Carel Godin de Beaufort

Baron Carel Godin de Beaufort (1934-1964) was a Dutch nobleman and racing driver who recorded 28 starts in the Formula One World Championship between 1957 and 1964, driving his own cars under the banner of the Ecurie Maarsbergen. He spent the most of a career driving Porsche cars, using some other cars in only two F1 races. He scored no wins or podiums but he became the first Dutchman ever to scored Formula 1 Championship points.

He was also active in sports car races, participating seven times at 24 Hours of Le Mans. He scored S 1.5 class victory in a Porsche 550 RS in 1957 while his best overall result at Le Mans was the fifth place in 1958.

Godin de Beaufort lost a life in a crash during practice for the 1964 German Grand Prix at Nürburgring Nordschleife.

Carel Godin de Beaufort

Racing with Porsches from the beginning

Carel's full name was Jonkheer Karel Pieter Antoni Jan Hubertus Godin de Beaufort. He was born in April 1934 in Maarsbergen near Utrecht and he later named his team after the place of his birth.

Carel started his racing career in the mid-1950s, driving an MG A in some national events at Zandvoort. In 1956, Godin de Beaufort started to race with Porsche and stayed with that marque for his entire career.

Carel Godin de Beaufort

Le Mans debut in 1956, class victory in 1957

Godin de Beaufort started his international career in 1956, participating at Nürburgring 1000 Km race in May and then making a debut at 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. In both events, he was driving a Porsche 550. At Le Mans, he was sharing a car with Mathieu Hezemans, not finishing the race.

A year later, Godin de Beaufort returned to Le Mans partnering an American Ed Hugus in his #35 Porsche 550 RS. They finished eighth overall and the first in S1.5 class. That year, Carel participated in some other great races (Nürburgring 1000 Km, Mille Miglia, Reims 12 Hours) but without notable results.

At 1957 Le Mans 24, Godin de Beafort was sharing the #35 Porsche with Ed Hugus

Formula 1 Championship debut in 1957

In August 1957, Godin de Beaufort made a debut in the Formula 1 World Championship. He entered the German Grand Prix at Nürburgring with his own #27 Porsche RS550 F2-spec car. He was running a car under the banner of Ecurie Maarsbergen. He finished 14th overall and the third among F2 drivers.

In 1958, he participated in two F1 Grand Prix races, in his home race at Circuit Zandvoort and again at Nürburgring. He finished 11th at Zandvoort in a Porsche RSK and retired at Nürburgring in a Porsche RS550 F2 car.

Carel Godin de Beaufort started his F1 career in 1957

Fifth place at 1958 Le Mans 24h

He was more active in sports car racing, starting a season with a debut at Sebring 12 Hours. Sharing a Porsche 550 RS with Art Bunker, he didn't finish the race. He then scored a class victory at Nürburgring 1000 Km in a factory entered Porsche 550 RS, sharing a car with Edgar Barth and Richard von Frankenberg.

In June, Godin de Beaufort scored his best-ever overall result at Le Mans, finishing in the fifth place in Ecurie Maarsbergen's #32 Porsche 550 RS, sharing a car with Herbert Linge. They were second in S1.5 class.

Carel Godin de Beaufort at 1959 Dutch Grand Prix in a Porsche RSK

Trying something else than Porsche

In 1959, Godin de Beaufort recorded two F1 starts. He finished tenth in the Dutch Grand Prix in a Porsche RSK. For his next race, the French Grand Prix at Reims, he moved to Scuderia Ugolini's Maserati 250F, finishing in the ninth place.

In 1960, Carel had one single F1 start, driving his own Cooper T51-Climax at Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort. He improved his best result by finishing in the 8th place, six laps behind race winner Jack Brabham.

Class victory at 1959 Sebring 12 Hours

In the same time, Godin de Beaufort continued to develop his sports car racing career. In March 1959, he was 11th overall and GT1.6 class winner at Sebring 12 Hours, sharing the #33 Porsche 356A Carrera GT with Huschke von Hanstein. In May, Carel has won the Grand Prix de Spa in a Porsche 718 RSK.

At Le Mans 24 Hours, he recorded the first of four consecutive retirements. He was sharing a Porsche 718 RSK with Christian Heins. In the following unsuccessful attempts at Le Mans, his partners were Richard 'Dickie' Stoop (1960), Ben Pon (1962) and Gerhard Koch (1963).

Full-time F1 racer since 1961

After few years in Formula 1 serving as a 'moving chicane' to faster drivers, Godin de Beaufort gained enough experience to enter the full season in 1961. He participated in six events with his Porsche 718, finishing best in the seventh place at Monza.

He was also driving Porsche 718 in selected non-championship F1 races, finishing best in the sixth place at Flugplatzrennen at Zeltweg Airfield.

Carel Godin de Beaufort in his Porsche 718 at Spa-Francorchamps

First Dutchman ever to score F1 Championship points

In May 1962, Godin de Beaufort scored his maiden F1 point by finishing sixth in the Dutch Grand Prix, the first race of the season. He became te first Dutchman ever to score points in the F1 Championship. He repeated that success one more time, finishing sixth in the French Grand at Rouen-les-Essarts. Those two points placed him to 16th place in the championship.

That year, he was pretty successful in non-championship races, finishing in the top 10 in all seven races he participated. His best result was the fifth place at Solitude Grand Prix.

1963 – three podiums in F1 non-championship races

In 1963, Godin de Beaufort participated in eight F1 Championship events and scored points in two races. He was sixth in the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps and then sixth again in the US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen.

He scored his greatest success in Formula One in non-championship races, reaching a podium three times in 1963. He was second at Syracuse Grand Prix and Rome Grand Prix. In the Austrian Grand Prix, he finished third.

Carel Godin de Beaufort's car after a crash at Nurburgring

Losing a life at Nürburgring Nordschleife

In 1964, Godin de Beaufort participated in four races before he came to Nürburgring in August. He retired at Sebring 12 Hours in a Porsche 904 GTS, retired in the F1 Championship Dutch Grand Prix in a Porsche 718 and finished two F1 non-championship races at Silverstone and Solitudering.

And then, on August 2, his career and a life came to a premature when he crashed out during a practice for the German Grand Prix. His Porsche 718 went off the road at Bergwerk corner. He suffered severe injuries to his head, chest and legs, dying in the evening in a hospital.

Carel's picture in Maarsbergen castle

Photos: Porsche, Sutton Images,