Peugeot was the team to beat this year, with their new twin-cam 7.6-litre L-76. In the French Grand Prix, after American David Bruce-Brown’s FIAT had retired after leading for most of the two-day race, victory went to the Peugeot of Georges Boillot. Team-mate Jules Goux repeated the success at the Coupe de la Sarthe held at Le Mans. The Peugeot voiturettes had also won at Le Mans and Ostende. However, it was a British Sunbeam that was first voiturette home at Dieppe.
In the three big races in the United States Joe Dawson won the second running of the Indianapolis 500. Ralph DePalma beat a small field in the Vanderbilt Cup. In the American Grand Prize held over the same weekend, rising star David Bruce-Brown was killed in practice while Caleb Bragg won the race in a FIAT S74. This year no European drivers travelled across the Atlantic for the events. With four victories over the season, Ralph DePalma driving a Mercedes, was acclaimed as the AAA national champion for the year.
Snipe and Pedrini, winners of the Targa Florio for SCAT
Technical
Basic attempts at aerodynamics appeared this season, as cars started to shape their tail sections to cover the fueltanks and spare tyres.[5]
At Peugeot, the three driver-engineers Georges Boillot, Jules Goux and Paolo Zuccarelli (dubbed “The Charlatans”[6]) had worked with Ernest Henry and produced their first design. Fellow Peugeot-engineer Ettore Bugatti had also produced a design and the two had a run-off. The drivers’ car was comfortably faster, reaching 160km/h (99mph), built with a four-cylinder 7.6L engine. The innovative twin-overhead camshaft, with four valves per cylinder, developed 148bhp revving at 2200rpm.[5][7] This was equivalent to nearly 20bhp per litre and 50% higher than the performance of its main rival, the Fiat S74, that only gave 13bhp per litre at a leisurely 1600rpm over its 14.1 litre engine.[8] Although some of the ideas were not new, it was Peugeot that combined them and pioneered the use of hemispherical combustion chambers. There is some evidence that Zuccarelli got the ideas from his former work at Hispano-Suiza and that legal action was taken for breach of patent.[7] The Peugeot engine became the template for race-engines for many years.[9]
In the United States, the first cars built specifically for racing appeared from Mercer, Stutz and the Mason of the Duesenberg brothers, to take on the stock chassis.[8]
Season review
Joe Dawson winning the Indy 500
The season started in Italy with the Targa Florio. After damage to the Madonie circuit in the previous year, the race instead became a tour on the coastal roads around Sicily, as the Giro di Sicilia.[10] A good field of 16 cars arrived in Palermo for the clockwise course around the island. This allayed organiser Vincenzo Florio’s fears that his race was fading to obscurity. Englishman Cyril Snipe, racing for the SCAT team, built up a considerable lead. Learning in Trapani, the second to last checkpoint, that he had an eighty-minute lead he told his co-driver Pedrini that “twenty minutes will be enough” and stopped to have a meal and a sleep at a hotel for an hour. Pedrini managed to rouse his teammate in time and they reached Palermo again to win with a half-hour margin over the Lancia of Giordano, after a 24-hour journey.[11][12]
Ralph DePalma and mechanic Rupert Jeffkins, pushing their Mercedes down the Indianapolis front straight
The organisers of the Indianapolis 500 doubled the prizemoney on offer from $27550 in 1911 up to $52225 including $20000 for the winner.[10] The race was run to the same specifications, however after Harroun’s effort the previous year, riding mechanics were now mandatory.[13][14] Although the Mason did not qualify, both the Mercer and Stutz did. David Bruce-Brown in a FIAT had the fastest lap in practice, while Gil Andersen drew pole position. A number of American factory entries were present as well as three privateer entries in European cars: Americans Spencer Wishart and Ralph DePalma in Mercedes and Teddy Tetzlaff in a FIAT. Tetzlaff took the lead initially, until DePalma passed him on the third lap. He continued to lead right up until the engine failed with only two laps to go. With over a three-lap lead, DePalma and his mechanic got out and pushed the car down the front straight to the cheers of the 80000 spectators, but to no avail. Joe Dawson overtook him to take the victory in a National.[15] Race rules stipulated that drivers had to complete all 200 laps to be classified and receive prizemoney. Tetzlaff, helped by Caleb Bragg, came home second ten minutes later, with Hughes (Mercer) and Merz (Stutz) in third and fourth respectively. Ralph Mulford, second the previous year, finished last over 2½ hours after Dawson. Reputedly even stopping to change his shock absorbers and have a chicken dinner, he crossed the line in front of empty grandstands.[10] Even the organisers had left. He completed the slowest ever 500 miles in the race. Two other records were set where DePalma had led the longest distance without winning (196 laps) and Dawson led the least to win (2 laps) until 2011.[10]
The French Automobile Club (ACF) revived its Grand Prix this year. Once again it was staged over two long days – over 1500km – at Dieppe, where the last Grand Prix had been held in 1908. To encourage entrants, the organisers used Formula Libre (open) regulations with the only restriction being that cars must be no wider than 1.75 metres.[9][16] They also decided to run the Coupe des Voiturettes (3-litres or less[9][5]) concurrently with the larger cars. Fourteen Grand Prix cars and 33 voiturettes were entered. The “Charlatans” arrived with their three new Peugeot L-76s. The strongest challengers were the three FIAT S74s for Louis Wagner and Americans Ralph DePalma and David Bruce-Brown.[8] There were also teams from Rolland-Pilain, Lorraine-Dietrich and a six-cylinder Belgian Excelsior.[5] An entry from Mercedes was rejected by the organisers on the pretext that the entry was filed by the manufacturer’s Belgian agency and not the company itself.[9]
Louis Wagner, FIAT. French GP
With Peugeot devoting its energy to its Grand Prix cars, they only had a single voiturette entry for René Thomas. Ranged against him were a number of teams from France (including Sizaire-Naudin, Grégoire and Th. Schneider) and Great Britain (Sunbeam, Vauxhall and others).
Boillot had put in the fastest lap time in practice. The race started at 5.30am with Victor Rigal’s Sunbeam leading out the voiturettes and Victor Hémery’s Lorraine the first of the Grand Prix cars. Bruce-Brown set the pace, running ahead of Boillot then Wagner. But although the FIATs were faster the Peugeots had much more efficient pit-stops with their knock-off wheel-hubs to change tyres and a pressure-system to refuel. Zuccarelli went out with ignition problems and both Goux and DePalma were disqualified for refuelling away from the pits when they ran out of petrol. After 10 laps and 6½ hours racing at the end of the first day, Bruce-Brown had a two-minute lead over Boillot with Wagner in third. A surprising fourth was Dario Resta in the small Sunbeam.[10][5]
There was bad weather on the second day. Overnight one of the Lorraine-Dietrichs had caught fire and the Grégoire team had been withdrawn. Bruce-Brown continued his lead through the morning but on the 15th lap he stopped out on the track with a broken fuel tank after hitting an errant dog.[5] This left Boillot with a comfortable lead over Wagner, but on the penultimate lap the Peugeot’s universal joint seized up. He and his mechanic spent twenty minutes to get going again, albeit with only second and fourth gears. In the end they won by thirteen minutes from Wagner. Rigal was an impressive third in the Sunbeam to win the Coupe des Voiturettes. He was just forty minutes behind Boillot, with team-mates Resta and Médinger in fourth and fifth.[17][18][7]
Georges Boillot, Peugeot. French GPVictor Rigal, Sunbeam. French GP
Once again the AC de la Sarthe et de l’Ouest[19](forerunner of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest) organised its own event – the Grand Prix of France, also known as the Coupe de le Sarthe, and not to be confused with the Grand Prix run by the ACF. It used the same course as the previous year, but this time ran in a clockwise direction. Both Grand Prix and voiturette cars were entered.[19] However the only large race-cars to arrive were the works Peugeots of Boillot and Goux, and a SPA. Many of the French voiturette teams at Dieppe were entered and this time both Thomas and Zuccarelli with the Lion-Peugeot L3.
When Boillot retired after five laps with a water leak, it left Goux with an easy victory. Forty minutes back in second was Zuccarelli then René Champoiseau in a Th. Schneider.[19][20][21]
Jules Goux, winner of the Coupe de la Sarthe for PeugeotBefore the start at Ostend, for the Belgian Auto Club’s race
The premier American races, the Vanderbilt Cup and American Grand Prize had been held previously at Savannah, Georgia. However, controversy over the organisers using convict labour to prepare the track and local militia to police the event meant they declined to host the events this year. The new venue chosen was at Milwaukee. However, dubious land-sales of the grandstand/pit area by speculators to get rich off the event meant it was again moved to nearby Wauwatosa.[22][23]
Eight cars entered the Vanderbilt Cup, and only two were modified ‘stock’ cars. Gil Anderson’s Stutz and Hugh Hughes’ Mercer challenged the three Mercedes (led by Ralph DePalma) and the FIAT of Teddy Tetzlaff. DePalma gave Mercedes its first win in the event after seven attempts.[22] Second was Hughes and third was Spencer Wishart in another Mercedes.
David Bruce-Brown in his Fiat
Tragedy marred the Grand Prize though, held three days later. David Bruce-Brown, America’s most promising young driver of the time, and his mechanic Tony Scudelari were both killed at the end of practice for the race. A tyre blew on their FIAT S74 at speed and the big car rolled and crushed the crew. Of the thirteen remaining cars all were driven by Americans although half the field were European cars. The drivers in the Vanderbilt returned and were joined by Caleb Bragg in a FIAT and three Benzes for Bob Burman, Erwin Bergdoll and Joe Horan.[22]
The grid for the American Grand Prize
From the start it was Tetzlaff, Bragg and DePalma racing at the front. By halfway, Telzlaff had a 12-minute lead but his hard driving broke the FIAT’s suspension. This left the other two contesting the win, but as DePalma tried an overtake the two cars touched and the Mercedes rolled into a field. DePalma broke his leg, while his mechanic was only lightly injured. Bragg went on to win for FIAT, with Bergdoll’s Benz second and Anderson was third. This result for his Stutz was the best result to that time for an American race-car.[22]
Although successful, these road-races were expensive to hold. With more purpose-built racing ovals being built, there were no offers to host them the next year marking a gradual decline in American racing just as Europe was coming out of its racing doldrums.[22] With four wins, Ralph DePalma in his Mercedes was announced as the AAA national champion for the year. But it was the rise of innovative engineers like the Duesenberg brothers, Harry Miller and those at Mercer that marked the future for American motorsport. The new Peugeot had returned France to the forefront of motor-racing, while the performance of Sunbeam had highlighted British engineering.[17]
Georges Louis Frédéric Boillot was a French racing driver and World War I fighter pilot.
The 1925 Grand Prix season was a watershed year in motor racing. It was the first year for the new AIACR World Manufacturers' Championship season. The championship was won by Alfa Romeo, with its P2 model.
The 1926 Grand Prix season was the second AIACR World Manufacturers' Championship season and the first running to new 1.5-litre regulations. The championship was won by Bugatti and its Type 35 was the dominant car of the year.
The 1927 Grand Prix season was the third AIACR World Manufacturers' Championship season and the second run to a 1.5-litre engine limit. In a dominant display, the championship was won by Delage, with team driver Robert Benoist winning four of the five Grand Prix.
The 1907 Grand Prix season was the second Grand Prix racing season. It saw a blossoming of circuit events, with the shift from the inter-city races. The popularity of the inaugural French Grand Prix and Targa Florio saw those events held again. The new Kaiserpreis was the first major motor-race held in Germany. This year also saw a number of voiturette races as the number of specialist small-engine cars grew which gave close, exciting racing very popular with spectators.
The 1908 Grand Prix season was the third Grand Prix racing season. An international economic recession affected motor-racing with fewer races and smaller fields. However, in consequence, it also saw an increase in the number of smaller cars and voiturette racing. This gave close racing between the teams from Lion-Peugeot, Sizaire-Naudin and Delage. Both the major races in Europe, the Targa Florio and French Grand Prix, had precursor voiturette races, and along with the Coupe des Voiturettes, the honours were shared between those three manufacturers. This year’s Targa Florio had a small, but quality, field. Vincenzo Trucco won for Isotta-Fraschini with better mechanical reliability, after a close duel with the FIATs of Felice Nazzaro and Vincenzo Lancia.
The 1910 Grand Prix season was the fifth Grand Prix racing season. Because of the ongoing international economic recession, there were no Grandes Épreuves held. The American Grand Prize was held in Savannah.
The 1911 Grand Prix season consisted of Grand Prix races in the United States and Europe. It was a significant year as European racing gradually came out of the doldrums. A Grand Prix was held in France again. The first Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, joining the American Grand Prize as a leading race.
The 1914 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Lyon on 4 July 1914. Hailed as one of the greatest races of the twentieth century, it was a contest between the French Peugeots and the German Mercedes. For the first time, the Grand Prix was run to an engine limitation – of 4.5L maximum capacity. It was won by the Mercedes of Christian Lautenschlager who won at an average speed of 105.7 km/h (65.7 mph) after a tense seven-hour contest with the Peugeot of Georges Boillot.
The 1913 Grand Prix season consisted of Grand Prix races in Europe and the United States. Once again, the Peugeot works cars were the team to beat, continuing their success. This year the French Grand Prix was held in Amiens. The ACF introduced a fuel-economy formula for the race to discourage bigger-engined cars. Peugeot drivers Georges Boillot and Jules Goux claimed a 1-2 victory for the company after Zuccarelli had been killed in practice.
The 1914 Grand Prix season consisted of Grand Prix races across Europe and the United States until abbreviated by the outbreak of World War I.
The 1915 Grand Prix season saw Grand Prix motor racing continue in the United States. Racing was suspended in Europe due to the outbreak of World War I. The American Grand Prize was held in San Francisco for the first time, in conjunction with the Panama–Pacific International Exposition. Several of the latest European cars had been imported to the USA before the war started. Briton Dario Resta had a Peugeot and Ralph DePalma raced one of the Mercedes GPs. While Resta won both races at San Francisco and DePalma won the Indianapolis 500, just ahead of Resta it was Earl Cooper, running a Stutz, whose consistency gave him the unofficial AAA national championship.
The 1921 Grand Prix season saw motor racing in Europe blossom again. The French Grand Prix was held for the first time since 1914, at La Sarthe, Le Mans. and the inaugural Italian Grand Prix was held in Montichiari, near Brescia. The 3-litre formula of the AIACR, already in use at Indianapolis, was adopted by those Grand Prix meaning manufacturers could design on a common formula.
The 1922 Grand Prix season had several notable events during the year. The AIACR governing body brought in a 2-litre formula for Grand Prix. French companies brought out straight-8 engines for their cars but it was FIAT's 6-cylinder engine that took the trophies. Veteran Felice Nazzaro won the French Grand Prix, held near Strasbourg. It was a tainted victory though, as Nazzaro's nephew was killed when his FIAT's suspension broke in the latter stages of the race. An almost identical accident also happened to team-mate Pietro Bordino, though he was only slightly injured. Pierre de Vizcaya's Bugatti finished second, nearly an hour behind.
The 1923 Grand Prix season was part of a watershed year for motor racing that saw significant advances in motor-racing engineering, design and events. Fiat's chief designer, Guido Fornaca, developed the 805, the first supercharged car to win a Grand Prix. Benz appeared with the first mid-engined racer and, along with Bugatti and Voisin, produced some of the first efforts at aerodynamics on racing cars. With the United States also adopting the 2-litre formula, Harry Miller could use the smaller engine size to design the first single-seater race-car, ideally suited to American oval racing.
The 1924 Grand Prix season saw Grand Prix motor racing spread further across Europe and North America. In Italy a number of new open-road events were held. In France two new circuits were opened – at Montlhéry near Paris and Miramas near Marseille.
The 1919 Grand Prix season was the first season following the armistice that ended World War I in November 1918. European economies were struggling, and many automotive firms had to recover and retool from military production. So, there was very little racing activity as it took time for the companies and populations to recover. As the world rebuilt there were only two major races held in the year – the Indianapolis 500 and the Targa Florio.
The 1920 Grand Prix season saw further activity in motor-racing gradually increase. Europe was still recovering from the end of the war and the terrible pandemic that swept the continent. Automotive companies were gradually re-establishing themselves after re-tooling from a wartime footing and getting production lines rolling again.
The 1909 Grand Prix season was the fourth Grand Prix racing season. There were no Grandes Épreuves that year, as the economic recession of the previous year continued on. Renault had withdrawn from motor-racing and a number of French manufacturers, falling behind the success of their German and Italian rivals, followed suit. The French Grand Prix was cancelled, leaving the Targa Florio in Italy and Vanderbilt Cup in the United States as the only major races this season. With so little competition and financial incentive, technological advances ground to a halt. Emphasis shifted from racing to setting speed and endurance records. Benz & Cie built a new 12.4-litre racing-engine, and its 200 bhp derivative was put into the Blitzen Benz. This 21.5-litre monster held the Land speed record from 1909 to 1922, with various drivers starting with Victor Hémery in November, 1909 at Brooklands.
Ernest Henry was a mechanical engineer. He developed auto racing engines, and is especially well known for his work for Peugeot and Ballot, who dominated Grand Prix auto racing from 1912 to 1921. His engine design directly influenced Sunbeam Racing cars as early as 1914; the 1921 Grand Prix Sunbeams owe much to his work with Ballot and the 1922 Grand Prix Sunbeams were designed by him.
References
Cimarosti, Adriano (1997) The Complete History of Grand Prix Motor Racing London: Aurum Press Ltd ISBN1-85410-500-0
Georgano, Nick (1971) The Encyclopaedia of Motor Sport London: Ebury Press Ltd ISBN0-7181-0955-4
Higham, Peter (1995) The Guinness Guide to International Motor Racing London: Guinness Publishing ISBN0-85112-642-1
Legate, Trevor (2006) 100 years of Grand Prix Kent: Touchstone Books Ltd ISBN0-9551-0201-4
Ludvigsen, Karl (2008) Racing Colours - Italian Racing Red Surrey: Ian Allan Publishing Ltd ISBN0-7110-3331-5
Monkhouse, George (1953) Grand Prix Racing Facts and Figures London: G.T. Foulis & Co Ltd
Rendall, Ivan (1991) The Power and The Glory – A Century of Motor Racing London: BBC Books ISBN0-563-36093-3
Rendall, Ivan (1993) The Chequered Flag – 100 years of Motor Racing London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd ISBN0-297-83220-4
Venables, David (2009) Racing Colours - French Racing Blue Surrey: Ian Allan Publishing Ltd ISBN978-0-7110-3369-6
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
VII Targa Florio 
Cyril Snipe 
II Indianapolis 500 
XII French Grand Prix 
VIII Vanderbilt Cup 
III Coupe d’Ostende
