Alain Menu

Infobox racing driver
name = Alain Menu

---

pixels = 222px
caption = In 2007, as a WTCC driver
nationality = flagicon|SUI Swiss
date of birth = Birth date and age|1963|8|9
place of birth = Geneva
current series = World Touring Car Championship
first year = 2005
current team = Chevrolet
car number = 8
former teams =
starts = 60
wins = 6
poles =
fastest laps =
best finish = 6th
year = 2007
prev series = Porsche Carrera Cup UK
Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters
British Touring Car Championship
prev series years = 2004
2001-2003
1992-2000
titles = British Touring Car champion
British Touring Car champion
title years = 2000
1997
awards =
award years =

Alain Menu (born August 9, 1963 in Geneva) is a Swiss racing driver. He was one of the most successful touring car drivers of the 1990s, winning the prestigious British Touring Car Championship twice (the only driver during the series' 1991-2000 Super Touring era to do so). He currently races for Chevrolet in the World Touring Car Championship.

Biography

BTCC

He is the son of a farmer. Like many drivers who eventually build a career in touring cars, Menu began his career in single-seater racing, reaching the International Formula 3000 championship in 1991 after three years in the British Formula Three Championship (in which he finished runner-up in 1990). However, for the next year he returned to Great Britain to race a BMW 3 Series in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), showing promise before being injured mid-season in a quadbike accident at Knockhill; despite only participating in half of the season, he still managed to finish 9th in the final championship standings. As a result of this accident, he was unable to jog for exercise again - he instead took up cycling as his main exercise.

In 1993 Menu began a six-year association with Renault in the BTCC, who had just entered the series with the Renault 19. The first year of their partnership was not particularly successful, with the 19 little better than a midfield runner in the hands of Menu and reigning champion Tim Harvey. However, Menu did manage to win one race at a rain-soaked Donington Park late in the season. For 1994 the 19 was replaced by the Renault Laguna, which proved to be a much better package all-round. Menu was championship runner-up for 3 years in succession, between 1994 and 1996. He finished 1995 as the man to beat, but Audi entered their 4-wheel drive car for 1996, Frank Biela taking the crown.

He finally took the crown in a dominant car in 1997, taking 12 wins. After a disappointing 1998 season, Menu switched to Ford, winning a second title in 2000 against team-mates Anthony Reid and Rickard Rydell. 2000 was to be the last year of the BTCC in that form; the championship had been gradually in decline and losing entrants since 1998, with 2000 only featuring 3 works teams and 12 championship contenders, as opposed to the 9 teams and 20+ championship contenders in 1995. The championship was reformed for 2001 with new regulations, but only two manufacturers committed to the series, and Menu, like most of the star drivers, chose to leave the series.

DTM

From 2001 to 2003, Menu raced for Opel in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, a high-tech touring car series based in Germany. However, he achieved little success (Menu would describe his DTM years as "not very good" in a [http://www.crash.net/uk/en/feature_view.asp?cid=10&fid=6362 2004 interview] ). While competing in the DTM, he ventured into sports car racing with Ferrari, competing in both the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Sebring 12 Hours as well as winning one race each in both the FIA GT Championship and the American Le Mans Series.

WTCC

In 2004, Menu announced his return to touring car racing, with the fledgling Chevrolet team, RML in the 2005 World Touring Car Championship. Menu, and his equally highly-regarded team-mate Nicola Larini, did not expect to win races in their first year but the team's performance was still seen as a big disappointment, Menu only achieving three points finishes, his best result being a 6th at Spa-Francorchamps. The team had expected to make progress up the grid in 2006, and their faith was fulfilled at a very wet Brands Hatch on May 21, when Menu won the second race of the day, scoring Chevrolet's first-ever outright win in a FIA-accredited world championship event.In 2006 he won the 200 km de Buenos Aires, a round of Argentina's TC2000 championship, with Matias Rossi driving a Chevrolet Astra. [cite news | url =http://www.tc2000.com.ar/noticias_ingles.php?id=98 | title =CHEVROLET ELAION The marque's 20th TC2000 win | publisher = tc2000.com.ar | date = 2007-05-23 | accessdate = 2008-04-16]

On 2007-10-04, it was announced that Menu would make a one-off return to the BTCC with which he is most closely associated. He drove a Vauxhall Vectra for VX Racing at the final round of the 2007 BTCC season at Thruxton to assist Fabrizio Giovanardi in his successful title bid.

Career

* 2007: 6th in World Touring Car Championship, 5 wins (Chevrolet Lacetti)
* 2006: 15th in World Touring Car Championship, 1 win (Chevrolet Lacetti), won the "200 km de Buenos Aires" (TC2000)
* 2005: 16th in World Touring Car Championship (Chevrolet Lacetti)
* 2004: 4th in class, 12th overall at Le Mans 24 Hours (Ferrari 550 Maranello), 2nd, BTCC Masters Race, Donington Park
* 2003: 9th in Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (Opel Astra), 1st in class at Petit Le Mans (Ferrari 550 Maranello)
* 2002: 9th in Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (Opel Astra), DNF (engine) at Le Mans 24 Hours (Ferrari 550 Maranello)
* 2001: 21st in Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (Opel Astra), 1 win in FIA GT Championship (Ferrari 550 Maranello)
* 2000: 1st in British Touring Car Championship, 6 wins (Ford Mondeo)
* 1999: 11th in British Touring Car Championship, 1 win (Ford Mondeo)
* 1998: 4th in British Touring Car Championship, 3 wins (Renault Laguna)
* 1997: 1st in British Touring Car Championship, 12 wins (Renault Laguna)
* 1996: 2nd in British Touring Car Championship, 4 wins (Renault Laguna)
* 1995: 2nd in British Touring Car Championship, 7 wins (Renault Laguna)
* 1994: 2nd in British Touring Car Championship, 2 wins (Renault Laguna)
* 1993: 10th in British Touring Car Championship, 1 win (Renault 19)
* 1992: 9th in British Touring Car Championship (BMW 3 Series) (only completed half-season)
* 1991: International Formula 3000 Championship
* 1990: 2nd in British Formula 3000 Championship
* 1989: British Formula 3 Championship
* 1988: British Formula 3 Championship
* 1987: 2nd in British Formula Ford 1600 Championship, 2nd in FF1600 Festival.
* 1985: French FF1600 Championship
* 1984: Enrolled at the Elf Winfield racing school in France.

References