http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/66160 Former FIA president Jean Marie Balestre has passed away at the age of 87, French media reported on Friday. Balestre was president of FISA from 1979 to 1991 and then of the FIA from 1986 to 1993, before Max Mosley took over the position. The cause of his death is yet unknown. "This is a tremendous loss for motorsport," French motorsport federation president Nicolas Deschaux was quoted as saying by TF1. "He always knew how to carry the voice of the institutions he managed." Former grand prix driver Jacques Laffite told L'Equipe: "We drivers loved him so much. He did a lot for us. We owe him enormously."
What will be missed was his complete craziness when he was running the FIA. Rollerskating down the Pits with a Transvestite in Brasil and then addressing the crowd in Spanish. Banging his fist on the table at meetings with his face completely contorting. What a character, he will be missed.
His name will be remembered because he was a complete failure as FISA president. The current F1 is mostly defined by Bernie Ecclestone and Bala's successor Mad Max.