[bauble]

Jean Behra was never one to 'choke' in any situation, during the period 1952/54 he drove for the underfunded Gordini team, which was rarely able to challenge the dominant Ferraris, due often to unreliability. He joined Maserati at a time when Fangio and Mercedes Benz dominated, however, in 1956 as a team mate of El Chueco, he scored 2 second places 4 third places, 1 fourth and 4 fifth places, good consistent points scoring. Jean was the 'hard trier' type and often the car was not up to his demands, so while never in the same league as Fangio, Moss, and never in the best car at other times, he was most certainly one of the top men of his day. When he joined BRM he turned the team around with his sheer enthusiasm. He will never appear in anyone's 'All Time Top Ten' unless it is in the one that would be topped by Gilles Villenueve! The flat out at all times top ten.
Like most of his contemporaries he mixed GP's with WC Sports Car events where he had a deal of success, as well as taking part in many non-championship events. Basically he was just a 'Racing Driver'.
Sadly you do not see his type these days, and racing is the poorer for it, but that is what we call 'progress'.

I still mourn for him as I do for so many who died doing what they loved.

RIP Jean.

Bob.

"then it wasn't a 'true' F1 race"

In those days any race might have all of the top drivers entered, and to win one had to beat some of the best, they were not 'clubbies' but full blooded non-championship events.