Benoît Nicolas Musy (13 December 1917 – 7 October 1956) was a Swiss Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Maserati race car driver.
Biography
Musy was born on 13 December 1917 in Bern, Switzerland, the son of the Swiss president Jean-Marie Musy. He received an agriculture engineering degree from L'institut agricole de l'État de Fribourg in Grangeneuve / FR - Switzerland, and served in the air force during the Swiss military mobilisation World War II. During 1945 he rescued a large number (1,200) of Jews from the concentration camp Theresienstadt with his father. He also received one of the first Swiss parachute jumper licenses in 1947.
Motorcycle racing He acquired further fame as a motorcycle racer, winning six Swiss championships with Moto Guzzi motorcycles. He also competed in the 1949 Swiss motorcycle Grand Prix, part of the inaugural Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. He competed in three more Swiss motorcycle Grand Prix races, finishing as high as fourth place.
Automobile racing Later he moved to racing cars. He had various ones, all Maserati. Musy started in May 1954, with a 1953 Maserati A6 or A6GCS (#2040), a Maserati factory race car, formerly used by Giletti, the official Maserati pilot. With this car he has won several races, including some record laps, on different tracks. He sold the car in 1955 to Pietro Pagliarini.
At that time, Musy was already part of the semi-official Maserati racing team. He took part of several races, with very little success, in a 150, 200S, and 200Si. He even participated at a race in Dakar in a 250; he failed to finish.Maserati 250
After a test drive in the Swedish Grand Prix, he bought a Maserati 300S (#3057) in 1955, with which he earned several podium results.
Musy died in a racing event at Autodrome de Montlhéry, France, on 7 October 1956, crashing a factory Maserati 200S (#2047) over an embankment, after a steering column breakdown. Ejected from the car, he died immediately.
In total, he attended eleven mid-1950s European sports car championships, of which he won five.
Auto racing results
Year Position Racetrack - Country Car 19541stCircuit de Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) Maserati 2000cc A6GCS19544thAquila racetrack (Switzerland)Maserati 2000cc19541stMegève racetrack best time ever (France)Maserati 2000cc19542ndSenigallia racetrack (Italy)Maserati 2000cc19542ndSenigallia racetrack (Italy)Maserati 2000cc1954 2ndCircuit Park Zandvoort (Netherland)Maserati 2000cc19542ndCircuit Bremgarten Swiss Grand-PrixMaserati 2000cc19542ndKandersteg racetrack (Switzerland)Maserati 2000cc19541stAutodrome de Linas-Montlhéry (France)Maserati 2000cc19541stCircuit de Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium)Maserati 2000cc19551stGrand Prix des Frontières (Chimay Street Circuit) (Belgium)Maserati 3000cc 300S19554thPorto Grand Prix (Monsanto Park) (Portugal)Maserati 3000cc19552ndMessina 10 h night race (Italy)Masearti 3000cc19551stKarlskoga – Kanonloppet (Sweden)Maserati 3000cc19561stfirst heat Oulton Park best time ever (UK)Maserati 3000 cc19561stGrand Prix des Frontières (Chimay Street Circuit) (Belgium)Maserati 3000cc19564thBari Grand Prix (Italy)Maserati 3000 cc19561stSables-d'Olonne Grand-Prix (France)Maserati 3000 cc
References
External links Benoît Musy biography Benoît Musy & Maserati racing Benoît Musy biographie Enrico Maserati pages: Maserati 200 History and pictures about B. Musy Two different people from the same place: Jo Siffert and B. Musy