Larrousse began his motorsport career in rallying. Competing in an Alpine A110, he won the Tour de Corse in 1969. Switching to a Porsche 911, he placed second at the Monte Carlo Rally in 1969, 1970, and 1972. He also recorded a sixth-place finish at the 1970 RAC Rally. These results established him as one of France's leading rally drivers of the period, competitive across both tarmac and mixed-surface events.
Larrousse transitioned to circuit racing and quickly reached the highest levels of endurance competition. In 1971 he was paired with Vic Elford and won the 12 Hours of Sebring in a Porsche 917K. The same year, he also won the 1000 km Nürburgring in a Porsche 908/03.
His defining achievements as a driver came at Le Mans. In 1973 Larrousse and Henri Pescarolo drove a Matra-Simca MS670B to victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The following year they repeated the result in the MS670C, making Larrousse one of a small number of drivers to have won Le Mans in consecutive years. These two victories, in the final seasons of the Matra-Simca endurance programme, are the pinnacle of his driving career.
Larrousse made a brief appearance in Formula One as a driver in 1974, entering two Grands Prix for the Italian privateer operation Scuderia Finotto in a Brabham BT42. He started the Belgian Grand Prix but retired. He failed to qualify for the French Grand Prix. He did not score World Championship points in either entry.
After retiring from driving, Larrousse moved into management. He ran the Elf Switzerland operation in the European Formula Two Championship, gaining experience in team administration before being entrusted with a larger role. In 1984 and 1985 he managed the factory Renault Formula One team during its final years as a full works entry.
In 1987 Larrousse co-founded an eponymous Formula One constructor that competed under various ownership arrangements through the following years. The team entered the sport at a time of intense competition and operated throughout on constrained resources. Its best result in the Constructors' Championship came in 1990, when it finished sixth overall. In subsequent seasons financial pressure intensified and the team increasingly relied on pay-drivers to sustain its entries. Although plans existed to continue into the 1995 season, a lack of funding forced the team to withdraw from Formula One. The Larrousse operation competed for eight seasons in total, from 1987 through 1994.
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