1908 French Grand Prix

1908 French Grand Prix
Race details
Date	July 7, 1908
Official name	Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France
Location	Dieppe, France
Course	Public roads
Course length	76.989 km (47.840 miles)
Distance	10 laps, 769.889 km (478.400 miles)
Fastest lap
Driver	Otto Salzer	Mercedes
Time	36:31.0
Podium
First	Christian Lautenschlager	Mercedes
Second	Victor Hémery	Benz
Third	René Hanriot	Benz

The 1908 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Dieppe on 7 July 1908.

Formula Changes

The race was run under a new formula agreed in Ostend in 1907. There was no fuel consumption limit, but the cars had a minimum weight of 1100 kilograms, and a maximum cylinder bore of 155 millimetres. ^[1] This formula differed from the regulations in place for the American Vanderbilt Cup series, which discouraged American manufacturers from entering the race. ^[2] Lewis Strang drove the single American entrant, the Thomas Flyer. ^[3] D. Napier & Son cars were disqualified from the race due to their use of Rudge-Whitworth center locking hubs, which the organizers believed were unsafe. ^[4]

The Race

Winner Christian Lautenschlager

Christian Lautenschlager won the race in his Mercedes finishing nearly nine minutes ahead of Victor Hémery's Benz. Lautenschlager's average speed for the race was 69.045 mph (111.117 km/h). Otto Salzer set fastest lap in his Mercedes, with an average speed of over 78 mph (126 km/h). ^{[5] [6]} The race was notable for tragic reasons. Henri Cissac's car lost a tyre and rolled, killing Cissac and Jules Schaube, his riding mechanic. This was the first fatal accident in Grand Prix history. ^[7]

Classification

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/Retired
1	35	Christian Lautenschlager	Mercedes	10	6:55:43.8
2	6	Victor Hémery	Benz 150 hp		+8:40.2
3	23	René Hanriot	Benz 150 hp		+9:29.2
4	11	Victor Rigal	Clément-Bayard		+34:52.8
5	2	Willy Pöge	Mercedes		+36:47.2
6	27	Carl Jörns	Opel		+43.56.2
7	39	Fritz Erle	Benz		+56:48.0
8	37	Sergey Dimitriewich [6]	Renault		+1:07:39.0
9	16	George Heath	Panhard-Levassor		+1:09:03.0
10	49	Perpère	Germain		+1:12:34.4
11	12	Alessandro Cagno	Itala		+1:21:23.0
12	28	Fernand Gabriel	Clément-Bayard		+1:25:11.2
13	36	Courtade	Motobloc		+1:26:10.0
14	20	Pierre Garcet	Motobloc		+1:33:23.0
15	21	Gustave Caillois	Renault		+1:33:23.4
16	14	Camille Jenatzy	Mors		+1:38:11.8
17	31	Landon	Mors		+1:52:47.4
18	18	JTC Moore-Brabazon	Austin		+1:56:17.0
19	1	Dario Resta	Austin		+2:00:17.4
20	29	Henri Fournier	Itala		+2:00:47.4
21	10	Friedrich Opel	Opel		+2:21:38.6
22	17	François Degrais	Germain		+2:27:01.0
23	32	Henry Farman	Panhard-Levassor		+2:38:07.0
Ret	8	Léon Théry	Brasier	9	Wheel
Ret	41	Paul Bablot	Brasier	9	Magneto
Ret	9	Emile Stricker	Porthos	9
Ret	43	Michel	Opel	9	Radiator
Ret	48	Henri Cissac	Panhard-Levassor	8	Fatal crash
Ret	13	Pryce Harrison	Weigel	5	Crash
Ret	44	Lucien Hautvast	Clément-Bayard	5	Wheel
Ret	34	Warwick Wright	Austin	4	Engine
Ret	33	François Marie Roch-Brault	Germain	4
Ret	15	Lewis Strang	Thomas	4	Clutch
Ret	40	Louis Wagner	Fiat	3	Gearbox
Ret	24	Felice Nazzaro	Fiat	3	Engine
Ret	3	Pierron	Motobloc	3	Crash
Ret	30	Gregor Laxen	Weigel	3	Crash
Ret	25	Paul Baras	Brasier	3	Engine
Ret	38	Ferdinando Minoia	Lorraine-Dietrich	3	Magneto
Ret	5	Arthur Duray	Lorraine-Dietrich	2	Clutch
Ret	4	Ferenc Szisz	Renault	2	Wheels
Ret	19	Otto Salzer	Mercedes	2	Wheel
Ret	42	Jules Simon	Porthos	2	Water pump
Ret	7	Vincenzo Lancia	Fiat	1	Engine
Ret	22	Henri Rougier	Lorraine-Dietrich	1	Magneto
Ret	46	Shannon	Weigel	1	Steering
Ret	45	Giovanni Piacenza	Itala	1	Gearbox
Ret	26	J. Gaubert	Porthos img	0	Water pump

Grand Prix Race
Previous race: None	1908 Grand Prix season Grandes Épreuves	Next race: None
Previous race: 1907 French Grand Prix	French Grand Prix	Next race: 1912 French Grand Prix

References

1. Etzrodt, Hans (2007-06-19). "Grand Prix Winners 1895-1949. History and Formulae". Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-18.
2. "Foreign Autoists Eager for Racing" (PDF). The New York Times. 1908-01-06. Retrieved 2007-10-18.
3. "The American Car in Grand Prix Race" (PDF). The New York Times. 1908-05-03. Retrieved 2007-10-27.
4. Matteucci, Marco (1976). History of the Motor Car. New York, NY: Crown Publishers, Inc. p. 250. ISBN   978-0706400007. OCLC   4168687.
5. Higham, Peter (1995). The Guinness Guide to International Motor Racing. Guinness Publishing. pp. 194–195. ISBN   0-85112-642-1.
6. "1908 Grands Prix". Archived from the original on 2008-08-21. Retrieved 2007-10-29.
7. "Motorsport Memorial - Henri Cissac" . Retrieved 2014-01-29.