Aix-les-Bains, Savoie, France had a race track, called Circuit du Lac, which hosted Formula 2, Formula Junior, and Motorcycle Grand Prix races between 1949 and 1960.
Aix-les-Bains, Savoie, France had a race track, called Circuit du Lac, which hosted Formula 2, Formula Junior, and Motorcycle Grand Prix races between 1949 and 1960.
The Circuit du Lac d'Aix-les-Bains (the lake race track) was in and nearby the Lac du Bourget next to the French commune of Aix-les-Bains. Its length, 2,400 m (1.5 mi), was typical of city race tracks. [1] [2] A slightly different track was reported to be in use in 1953. [3] It was the sole race track in Savoie - the nearest others were Geneva's Circuit des Nations, Lausanne's Circuit du Léman, and at Lyon. Many drivers and spectators attended from neighboring Switzerland and Italy, and even from the UK.
This will be the last event on this race track....
The 1951 Swiss Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 27 May 1951 in Bern. The race was contested over 42 laps of the Bremgarten Circuit with it also being the opening race of the 1951 World Championship of Drivers. The race was the eleventh time that the Swiss Grand Prix was held with all of the races being held at Bremgarten.
The 1952 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 22 June 1952 at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. It was race 3 of 8 in the 1952 World Championship of Drivers, in which each Grand Prix was run to Formula Two rules rather than the Formula One regulations normally used.
The 1952 French Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 6 July 1952 at Rouen-Les-Essarts. It was race 4 of 8 in the 1952 World Championship of Drivers, in which each Grand Prix was run to Formula Two rules rather than the Formula One regulations normally used. Unusually this race was run over a duration of 3 hours, rather than a fixed distance.
The 1952 British Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 19 July 1952 at Silverstone Circuit. It was race 5 of 8 in the 1952 World Championship of Drivers, in which each Grand Prix was run to Formula Two rules rather than the Formula One regulations normally used.
The 1952 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on 17 August 1952 at the Circuit Zandvoort. It was race 7 of 8 in the 1952 World Championship of Drivers, in which each Grand Prix was run to Formula Two rules rather than the Formula One regulations normally used. The 90-lap race was won by Ferrari driver Alberto Ascari after he started from pole position. His teammates Giuseppe Farina and Luigi Villoresi finished in second and third places. Ascari overtook Fangio's record for the most race wins, scoring his seventh at this race.
Élie Marcel Bayol was a French racing driver who raced in Formula One for the O.S.C.A. and Gordini teams. Bayol also raced sports cars, mostly driving DB-Panhards for the Deutsch Bonnet works team including winning the 750cc class and Index of Performance at the 1954 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Antonio Branca was a Formula One driver from Switzerland who competed in three World Championship races. His motor racing career was allegedly financed by an admiring Belgian countess, the Vicomtesse de Walkiers. Branca mainly competed in privately owned Maserati 4CLT, in Formula One and Two races.
Robert Leslie Graham was a British motorcycle road racer who competed in the 1930s and 1940s. He won the inaugural Grand Prix motorcycle racing 500 cc World Championship in 1949.
Reginald Armstrong was an Irish professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He was born in Dublin, grew up in Dublin and raced for the AJS, Velocette, Norton, NSU, and Gilera factory racing teams. He then became team manager for Honda's racing team in 1962 and 1963, and they won five world championships in that time. He was also in his lifetime a sales agent for NSU, Honda, and Opel. He competed in Grand Prix Motorcycle World Championships and at the Isle of Man TT, usually placing highly. He died in a road accident in 1979.
Robert MacGregor McIntyre was a Scottish motorcycle racer. The first rider to achieve an average speed of 100 mph (160 km/h) for one lap of the Snaefell Mountain Course in 1957, McIntyre is also remembered for his five motorcycle Grand Prix wins which included three wins at the Isle of Man TT races, and four victories in the North West 200. He died nine days after injuries sustained racing at Oulton Park, Cheshire, England in August 1962.
The 1954 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy was the second race in the 1954 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season and proved highly controversial for TT Course and race changes. The 1954 Junior TT was the first race where the official race distance was reduced from 7 laps to 5 laps. The 1954 Senior TT Race was stopped at half distance due to the weather conditions on the Mountain Section of the course.
William Raymond Amm was a Rhodesian professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He competed in the FIM motorcycle Grand Prix world championships from 1951 to 1954. Amm was a six-time Grand Prix race winner including three victories at the Isle of Man TT when, he died in 1955 after an accident during a race in Italy.
The Circuit des Nations is a long street circuit of 4.110 km (2.554 mi) between Lake Geneva and the Place des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. It hosted the Grand Prix de Nations, similar to a Formula One race; the Grand Prix de Genève, similar to a Formula Two race; and various championship events. The first Grand Prix de Genève was held in Meyrin in 1931 and won by Marcel Lehoux, racing for Bugatti.
The Circuit de Cadours was a race track located in the southwest of France, in the Haute-Garonne département.
The Circuit Jules Tacheny Mettet is a 2.310 km (1.435 mi) motorsport racing circuit in Mettet, Wallonia (Belgium), 20 km (12 mi) southeast of Charleroi. The circuit was finalized in 2010 near the old street circuit.
Jimmy H. Simpson (1898–1981) was a British motorcycle racer.
The 22nd Grand Prix des Frontières was a non-championship Formula Two motor race held on 1 June 1952 at the Chimay Street Circuit in Chimay, Belgium. The Grand Prix was won by Paul Frère in an HWM-Alta. Ken Downing finished second in a Connaught Type A-Lea Francis and Robin Montgomerie-Charrington was third in an Aston Butterworth. Johnny Claes started from pole in a Simca Gordini Type 15 but crashed out on the first lap.
The IV Circuit du Lac was a Formula Two motor race held on 8 June 1952 at the Aix-les-Bains Circuit du Lac, France. The race was run over two heats each of 40 laps, with the winner being decided by aggregate time. The winner was Jean Behra in a Gordini Type 16, who started from pole in both heats, won both heats and set overall fastest lap. Lance Macklin was second in an HWM-Alta and Emmanuel de Graffenried third in a Maserati 4CLT/48. Behra's teammate Robert Manzon set fastest lap in heat 1, but succumbed to mechanical failure in heat 2.
The 2nd Grand Prix de Sables d'Olonne was a Formula Two motor race held on 13 July 1952 at Les Sables-d'Olonne, in Pays de la Loire, France. It was round 6 of Les Grands Prix de France Formula Two Championship. Race distance was decided not by distance but by time, the duration being 3 hours. The race was won by Luigi Villoresi in a Ferrari 500. Peter Collins was second in an HWM-Alta and Johnny Claes third in a Simca Gordini Type 15. Alberto Ascari started from pole in a Ferrari 500 and set fastest lap but crashed and retired.
The 5th Circuit du Lac was a Formula Two motor race held on 26 July 1953 at the Aix-les-Bains Circuit du Lac, France. The race was run over two heats each of 50 laps, with the winner being decided by aggregate time. The winner was Élie Bayol in an O.S.C.A. Tipo 20, finishing second and first in the two heats. Louis Rosier was second in a Ferrari 500 and Lance Macklin third in a HWM-Alta. Gordini driver Jean Behra won the first heat and set fastest overall lap during heat 2, and his teammate Harry Schell set pole position and fastest lap for heat 1, but both retired with mechanical problems.
