EXCLUSIVE TACH COVERAGE

Inside the Palace in Monaco

Nicholas & Andrew Frankl
European Bureau

I have to admit it never occurred to me when Nicholas and I got involved in bobsleigh racing that we would end up having tea at the Palace in Monaco. Yet, strange as it may seem, it is a direct result of a trip we made to Lillehammer as absolute rookies way back in January 1993 that it all came about. We were, not to put too fine a point on it, completely and utterly clueless! We did not even have a toolbox. A borrowed sled, lots of enthusiasm and minimal knowledge were all we possessed. As luck would have it there was only one hotel anywhere near the track and the Monaco team were also staying there. Led by Prince Albert they were a highly professional outfit having competed in the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary and the Albertville Games in 1992. I can only assume that the Prince felt sorry for our rather ramshackle team. Understandable in a way I suppose. The two boys raced whilst I did everything else. We were, without doubt, the smallest bob team ever! The Prince saw our plight and very kindly got his mechanics to help us. Our runners were polished, the seats were adjusted and whilst we still came absolutely last the margin was not quite as huge as it would have been otherwise. Did we thank him? Yes .How, do I hear you ask .By beating him in the Winter Olympics the following year.

Some gratitude. And yet he was the first to congratulate us! A true sportsman if ever there was one.

It is this friendship which was forged in 25 degrees below freezing on a remote mountaintop in Norway that enabled us to have an exclusive interview for TACH about Monaco in general and autoracing in particular.

I think many of our readers will know that Prince Rainier's wife was the legendary filmstar-Grace Kelly who died tragically in car accident some years ago. It was her elegance and decorum, which in a way changed the Principality's image to such an extent that Monaco is now a member of the United Nations. The Grimaldi family has ruled Monaco for 700 years so not surprisingly this year the celebrations have been going on virtually non-stop. As Prince Rainier said "We, the Prince and the people of Monaco, are celebrating continuity which is a rare thing these days."

Without going through the whole history of this tiny Principality - which is smaller than any other country in the world with the exception of the Vatican- there is one ancestor I have to mention. To most readers I am sure Monaco means the Casino and gambling. How did that come about? Charles III (of the Grimaldi family) was the pioneer of tourism. Round about 1860 he took one look at a plateau and decided to build on it. At that time it was just solid rock. Some years later it became the foundation of the Hotel de Paris and the world famous Casino. It isn't common knowledge but he also hired Charles Garnier designer of the Paris Opera House to build a smaller version inside the building, which also houses the Casino. No wonder they named the place after him, hence the name Monte -for mountain - Carlo -Italian for Charles.

Prince Albert was very bullish about the future apart from some doubts concerning the Principality 's relationship with the bureaucrats of Brussels. He is not alone in that, there are millions of people who are concerned about what will happen to Europe should it ever be unified.

"In the meantime things could hardly be better for Monaco," he added. "Our most important sporting event is of course the Grand Prix, which ranks with the Indy 500 as one of the most important motor racing events of the year. Although not quite in the same league the Monte Carlo rally is also a great draw. This year we added a historical race to the calendar as part of the 700th anniversary (already reported by TACH) and it was such a huge success that we will repeat it, probably in 2000. As far as the Grand Prix is concerned I myself have never raced properly. I did have a go some time ago but my parents put a stop to it, that is how I ended up racing two and four man bob. I wanted to play football like every little boy but was not good enough for the team. Talking of which you ought to congratulate us, we have just won the French Championship! Coming back to cars for a second you probably know that we have a magnificent museum with everything from Ferraris to East German Trabants.

We are very keen on electric cars; we have had two electric car shows recently which was a huge success. We did think of making Monaco traffic free but it is a long way off. We considered having two huge car parks at each end of the Principality but decided against it. Personally I believe in the hybrid engine, one that uses petrol on the highway and electricity in the cities. In the meantime I cannot pretend that the revenue from parking fees is not very welcome. (Buses alone pay 15 million dollars a year.)"

Any favourites in the world of Grand Prix world we asked finally bearing in mind that Prince Albert had a chance to meet all the winners and runner ups for some 30 years now.

"I do meet several of the drivers most days as they tend to live here. Presumably for the climate. (He adds with a chuckle.) Emotionally we as a family are very close to Ferrari because of our heritage and close geographical proximity. I was amazed by Schumacher's performance on Sunday. He is a great champion." Over the years we got to know the Stewart family well and of course and Ayrton Senna will always have a special place in our hearts."

Time was up, the private secretary appeared to remind Prince Albert that there was a foreign trade delegation waiting to see him so we said our good-byes and wished him, his Father and the entire Principality a very happy 700th birthday. They are, actually, very nice people. Bearing in mind that they own an exceedingly desirable piece of real estate on the Mediterranean where the banks last year had an inflow of 14 billion dollars they could not have been more modest or polite.

So the 55th Grand Prix of Monaco rolled to a rather sodden end, a race which no one can understand and yet everyone loves to enjoy. As Sunday evening became Monday morning Nicholas enjoyed the post race partying at the legendary Jimmy's where for those who could afford it paid in the range of $400 a bottle for Champagne and a $100 a bottle for Perrier! Fortunately, Frank, the manager, took pity on us and we shared a sparkling mineral water as Schumacher, Coulthard, Paul Stewart and even Jean Todt and his girl friend (plus most of the Ferrari mechanics) all danced the night away.