Olivier Jean Marie Fernand Gendebien was a Belgian racing driver who was called "one of the greatest sportscar racers of all time".
13 Facts About Olivier Gendebien
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Together with Pierre Stasse, Gendebien won the sixth running of the Tulip Rally in Zandvoort in April 1954.
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Olivier Gendebien nonetheless scored points in five races, and was only one place away from a points-scoring finish on a further two occasions.
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Olivier Gendebien made his debut at the 1956 Argentine Grand Prix, with the Ferrari team, but it was during a stint driving for the British Racing Partnership's Yeoman Credit Racing team in 1960 that Gendebien scored his best finishes; he took second in the 1960 French Grand Prix and third in front of a home crowd at the 1960 Belgian Grand Prix.
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Olivier Gendebien himself walked away with slight injuries in October 1961 after his Lotus-Climax failed to negotiate a turn during practice for the 1961 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, New York.
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The car flipped over and Olivier Gendebien's shoes were torn off by the impact.
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The 1958 Grand Prix of Buenos Aires was a 1,000 kilometre event in which Olivier Gendebien paired with Wolfgang von Trips.
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Ferrari drivers took the first three positions at the conclusion of the 1961 24 Hours of Le Mans and, as they were to be again the following year, Hill and Olivier Gendebien were first, averaging 115.89 miles per hour, and establishing a race record.
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The duo were a natural fit and together they won the Le Mans race three times in total, with Olivier Gendebien winning it a fourth time, partnered by fellow Belgian Paul Frere in 1960.
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Away from Circuit de la Sarthe, Olivier Gendebien triumphed in the Targa Florio, the 12 Hours of Sebring, the 12 Hours of Reims and the 1000 km Nurburgring.
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Olivier Gendebien won the Dolomites Cup, a one-lap sportscar race that took place on a 188-mile circuit in the Dolomite Mountains in Italy.
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At 38 years of age, in 1962 Olivier Gendebien retired following his fourth victory at Le Mans.
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Olivier Gendebien died in 1998 at his home in Les Baux-de-Provence in southern France.