Ten Questions – Thierry Boutsen

Our own particular introduction to the legend that is Thierry Boutsen came rather irreverently in 1990 in the form of an old computer game called Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge whereby the computer controlled characters were parodies of famous racing drivers of the time, with the likes of Ayrton Sendup, Nijel Mainsail and Alain Phosphate replacing the actual names of the men in question. Being a champion racer and popular driver at the time Thierry Boutsen did not escape this fate and as such was known in-game as T. Hairy Bootson, a moniker that will forever be indelibly ingrained on our consciousness. We since came to appreciate Thierry Boutsen, along with most other people, for his successful Formula One career that spanned a whole decade and 164 Grand Prix races in total. Beginning with his debut driving for Arrows at Spa in 1983, to coming full circle and finishing ten years later with Jordan, again in Belgium, it’s been quite the ride. But there’s much more to Thierry Boutsen than just whizzing around an F1 track and a fake epithet from a long forgotten racing simulator. Much more.

In addition to Formula one, Thierry Boutsen also competed in the European Touring Car Championship, the GT-1 sports car Championship in America and numerous endurance races, including Le Mans, before retiring to concentrate on his second passion: Aeroplanes. Having flown from a young age Thierry has always had an interest in the subject and the industry at large and as a result founded Boutsen Aviation in 1997; a Monaco based aeroplane sales and acquisitions company which serendipitously led him to meet his wife Daniela who also runs a successful business; Boutsen Design – an offshoot of Boutsen Aviation. Thierry still remains connected to racing, however and is heavily involved with the Boutsen VDS Racing team. His love for cars then led him into the world of classics, first as a hobby and subsequently to his latest venture; Boutsen Classic Cars, which operates in a similar way to his aviation company in that it specializes in the sourcing, acquisition and sale of historic vehicles, just with wheels, not wings. Boutsen Classic Cars is partnering with and displaying at Top Marques Monaco so if you’re attending pop along and say hello. Who knows, much like Car & Classic Monsieur Thierry Boutsen may just be able to source your dream classic for you…

1) Most people will know you from your Formula One career but you’ve also raced in many other competitions, including the European Touring Car Championship and at Le Mans. Of all the different cars and classes which did you enjoy the most and why, and what’s your take on modern Formula One? How do the cars and racing of today compare to when you were competing?

All of them. Whether it was the racing school or when I was racing Formula Ford with my own prepared engine, or racing endurance races there have been some really good moments. I enjoy all aspects of racing but I couldn’t drive Formula One today. I think F1 drivers today would be very happy to race the cars of my era, though. I don’t know if it’s better or worse. It’s different, I cannot judge that.

There’s a normal evolution – cars are faster, more efficient now. We had no electronic control on the 1,500 horsepower, 1.5-litre BMW engines, just Bosch Motronic fuel injection. Totally different. Just recently I bought the Benetton B187 that I actually raced. It had been in a museum since and I’ve just restored it and we ran it again at Spa Francorchamps. It was an incredible feeling.

2) With such an illustrious motorsport career to look back upon there have obviously been many highlights. You saw your first GP win in 1989 with Williams in Montreal and you pipped your good friend Ayrton Senna to the top spot for your third win at the Hungaroring in 1990. For you personally what was the greatest moment that you look back upon most fondly?

I’ve enjoyed every single race that I did but winning the World Championship Endurance in 1986 with a Porsche 962 was an achievement and winning three Grand Prix, of course. Each of them was something really special and winning the 24 hours of Daytona was unexpected, but sometimes I’ve enjoyed races with bad results more than those with good results; finishing my first Monaco Grand Prix for the first time and coming 8th felt like a victory to me.

But there have also been tragic moments as well, the worst of which was the death of my team mate Stefan Bellof. I still suffer with that today. Ayrton Senna, too. He should have been the Godfather to my second son but when you’re in the game at that time you try to put that stuff in a box in your head and forget it but once you have retired things come back and you have to take time to digest and process them properly.

3) Before you embarked upon your racing career you went to university and earned a degree in mechanical engineering. Is it true that this was a deal between you and your father and did that education bring a certain level of understanding and mechanical sympathy to proceedings and help define your driving style and therefore your motorsport success in any way?

Oh yes, absolutely. My father said that I could go racing, no problem, and he would support me but I had to have a diploma in my hands before starting as a professional driver. I’ve enjoyed testing and setting up the cars as much as racing. When I did my studies I chose a project that was based on the preparation of a Formula Ford engine because I was racing in that class at the time. I took an engine block from a wrecked car, dismantled it, analysed every single part and then prepared it for racing. I subsequently fitted it to my own race car and won 15 of the next 18 races. I’m still mechanically minded and I have a few cars at home that I’m currently working on.

4) Speaking of success, since retiring from racing you have become a prodigiously successful entrepreneur with several prosperous businesses under your belt. Do you think that the fundamental competitiveness which is a vital component of racing has helped you in your various endeavours since?

Definitely! I have a principle: do things well or don’t do them. It’s something I have instilled in my team. Everyone is working like a race team, there’s no real hierarchy and everybody is there to help everybody. We operate world wide and have transacted in 74 countries so as one says: team work is dream work. It really is the case.

5) That tenacity also played a part in your relationship with your wife Daniela who didn’t even know you were a Formula One driver when you met! Your persistence paid off, however and you’re now happily married to the love of your life with four wonderful children. Have any of your kids ever expressed an interest in motor racing?

Yes, Daniela and I started together in business but after a couple of years she decided to go on her own and she is now running her Design enterprise totally separate from Boutsen Aviation. She did actually meet me on a race track but had no idea of my past.

My first born followed the mould. He completed his studies in the United States and is now a professor of mechanical engineering at Florida International University and when he has a free weekend he’s at the race track as a race engineer, too. We also have a family race team with my sister and my brother in law.

6) Having been an aircraft pilot for a number of years it seems like the aviation industry was a natural area to move into but how difficult was it to switch careers from being a racing driver to running Boutsen Aviation?

When my racing career was slowing down I had absolutely no idea about what to do afterwards. I had a Cessna Citation and I had bought and sold a few planes personally. It was at this time that Heinz-Harald Frentzen said he wanted the same plane that I had. He was my first client and after around ten transactions with other racers, including Michael Schumacher, it all began to grow from there. I like the business side of it and I also like the technical side and today we’ve now sold I think 420 aeroplanes.

7) Your latest venture, Boutsen Classic Cars, began in 2018 and sources, acquires and sells historic cars from the ’50s to the ’90s for discriminating collectors. Car & Classic could definitely help you on that front but where did the passion for older vehicles begin and what does partnering with Top Marques Monaco for this year’s event mean for you?

When you’re younger you don’t have any money but you see these desirable cars and you covet them. Then there comes a time when you begin to slow down in life after having had a career and you start to look at those same cars again. They have become old like you but you still want to drive them as they were when you were a teenager. The passion is still there for these cars and there are a lot of people who feel this way. In France alone there are over one million cars registered with the Fédération Française des Véhicules d’Époque (French Federation of Vintage Vehicles). I love to see these old cars and drive them too – they have a heart, they deliver a lot of emotions. All the recent cars you see today are totally boring and so I was inspired to start Boutsen Classic Cars to tap into that passion.

Last year was the first year that classic cars were exhibited at Top Marques and it’s a joint venture between Top Marques and myself as an ambassador and promoter of the classics department at the event. We have a booth right at the entrance so you can’t miss us.

8) Being such a car enthusiast then we have to ask what Thierry Boutsen currently uses as a daily driver and what other cars do you have in your collection? Is there any particular unicorn car that you would do anything to own?

The last car I was working on is a Fiat 600 from 1966. I’m rebuilding the gearbox on that one. The very first car I drove was a Fiat 500 though, it was my mother’s car. We were living outside of Brussels and there were only fields around our house. When I was 12 years old I was driving this car around the fields and I was stopped by the police who brought me home by my ear to my father who found the whole thing incredibly funny. I ended up buying one five years ago that I have completely restored.

You don’t need a car in Monaco so I have a Renault scooter that I ride day-to-day. I really don’t need to drive new Ferraris, or modern cars. I have driven much better cars on the racetrack. Modern cars today are full of electronics and are totally boring. I have at the moment a Lamborghini Murciélago which is one of the very first models. It’s the roadster with a manual gearbox and 6.2-litre engine that I really enjoy driving. Unfortunately somebody made an offer so I think I might accept it. The price is right so I could lose it in soon. I’ll be very sad but business is business. There will be other cars.

9) You have always lived for your passion and you clearly still have a love for motorsport, remaining involved with Boutsen Racing. What can you tell us about that? You’ve also said in the past that your accident at Le Mans in ’99 was life changing and something that made you see things differently but do you still personally race in any way, shape or form? If you could only pick one would it be racing driver or entrepreneur and why?

Boutsen Ginion is now the Boutsen VDS team – a joint venture between the VDS team (Marc van der Straten, who owned the old GT3 team) and the Boutsen team, and I am involved as an advisor. I support the team because its a great team with great people and they run it like I run my team here.

Yes, Le Mans, my first participation was in 1981 and going through the Mulsanne Straight – there was no chicane at that time – I lost the rear wheel and hit the barrier at close to 400km/h It took me 800 metres to stop. I was not hurt but a marshal was killed and it’s something that I have carried on my shoulders since.

As far as current racing goes I’ve taken part in the Tour Auto for the past three years and I won last year. It’s a classic competition rally that begins in Paris and spans around 2,000kms, including racing on track. I drove a Cobra this year, as well as last year, having never competed in rallying before. It was a wonderful discovery for me and I’m still learning. Officially I’m retried as a racing driver and I’m retired as an entrepreneur but I still race and I still work! Everything I’ve done has been driven by passion, nothing else, and so far I’ve been very lucky. I enjoyed racing and I enjoy my life now.

10) With all the furore surrounding EVs and synthetic fuels what is your take on the future of the classic car industry and what do the coming years hold for not only your various business endeavours but also for Thierry Boutsen himself?

I think the industry has a bright future because these cars have a heart. They belong to people who have a passion for cars. Who can be passionate about today’s cars? They give you sensations but not emotions. These old cars are like pieces of art and they will be here forever. This is my wish anyway. It’s a very good environment.

As far as Boutsen Classic Cars is concerned the company is very small, it’s just my son and myself running it at the moment so we are trying to expand. The big problem we have here in Monaco is that we have no space. If you want to rent or buy space it costs a fortune so I’m analysing a way to develop the company without overspending. We have a showroom in the harbour at Ventimiglia in Italy, about 20 to 25 minutes from here, but it doesn’t quite work like I want. We’ll probably know more when we speak again at Top Marques Monaco but the business is doing well and we’re happy with the results so far, I just want to make it a little more user friendly for us. Money is not my goal, I’d rather enjoy what I’m doing.