Jean-Pierre Beltoise

The best race for me is the race in which I was most successful. In fact, in my life I have had two very successful motor races. The first was at Rheims in Formula 3 with Matra and the second was in the Monaco Grand Prix in 1972 with the BRM team.

These are the two very good souvenirs for me because they changed a lot of things in my life. Also, the Monaco race was the high point of a very long period of hard work to try to be one of the best.

The Cosworth engines were much more powerful that the BRM engine, so I was very lucky that the BRM was much smoother and more elastic through the corners. My car was also very good in the rain.

I remember that the weather forecast for the race said that we had a 95% chance of rain. However, the first practice was dry, but second practice was wet. I did not do too many laps, I just quickly changed two or three things with the suspension, and then tried the car and it was perfect. The handling was perfect everywhere.

I remember coming back to the hotel and I met Stirling Moss who said to me, 'I looked at you and you were the fastest at the Casino.' For me, this was confirmation that the car was very good.

I was lucky at the start of the race because I lined up on the right side of the street, where the everyday traffic didn't go. So the track was much cleaner there and it gave better grip. That is why I took a very good start from the second line.

My biggest problem, as the car was perfect, was to overtake other drivers because it was raining so much that visibility was almost zero.

I was pulling 11,000rpm up to the Gasometer when it was clear before braking, but when I couldn't see anything I only got up to 9000 or l0,000rpm and then braked hard. After 50 metres I could see the road. That is my souvenir!

I had a lot of difficulty overtaking two or three people. I remember Denny Hulme was very difficult to overtake, but the BRM was very smooth after the corner. It was very important for me to overtake Denny accelerating and I nearly spun two or three times trying to pass him.

Nobody could see much behind them, so people didn't know when somebody was lapping them. I don't remember who it was, but once I was obliged to brake too late and hit one guy in the side at Loews. It was necessary because Jacky Ickx was coming back at me.

The race took two hours and 30 minutes, but I don't remember that it was long. For me it seemed short! My car's Firestone tyres were very good in the wet.

Monaco was my only Grand Prix win. After the race we celebrated by drinking a lot! We came back to the hotel very slowly. It was exciting because when you race it is to win.