We learn today of the death of former South African driver George Robert Fouché born May 15, 1965 in Pretoria, nicknamed “Fast Fouché” a former South African international car racing driver who retired from competition in 2005 .
George Fouché grew up in his father’s brickyard and at the age of 6 he was already able to drive a family business bulldozer!His passion for motorsport was born when he started driving karts at the age of 8.This continued until the teenager got his start in motor racing at the age of 16.Obtaining his first Motorsport competition license in South Africa, where he then began a career as a driver and this while he still did not hold the famous license to drive on public roads.Subsequently, he managed to make a career and his record includes thirteen participations in the very famous 24 Hours of Le Mans, obtaining two fourth places in 1993 and 1994 with the Totota team!But after having started in Sarthe during the 1984 edition at the wheel of a Team Obermaier Porsche 956, in the company of the German Jurgen Lassig and the Canadian John Graham, he essentially drove for the very famous stable of Cologne, the team of the Kremer brothers with one of their 962.He participated thirteen times in the 24 Hours of Le Mans obtaining two second places in 1993 and 1994, with the Toyota team.
But George drove for a long time in the Japanese Championships with Trust Racing and he also drove for the French Manceau Yves Courage team, Courage Compétition.
Due to his extensive travel between Japan and South Africa, he was originally scheduled to be on the SAA flight (South African Airways) 295, the Helderberg, which crashed off Mauritius on November 28, 1987, flying en route from Taiwan to South Africa.
Miraculously, George Fouché missed the flight because his connecting flight between Japan and Taiwan was canceled due to a typhoon! Fortunately because at the time he was just 22 years old.
Thanks to fate, George will therefore have had the right to … 36 years of extra!