Jean Pierre Beltoise.

[charleselan]

I came across this superb film about Jean Pierre Beltoise last night which although in French that does not take anything away from the content for those who are not French speakers. Produced in 1966 it features on the last year of the fantastic little 1 litre Formula Two cars and talks about the burgeoning talent of JPB.

There are some really good comments from  fellow competitors who speak well of JPB, including Jim Clark; Graham Hill and Jack Brabham as well as some more lengthy words from Matra personnel the main one I think is Bernard Boyer although not accredited in the film.

[mikael]

An absolute pleasure to watch these cars! Even with just one-litre engines, they certainly seem amply fast.

Now winged formula cars have a history of more than 50 years, so there is most likely no way that thing could be reverted, there's no possibility of turning back-to-basics; but I "always" thought that cars like these: light, cigar-shaped cars, should be the very *definition* of a formula car.

Reims 1966 - Beltoise in #18

In this sense, I always liked the Formula Ford 1600 class, and the fact that this class always has remained true to the original idea and concept. This is a real formula car! One of the very few - if not the only one - left. (Even karting has "ruined it" with fairings and aero-screens.)

(P.S. Sorry that this post has nothing (not much, at least) to do with Jean-Pierre Beltoise. It seems that I'm always moving off a tangent ...)

From the Formula Ford Festival 2020.

Another example of where things (regulations) have been done/handled right, I think, is in motorcycle speedway. A speedway motorcycle continues to look like it has always done.

Rudge speedway motorcycle. 1930

Jawa speedway motorcycle, 1970

A contemporary speedway motorcycle (2021)

(Photo from the he homepage of F.I.M.)

[René]

What a great short film on Jean-Pierre Beltoise. Really brings you back to those early days (from around when I was born! ) and I agree with Mikael that those sigar shaped single seaters are really what a formula car is all about. I do love the winged cars from the seventies onwards but these pre-wing cars do look special. Also love the image of the drivers putting on their open-faced helmet and goggles, really different but very charming times.

The onboard footage of Jean-Pierre driving around the circuit is fascinating, especially seeing the movement in the suspension and Jean-Pierre sometimes moving upwards and becoming 'light' for a moment without any seatbelts on! Great stuff!

[charleselan]

Aug 7, 2021 9:43:21 GMT mikael said:

An absolute pleasure to watch these cars! Even with just one-litre engines, they certainly seem amply fast.

Now winged formula cars have a history of more than 50 years, so there is most likely no way that thing could be reverted, there's no possibility of turning back-to-basics; but I "always" thought that cars like these: light, cigar-shaped cars, should be the very *definition* of a formula car.

Reims 1966 - Beltoise in #18

In this sense, I always liked the Formula Ford 1600 class, and the fact that this class always has remained true to the original idea and concept. This is a real formula car! One of the very few - if not the only one - left. (Even karting has "ruined it" with fairings and aero-screens.)

(P.S. Sorry that this post has nothing (not much, at least) to do with Jean-Pierre Beltoise. It seems that I'm always moving off a tangent ...)

From the Formula Ford Festival 2020.

Another example of where things (regulations) have been done/handled right, I think, is in motorcycle speedway. A speedway motorcycle continues to look like it has always done.

Rudge speedway motorcycle. 1930

Jawa speedway motorcycle, 1970

A contemporary speedway motorcycle (2021)

(Photo from the he homepage of F.I.M.)

Great post Mikael,

The superb B&W photo of the 1966 F2 race at Reims is so typical of that circuit with its long flat out straight sections. JPB in his works matra MS5 Cosworth leading the really beautiful Lotus 44 Cosworth driven by the looks of things Mike Spence. The Lotus 44 was a gorgeous looking car but even with the great Jim Clark driving had little success due to the dominance that season of the works Brabham Honda's that just had more power than the Ford based Cosworth SCA engines.

Behind Mike Spence are the two MRP Lola Cosworths of Eric Offenstadt and Richard Attwood, Offenstadt was another of the great talent pool of french drivers at that time and a former motorcycle racer and who looked set for great things but it did not happen for him. I did see a couple of years ago that he was still racing Classic Motorcycles and by then well into his 70's.

I agree entirely about the wingless cars of that period, they just look right don't they. As you say the Formula Ford cars continue to do so and I always somewhat mystically think that all single seaters should follow that principle, obviously with bigger and more powerful engines and tyre size to match, we can but dream.

JC

[chrisb]

many years ago for my 50th birthday [gosh that was such a long time ago!!] I drove a F1 car along with a F3 and an FF car sans wings and I hated the FF car and span trying to keep up, there were about 6 people there - however with the F3 car I was being held up by the other drivers, as it seemed to suit me, and I really enjoyed the experience, the F1 car was ok by the way but in truth I preferred and thought I was quicker in the F3 car, if memory serves I set the fastest F3 time but I maybe a bit hazy on that one 

[Carl]

Aug 11, 2021 17:00:57 GMT chrisb said:

many years ago for my 50th birthday [gosh that was such a long time ago!!] I drove a F1 car along with a F3 and an FF car sans wings and I hated the FF car and span trying to keep up, there were about 6 people there - however with the F3 car I was being held up by the other drivers, as it seemed to suit me, and I really enjoyed the experience, the F1 car was ok by the way but in truth I preferred and thought I was quicker in the F3 car, if memory serves I set the fastest F3 time but I maybe a bit hazy on that one 

Chris,

          That was a fantastic experience!  Where, and what makes of cars?  The only I ever drove was a Merlyn Formula Ford in 1976 at the Jim Russell 3-day program at Willow Springs, a fun and challenging course designed by the talented Ken Miles. 

          I may hold the record for spinning at high speed in Turn 1, but learned two or three important things that are still in my automatic memory bank.

Cheers, Carl

[chrisb]

Carl,
It was certainly an experience I can say, it was a Forti with a Judd engine and very uncomfortable, the F3 car was a mid-nineties thing but was such a sweet handler, the FF I don't know as - it was a very small circuit called Seven Sisters over Manchester way and had one curve/ corner that was fun the rest was a bit tight but the curve was quick and I am still convinced it was quicker in the F3, just remember the back sliding out a bit more

that was my second experience of a FF - having driven one around Brands in 81 and have the certificate in case I forgot, which I did, I also drove a quick little hatchbacked Sunbean that day and that was much more fun, it is something I would like to do again, and this time will take photos,

that sounds a great experience Carl, and that must have been some spin mate,

[René]

Must have been a fantastic experience Chris. Very cool!
Did no one take pictures?

[mikael]

Yes, indeed Chris; just to drive a Formula Ford car, let alone an F3 car! - let alone an F1 car!!

I must confess that I have never tried driving a real racing car. The only "racing car" I ever drove was my own 100cc kart, back in the mid-80's.

As to spinning, I imagine that many (or even most) cars belonging to rental companies and racing schools typically run with well-worn (or even worn-down) tyres. I recall when buying the aforementioned (one season-old) kart (those many years ago), the tyres I got with it was of course well-worn (even though the marker-holes indicated that there was still a good deal of rubber left on them). When I got a new set of tyres (not even the softest ones; actually some of the harder types), I couldn't believe how fast one could corner - it really was like night and day.

[chrisb]

Sadly Rene the lady that was with me that day doesn't exactly have me on her list of favourite people shall we say so the photos would have been disposed of long ago,  I do have the certificate and a few little trinkets to remind me,

I must dig them out as it was an expensive experience in more ways than one, the cost for the cars was over a thousand pounds- I had wanted to go to Mallory Park and drive the Tyrell but it was a year waiting list 

Mikael, I would suggest you are spot on with that, in saying that I didn't like the FF at Brands either, one racing car I did enjoy driving was the Toyota Celica rally car, the one before the Group B monster and the acceleration was nothing like i had ever experienced and the fact I drove it in the Ivory Coast was an added bonus, it was a very special time , my word nearly 40 years ago though,