Race F, for F1s that raced between 1973 à 1976, held its promises and turned to an amazing duel between Jean Alesi, in a Ferrari 312 B3 once driven by Niki Lauda, and Marco Werner, in a two-year younger Lotus 77, who started on pole position but not as well as Alesi who took the lead at the first turn, Sainte Dévote, and lead during the 15 following laps (out of 18), until he was pushed in the wall by his German rival, a treble winner at Le Mans 24 Hours but never a Grand Prix driver. This happened at the Anthony-Noghès turn, heading for the pits straight. As Alesi was changing gear, his beautiful red car was pushed in the wall by the black Lotus, whose driver had tried everything he could to pass him, but in vain. « I am disappointed, because I could do nothing to avoid hitting the wall. I am disappointed, because we were having a great race, but I will be back next year», Alesi promised on his way back to the paddock, as he was applauded by all drivers and spectators.

In the meantime, Werner was penalised and dropped to 3rd place, so that he refused to climb on the podium. After this major incident, Michael Lyons ended up as the winner, ahead of young Frenchman Julien Andlauer in a March 761 carrying Arturo Merzario’s name. The Cups were handed by ACM’s Race Director, Jacques Rossi.

Three races, three wins ! Michael Lyons achieved a memorable hat-trick on Sunday at Grand Prix Historique de Monaco. The 30-year-old Anglo-Irish driver won Races E, F and G in the space of a few hours, abord three very different single-seaters : a venerable Surtees TS9 in Race E, thanks to a better start than his main rival, a McLaren M26, once driven by James Hunt, following the race incident between Jean Alesi and Marco Werner (then penalized) in Race F. Last but not least, he won Race G in a blue Hesketh 308 E dating back to 1977, after Jordan Grogor, the poleman, had to retire after hitting the wall with his golden Arrows… under the heavy pressure of Lyons. The hero of the day finished this last race with a 12-second gap on Mike Cantillon and the podium was completed by Matteo Ferrer-Aza, in a Ligier JS11/15.

A number of race incidents happened during the last race of the week-end, including French veteran Alain Ferté damaging the front left of his Arrows at the Piscine and young Frenchman Evens Stievenart losing the 2^nd place when his blue Tyrrell 010 hit the wall at the Anthony-Noghès turn, the same as Jean Alesi.

The Cups were handed by Alain Pallanca, Race Director at Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM). We can bet that both Lyons and Alesi will be back next year, for different reasons.

He deserved to drink a cup of Champagne on the podium, he lost it all at the end of a superb race but it was not his fault. He was disappointed but he will be back next year : Jean Alesi was cheered and applauded by drivers in the pits, fans in the grandstands, when he made his way back to the paddock. He had led three quarters of the race in amazing manner, he had resisted all the assaults of a very excited Marco Werner survolté (too optimistic at the end?), and the black Lotus ended up pushing his Ferrari 312 B3 in the wall. A few minutes later, Jean discussed the incident with Toni Seiler, who had just finished the same Race F, and recalled the Monaco GP in 1992, when Ayrton Senna won for the 5th time in the streets of the Principality after resisting until the finish line, and closing all the doors to Nigel Mansell, who could never pass him. Because as Jean Alesi summarizes perfectly, « when there is no space, you cannot pass ! ». Jean will be back for the 13th edition of Grand Prix de Monaco Historique, he promised !

South-African Jordan Grogor will start on pole, Sunday, for Race G reserved to F1 cars built between 1977 and 1980. Driving his Arrows A3 sporting the golden livery of German brewer Warsteiner, the 39-year-old, a specialist of Historic races and endurance events in the Middle-East, posted a 1:31.417 which was marginally better (2 tenths of a second) than the time set by Anglo-Irish driver Michael Lyons, a 30-year-old in a Hesketh 308 E dating back to 1977. Two Tyrrells 010 will be on the 2nd row, driven by Britain’s Mike Cantillon and young Frenchman Evens Stievenart. This was the last qualifying session of a perfect day, under the beautiful French Riviera sun.

Not long before the beginning of the qualifying session for Race E, this morning, HRH Prince Albert II of Monaco honoured the paddock of his presence. He was escorted by ACM President Michel Boeri, Vice-President Michel Ferry, Gery Mestre, the Chairman of the Historic Cars Commission, and Christian Tornatore, the General Commissioner.

Before spending a long time chatting with Ferrari drivers René Arnoux and Jean Alesi, a moment before, His Royal Highness encouraged Monégasque driver Frédéric Lajoux who is entered for Race G in an Arrows A1B dating back to 1978.

The qualifying session for pre-war cars ended with British driver Patrick Blakeney-Edwards on pole, at the wheel of a beautifully maintained Frazer Nash built in 1935. His best lap, in 2 min 9 sec 87/1000 was three seconds quicker than the Talbot-Lago driven by Switzerland’s Christian Traber, who was the quickest on Friday during free practice. Sunday, on the second row of the grid for Race A, Austrian driver Niklas Halusa, in a venerable Bugatti 35B, will start with a Maserati 6CM on his side, lead by British driver Ewen Sergison.

Same story as Friday in the qualifying session for Race B, this morning : the powerful Maserati 250 F driven by Guillermo Fierro-Eleta, finished ahead of the very agile Lotus 16 of Max Smith Hilliard, whose gearbox had been changed on Friday, after the free practice session. However, in order to conquer pole position, the Spaniard had to clock his best lap in 1 min 56 sec 127/1000, four seconds quicker than Friday, because his British rival was in great shape and only finished one second back. The second row on Sunday will be 100% Italian, with Martin Halusa’s white Maserati and Alex Birkenstock’s Ferrari Dino 246, powered by a V6 engine.

Stuart Hall’s superb McLaren M19, built in 1971 and carrying the famous Yardley livery, managed to take pole position for Race E, in the last morning qualifying session, ahead of Michael Lyons’s blue Surtees TS 9 and David Shaw’s special March 721 Eifelland. The same three drivers as Friday at the end of free practice, but in a different order, since Hall managed to go four seconds quicker: 1:34.087 instead of 1:38.711 on Friday, which allowed him to save a three tenths margin on Lyons. Next to Shaw, Sunday on the 2nd row of the grid for Race E, there will be a Brabham BT 37 driven by Jamie Constable and just behind them Alex Caffi, the former F1 driver, in a Ferrari 312 which was not ready for free practice on Friday.

Maserati again finished ahead of the English cars, in the qualifying session for Race C, reserved to front-engine sport cars having raced between 1952 and 1957. Spaniard Guillermo Fierro-Eleta clocked a best lap in 2 minutes 3 seconds and 2/1000, in his powerful 300 S, managing to improve by two full seconds. The second best time was also achieved by a 300 S, driven by Dutchman David Hart, ahead of Niklas Halusa’s Jaguar Type D with its shark wing. He will have the honour and privilege to start the race, on Sunday, next to a very fast young woman : Germany’s Katarina Kyvalova, in her Cooper-Jaguar T33, went faster than 12 male drivers…

Mark Shaw, in his Lotus 21 powered by a Climax engine, built in 1961 and raced by the fascinating Jim Clark, remains the favorite for Race D that he will start on pole, thanks to a time of 1 minute 53 seconds and 121/1000, only one tenth better than his best lap on Friday during free practice.

However, the rivals have improved a lot and Nick Taylor is less than 2 seconds behind Shaw, in another Lotus, a model 18 dating back to 1960. On the second row, on Sunday, Frenchman Philippe Bonny will start in a Brabham BT2 with a Ford engine, alongside yet another Lotus Climax, a model 24 from 1962, driven by Switzerland’s Philipp Buhofer.