Jean-Pierre Beltoise

Like Behra, Beltoise was a French motor cycle champion, winning 11 championships between 1961 and 1964 while working for the René Bonnet team as a mechanic. He made his four-wheel debut at Le Mans in 1963, winning the Index of Performance, but a year later his career was nearly ended when a horrendous accident at Reims left him with burns and multiple injuries, the most serious of which was a left arm so badly broken that its movement was permanently restricted. Nevertheless he was back in 1965 racing the F3 Matra (the aerospace company having taken over the René Bonnet concern) and scored a great first win for the marque at Reims. His pre-eminence in this formula was later to be confirmed when he won the 1966 Monaco F3 race, and all four rounds of the Argentine Temporada series early in 1967. This success encouraged Matra to continue with their racing activities, and Beltoise was the spearhead of the team's Formula 2 programme from 1966, winning the F2 class of the German GP and later the European F2 championship for non-graded drivers in 1968 when he won rounds at Hockenheim, Jarama and Zandvoort.

Although he contested a number of Grands Prix in a ballasted F2 Matra, Beltoise had to wait until early 1968 to get his hands on the team's raucous V12-engined F1 car but was soon showing its potential with a brilliant second place and fastest lap at Zandvoort. In 1969 Beltoise was placed in Ken Tyrrell's team as number two to Stewart while development work was undertaken on the V12 project and scored seven point-scoring finishes, but the following season he raced the new Matra MS120-V12 and was unlucky not to win the French GP when a puncture robbed him of the lead. Athough Jean-Pierre had done well enough on occasion, Matra signed Amon for 1971, frustrating the Frenchman's F1 aspirations, and it was not a happy season for Beltoise, who received a suspension when he was blamed for his involvement in the fatal accident that befell Giunti in the Buenos Aires 1000 Km.

In 1972 he moved to BRM, where he was soon to enjoy his day of days, winning the Monaco GP with a scintillating performance in pouring rain. A second place in the International Trophy and a win in the John Player Victory race at Brands Hatch merely disguised the team's imminent decline, but Beltoise was to stay on until 1974, with a fantastic drive into second place at Kyalami in the P201 the only highlight of his final season with the team. An established member of the Matra squad, Jean-Pierre enjoyed a tremendous year in sports car racing, winning four championship rounds (the Nürburgring, Watkins Glen, Paul Ricard and Brands Hatch) but at season's end he was looking for work on two fronts. With Matra out of endurance racing, Beltoise was forced to scratch around for drives and the prospect of an F1 return with Ligier in 1976 evaporated when the seat went to Laffite. Jean-Pierre was involved with both the Ligier and Inaltera sports car projects before successfully switching to the French touring car scene, where he was to drive and gain much enjoyment for many years.

Now retired from business, Beltoise now has had the pleasure of charting the progress of his sons, Julien and Anthony, as they made their way in racing.