Jean-Pierre Beltoise: More than a hero, a symbol

Born on April 26 in Boulogne-Billancourt (Hauts-de-Seine), Jean-Pierre was the eldest of a family of five children: his three brothers all raced motorcycles and the youngest, Corinne, married Christian Bonnal ( which we will see in particular at the wheel of touring cars, in the 80s and 90s. Editor's note) of whom she will have a son, Vincent. The Beltoise family ran a butcher's shop in the Saint-Honoré district of Paris.

Fell in love with racing following a radio report on 24 Hours of Le Mans, Jean-Pierre Beltoise began with a career as a biker which could have taken him to the highest level if he had not turned to automobiles at the first opportunity. He was 21 years old when he started, in 1958, riding a Jonghi 125cm3, becoming a regular rider at Montlhéry. But this start of his career was disrupted by the events in Algeria, from which he retained a strong anti-militarist feeling...

AUTOhebdo returns in detail to the exceptional career of Jean-Pierre Beltoise in issue 1993, available since yesterday evening in digital version on all platforms, and on newsstands tomorrow.