR]]
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[1951 Ulster Trophy|ULS]]<br />{{small|9}}
| [[1951 Scottish Grand Prix|SCO]]
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1951 Dutch Grand Prix|NED]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1951 Albi Grand Prix|ALB]]<br />{{small|5}}
| [[1951 Pescara Grand Prix|PES]]
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[1951 Bari Grand Prix|BAR]]<br />{{small|8}}
| [[1951 Goodwood Trophy|GOO]]
|-
|rowspan=3| 1952
!rowspan=3| Johnny Claes
! [[Talbot-Lago]] [[Talbot-Lago T26C|T26C-DA]]
! [[Talbot (automobile)|Talbot]] [[Straight-6|L6]]
| [[1952 Rio de Janeiro Grand Prix|RIO]]
| [[1952 Syracuse Grand Prix|SYR]]
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1952 Valentino Grand Prix|VAL]]<br />{{small|6}}
| [[1952 Richmond Trophy|RIC]]
| [[1952 Lavant Cup|LAV]]
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1952 Pau Grand Prix|PAU]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
| [[1952 Ibsley Grand Prix|IBS]]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| [[1952 Ulster Trophy|ULS]]<br /><small>DNA</small>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
! [[Simca]]-[[Gordini]] [[Simca-Gordini T15|T15]]
! [[Simca]]-[[Gordini]] [[Straight-4|L4]]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[1952 Marseille Grand Prix|MAR]]<br />{{small|3}}
| [[1952 Aston Martin Owners Club Grand Prix|AST]]
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[1952 BRDC International Trophy|INT]]<br />{{small|8}}
| [[1952 Eläintarhanajot|ELÄ]]
| [[1952 Naples Grand Prix|NAP]]
| [[1952 Eifelrennen|EIF]]<br /><small>DNA</small>
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1952 Paris Grand Prix|PAR]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
| [[1952 Albi Grand Prix|ALB]]
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| '''[[1952 Grand Prix des Frontières|FRO]]'''<br />{{small|Ret}}
|
|
|
|
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1952 Marne Grand Prix|MAR]]<br />{{small|6}}
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| [[1952 Sables Grand Prix|SAB]]<br />{{small|3}}
| [[1952 Caen Grand Prix|CAE]]
| [[1952 Daily Mail Trophy|DAI]]
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1952 Comminges Grand Prix|COM]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
| [[1952 National Trophy|NAT]]
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[1952 Baule Grand Prix|BAU]]<br />{{small|8}}
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[1952 Modena Grand Prix|MOD]]<br />{{small|NC}}
| [[1952 Circuit de Cadours|CAD]]
| [[1952 Skarpnäcksloppet|SKA]]
| [[1952 Madgwick Cup|MAD]]
| [[1952 Avusrennen|AVU]]
| [[1952 Joe Fry Memorial Trophy|JOE]]
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1952 Newcastle Journal Trophy|NEW]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
| [[1952 Rio de Janeiro Grand Prix|RIO]]
|-
! [[Hersham and Walton Motors|HWM]] [[HWM 52|52]]
! [[Alta Car and Engineering Company|Alta]] [[Straight-4|L4]]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[1952 Monza Grand Prix|MNZ]]<br />{{small|NC}}
| [[1952 Circuit du Lac|LAC]]
| [[1952 West Essex CC Race|ESS]]
|-
| 1953
! Johny Claes
! [[Connaught Engineering|Connaught]] [[Connaught Type A|Type A]]
! [[Lea-Francis]] [[Straight-4|L4]]
| [[1953 Syracuse Grand Prix|SYR]]
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1953 Pau Grand Prix|PAU]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
| [[1952 Lavant Cup|LAV]]
| [[1953 Aston Martin Owners Club Formula 2 Race|AST]]
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1953 Bordeaux Grand Prix|BOR]]<br />{{small|6}}
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[1953 BRDC International Trophy|INT]]<br />{{small|15}}
| [[1953 Eläintarhanajot|ELÄ]]
| [[1953 Naples Grand Prix|NAP]]
| [[1953 Ulster Trophy|ULS]]
| [[1953 Winfield JC Formula 2 Race|WIN]]
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[1953 Grand Prix des Frontières|FRO]]<br />{{small|NC}}
| [[1953 Coronation Trophy|COR]]
| [[1953 Eifelrennen|EIF]]
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1953 Albi Grand Prix|ALB]]<br />{{small|6}}
| [[1953 Coupe de Printemps|PRI]]
| [[1953 West Essex CC Formula 2 Race|ESS]]
| [[1953 Midlands MECC Race|MID]]
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1953 Rouen Grand Prix|ROU]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
| [[1953 Crystal Palace Trophy|CRY]]
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| [[1953 Avusrennen|AVU]]<br />{{small|6}}
| [[1953 United States Air Force Trophy|USF]]
| [[1953 Circuit du Lac|LAC]]
| [[1953 Bristol MC & LCC Race|BRI]]
| [[1953 Mid-Cheshire MC Race|CHE]]
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| [[1953 Sables Grand Prix|SAB]]<br />{{small|Ret}}
| [[1953 Newcastle Journal Trophy|NEW]]
| [[1953 Circuit de Cadours|CAD]]
| [[1953 RedeX Trophy|RED]]
| [[1953 Skarpnäcksloppet|SKA]]
| [[1953 London Trophy|LON]]
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| [[1953 Modena Grand Prix|MOD]]<br />{{small|NC}}
| [[1953 Madgwick Cup|MAD]]
| [[1953 Joe Fry Memorial Trophy|JOE]]
| [[1953 Curtis Trophy|CUR]]
|-
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Belgian National Sports Merit Award}}
{{Formula One drivers from Belgium}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Claes, Johnny}}
[[Category:1916 births]]
[[Category:1956 deaths]]
[[Category:Belgian racing drivers]]
[[Category:Belgian Formula One drivers]]
[[Category:Ecurie Nationale Belge Formula One drivers]]
[[Category:Gordini Formula One drivers]]
[[Category:Hersham and Walton Motors Formula One drivers]]
[[Category:Maserati Formula One drivers]]
[[Category:24 Hours of Le Mans drivers]]
[[Category:People educated at Lord Williams's School]]
[[Category:Scottish jazz trumpeters]]
[[Category:Male trumpeters]]
[[Category:Scottish racing drivers]]
[[Category:English Formula One drivers]]
[[Category:British jazz bandleaders]]
[[Category:English people of Belgian descent]]
[[Category:English people of Scottish descent]]
[[Category:World Sportscar Championship drivers]]
[[Category:20th-century deaths from tuberculosis]]
[[Category:People from Fulham]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham]]
[[Category:Racing drivers from London]]
[[Category:20th-century Scottish male musicians]]
[[Category:Tuberculosis deaths in Belgium]]
[[Category:20th-century trumpeters]]
[[Category:British male jazz musicians]]
[[Category:Formula One team owners]]
[[Category:British emigrants to Belgium]]
[[Category:Porsche Motorsports drivers]]
[[Category:24 Hours of Spa drivers]]