One of the quirks of the International calendar is that the Formula 2 races at the Nürburgring and Pau often clash, and as the Pau race is longer established it usually receives the better entry. This year, however, there are so many F2 cars that both races were well subscribed with the French organisers picking the 14 cars they thought best, this number being quite enough to fill this 2.7km road circuit. The entries included Jackie Stewart and Jochen Rindt, who are certainly the top two drivers in F2 this year, plus the four regular French F2 drivers, Beltoise and Pescarolo in works Matras and Schlesser and Ligier in their McLarens. There were also works McLarens for Widdows and New Zealander Lawrence, Regazzoni in the works Tecno, Gethin in the works Chevron, private Lolas for Spaniards Soler-Roig, de Bagration and Englishman Chris Williams plus Rees in a Winkelmann Brabham.

Rindt took pole position with a time of 1min 20.5sec, just 0.1sec off the record, with Beltoise second and Stewart in his Matra third. From the start it was these three who made the running, with Rindt out ahead from Stewart and Beltoise. Stewart was pressing Rindt hard, and with 10 laps run of the 70-lap race the Austrian spun the car at a hairpin and Stewart immediately gained a good lead.

Rindt got away in second place and started to chase Stewart hard, but another 11 laps later he found a backmarker in the way and hit him in the rear. Little damage was done, but the impact was just enough to split a hose from the water radiator. From then on it was Stewart’s race, and he started to lap the complete field while the circuit, which makes a racing car and driver work very hard, was taking its toll. Rees and Williams collided and their cars were collected by Pescarolo who, having been delayed, was about to pass them for sixth. Both his Matra and the Winkelmann Brabham were badly damaged, but Williams continued, and then Schlesser, who was in a strong third after Rindt’s retirement, lost control and hit a lamp-post – a reminder that there is very little room for error on a fast street circuit such as this.

Beltoise, by then the only driver not lapped, lost his second place a few laps from the end when the gear linkage came adrift, but after a quick pit stop he moved back to third place and just failed to snatch second from Widdows, who all this time had been driving consistently despite a second gear which sometimes would not engage.

This left Stewart the worthy winner almost two laps ahead of Widdows with Beltoise third. Gethin was fourth, two laps behind the winner, followed by Ligier, a further lap in arrears. Regazzoni put up a good show in the Italian Tecno only to lose his third place three laps from the end when he ran off the road. However, he was still classified sixth. To Stewart went a new record for the Pau circuit. Unfortunately we were sad to learn that there is a move afoot to build a permanent circuit outside the town and do away with this exciting road course, which brings the very best out in man and machine.