15. Jean-Louis SCHLESSER - The MyLittleRedCar column in AUTOHEROES #026

THE “DAKAR” IN A SOAPBOX

A long-time specialist in asphalt racing, both single-seaters and sports prototypes, Jean-Louis Schlesser has finally succumbed to the call of the desert. A return to his roots.

My lungs fill with fine particles of sand swirling in the scorching wind. Intoxicated by speed, I hurtle straight towards the ocean down a slope as steep as it is chaotic. As I push through the ruts, my fingers grip the steering wheel like an eagle's talons on its prey. Instinctively, I glance at the race car speeding right behind me; I'm ecstatic, I'm jubilant, I'm happy, I'm in front. I'm hurtling down the slopes of the Agadir Kasbah in shorts and sandals, in my makeshift contraption: a soapbox car!

I was eight years old. My brother and I used to make them with cheap bits and pieces and precious ball bearings. Believe me, we often broke the sound barrier! What memories, what freedom! A sweet audacity born of the innocence, or rather the recklessness, of childhood. What parents would let little boys do that today? Impossible. The danger was very real, and so were the scrapes. Daring and recklessness were already the essential qualities for pushing our limits, and to hell with caution!

My uncle, Jo Schlesser, an accomplished driver, died in a race in '68. I've often been asked if that instilled in me a certain apprehension and a feeling of risking my life on the track. Well, no, I've never felt that kind of fear. It never even crossed my mind, just like when I was hurtling down the slopes as a child. I'm convinced that to be a racing driver, you need to have developed in this way, in complete harmony with speed and without ever asking yourself existential questions. Going fast as naturally as breathing—that's the key!

So I started in this profession with a passion for speed, but I quickly developed a passion for winning. To be the first, speed then became not an end in itself, but simply a means to an end. After my early career in single-seaters and my World Sportscar Championship titles in 1989 and 1990, I was captivated by Robby Gordon, who was breaking all the records in the USA. He was the King of the desert in two-wheel drive! That's when I decided to create my own racing cars, specifically designed for rally-raids: the Schlesser Original Buggies.

The challenge became striving for perfection in the design.

So I surrounded myself with people a bit like me, a fantastic team of mechanics, ingenious technicians, as skillful as they were resourceful. A friend once told me, " Some are engineers, but others are ingenious! " When I examine every detail of this miniature, magnificently crafted by Julien, I remember the many times I was able to leverage the speed of decision-making to improve it. For example, if I decided to change the suspension arm model, I would do it and test it immediately. Unlike larger teams that only approved these changes after numerous meetings. In my case, it was simply a matter of my right hand asking my left hand for their opinion.

Today, my youngest son is starting karting. I can tell him that ultimately, the pleasure lies not only in winning, but also in the journey to get there.

Jean-Louis SCHLESSER for MyLitlleRedCar

Little Jean-Louis looks proud, perched in the front of this Jeep. He is at his grandmother's house in Oukaimedem in the hills above Marrakech in the early 1950s.