5th, Dijon '79: The Legendary Battle for Second Overshadowing Jabouille's Victory
In July 1979 Jean-Pierre Jabouille won his, and Renault’s, first World Championship Grand Prix, and did it, what’s more, in France. It is his tragedy that anyone at Dijon that day recalls only the duel for second place between Gilles Villeneuve and René Arnoux.
Jabouille always had the look of a man who’d walked under too many ladders. “For me,” he said, “the sad thing is that no one remembers who won the race – only the fight for second place! Still, when I saw the video, I was not surprised…”
Dijon ’79 has passed into racing folklore. When they arrived there Scheckter was ahead on points, followed by Laffite and Villeneuve, but Renault – the only turbo team – was going to be a threat anywhere with decent straights. Like Dijon.