Raul de Mesquita Boesel (born 4 December 1957) is a Brazilian former racing driver whose career included Formula One, CART, the Indy Racing League and international sports cars.
Driver Bio
| Nationality | Brazilian |
| Birthplace | Curitiba, Brazil |
| Born | 4 December 1957 |
| First Grand Prix | 1982 South African Grand Prix |
| Last Grand Prix | 1983 South African Grand Prix |
| Years Active | 1982–1983 |
| Current/Last Team | Ligier |
After racing for March and Ligier in Formula One, Boesel achieved his greatest success with Jaguar. He won the 1987 World Sportscar Championship and followed it with overall victory in the 1988 24 Hours of Daytona.
Personal and early life
Boesel was born in Curitiba, Brazil, to Jorny and Elizadea de Mesquita Boesel.
Before committing himself to motorsport, he competed in equestrian show jumping and won state championships along with several other events. He later studied engineering but abandoned the degree to pursue racing professionally.
Since 1988, Boesel has lived in Key Biscayne, Florida, with his wife, Vera. They have two children, Raul Jr and Gabriela. Away from the circuit, he owns a Cigarette 38 Top Gun performance boat.
Racing career
Boesel made his car-racing debut in 1979, entering the inaugural season of the Brazilian Stock Car Championship.
He moved to Britain in 1980 to compete in Formula Ford 1600. The following year brought a step into Formula Three, where Boesel finished third in the championship and attracted interest from Formula One teams.
McLaren gave him a test in November 1981, but his first Grand Prix drive came with March in 1982. Boesel switched to Ligier for the 1983 season before leaving Formula One at the end of the year and relocating to the United States for CART.
Sports cars
After several years in American single-seaters, Boesel made a hugely successful move into the World Sportscar Championship with Jaguar in 1987.
Driving the team’s Group C machinery, he won five races and secured the World Championship in his first full season. It proved the defining title of his career.
Boesel remained with Jaguar for the 1988 24 Hours of Daytona, sharing an XJR-9 with Martin Brundle and John Nielsen. The trio won the race outright, adding another major endurance prize to his record.
He returned to Le Mans with Jaguar in 1991 and finished second overall.
CART, Indianapolis and the IRL
Boesel resumed his CART career in 1988. His strongest Indianapolis 500 result followed in 1989, when he finished third.
Although he never won a CART race, Boesel became a regular and respected contender. His best championship season came in 1993, when he placed fifth in the final standings.
He remained in CART through 1998 before crossing to the Indy Racing League, accumulating numerous Indianapolis 500 starts across the two championships. Boesel made one final CART appearance at the 1999 Marlboro 500 at Fontana.
His achievements were recognised in his home city when the Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba received the official nickname Circuito Raul Boesel.
Boesel returned to Stock Car Brasil towards the end of his career and retired from full-time professional competition in 2005, although he continued to make occasional race appearances.
Later work
After leaving professional racing, Boesel became a commentator across several forms of motorsport.
In 2007, he embarked on an entirely different second career as a disc jockey—moving from racing circuits to mixing decks with characteristic ease.
Grand Prix Stats
| Race Entries | 30 |
| Race Starts | 23 |
| Did Not Start | 0 |
| Best Race Start | 17th |
| Best Race Finish | 7th |
| Retirements | 12 |
| First-Lap Retirements | 1 |
| Not Classified | 1 |
| Disqualified | 0 |
| Did Not Qualify | 6 |
Qualifying
| Qualifying Sessions | 30 |
| Reached Q3 | 0 |
| Q2 Eliminations | 0 |
| Q1 Eliminations | 0 |
| Did Not Qualify | 6 |
Stats by Season
| Year | Constructor | Entries | Starts | Wins | Podiums | Poles | Fastest Laps | Front Rows | DNF | Best Start | Best Result | Pts Finishes | Points | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | March | 15 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 17 | 8 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 1983 | Ligier | 15 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 0 | NC |
Teammates & Qualifying Head-to-Head
| Teammate | Years | Races | Qualifying H2H |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jochen Mass | 1982 | 10 | 5-5 |
| Emilio de Villota | 1982 | 5 | 5-0 |
| Rupert Keegan | 1982 | 5 | 2-3 |
| Jean-Pierre Jarier | 1983 | 15 | 1-14 |
