Marc Fontan (born 20 October 1956) is a French former professional motorcycle racer. He competed in the Grand Prix road racing world championships from 1978 to 1983.
Fontan was born in Canet-en-Roussillon in the French department of Pyrénées-Orientales. He began to race motorcycles in 1977 and, competed in his first world championship race riding a Yamaha TZ250 at the 1978 250cc British Grand Prix. He also placed 7th at the 1978 Bol d'Or 24 hour endurance race.
Fontan joined the French Japauto Honda team and won the 1980 24 Hours of Le Mans with teammate Herve Moineau. They went on to win the 1980 FIM Endurance World Championship. In 1981 he began competing in the premier 500cc Grand Prix world championship as a member of the French Yamaha importer's Sonauto team. He was crowned French champion in October 1981, and the following weekend took part in the final round of the British championship at Brands Hatch, however he came off his bike at Druids while in sixth position. His best year was in 1983, where he finished in sixth place in the 500cc world championship.
Fontan's career ended after a serious arm injury at the 1984 24 Hours of Le Mans left him with nerve damage.
Today Fontan is known for being the principal architect of the Moto-Tour, a seven-day competitive rally that crosses huge swaths of France.
Motorcycle Grand Prix results Source: Position 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Points 15 12 10 8 6 5 4 3 2 1
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year Class Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Points Rank Wins 1978 250cc Yamaha VEN- ESP- FRA- NAT- NED- BEL- SWE- FIN- GBR10 GER- CZE- YUG- 1 28th 0 1981 500cc Sonauto-Yamaha AUT12 GER9 NATNC FRA10 YUGNC NED13 BEL8 RSM8 GBR5 FIN6 SWE6 25 9th 0 1982 500cc Sonauto-Yamaha ARG7 AUT- FRA- ESP7 NAT9 NED9 BEL10 YUG- GBR8 SWE4 RSM- GER6 29 10th 0 1983 500cc Sonauto-Yamaha RSA4 FRA6 NAT7 GER6 ESP7 AUT6 YUG6 NED7 BEL6 GBR5 SWE4 RSM6 64 6th 0
FIM Endurance World Championship Year Bike Rider 1980 Honda Marc Fontan Hervé Moineau 1st
References