Jean-Marie Balestre
Jean-Marie Balestre (born April 9, 1921 in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence , † March 27, 2008 in Saint-Cloud ) was president of various automobile associations, including FIA , FFSA and FISA , between 1978 and 1996 .
After the end of the Second World War, in the course of which he had played a role that was never clearly clarified, Balestre published the successful French automobile magazine Auto Journal . He co-founded the French motorsport association Fédération française du sport automobile (FFSA) in 1950 and became the first President of the FIA's International Karting Commission in 1961 . He was elected President of the FFSA in 1973 and President of the FIA's International Sporting Commission in 1978 , which he converted to FISA during his tenure .
Between 1980 and 1982 he and Bernie Ecclestone fought for revenue and control of Formula 1 . The disputes could only be resolved through a compromise introduced by Enzo Ferrari . In 1986 Balestre became President of the FIA , but also remained President of FISA .
During his presidency at the FIA , Balestre urged, among other things, the introduction of strict crash tests for Formula 1 racing cars in order to make the sport safer. He was also responsible for the abolition of turbo engines in Formula 1 . In the racing circuit, dissatisfaction with his management style grew when he made Alain Prost world champion in 1989 through a controversial disqualification of Ayrton Senna . This led to Max Mosley's decision to run for the FISA presidency in 1991. The election ended with 43 to 29 votes in favor of Mosley. Due to an impending defeat in the re-election for the FIA presidency in 1993, Balestre decided to voluntarily resign. However, he remained President of the FFSA until the end of 1996.
swell
- ↑ cf. Jean-Marie Balestre . In: Le Monde, April 2, 2008, p. 21 (French)
- ↑ cf. Critical Balestre obituary in grandprix.com (Engl.)
Web links
- Mosley pays tribute to the deceased predecessor Balestre ( memento from February 11, 2013 in the web archive archive.today ) in the Financial Times Deutschland
- Jean-Marie Balestre died at kicker.de
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Balestre, Jean-Marie |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French sports official, president of various automobile associations |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 9, 1921 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Saint-Rémy-de-Provence |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 27, 2008 |
| Place of death | Saint-Cloud , Hauts-de-Seine |