{{short description|Belgian racing driver (1928–2003)}} {{sources needed|date=December 2025}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}} {{Infobox F1 driver | name = Christian Goethals | image = Christian_Goethals.jpg | caption = | nationality = {{flagicon|BEL}} Belgian | birth_date = {{Birth date|1928|8|4|df=y}} | birth_place = Heule, Kortrijk, Belgium | death_date = {{Death date and age|2003|2|26|1928|8|4|df=y}} | death_place = Kortrijk, Belgium | years = {{F1|1958}} | teams = non-works Cooper | races = 1 | championships = 0 | wins = 0 | podiums = 0 | poles = 0 | points = 0 | fastest_laps = 0 | first_race = 1958 German Grand Prix }}
'''Christian Roger Xavier Marie Joseph Ghislain Goethals''' (4 August 1928 – 26 February 2003) was a racing driver from Belgium. Goethals competed as an amateur in sports car races, driving a Porsche Spyder during the 1950s.<ref name="GP profile">{{cite web|title=Christian Goethals profile|url=http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/drv-goechr.html|work=GrandPrix.com|publisher=Inside F1|access-date=28 April 2012}}</ref> His best results were a second-place finish with his brother in the 1956 1500cc class event in Reims, and a win in the same class the following year at Forez.<ref name=GPA>{{cite web|title=Statistics: Christian Goethals|url=http://www.autocoursegpa.com/driver.asp?driver_id=11776|work=Grand Prix Archive|publisher=Crash Media Group|access-date=28 April 2012|url-status=usurped|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130117100214/http://www.autocoursegpa.com/driver.asp?driver_id=11776|archivedate=17 January 2013}}</ref> Goethals acquired a Cooper-Climax and entered it in the Formula Two class of the 1958 German Grand Prix, but retired from the race.<ref name="GP profile" /> He did not participate in another Formula One Grand Prix, and returned to sports cars, with notable finishes in 1960 of fifth in the Buenos Aires 1000 km and second in the GP de Spa.<ref name=GPA /> He retired from racing later in the season. He established a racing team called ''Écurie Éperon d'Or'' to participate in the 1958 German Grand Prix<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.laberezina.com/ecuries/autres_ecuries/E/ecurie_eperon_dor.htm |title=Écurie Éperon d'Or |access-date=24 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304031430/http://www.laberezina.com/ecuries/autres_ecuries/E/ecurie_eperon_dor.htm |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> where he raced in a Cooper T43.<ref>[http://www.f1-geschiedenis.be/FORMULE%201/1958/Coureurs_teams_1958.htm Formula 1 history showing every racer who ever used the Cooper T43] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304000848/http://www.f1-geschiedenis.be/FORMULE%201/1958/Coureurs_teams_1958.htm |date=4 March 2016 }}</ref> Goethals was the youngest child of René Goethals (1876-1928), a nobleman and mayor of Heule near Kortrijk in Belgium and of Jeanne Mols (1884-1968). He was married to Julie Opsomer.
==Biography in the Literature== * Steve SMALL, ''Grand Prix Who is Who'', Travel Publishing, London 1999, {{ISBN|1-902007-46-8}}. * {{cite book|title=The Guinness Complete Grand Prix Who's Who|author=Steve Small|page=160|ISBN=0851127029}} * Humbert DE MARNIX DE SAINTE ALDEGONDE, ''État présent de la noblesse belge'', Annuaire 2007, Brussel, 2007 ''(in French)'' * [http://grandprixinsider.wordpress.com/2011/08/04/0408/ Short biography in Grand Prix Insider]
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==Complete Formula One World Championship results== (key) {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%" ! Year ! Entrant ! Chassis ! Engine ! 1 ! 2 ! 3 ! 4 ! 5 ! 6 ! 7 ! 8 ! 9 ! 10 ! 11 ! WDC ! Points |- | 1958 ! Écurie Éperon d'Or ! Cooper T43 ! Coventry Climax | ARG | MON | NED | 500 | BEL | FRA | GBR |style="background:#EFCFFF;"| GER<br />{{small|Ret}} | POR | ITA | MOR ! NC ! 0 |}
== References == {{Reflist}}
{{Formula One drivers from Belgium}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Goethals, Christian}} Category:1928 births Category:2003 deaths Category:Belgian racing drivers Category:Belgian Formula One drivers Category:World Sportscar Championship drivers
{{Belgium-autoracing-bio-stub}} {{F1-bio-stub}} Category:12 Hours of Reims drivers