Former Formula One driver Jean-Pierre Beltoise has died at the age of 77.
The Frenchman began his racing career on two wheels rather than four, with the 1962 French Grand Prix his first top-flight motorcycle outing. The pace of the Honda RC162 – which locked-out the top three places – couldn't be matched, though he steered his 250cc Moto Morini to a creditable fifth position.
It wasn't long before the lure of four wheels proved too strong to resist; just a year later he had added sports car racing to his calendar and was campaigning a Rene Bonnet. Despite a near career-ending crash at Reims that left him with serious injuries to his left arm, he was hooked.
Beltoise's final motorcycle Grand Prix race came in 1964, again in France. By this time his preference for cars had become apparent, and brought with it some success, winning in Formula 3 at Reims. Successful seasons in Formula 2 followed, before he joined the F1 circus in 1967.
