René Heitzler & Philippe Gerhard's Fatal Crash @ Rallye des Vosges du Nord 1987 (Aftermath)
- 6 months ago
Shortly after the start of the first special stage of the 2nd edition of the Rallye des Vosges du Nord, the Renault 5 Turbo "Tour de Corse" of René Heitzler-Philippe Gerhard went out of control on the approach to a fast bend and crashed into trees. So hard was the impact that both the driver and co-driver died almost instantly.
The accident occurred on the road towards the Col du Pigeonnier, near the small town of Hagueneau, Bas-Rhin, France, where the start and finish of the rally were located.
A native of Vergaville, Lorraine, René Heitzler was a 33-years-old experienced rallyman, who started his career in the late 1970s competing in the Coupe Peugeot 104ZS. In 1980 he co-drove to Adolphe Choteau in the Rallye Côte d'Ivoire, in a Mitsubishi Lancer.
Philippe Gerhard from Dieuze, Lorraine, who lived in Privas, Ardèche, raced alongside his close friend René Heitzler since his debut as rally co-driver in the early 1980s. They contested French rally series and also took part in the Swedish Rally, then a round of the World Rally Championship, in 1986 and 1987.
In 1987 René Heitzler-Philippe Gerhard competed in the Coupe Peugeot 205GTI in France. The couple scored three outright wins in the season, at the Hivernale des Hautes Vosges, Terre de Provence and Terre de Castines rallies. They also shared a Renault 5 Turbo owned by two-time French Rally champion Jacques Henry, winning the Rallye Stanislas in 1987, before being downgraded. This happened just two weeks before their fatal accident.
R.I.P
The accident occurred on the road towards the Col du Pigeonnier, near the small town of Hagueneau, Bas-Rhin, France, where the start and finish of the rally were located.
A native of Vergaville, Lorraine, René Heitzler was a 33-years-old experienced rallyman, who started his career in the late 1970s competing in the Coupe Peugeot 104ZS. In 1980 he co-drove to Adolphe Choteau in the Rallye Côte d'Ivoire, in a Mitsubishi Lancer.
Philippe Gerhard from Dieuze, Lorraine, who lived in Privas, Ardèche, raced alongside his close friend René Heitzler since his debut as rally co-driver in the early 1980s. They contested French rally series and also took part in the Swedish Rally, then a round of the World Rally Championship, in 1986 and 1987.
In 1987 René Heitzler-Philippe Gerhard competed in the Coupe Peugeot 205GTI in France. The couple scored three outright wins in the season, at the Hivernale des Hautes Vosges, Terre de Provence and Terre de Castines rallies. They also shared a Renault 5 Turbo owned by two-time French Rally champion Jacques Henry, winning the Rallye Stanislas in 1987, before being downgraded. This happened just two weeks before their fatal accident.
R.I.P