When I first got Speedvision, I kept wondering who this guy "DeCadenet" is???? He seemed to know something about just about everything!!! They kept talking about how he had raced at Le Mans and Daytona in the early 70's. I think he even scored a podium at least once at Daytona. He has also made references to owning and racing a Porsche 904 back in its hayday. He just doesn't seem that old! For those of you who are wondering, here's a brief background on him from the Porsche Rennsport Reunion program.
It's better then I imagined! This guy is my hero!
" Alain de Cadenet has been many things in his life, among them a stunt driver and a fashion photographer. Today he is a television personality, hosting his own show 'Legends of Motorsports' on the Speedvision channel. De Cadenet also has worked at odd jobs, such as managing Graham Hill's Grand Prix team. A fun loving individual, he shyly admits to holding the British public road speed record which he puts at 234 miles an hour. Even so he has his serious side, especially when it comes to professional racing.
In the late 1970's when the sports car prototype scene was undergoing great change, De Cadenet took the bold step of forming his own World Championship team to contest the FIA tour. While in many ways overshadowed by the factory entries, and those with larger budgets, he made an impression, becoming one of only a few to ever succeed in the sport in a car bearing his own name. The original Ford DFV powered de Cadenet was designed by a young Gordon Murry, who would go on to work for Brabham in laters years.
In more recent times, when Alain's not working for television, he can be found driving vintage and historic cars at high rates of speed, usually at the head of the field. On the small screen side he has made several documentraries on Ferrari (An Excellent show! A must-see and MUST-HEAR
- John) and Porsche (Very Cool
- John again) which many consider classics of their type."
I get a sense that he is just as charming and affable in person as he is on TV. I did get a chuckle when they asked him about a '76 Caddy that went up on the stand, and he had to admit that he was stumpted. I guess if there is one car to be ignorant of, a '76 Caddy is it.