PAST IMPERFECT:The brothers Boillot were the Schumachers of their day
WITH THE exception of the Schumacher brothers, Michael and Ralf, brothers pursuing a successful racing career have been few and far between in the history of motorsport. One must go back to the very earliest days of motor racing to find a similar successful example.
The brothers, Georges and André Boillot, were successful racing drivers in the early, fierce cut and thrust of competitive motoring.
Unusually, both were faithful to a single marque, Peugeot, throughout their careers. The eldest, Georges, was born in 1885. As he grew older, aviation, and then the bicycle attracted his attention and, by the time he was a young man, he had competed in a number of motor races in a Peugeot small car.
Success came quickly and wins were soon achieved in events in France and Sicily. But it was as part of the Ernest Henry team that he achieved his greatest success, winning both the 1912 ACF Grand Prix at Dieppe and the 1913 ACF Grand Prix at Amiens.
With the start of the first World War, Georges was appointed as driver to Marshal Joffre, but turned down what he perceived to be a cushy role and asked to be transferred into the French air corps. Having achieved his aim of a transfer to a fighter unit, Georges Boillot died when his plane was shot down over Verdun in April 1916, while he single-handedly attacked three German aircraft.
Georges younger brother, André, developed an interest in mechanics from an early age. The Boillot’s father had been a foreman within Peugeot and, aged 17, André travelled to England to increase his knowledge of mechanics.
After Georges and another younger brother, Paul, both died in aerial combat, André transferred to the French air corps. Happily, he survived the first World War and, once discharged, took up motor racing.
In 1919 he scored a sensational victory in the Targa Florio race in Sicily driving a five-year-old 2.5-litre Peugeot.
At Indianapolis that same year, André drove a Baby Peugeot and placed 15th. Twice more he returned to Indianapolis but was, on each occasion, let down by mechanical failure.
André took over the management of the Peugeot racing department in 1923 from Jules Goux, while continuing to drive for the team.
In November 1922, André won the Florio cup as well as the ACF Touring Car Grand Prix and, in 1925, won the Florio cup outright, with a third victory in the contest. Also in 1925, he won the ACF Touring Car Grand Prix again.
The following year, 1926, André was injured on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium – but, having recovered from his injuries, he returned to his winning ways; in 1930, he became involved in the epic Peugeot-Proust mission – the crossing of the Sahara desert – and was awarded the Légion d’Honneur in recognition of his achievement.
André continued to race and also set a record driving a Peugeot 301 at Mirimas at an average speed of 68.2mph over 24 hours. On June 5th, 1932, while practicing for the Ars hill climb, he had a serious accident and died from his injuries three days later.