Antoine Salamin (born 19 December 1945) is an architect and Swiss former racing driver.[1][2]

Antoine Salamin at Suzuka 1991

Racing career

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Le Mans 1977: leading GTX class until engine failure (3 hours before the end of the race)
 
Le Mans 1978: retirement after tyre defect (Co-driver Yves Courage was on board)
 
Le Mans 1991: with the Porsche 962C Primagaz

Champion of Switzerland in 1985, he participates in the World Sportscar Championship as a driver and with his own team from 1977 to 1979 and from 1988 to 1991.[3][4][5]

With four participations in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, seventh place in 1988 and eighth in 1991 in the World Sportscar Championship for teams, Antoine Salamin confirms his international stature.[6][7]

In addition to regular rankings in the European Interserie Cup and the German Supercup Championship (podiums), the 1988 season is punctuated by its seventh place in the Porsche World Cup.[2]

An eclectic driver, he is also involved in rally (Rallye du Vin, du Haut-Valais, Lyon-Charbonnières) on Ford Escort RS 2000, Opel and Porsche, in rally-raid (Paris-Dakar 1982 where he is seventh overall before his retirement at Gao) on Toyota Hilux, Antoine Salamin was distinguished above all by his loyalty to Porsche.[8]

He has notably driven the following cars: Porsche Carrera 2.7 RS, Porsche Carrera 3.0 RS, Porsche Turbo 930, Porsche 934, Porsche 935, Porsche 962C and Porsche 997 GT3 RS (1st of the Porsche Swiss Cup in circuit ranking in 2011).[9] In 1987, he has driven a Sauber Sehcar C6 with a Ford Cosworth engine and in 1983 he participated in the 3 hours of Hockenheim in "Sport 2000".

His racing driver career began in 1973 and ended in 1998 with Hockenheim's 3 hours victory.[10][11]

He created the Swiss Team Salamin, independent structure, becoming for the 1991 season, Team Salamin Primagaz.[12] Driver and sporting director, he officiated at this last post in Ferrari Challenge in the mid-1990s and in some events in 1998 (in FIA GT Championship).[13]

Race tracks in Switzerland

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As an architect, he designs three projects of race tracks in Switzerland.

In 1985, the Swiss Grand Prix was reborn in Sion (it missed only one vote at the Federal Council to authorize this punctual race on a temporary track located on the Airport of Sion).[14]

A project of a permanent alpine track, in 1996, on the airfield of Rarogne failed during the popular vote of the commune which followed.[15]

Finally, at the dawn of the year 2000, the project of Alternative Technological Center, intended to promote and experiment new automotive technologies, to Chamoson seemed to bring together all the qualities.[16] The population of the municipality voted in 2004 in favor of the project, for the first time in Switzerland, to 75% of the votes.[15]

Racing record

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24 Hours of Le Mans results

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Year Car Class Team Drivers Pos
1977 Porsche 911 Carrera
6 cyl. 3.0 L
Nr. 96
GTX  GVEA - G. Haberthur  Antoine Salamin
 André Savary
 Jean-Robert Corthay
Retirement: engine
(20th hour, 18th at general classification
and 1st in GTX class)
1978 Porsche 930
turbo
6 cyl. 3.3 L
Nr. 65
Gr. IV  Joël Laplacette  Antoine Salamin
 Gérard Vial
 Yves Courage
 Joël Laplacette
Retirement: tyre defect
(11th hour, 32nd at general classification)
1979 Porsche 934
turbo
6 cyl. 3.0 L
Nr. 80
GT (Gr. IV)  Écurie 13 Étoiles  Antoine Salamin
 Gérard Vial
 Philippe Collet
Did not qualify
(only Salamin qualified)[17]
1991 Porsche 962C
double turbo
6 cyl. 3.2 L
Nr. 14
S2  Team Salamin Primagaz  Antoine Salamin
 Max Cohen-Olivar
 Marcel Tarrès
Retirement: engine
(8th hour, 20th at general classification)

World Sportscar Championship results

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Results classification for teams
Year Team Chassis Engine Drivers Races Points Pos
1978   Écurie 13 Étoiles Porsche 930 Porsche
3.3 L turbo
6 cyl.
  Antoine Salamin
  Gérard Vial
2 0 not classified
1979   Écurie 13 Étoiles Porsche 934 Porsche
3.0 L turbo
6 cyl.
  Antoine Salamin
  Gérard Vial
  Philippe Collet
4 0 not classified
1988   Swiss Team Salamin Porsche 962C Porsche
2.8 L turbo
Flat-6
  Antoine Salamin
  Giovanni Lavaggi
  Max Cohen-Olivar
9 38 7th
1989   Swiss Team Salamin Porsche 962C Porsche
3.0 L turbo
Flat-6
  Antoine Salamin
  Max Cohen-Olivar
  Giovanni Lavaggi
6 0 not classified
1990   Swiss Team Salamin Porsche 962C Porsche
3.2 L turbo
Flat-6
  Antoine Salamin
  Luigi Taverna
  Max Cohen-Olivar
8 0 not classified
1991   Team Salamin Primagaz Porsche 962C Porsche
3.2 L turbo
Flat-6
  Antoine Salamin
  Max Cohen-Olivar
8 25 8th

European Interserie Cup results

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Results classification for drivers division I
Year Team Chassis Engine Driver Races Podiums Points Pos
1983   Écurie 13 Étoiles Porsche 935 Porsche
double turbo
  Antoine Salamin 1 0 3 29th
1987   Swiss Team Salamin Porsche 962C
Sehcar C6
Porsche
Ford
  Antoine Salamin 2 0 11 12th
1988   Swiss Team Salamin Porsche 962C Porsche
turbo
Flat-6
  Antoine Salamin 4 3 42 4th
1989   Swiss Team Salamin Porsche 962C Porsche
turbo
Flat-6
  Antoine Salamin 2 1 17 7th

Super Cup results

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Results classification for drivers
Year Team Chassis Engine Driver Races Points Pos
1987   Team Decorplast Sehcar C6 Ford
V8
  Antoine Salamin 2 2 14th
1988   Swiss Team Salamin Porsche 962C Porsche
turbo
Flat-6
  Antoine Salamin 5 11 8th
1989   Swiss Team Salamin Porsche 962C Porsche
turbo
Flat-6
  Antoine Salamin 5 12 6th

Other international events

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Results classification for drivers
Date Team Chassis Engine Driver Race Practice Race results
28 November 1987   Swiss Team Salamin Porsche 962C Porsche
turbo
Flat-6
  Antoine Salamin Int. Kyalami 500 13 6th
26 November 1988   Swiss Team Salamin Porsche 962C Porsche
turbo
Flat-6
  Antoine Salamin Int. Kyalami 500 8 11th
3 October 1998   Swiss Team Salamin Porsche 962C Porsche
turbo
Flat-6
  Antoine Salamin Int. Hockenheim 3 Std 1 1st

Awards

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  • Champion of Switzerland in 1985 (Porsche 935)
  • Vice-Champion of Switzerland in 1981 and 1984; 2nd of Interswiss in 1986 (Porsche 935)
  • 18th of the World Porsche-Cup classification in 1985 (Porsche 935)
  • 7th of the World Porsche-Cup classification in 1988 (Porsche 962C)

References

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  1. ^ "Profile". driverdb.com. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Les Suisses au Mans - Ils sont nés en... décembre". LesSuissesauMans.ch..
  3. ^ "Quand le circuit de Zeltweg accueillait le championnat de Suisse". Sport-auto.ch. 26 July 2013. Archived from the original on 22 September 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2018..
  4. ^ Le Nouvelliste du 30 septembre 1985, p. 35.
  5. ^ "Championnat du monde : saisons 1988-1991". Motorsportmagazine.com..
  6. ^ Participations au Mans en 1977, 1978, 1979 et 1991.
  7. ^ "Palmarès d'Antoine Salamin". Racingsportscars.com.
  8. ^ "Fiche Antoine Salamin". Dakardantan.com..
  9. ^ "Porsche 935 Salamin". Pbase.com.
  10. ^ "Internationales Sportarchiv 49/1985 vom 25. Novembre 1985". www.munzinger.de (in German)..
  11. ^ "Vente Porsche 962-157 avec descriptif et palmarès". race-cars.com. Archived from the original on 14 November 2019. Retrieved 22 September 2018..
  12. ^ Auto-Hebdo numéro 767 du 27 février 1991, p. 12.
  13. ^ Le Nouvelliste numéro 278 du 30 novembre 1995, p. 21.
  14. ^ Le Nouvelliste du 13 septembre 1984, p. 39.
  15. ^ a b J.-C. Etter (1 October 2005). "Un circuit demain en Suisse ?". Asphalte.ch..
  16. ^ "Centre technologique à Chamoson". Centre-technologique.ch..
  17. ^ Les Suisses au Mans, tome 4, p. 105.