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1926 European Grand Prix


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#1 HistoryFan

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Posted 29 May 2012 - 08:31

Hello I'm looking for quotes of drivers or anyone others to the 1926 European Grand Prix. Can anyone help me?

Why were some races called European Grand Prix in the 20s?

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#2 RogerFrench

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Posted 29 May 2012 - 15:05

Hello I'm looking for quotes of drivers or anyone others to the 1926 European Grand Prix. Can anyone help me?

Why were some races called European Grand Prix in the 20s?


I really don't know about quotes, though I imagine the Delage drivers complaining about "pieds brules" or something similar.

The title European Grand Prix in early days was an honorary title given to a national GP. The practice continued for many years.

May I say something else, please? I don't want to discourage your enthusiasm, but you could easily find out the answer to that last question yourself. Wikipedia has an accurate answer, for a start - I just looked at it. I know it's convenient to have all your answers in one place, but if you want people to answer questions, you could at least do them the courtesy of not bothering them with trivia or expecting them to respond to the obvious.



#3 Option1

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Posted 29 May 2012 - 17:49

And given the notorious unreliability of wikipedia, how was the OP expected to trust the accuracy of that entry?

I'll never quite understand why someone would discourage anyone from asking questions here (other than our Russian quiz fiends).

Neil

#4 kayemod

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Posted 29 May 2012 - 18:44

I'll never quite understand why someone would discourage anyone from asking questions here (other than our Russian quiz fiends).


You do have a point Neil, especially about not discouraging new arrivals, TNF can be a slightly intimidating place for newbies, maybe we aren't always as welcoming as we could be, but Roger makes some good points as well, and I think the main advice he was offering was to engage brain before posting. Of course Wikipedia isn't completely reliable as a source of information, we all know that, but neither is TNF. Collectively, we usually get there in the end, but individually some of us sometimes get things slightly wrong. Most of us when trying to respond to a query, do some quick research, sometimes from our bookshelves, quite often through Google, and yes, even Wikipedia, something that the OP could very easily have done for himself in this particular instance. HistoryFan's only saving grace this time is that at least he didn't ask us to compile some kind of top 10, but maybe that's coming, top 10 European Grands Prix anyone?

#5 HistoryFan

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Posted 29 May 2012 - 19:34

Sorry guys but I didn't find any quotes in internet and of course not in Wikipedia and I looked for it for some days. But I know that here are some guys which have a very large collection of magazines and newspaper articles and perhaps someone has one after European Grand Prix with some drivers quotes.

And I read in internet about the honorary title, but I would like to know the story behind that: Were there bigger prize moneys or something like that and how much more prize money and why was the European GP 1926 in Spain and not in another country, were there rules which decide which Grand Prix could be called European Grand Prix. Questions like this.

#6 Doug Nye

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Posted 29 May 2012 - 20:05

You should also understand that while direct quotes from competing drivers are not only expected but also absolutely standard practice in modern racing, such quotes were actually very rarely included in any race reports for the greater part of the 20th century. Many race reporters neither had, nor expected, face to face contact with leading drivers at the events themselves. For some, in the early years, mere pressmen would never presume to initiate conversation with a driver of either higher or lower social class. Conversely, some working-class staff drivers would never presume to initiate conversation with an educated gentleman of the press... Some of the more self-regarding motoring writers of the 'tween-war or pre-World War 1 years would never dream of putting an artisan driver's words into print. What of value could the grubby, sweaty, horny-handed fellow possibly have to say?

Different times - different climate - different conventions...

DCN

Edited by Doug Nye, 29 May 2012 - 20:07.


#7 kayemod

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Posted 29 May 2012 - 20:42

What of value could the grubby, sweaty, horny-handed fellow possibly have to say?

Different times - different climate - different conventions...

DCN


"...and a beer for Lang!"


#8 Doug Nye

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Posted 29 May 2012 - 20:48

EXACTLY Rob...spot on.

DCN

#9 D-Type

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Posted 29 May 2012 - 21:04

Some detail of the history of the title here or here (sort of) plus a few other threads if you search for "European GP" or "European Grand Prix"

Edited by D-Type, 29 May 2012 - 21:04.


#10 HistoryFan

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Posted 30 May 2012 - 15:10

You should also understand that while direct quotes from competing drivers are not only expected but also absolutely standard practice in modern racing, such quotes were actually very rarely included in any race reports for the greater part of the 20th century. Many race reporters neither had, nor expected, face to face contact with leading drivers at the events themselves. For some, in the early years, mere pressmen would never presume to initiate conversation with a driver of either higher or lower social class. Conversely, some working-class staff drivers would never presume to initiate conversation with an educated gentleman of the press... Some of the more self-regarding motoring writers of the 'tween-war or pre-World War 1 years would never dream of putting an artisan driver's words into print. What of value could the grubby, sweaty, horny-handed fellow possibly have to say?

Different times - different climate - different conventions...

DCN


Because such quotes are that rare, I opened this thread.

#11 kayemod

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Posted 30 May 2012 - 17:47

Because such quotes are that rare, I opened this thread.


You seem not to have understood Doug's point HistoryFan, contemporary quotes from a race that took place in 1926 aren't just "rare", they're almost certainly non-existant. Post-race driver interviews are a relatively recent phenomenon, none of us were there, it was 86 years ago, and in the very, very unlikely event that such a thing exists, you have as much chance of finding it through Google as anyone else on TNF does.


#12 D-Type

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Posted 30 May 2012 - 20:18

Have you tried the archives of San Sebastien Spanish and Basque newspapers or other Spanish sources for contemporary reports? Likewise, given the nationalities of the leading protagonists it might be worth searching French and Italian sources, including their home town newspapers.

While we are on this topic, can someone explain why they held Spanish and European Grands Prix a week apart. I sort of understand about the Spanish GP being formule libre while the European GP was for "Grand Prix Formula", ie 1.5 litre cars. But how could the organisers hope for gate receipts etc to cover the costs of running two race meetings?

#13 Tim Murray

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Posted 30 May 2012 - 20:33

According to Frank Verplanken in one of the earlier European GP threads both these races were part of a speed week at Lasarte which also included a 12-hour sports car race:

1926 was the only year the European Grand Prix was not an honorary title given to a national GP. There was a Spanish Grand Prix that year and a European Grand Prix on the same track. Those races were part of a great Lasarte Speedweek whose schedule was:
July 18th : Grand Prix d'Europe
July 22nd : Guipuzcoa Grand Prix (12 Hours sportscar race)
July 25th : Spanish Grand Prix (Formula Libre)