Alphonse Jean-Joseph’s Fatal Crash @ Grand Prix de la Martinique 1983 (Aftermath)

Born in Martinique, overseas territory of France in the eastern Caribbean Sea, Alphonse Jean-Joseph was regarded as one of the most promising racing drivers of his country. Raised into a family of motorsport people, his father was Serge Jean-Joseph, a prominent racing driver and his younger brother was Simon Jean-Joseph who in the following decades also became a professional rally driver, competing for Ford, Subaru, Renault and Citroën works rally teams, winning two times the European Rally Championship – in 2004 and 2007 – and the French Gravel Rally Championship in 2011.

Rather used to compete in rallies and hillclimbs, in 1983 Alphonse Jean-Joseph filed an entry in the first edition of the Grand Prix de la Martinique, a touring-car and sportscar race scheduled to be contested on Sunday, 07 August of that year, on a very fast course made of national and departmental roads through the island of Martinique. Alphonse Jean-Joseph was among the favorites to win the event, at the wheel of a Porsche 911, purchased from Louis Meznarie, at the time one of the best Porsche tuners in France.

Came race day and, while fighting for the lead Alphonse Jean-Joseph lost control of his Porsche 911, that left the road and crashed into a ditch, while passing on on a narrow road between Les Coteaux and Céron, in the village of Sainte-Luce, in southern island of Martinique. The accident was witnessed by his brother Simon, who at the time was 14-year-old. Fire engulfed the wreck and Alphonse Jean-Joseph was killed. He was 23.

Three years later, another racing car crashed almost at the same spot as Alphonse Jean-Joseph’s car had, killing rally co-driver Alain Gestel, during the Rallye Ray Diffusion, on 23 November 1986.

After his death, one street of the small town of Rivière-Salée, in southern Martinique was named « Rue Alphonse Jean-Joseph », after him.

R.I.P