73 replies to this topic

[fvebr]

Today 16h22 CET french information site says that The Ex FIA president has died


R.I.P Mr Balestre

[JacnGille]

Awwwwwwww
Didn't care for the man but didn't want to wish him any bad luck either.

[cheesy poofs]

May he rest in peace.

[bigears]

More information into his passing:

http://www.lequipe.f..._152040Dev.html

[Kpy]

RIP Jean-Marie Balestre.

[Richard Jenkins]

Definitely not my cup of tea both then or indeed now, but the sport does owe him a great debt - in his more positive moments, he did a hell of a lot for the sport then & indeed, still today & his positive legacy will probably outlast his negative legacy in years to come.

RIP.

[Paul Rochdale]

As someone who has heard of him but knows little about him, when the time is right, could someone tell me of the good things he did, and of why he was so unpopular. No rush.

[Haddock]

A very good summary of both the good and the bad he did (including the most open discussion of his wartime past, seeing as the dead can't sue for libel) can be found at grandprix.com

[ianselva]

Why is it Sad news ????
He had a good innings and got to 83 with a fairly well-known name . What more do you want - we all have to die some time.

Ian

[Paul Rochdale]

"A very good summary of both the good and the bad he did (including the most open discussion of his wartime past, seeing as the dead can't sue for libel) can be found at grandprix.com"

Wow, I didn't know that at all. What a story.

[fines]

A great enthusiast! Adieu, Jean-Marie....

[Ruairidh]

Rest in Peace.

[ghinzani]

I was only saying to a Anglo-French friend the other day I could'nt believe he was still going as he looked old in the 80's during the various disputes, surprised he was 'only' 83. Ive just recently gone through my late 1980 early 81 Autosports covering the height of the fisa/foca war, I guess there will be a lot of foca members not sad today, he was absolutely villified by some of them.

[rx-guru]

Not the most likable guy in motor sports history…
Nevertheless, Godspeed JMB!
On April 9 he would have been 87-years-old. Therefore, he was 86 and L’ÉQUIPE is wrong while grandprix.com was (yesterday reading 83) wrong.

[AMICALEMANS]

What will we say when Bernie and Max will pass away ?

[Andre Acker]

I do not wish anyone to be dead.
But I just wish many people were not born ...

André Acker.

[doc knutsen]

Originally posted by AMICALEMANS
What will we say when Bernie and Max will pass away ?

What do you mean, "when"? In FIA parlance, that should be "if", I believe.

[Red Socks]

If there had been no Jean Marie Balestre would we have had Max and Bernie I wonder?

[ghinzani]

Originally posted by AMICALEMANS
What will we say when Bernie and Max will pass away ?

Me personally? **** off and good riddance. They are like Rachman & Hoogstraaten IMHO.

[stevewf1]

Originally posted by rx-guru
On April 9 he would have been 87-years-old. Therefore, he was 86 and L’ÉQUIPE is wrong while grandprix.com was (yesterday reading 83) wrong.

They've changed the age now and also removed that photo of him in uniform standing, along with several others, in front of large picture of Hitler (at least I guess it was Balestre)...

http://www.grandprix...ns/ns20183.html

[Jack-the-Lad]

I guess there's little chance he'll be replacing The Pixie anytime soon....


Jack.

[Jack-the-Lad]

Originally posted by stevewf1


They've changed the age now and also removed that photo of him in uniform standing, along with several others, in front of large picture of Hitler (at least I guess it was Balestre)...

http://www.grandprix...ns/ns20183.html

So he knew Max's dad then.


Jack.

[David Birchall]

Originally posted by Jack-the-Lad


So he knew Max's dad then?

Jack.

There's a strange irony there....

[Tarpon]

he has done a lot for the pilots security against the foca. In the decade how many pilots lost life from Clark to Depailler.

[stevewf1]

Well, they've put that picture back...

http://www.grandprix...ns/ns20183.html

[D-Type]

In time I think the significance of his declaration of the 'FIA Formula 1 World Championship' will be appreciated. At one stroke he established who should regulate the World Championship. Had he not done so, where might messrs Mosely and Ecclestone led the sport?

[Phil Rainford]

Originally posted by ghinzani


Me personally? **** off and good riddance. They are like Rachman & Hoogstraaten IMHO.

After the story in today's "News of the World" Mr Mosley position could be under threat??

Kind regards

Phil

[Bruno]

il va retrouver Ayrton Senna.
cette fois il faudra bien qu'il lui rendre des comptes au sujet de Suzuka 1989.

RIP (Ayrton)

[ghinzani]

Originally posted by Phil Rainford




After the story in today's "News of the World" Mr Mosley position could be under threat??

Kind regards

Phil

When I was at the garage early today getting kart fuel I really could not believe the irony! I had to buy a copy - what a plank!

[BorderReiver]

Certainly an interesting, divisive and unique figure about whom reams and reams and reams of text could be written without coming anyway near expressing every facet of the man and opinions about him.

However I can certainly say this.

He was better at his job than Max Mosely.

Wether that is anything to boast about I'll let you lot judge.

[flat-16]

I think you'll find it was a paddle, not a plank

I just caught the link from the RC discussion - jeepers! Mel Brooks couldn't have scripted that one.

The video was obscured on my machine though - is it really MM? Even though I dislike his and Bernie's incarnation of F1 immensely, I feel a touch sorry for him - what goes on between consenting adults behind closed doors should stay behind closed doors IMO. If there had been minors involved or suchlike, then the dogs should be unleashed, but the only one being hurt here - from what I can make out and at his instruction - is Max.

Can you imagine some of the banter in the pits at the next GP?

Justin

[Tom Moro]

Perhaps Balestre was shown an early edition of today's News of the World and died of shock

[BorderReiver]

Originally posted by flat-16
I think you'll find it was a paddle, not a plank

I just caught the link from the RC discussion - jeepers! Mel Brooks couldn't have scripted that one.

The video was obscured on my machine though - is it really MM?

Well it looks like him. But that's not indicative of very much, afterall I look like Robert Redford crossed with an adonis.

If it is him however, it's hilarious.

[petefenelon]

> I look like Robert Redford crossed with an adonis.

Off-topic quote of the day, darts commentator Sid Waddell on Steve Beaton - "He's not Adonis, he's THE Donis".

I feel only an absurdist approach can encompass the not-desperately-lamented passing of J-MB, Max's praise for him, and his own penchant for dress-up Third Reich games.

[Vitesse2]

Originally posted by BorderReiver
... I look like Robert Redford crossed with an adonis.

Now come on - those of us who've seen your pics in PC know that's not true.


Although we never did get to see your bear suit

Anyway, back to J-MB .....

[Roger Stoddard]

Originally posted by Tom Moro
Perhaps Balestre was shown an early edition of today's News of the World and died of shock

I presumed that Max was paying some sort of tribute to his predecessor's war record!

[Mal9444]

Originally posted by ianselva
Why is it Sad news ????
He had a good innings and got to 83 with a fairly well-known name . What more do you want - we all have to die some time.

Ian

What's that famous quote? ?'Any man's death diminishes me: my death diminishes me completely...'

... or someting like that.

[ghinzani]

Originally posted by petefenelon
> I look like Robert Redford crossed with an adonis.

Off-topic quote of the day, darts commentator Sid Waddell on Steve Beaton - "He's not Adonis, he's THE Donis".

I feel only an absurdist approach can encompass the not-desperately-lamented passing of J-MB, Max's praise for him, and his own penchant for dress-up Third Reich games.

I enjoyed one particular Sid Waddell homo-erotic moment when Steve on winning a game twirled his mulletty locks and Sid said in awed tones "you can see why they call him the Adonis"...
His best quote however goes something along the lines of "Alexander the Great cried salt tears when he had conquered all the known world at 31 years old. Eric Bristow is 27..."

Btw Maxs penchant for the SS stuff must be a sign of some pent up childhood feelings surely? Freud would have had a field marshall day!

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by ghinzani


I enjoyed one particular Sid Waddell homo-erotic moment when Steve on winning a game twirled his mulletty locks and Sid said in awed tones "you can see why they call him the Adonis"...
His best quote however goes something along the lines of "Alexander the Great cried salt tears when he had conquered all the known world at 31 years old. Eric Bristow is 27..."

Btw Maxs penchant for the SS stuff must be a sign of some pent up childhood feelings surely? Freud would have had a field marshall day!

As I pointed out elsewhere Max's doings are almost predictable - SS regalia - goes with the job (given J-MB's predilections) and runs in the family; submission - what do you expect from a public schoolboy? - and stopping for a nice cuppa with the 'ladies' afterwards - an Englishman through and through.

This is the strangest obituary thread I've ever seen.

BTW I'd argue about the Sid Waddell quote - the best of his I ever heard was 'An' it's the biggest comeback since Lazarus!"

[RS2000]

Total war (M. Mosely taking on R. Murdoch via Sunday Times and M. Brundle) is a dirty business...

[Doug Nye]

As one of Lord Mountbatten's minor ratings observed as they bobbed about together in a Mediterranean oil slick after the sinking of HMS Kelly: "Two kinds float to the top, sir. The Cream and the ****...".

I believe it's ages since we saw real evidence that motor sport administrators are 'the Cream'.

DCN

[hipperson]

Reading the News of the World yesterday Mr Mosely seems to have a lot on his plate !

[HDonaldCapps]

Originally posted by D-Type
In time I think the significance of his declaration of the 'FIA Formula 1 World Championship' will be appreciated. At one stroke he established who should regulate the World Championship. Had he not done so, where might messrs Mosely and Ecclestone led the sport?

As is often the case, it is less what you do as how you go about doing it. This certainly seems to be relevant to considering Balestre's time on the scene. In the end, the confrontations with Ecclestone and Mosley really accomplished very little outside simply delaying their taking control for a number of years. In the end, the sport/business is probably pretty much where Mosley and Ecclestone wanted it.

However well-intended Balestre's ideas may have been, a significant factor was his allowing the struggle for control of the CSI/FISA to become imbued with nationalistic overtones. This allowed the British teams and the motoring press to often shift the focus of the power struggle away from the issues to fuel British resentment at their hegemony being challenged, by -- of all people, the CSI no less. Jingoism was a significant, if little discussed factor, in the FIASCO War. However, since it takes two to disagree, Balestre's heavy-handed, autocratic means of operating did little to open the door for discussion and compromise. In the end, both parties shared enough of the blame for what happened to ensure that this chapter in racing history is rarely discussed or its memory altered to make it seem that the struggle was less than what it was.

As is the case with Mosley and Ecclestone at the moment, I did not much care for Balestre while he was with us and I certainly find it difficult to mourn his passing. He provoked another of the needless confrontations that seems to be part and parcel of modern motor racing. Could he have invoked change without engaging in direct confrontation and using scorched eath tactics? The answer seems to be yes, but it would have taken longer and required compromises that Balestre could/would not make. It seems clear that in the realm of formula one, Balestre's legacy is that any appreciation of the significance of his declaring the 'FIA Formula 1 World Championship' must be seen as an irony since this allowed his erstwhile opponents to triumph in the end.

[HDonaldCapps]

Originally posted by Doug Nye
As one of Lord Mountbatten's minor ratings observed as they bobbed about together in a Mediterranean oil slick after the sinking of HMS Kelly: "Two kinds float to the top, sir. The Cream and the ****...".

I believe it's ages since we saw real evidence that motor sport administrators are 'the Cream'.

DCN

Well said, sir.

[Racer.Demon]

Originally posted by HDonaldCapps
It seems clear that in the realm of formula one, Balestre's legacy is that any appreciation of the significance of his declaring the 'FIA Formula 1 World Championship' must be seen as an irony since this allowed his erstwhile opponents to triumph in the end.

So very true...

The same irony applied to Mosley's recent effort to bring back privateers to counter the increasing weight of the manufacturers, which only resulted in the manufacturers using that opening to create manufacturer 'B' teams. Funny how these examples of powerplay tend to repeat themselves when the erstwhile opposition finally manages to take control.

I also agree with the observation that it was the British vs. the continentals in many episodes of the FISA/FOCA war - and before that when the ACF/FFSA struggle spilled over the French borders, or when the 1972 Monaco GP was almost boycotted by the FOCA teams. In all cases it didn't do much in the way of compromise.

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by Racer.Demon


So very true...

The same irony applied to Mosley's recent effort to bring back privateers to counter the increasing weight of the manufacturers, which only resulted in the manufacturers using that opening to create manufacturer 'B' teams. Funny how these examples of powerplay tend to repeat themselves when the erstwhile opposition finally manages to take control.

Someone really should ask Max where the majority of those privateer cars in the seventies came from.... Launton Road, Bicester, wasn't it?;)

[Racer.Demon]

That's probably why he came up with the idea in the first place!

[kayemod]

Originally posted by petefenelon


Someone really should ask Max where the majority of those privateer cars in the seventies came from.... Launton Road, Bicester, wasn't it?;)

That's right, "A quick respray should do it....."

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by kayemod


That's right, "A quick respray should do it....."

Except it didn't when Frank found the orange paint on a certain 'new' knackered old 741 errr 761B...;)

[Leif Snellman]

Originally posted by Andre Acker
I do not wish anyone to be dead.
But I just wish many people were not born ...

André Acker.