26th January 2012

Roberto Mieres died on 26th January 2012 aged 87.

He was born in Mar del Plata on 3rd December 1924, and like his fellow-countrymen Fangio and Gonzalez, the Argentinean benefitted from a financial grant to come and race in Europe in the fifties. He never achieved the same success and his best result was fourth. In 1954/55, he finished third in the non-championship Pau GP.

He scored good results in the Buenos Aires 1000 km with fourth in 1957 (D-Type Jaguar) and 1958 (5th in a Porsche RSK), while his two Le Mans outings, 1953 in a Gordini with Behra and 1955 in a Maserati with Perdisa, both ended in retirement.

His last major achievement was victory in the inaugural endurance race at Daytona (1000 km) in a Porsche.

Text: François Hurel – Photo: INA / Archives Bernard Cahier