Jean-Pierre Maurice Georges Beltoise (; 26 April 1937 – 5 January 2015) was a French racing driver and motorcycle road racer, who competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing from to , and Formula One from to . Beltoise won the 1972 Monaco Grand Prix with BRM.

Beltoise competed in Formula One for Matra and BRM, finishing fifth in the 1969 World Drivers' Championship with the former. Beltoise was also a class winner at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in with Inaltéra.

Early career Beltoise won 11 French national motorcycle road racing titles in three years. He competed in international Grand Prix motorcycle racing from the 1962 to 1964 seasons in the 50, 125, 250 and 500 cc classes. His best finish was a sixth place in the 1964 50 cc World Championship.

In 1964, Beltoise was racing a 1.1-litre René Bonnet sports car. His career almost ended with a huge crash in the Reims 12-hour sports car endurance race, in which he suffered a broken arm, so severely damaged that its movement was permanently restricted. However, he returned in 1965 and won the Reims Formula 3 race, after which he graduated to Formula 2 for the following season.

Formula One

In 1966, Beltoise drove in the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring in a Formula Two (F2) one litre Matra MS5-Cosworth. He finished one lap down but won the F2 class. However, it was his only Grand Prix that season. In 1967 Beltoise competed in three Grands Prix with a Formula Two Matra MS7 1.6 litre Cosworth, and finished seventh at both Watkins Glen and Mexico City. He also won the 1967 Buenos Aires Grand Prix, which was not part of the World Championship calendar. In 1968, Beltoise began the season again with an F2 car but from the second race onward had Formula One machinery and finished second in the 1968 Dutch Grand Prix. In 1969, he was placed in Ken Tyrrell's Matra team, whilst the works V12 engine was developed driving alongside Jackie Stewart, and finished second in the French grand Prix. Beltoise returned to the works Matra team for both 1970 and 1971. In 1971, racing in the Matra sports car team, he was involved in the accident in which Ignazio Giunti died during the 1000 km Buenos Aires, and his international racing license was suspended, although he was allowed to compete while on appeal.

For 1972, Beltoise moved to the BRM team and won what turned out to be his only and BRM's final championship-qualifying Formula One victory at the 1972 Monaco Grand Prix in heavy rain. In that same year, he won a non-championship race in the end of the F1 season, at Brands Hatch, thus marking the last two victories of the BRM make in Formula One. He spent three seasons with BRM, and finally retired from Formula 1 at the end of the 1974 season.

Later career Beltoise later did most of the testing for the Ligier F1 team, although a proposed Formula One drive for 1976 went instead to Jacques Laffite and he thereafter turned his attention to touring car racing in France, twice winning the French title for BMW before entering rallycross in an Alpine-Renault with which he won the French title. In 1981 he returned to touring cars and raced for Peugeot throughout the 1980s. He was also a regular ice racer. His two sons, Anthony and Julien, are both race drivers.

In fiction, Beltoise frequently appeared in the Michel Vaillant series of comic books, amongst others being part of the winning Vaillante Le Mans team.

Death

Beltoise died at his holiday home in Dakar, Senegal, on 5 January 2015, aged 77, following two strokes.

Racing record

Motorcycle Grand Prix results

Position 1 2 3 4 5 6 Points 8 6 4 3 2 1

(key) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Class Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Points Rank Wins 1962 250cc Moto Morini ESP FRA IOM NED BEL GER ULS DDR NAT ARG 2 20th 01963 50cc Kreidler ESP GER FRA IOM NED BEL FIN ARG JPN 3 11th 0 125cc Bultaco ESP GER FRA IOM NED BEL ULS DDR FIN NAT ARG JPN 1 20th 0 1964 50cc Kreidler USA ESP FRA IOM NED BEL GER FIN JPN 6 6th 0 125cc Bultaco USA ESP FRA IOM NED GER DDR ULS FIN NAT JPN 4 13th 0

24 Hours of Le Mans results Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps 1963 Automobiles René Bonnet Claude Bobrowski René Bonnet Aérodjet LM6 P3.0 269 11th 4th 1964 Société Automobiles René Bonnet Gérard Laureau René Bonnet Aérodjet P3.0 54 DNF DNF 1966 Matra Sports SARL Johnny Servoz-Gavin Matra M620 P2.0 112 DNF DNF 1967 Equipe Matra Sports Johnny Servoz-Gavin Matra MS630 P2.0 155 DNF DNF 1969 Equipe Matra Elf Piers Courage Matra MS650 P3.0 368 4th 2nd 1970 Equipe Matra-Simca Henri Pescarolo Matra-Simca MS660 P3.0 79 DNF DNF 1971 Equipe Matra-Simca Chris Amon Matra-Simca MS660 P3.0263 DNF DNF 1972 Equipe Matra-Simca Chris Amon Matra-Simca MS670 S3.0 1 DNF DNF 1973 Equipe Matra-Simca Shell François Cevert Matra-Simca MS670B S3.0 157 DNF DNF 1974 Equipe Gitanes Jean-Pierre Jarier Matra-Simca MS680 S3.0104 DNF DNF 1975 Gitanes Automobiles Ligier Jean-Pierre Jarier Ligier JS2-Ford Cosworth S3.036 DNF DNF 1976 Inaltéra Henri Pescarolo Inaltéra LM-Ford Cosworth GTP 305 8th 1st 1977 Inaltéra Al Holbert InaltéraLM77-Ford Cosworth S+2.0 275 13th 5th 1979 ITT Oceanic Jean Rondeau Henri Pescarolo Rondeau M379-Ford Cosworth S+2.0 279 10th 2nd

Complete European Formula Two Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Pts Matra Sports Matra MS5 Ford SNE SIL NÜR HOC TUL JAR ZAN PER BRH VAL 3rd 27 Matra Sports Matra MS7 Ford HOC THR JAR PAL TUL ZAN PER HOC VAL 1st 48 Matra Sports Matra MS7 Ford THR HOC NÜR JAR TUL PER VAL NC 0 Constructions Mécaniques Pygmée Pygmée MDB15 Ford THR HOC BAR ROU PER TUL IMO HOC NC 0 Constructions Mécaniques Pygmée Pygmée MDB16 Ford HOC THR NÜR JAR PAL ROU MAN TUL NC 0 GTE Racing Cars Lotus 69 ALB VAL VAL Shell-Arnold Team March 722 Ford MAL THR HOC PAU NC 0 Motul-Rondel Racing Brabham BT38 PAL HOC ROU ÖST IMO MAN PER SAL ALB HOC STP March Racing Team March 732 BMW MAL HOC THR NÜR PAU KIN NIV HOC ROU MNZ MAN KAR PER SAL NOR ALB VAL 20th 4 Écurie Elf Alpine A367 BMW BAR HOC PAU SAL HOC MUG KAR PER HOC VAL NC 0 Racing Organisation Course Chevron B29 Chrysler EST THR HOC NÜR PAU HOC SAL NOG VAL NC 0 Écurie Elf Alpine A367 BMW ROU MUG PER SIL ZOL Graded drivers not eligible for European Formula Two Championship points

Complete Formula One World Championship results (key) (races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Pts 1966 Matra Sports Matra MS5 (F2) Ford Cosworth SCA 1.0 L4 MON BEL FRA GBR NED GER ITA USA MEX NC 0 1967 Matra Sports Matra MS5 (F2) Ford Cosworth FVA 1.6 L4 RSA MON NED BEL FRA GBR GER CAN ITA NC 0 Matra MS7 (F2) USA MEX 1968 Matra Sports Matra MS7 (F2) Ford Cosworth FVA 1.6 L4 RSA 9th 11 Matra International Matra MS10 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ESP Matra Sports Matra MS11 Matra MS9 3.0 V12 MON BEL NED FRA GBR GER ITA CAN USA MEX 1969 Matra International Matra MS10 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 RSA 5th 21 Matra MS80 ESP MON NED FRA GER ITA CAN USA MEX Matra MS84 GBR 1970 Equipe Matra Elf Matra-Simca MS120 Matra MS12 3.0 V12 RSA ESP MON BEL NED FRA GBR GER AUT ITA CAN USA MEX 9th 16 1971 Equipe Matra Sports Matra-Simca MS120B Matra MS71 3.0 V12 RSA ESP MON NED FRA GBR GER AUT ITA CAN USA 22nd 1 1972 Marlboro BRM BRM P160B BRM P142 3.0 V12 ARG RSA ESP MON BEL FRA 11th 9 BRM P160C GBR GER AUT BRM P180 ITA CAN USA 1973 Marlboro BRM BRM P160D BRM P142 3.0 V12 ARG BRA RSA 10th 9 BRM P160E ESP BEL MON SWE FRA GBR NED GER AUT ITA CAN USA 1974 Team BRM BRM P160E BRM P142 3.0 V12 ARG BRA 13th 10 BRM P201 BRM P200 3.0 V12 RSA ESP BEL MON SWE NED FRA GBR GER AUT ITA CAN USA Notes – In the 1969 German Grand Prix, Beltoise was classified 12th on the circuit but was the 6th Formula One car behind six Formula 2 cars, thus scoring one World Championship point.

Non-Championship Formula One results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1967 Matra Sports Matra MS5 (F2) Ford Cosworth FVA 1.6 L4 ROC SPC INT SYR OUL Matra MS7 (F2) ESP 1970 Equipe Matra Elf Matra-Simca MS120 Matra MS12 3.0 V12 ROC INT OUL 1971 Equipe Matra Sports Matra-Simca MS120B Matra MS71 3.0 V12 ARG ROC QUE SPR INT RIN OUL VIC 1972 Marlboro BRM BRM P160B BRM P142 3.0 V12 ROC BRA INT OUL REP BRM P180 VIC 1973 Marlboro BRM BRM P160D BRM P142 3.0 V12 ROC INT 1974 Team BRM BRM P160E BRM P142 3.0 V12 PRE ROC INT

References