Dear Jimmy,

Time was when the Grand Prix drivers’ wives and girlfriends were actively involved in timekeeping and lap-charting at the races, and John Surtees’ first wife, Pat, was considered especially proficient.

I’m sure, though, that the lady you’re talking about is Michelle Dubosc, an iconic figure in the pits during the 1960s and ‘70s. Totally addicted to motor racing all her life, Dubosc became a familiar figure in French racing circles, where it soon became clear that she had what amounted to a genius for timekeeping.

This, as you say, was the era of analogue timing, and to watch Michelle at work on a pit wall, a single stopwatch in her left hand, a pen in her right, was a thing of wonder. She could, as you say, time several drivers at the same time, all the while keeping a note of their times…

In 1965 Michelle was hired by Matra as the team’s official timekeeper, working initially with the F2 team, then later with the F1 and sports car teams. On many occasions, believe it or not, she timed – and lap-charted – the Le Mans 24 Hours in its entirety!

So highly regarded were Dubosc’s talents that when the official timing system went on the blink at an early Long Beach Grand Prix (by which time she was working with Ligier), and it proved impossible to arrive at a true starting grid for the race, the organisers made her timings ‘official’, and thus a grid was issued.

Then there was the time at Monza, in 1971, when it was announced after qualifying that Jacky Ickx’s Ferrari was fastest, with 1m 22.82s. Formula 1 was rather more… haphazard in those days, and doubtless the organisers were hopeful that Sunday papers carrying stories of a Ferrari on the pole might put a few more on the race day crowd.

Matra, though, were not having that. According to Dubosc’s timing, their car – driven by Chris Amon – had set a faster time – 1m 22.40s – at the very end of the session. Such was Michelle’s reputation that the organisers were not able to brush off Matra’s claim, and when the official times were re-checked, it was found that, yes, Amon had indeed gone quicker than Ickx. And his time? Why, 1m 22.40s! Thus it was Chris, not Jacky, on the pole – although this was not officially confirmed, of course, until long after the Sunday papers had gone to press…