Érik Comas

Former F1 driver


image-size = 150
pixels = 150
Name = Érik Comas
Nationality = flagicon|FRA French
Years = F1|1991 - F1|1994
Team(s) = Ligier, Larrousse
Races = 63 (59 starts)
Championships = 0
Wins = 0
Podiums = 0
Points = 7
Poles = 0
Fastest laps = 0
First race = 1991 United States Grand Prix
First win =
Last win =
Last race = 1994 Japanese Grand Prix

Érik Comas (born September 28, 1963 in Romans) is a former Formula One driver from France. He was French Formula 3 champion in 1988, and then Formula 3000 champion in 1990, after scoring the same number of points as Jean Alesi in 1989 but losing on a count-back of positions. He participated in 63 Grands Prix, debuting on March 10, 1991. He scored a total of 7 championship points. His last point, in the 1994 German Grand Prix, was also the last one for the Larrousse team.

After ending a disappointing F1 career at the end of the 1994 season, he went to Japan to continue his racing career in the All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC), Japan's premiere racing series. Soon enough, he won the GT500 title in 1998 and 1999, and earned runner-up in the standings in 2000, all three years driving for Nissan in a factory Nismo-prepared Skyline GT-R. By the end of the 2003 season (he left the Nismo team in 2002 to join the factory Toyota team the following year) he was the most successful driver in series history with the most career championship points ever scored by a single driver. This was eventually surpassed by (ironically enough) another Nismo driver, GT500 and Formula Nippon champion driver Satoshi Motoyama.

After a decent run with Toyota, Erik spent the 2004/2005 seasons with Masahiro Hasemi's privateer Hasemi Sport team, running non-factory Nissan 350Zs in GT500, including inheriting the team's only win (co-driving with Toshihiro Kaneishi) thus far on the evening of December 18, 2004 at the "All-Star 200" exhibition race on California Speedway's combined oval/road course after the unofficial winners were penalized 60 seconds on their finishing time for a pit window infraction. Unfortunately, the race was a non-points scoring event and as such does not count towards the drivers' or team's official win record.

He currently races for former JGTC driver and 24 Hours of Le Mans team owner Masahiko Kondo's all new privateer Nissan 350Z racing team for the 2006 Super GT championship season (formerly JGTC.) He also branched out into rallying, competing in various events around the world. Along with this, he also created Comas Racing Management (CRM), a firm that focuses on the management and development of young up and coming drivers, primarily from his home country of France.

At 5th race of the season at Sportsland SUGO, Comas was replaced with later Pokka 1000km third driver Seiji Ara due to what the CRM website referred on as "ill health." [http://www.erikcomas.com/news/2006/2006072301_e.html] After coming back for the Pokka 1000km, on September 5, 2006, Eric announced on his website that because of his health, he would not compete in the final 3 races of the season. [http://www.erikcomas.com/news/f_news_e.html]

According to http://www.erikcomas.com/:

"This summer, acute pain in the lower back (symptoms of lumbago syndrome) attacked Erik Comas, forcing him to suddenly miss Round 5 of the series at SUGO.""In the following race at Suzuka, Erik managed to participate. However, since the symptoms have continued without improvement, he has decided to forego the remaining three rounds of this year’s championship, handing the wheel of the WOODONE ADVAN KONDO Z over to Seiji Ara, entrusting him with the job."

Ara will finish out the 2006 Super GT season with regular driver partner Masataka Yanagida at the Motegi, Autopolis, and second Fuji races.

Comas was known for not wearing a tinted visor, preferring to wear sunglasses underneath his visor. His son, Anthony, currently competes in the Formula BMW UK series for Carlin Motorsport.

Comas entered the red flagged 1994 Imola grand prix following the fatal crash of Ayrton Senna. He was frantically waved through the Tamburello corner and narrowly avoided a medical aid helicopter which was due to land on the scene. Ironically it was Senna who saved Comas' life at Spa in 1992 after Comas had a terrible crash at the Blanchimont corner during qualifying. Senna jumped from his car, ran over to Comas, and held Comas' head in a stable position until the doctors could arrive.

Complete Formula One results

()

External links

* [http://www.erikcomas.com/ Eric Comas/CRM Official Site]