François Cevert

Cevert was the son of Charles Goldenberg (1901–1985), a Parisian jeweller, and Huguette Cevert. Charles was a Russian-Jewish émigré brought to France as a young boy by his parents, to escape the persecution of the Jews under the Tsarist autocracy. During World War II, under the Nazi occupation of France, Goldenberg joined the French Resistance to avoid forced deportation to Poland, as he was a registered Jew. In order not to draw further attention, Charles and Huguette's four children were all registered with her surname (Cevert) rather than his. Some years after the liberation of France, Cevert's father wanted to rename his children back to Goldenberg, but the family objected as by now they had become known as Cevert.
Cevert was the brother-in-law of Grand Prix driver Jean-Pierre Beltoise.
When he was 16, François Cevert began his motorsport career on two wheels, rather than four, initi…