Who is Michel Vaillant?
Photo: The Vaillante Rebellion (with an interim livery) at the 2017 Geneva International Motor Show
When Rebellion Racing first revealed that their LMP2 entries in the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship would be under the name Vaillante Rebellion, there was much celebration and anticipation…but predominantly from French and Belgian fans.
The name of Michel Vaillant and his Vaillante racing team may be known to some outside the Francophone region, but in France he is something of a national hero! So, who is Michel Vaillant?
The man and the myth
Michel Vaillant is the title of a comic series created in 1957 by French cartoonist Jean Graton. Michel Vaillant is the main character and is a racing driver who competes successfully in multiple disciplines including Formula One, at the Indy 500, the Dakar Rally, in single-seater and GT races. Most importantly, for the WEC, he has competed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans no fewer than five times. His family-run racing team is called Vaillante after the family transportation and road car manufacturing businesses.
Appearing initially in Tintin magazine in France and Belgium, between 1957 and 1976, an estimated 17 million copies of the series' 75 albums have since been sold worldwide. Many real-life drivers from France have admitted their passion for motorsport was inspired by Vaillant and the stories in which he has appeared!
As well as the published albums, Michel Vaillant has appeared in films, TV series and video games.
A living, breathing Vaillante
A new album will be released on 26th May, titled Rebellion, and to celebrate this the Vaillant name will step out of the pages of fiction and onto the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans race trackfor the first time in twenty years. The living, breathing Vaillante Rebellion team will race two ORECA 07 Gibsons in a specially designed livery which will be revealed ahead of the WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. The livery will be retained for all further rounds of the WEC after Le Mans.
