11 replies to this topic

[unrepentant lurker]

I am pretty new to F1. The first race I saw was in 96, and I didn't really get down and dirty until 98. So, not much depth. Anyway, one of my interests is history, so its natural that I eventually turn to the history of my other interests such as F1. That, I suppose is the reason I have started in with the Nostalgia Forum here.

I have picked up on other forums that Balestre is not popular with the locals. My question is what is it about him that nobody likes? I am curious about what you think of him.

What I do know is that he showed perhaps an unhealthy favoritism towards Prost during the Prost/Senna years. The fans on the seem to be predominantly Senna fans, so that would be natural to dislike Balestre for it. But, I don't think its the whole answer when considering the vigor and enthusiasm which some posters have when commenting on Balestre.

The only other incident I am aware of is a quote in somebody's signiture line having to do with Colin Chapman, I think. Along the lines of "By the time you read this, I will be on my way to watch the space shuttle launch, an acheivement that will refresh me from the refuse I have been subjected to these last few weeks."

Thanks for the insight in advance.

[Wolf]

UL (You don't mind me calling You that, do You?;))- I'm not most competent to answer that one... But rest assured it goes back to FISA/FOCA war. Here's the link to Mike Lawrence's article on the subject. http://www.planet-f1...ENG?lawrence=19

But if You crave for more detailed information look up Don's articles (titled '1982 Season of all seasons', IIRC) in Rear View Mirror (there's possibility in search, on the front page, to go straight to all of Don's articles; so look them up). Anyways, I think You'll get a lot of anectodal 'evidence' here.;)

[Ray Bell]

Jean-Marie's strong-armed rulership was the main issue. He had his ideas, and they were law, no matter what others wanted.

He turned the semi-dictatorial (with heavy French leanings) attitude of FISA into totally dictatorial with the same leanings.

Pointlessly...

[Timekeeper]

Alan Jones had a particular dislike of Balestre. Never one to mince words, in his autobiography 'Driving Ambition' Jonesy said of Balestre.
"So I personally despise Balestre for what he's doing to Formula One. To me, he is the man who came in and wrecked the sport I love. He has damaged my income and created havoc in my chosen career. I don't know him personally, but I didn't have to know Adolf Hitler to dislike him. Why should the French run motor racing? Why should anyone run it who is not in it and of it?"

This quote related to cuts in prize money but a lot of his dislike for Balestre came from losing his Spanish GP win. He refused to stand on the podium at the German GP because Balestre was present.

[Leif Snellman]

There is much to be said about Balestre but just thinking back to those times gives me gastric ulcer ;) so I'll be brief.

Balestre could hardly have expected to be popular by the way he was elected. Nations like Britain and Italy resisted him from the very beginning. However as each FISA country had one wote it was great F1 nations like Russia, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Jordan, Senegal and so on that stood behind him.

I think John Watson was the first to suffer by getting a fine for some incident. Then the teams and drivers started to get fines more and more often in a more or less random matter. Written complains were thrown in the dustbin with the comment: "Was that a letter to Santa?"

There was the FISA foca battles ending up with the Concorde agreement, an agreement that in my mind i the reason for much that is rotten in Formula 1 today.

Everything ended up with the 1989-90 Senna - Prost incidents. Balestre threatened to give Senna a half a year ban unless he sent a letter to FISA taking all the blame and asking for forgiveness. When Senna refused nd the season was about to begin it appears that Balestre finally wrote a letter to himself signing it with Senna's signature.

[David M. Kane]

Face it, its a thankless job. Be careful what you ask for. Initially everyone was very happy with Max Mosley. I, for one,
am NOT a big fan of his at the moment for all the obvious reasons. Tires is probably the biggest single point. He is stuck
in the '60s. He still things he's in his F2 car puddling around
at back of the pack with one hand in his lap.

You've got to love Alan though. By the way, I believe Mr. B
was a big Resistance fighter for the French in WWII, so he never
lacked in bravery because he did a lot of very bold and very
arrogant things during his "reign".

I have seen little improvement under Mosley.

[fines]

Ok, so Balestre was a 'difficult' character. But he did do a great job for the SPORT! Mosley and Ecclestone have done a good job for the BUSINESS. That's the difference. Back in the seventies the CSI was more or less a joke, and F1 was effectively run by FOCA. Not too badly, either. But Ecclestone and Mosley never had much respect for sporting values, and that's where JMB stepped in. The resulting power struggle was certainly no good thing, but it kept F1 within a consistent rules packaging. FOCA and FISA ruled their respective reigns, one in business and one in regs. Then Mosley took over the Balestre job and the rot set in. I have a great deal of respect for the man Max Mosley, but I thoroughly dislike the FIA president Max Mosley. Vice versa for Balestre.

[David M. Kane]

Fines very well stated, thank you. You're right. There was some
pretty good racin' when he was in charge. I particularly feel this way after reading the article on Rene Arnoux in the new
Motor Sport yesterday...give me turbos, give me qualifying engines, give me TWO qualifying days...give it to me, give it,
give it!

[BRG]

Jeez, Balestre and then Mosley. Why can't we go back to the days when no-one knew or cared who the FIA President was?

[Kpy]

BRG - It's worse than that. There was someone in that job we all loved to hate before Balestre (who, for all his faults did have a deep love of the sport). Just can't remember his name, but before I do no doubt someone more nimble in the memory dept. will have you informed.

[Don Capps]

Ah, Balestre, Jean-Marie, one each....

When I did the 1982 series, I left much out of it concerning dear ol' JMB. In my opinion, for what little it is worth, he was so frustrating and difficult to take because his manner seemed to get in the way of issues and often created more problems where there weren't any.

The collision of FISA and FOCA and the resulting FIASCO War probably has done more to shape the current form of the sport than anything else in recent decades. The inability of JMB to articulate his goals and vision clearly to many in the sport caused him to always seem to be the leader among the Girondists, when in reality he was actually more of a Jacobian at heart.

Future historians investigating the downward plunge of Racing Scribbledom will probably be trace it back to his reign. He was unable to work The Yellow Press as ably as Max Mosley and Bernie Ecclestone. Nor was European Tribal conflict a minor element in these disputes.

The irony has to be that his view of racing as a Sport is perhaps more in line with how many of us would like for it to be -- as difficult as it is for me to say that. Meanwhile, the direction that Mosley & Ecclestone have taken racing has been good for business, but perhaps not so much for racing as a 'sport' in a traditional sense.

JMB presided over a clash of cultures and the result is something of a Brave New World. Whatever was expected to result from putting the inmates in charge of the asylum simply seems not to have come to past. While we now have Order and Uniformity, perhaps it has been at the excuse of the atmosphere and true enthusiasm that surrounded racing. Indeed, perhaps the success of F1 has crippled racing in Europe to an extent that few realize.

So, while Balestre will never make it to my Hall of Heroes, the complexity of his reign will hinder an objective assessment by many for perhaps a few more years to come.

Just my view.;)

[fines]

Just for the record (and because Kpy threw that one up), here's the complete list of CSI presidents:

1922-1946 René de Knyff (B)
1946-1961 Augustin Pérouse (F)
1961-1970 Maurice Baumgartner (CH)
1970-1976 Paul-Alfons von Metternich (D)
1976-1978 Pierre Ugeux (B)
1978-1991 Jean-Marie Balestre (F)
1991-present Max Mosley (GB)

The CSI was renamed FISA in 1979 IIRC, and later (late 80s?) substituted by its premier organisation, the FIA.