George Fouché | Today's AI Wiki

1. Overview

George Robert Fouché (nicknamed Fast Fouché) was a pioneering South African international racing driver and Formula 1 Powerboat pilot. Born on May 15, 1965, in Pretoria, South Africa, he began his competitive racing career at the age of 16. Fouché achieved significant recognition in major international motorsport events, including a category victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and notable participation in the World Sportscar Championship and the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship. He competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans for 14 consecutive years from 1984 to 1997. He retired from competitive racing in 2005 and passed away on May 5, 2023, at the age of 57, due to complications from a fall.

2. Life and Background

George Robert Fouché's life was marked by an early passion for motorsport, unusual childhood incidents, and later serious health challenges, all of which shaped his journey outside the race track.

2.1. Early Life and Motorsport Introduction

George Robert Fouché spent his childhood at his father's brick factory, where he gained early experience operating heavy machinery, including a bulldozer, by the age of six. His interest in motorsport ignited at eight years old when he began racing go-karts. This early engagement in racing continued, leading him to start competing in car races at the age of 16. Remarkably, he obtained his first competition license from Motorsport South Africa at 16, beginning his professional motorsport career before he was legally permitted to drive on public roads.

2.2. Significant Personal Incidents and Health Issues

Throughout his life, Fouché experienced several significant personal incidents, including a childhood accident that left a distinctive mark, a fortunate escape from a major aviation disaster, and severe health complications later in life.

Fouché was known for a prominent scar over his left eye. Many in European and Japanese racing circles mistakenly attributed this scar to a motorsport accident in South Africa. However, the scar actually resulted from an incident on his eighth birthday. While Fouché was teaching someone to drive a tractor, the vehicle unexpectedly lurched, causing him to fall. The tractor's tire then rolled over the side of his head, resulting in a severe cut that extended halfway around his head.

Due to his frequent travels between Japan and his home in South Africa, Fouché had a booking for the ill-fated South African Airways Flight 295, also known as "The Helderberg." This flight crashed off the coast of Mauritius on November 28, 1987, while en route from Taiwan to South Africa. Fouché had completed his reservation for this flight, intending to travel to Cape Town. However, he narrowly avoided the disaster when his connecting flight from Japan to Taiwan was cancelled due to a typhoon, disrupting his travel plans.

On April 2, 2007, Fouché suffered a perforated ulcer, which was initially misdiagnosed as pancreatitis. This serious health issue led to him spending 63 days in intensive care at Montana Hospital in Pretoria, South Africa. He was eventually discharged on June 6, 2007.

3. Racing Career

George Robert Fouché embarked on a distinguished racing career that spanned both international and domestic circuits, showcasing his versatility and skill across various motorsport disciplines.

3.1. International Racing Career

Fouché's international career saw him compete in some of the most prestigious endurance and sports car championships globally, where he faced intense competition and achieved notable results.

3.1.1. Notable International Racing Incidents

In 1983, at the age of 17, Fouché competed in the Kyalami World Sportscar Championship 1000 km race on December 10. Driving a Kremer Racing Porsche CK5 with co-drivers Franz Konrad and Kees Kroesemeijer, their team was disqualified for a push start.

During Round 3 of the 1989 Fuji Long Distance Series, Fouché encountered the burning car of Oscar Larrauri following a crash. Observing that Larrauri was still trapped inside and marshals were not adequately equipped to handle the fire, Fouché immediately stopped his own car and extricated Larrauri from the burning vehicle. Despite this heroic act, Fouché continued the race and finished second, a result that ultimately cost him the championship title for that series. For his bravery, he received an impromptu "Hero Award" from the Japanese Automobile Federation while on the podium.

Fouché experienced a severe injury during qualifying for the Fuji 1000 km race in October 1992. One of his car's tires burst, causing him to collide head-on with a concrete wall at 174 mph ^{(280 km/h)}. The impact crushed his foot, leading to a seven-month period of recovery on crutches. In 1993, he had the opportunity to test drive a Sasol Jordan Grand Prix Formula One car at the Silverstone Circuit in England.

3.1.2. 24 Hours of Le Mans

Fouché competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans for 14 consecutive years from 1984 to 1997, achieving a Category 2 victory in 1992.

Year	Team	Co-Driver	Car	Laps	Class	Result	Class Result
1984	Obermaier Racing	Jürgen Lässig, John Graham	Porsche 956	147	C1	DNF	DNF
1985	Porsche Kremer Racing	Mario Hytten, Sarel van der Merwe	Porsche 956B	361	C1	5th	5th
1986	Danone Porsche España, John Fitzpatrick Racing	Emilio de Villota, Fermín Vélez	Porsche 956B	349	C1	4th	4th
1987	Porsche Kremer Racing	Franz Konrad, Wayne Taylor	Porsche 962C	327	C1	4th	4th
1988	Leyton House Kremer Racing	Kris Nissen, Harald Grohs	Porsche 962C	371	C1	8th	8th
1989	Porsche Kremer Racing	Hideki Okada, Masanori Sekiya	Porsche 962CK6	42	C1	DNF	DNF
1990	Trust Racing Team	Steven Andskär, Shunji Kasuya	Porsche 962C	330	C1	13th	13th
1991	Courage Compétition, Trust Racing Team	Steven Andskär	Porsche 962C	316	C2	DNF	DNF
1992	Trust Racing Team	Stefan Johansson, Steven Andskär	Toyota 92C-V	336	C2	5th	Category 2 winner
1993	NISSO Trust Racing	Eje Elgh, Steven Andskär	Toyota 93C-V	358	C2	6th	2nd
1994	NISSO Trust Racing	Steven Andskär, Bob Wollek	Toyota 94C-V	328	LMP1/C90	4th	2nd
1995	N/A	Steven Andskär, Thomas Danielsson	N/A	N/A	N/A	DNA	DNA
1996	Kremer Racing	Steve Fossett, Stanley Dickens	Kremer K8 Spyder	58	LMP1	DNF	DNF
1997	Newcastle United Lister	Geoff Lees, Tiff Needell	Lister Storm GTL	21	LMGT1	DNF	DNF

3.1.3. World Sportscar Championship (Europe)

Fouché competed in the European World Sportscar Championship, with his best championship ranking being 25th in 1989.

Year	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991
Points	0	0	0	16	10	0	17	0	12
Championship rank	N/A	N/A	N/A	29th	34th	N/A	25th	N/A	27th

3.1.4. All Japan Sports Prototype Championship (Japan)

Fouché actively participated in the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship, achieving a significant 3rd place in the championship rank in 1989.

Year	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991
Points	6	0	0	17	55	47	52
Championship rank	29th	N/A	N/A	20th	3rd	5th	8th

3.1.5. Fuji Long Distance Series

Fouché participated in the Fuji Long Distance Series across multiple years, often competing with notable co-drivers and achieving podium finishes.

1985 Fuji Long Distance Series	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4
Co-driver	N/A	N/A	Vern Schuppan, 鈴木恵一_{Keiichi Suzuki}^Japanese	Vern Schuppan, 鈴木恵一_{Keiichi Suzuki}^Japanese
Position	N/A	N/A	6th	6th

1986 Fuji Long Distance Series	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4
Co-driver	Vern Schuppan, 鈴木恵一_{Keiichi Suzuki}^Japanese	Vern Schuppan, 鈴木恵一_{Keiichi Suzuki}^Japanese	Vern Schuppan, 鈴木恵一_{Keiichi Suzuki}^Japanese	N/A
Position	DNF / Engine	1st	6th	N/A

1987 Fuji Long Distance Series	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4
Co-driver	N/A	N/A	Franz Konrad	N/A
Position	N/A	N/A	12th	N/A

1988 Fuji Long Distance Series	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4
Co-driver	Vern Schuppan	Vern Schuppan	Vern Schuppan	Vern Schuppan
Position	DNF / Electrics	DNF / Engine (Fastest Lap)	DNF / Engine	10th

1989 Fuji Long Distance Series	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4
Co-driver	Steven Andskär	Steven Andskär	Steven Andskär	Steven Andskär
Position	DNF / hub bearing	2nd	2nd	2nd

1990 Fuji Long Distance Series	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4
Co-driver	Steven Andskär	Steven Andskär, 粕谷俊二_{Shunji Kasuya}^Japanese	Steven Andskär	Steven Andskär
Position	3rd	Cancelled due to bad weather	2nd	DNF / engine

3.1.6. IMSA

Fouché participated in the second round of the 1993 IMSA series in Miami. Partnering with Wayne Taylor, he drove an Intrepid RM1 Chevrolet GTP and the pair finished in 5th position. He also competed in the 1994 24 Hours of Daytona, where he co-drove a Lotus Esprit S300 in the GTU class with fellow South African drivers Hilton Cowie and Stephan Watson. Their race concluded prematurely on lap 354 due to an engine failure.

3.2. South African Racing Career

Within South Africa, Fouché competed in numerous domestic motorsport series, achieving significant success. He was a proficient Formula 1 Powerboat pilot. In 2000, he became the champion of the Sascar series. His other participations included the Wesbank V8 series, Formula Atlantic (where he competed in 1983 before beginning his international career in the World Sportscar Championship in Europe in 1984), Group One Racing, Group N, Formula Ford, and various rally events.

4. Post-racing Career

After retiring from competitive racing in 2005, George Robert Fouché transitioned into a business career. He became the owner of Dermalamp South Africa, a company dedicated to manufacturing and selling phototherapy equipment. This equipment is utilized for the management of skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema.

5. Death

George Robert Fouché passed away on May 5, 2023, in Pretoria, at the age of 57. His death resulted from complications following an accidental fall in February 2023. According to his brother, Pete, the fall occurred during a period of load shedding (planned power outages), causing Fouché to suffer a head cut and significant blood loss. While the hospital successfully stopped the bleeding and stitched the wound, he did not receive a blood transfusion. Over the subsequent two months, Fouché's health progressively deteriorated. He was admitted to Pretoria West Hospital on May 1, 2023, where he later died.