1897 Longchamp race for ladies

I recently found bought a book called "L'Histoire Mondiale de L'Automobile" by Jacques Rousseau and Michel Iacta, éditions Hachette, 1958. A nice 500+ page sum with many magnificent photographies, all black and white, most of which I had never seen before.
Among the novelties for me in this book is the short mention of, most likely, the first ladies only race. Organised by a newspaper (forcément !), "L'Echo de Paris", it took place in June of 1897 "around Longchamp" - maybe a reference to the well known horse racing venue ? I'd be curious to know who were the participants in this contest. Were mesdames Laumaillé and du Gast present for instance ? Anybody knows more about it ? Thanks !

Hello Frank - nice to see you here again after such a long time. How have you been doing those last couple of years yourself and with your gigantic project? Drop me a mail at hanse@hawaii.rr.com

I tried to find an answer for you about your race in Jean-Robert Dulier’s Conquête de la Vitesse but was unsuccessful, then also looked into Edmond Cohin’s prominent Historique de la Course Automobile 1881-1977, which was also fruitless. We definitely need a French source to find an answer.

• Can you please look into your book L'Histoire Mondiale de L'Automobile if you have information about the following events? I would like to know what kind of vehicles raced at those race meetings; car's weight, 2 or 4 seats, tricycles, voiturettes or heavy cars?
• 1898, May 29 -- Bordeaux-Agen (143 km) in 3h01m15s – won by Petit at 47.403 km/h
• 1898, August -- Lyon-Lagnien (48 km) in 1h03m00s – won by Eldin (Peugeot)
  
• 1899, May 20 ? -- Bordeaux-Périgueux (232 km) in 4h46m45s – won by Barbereau (Bollée)
• 1899, July -- Salon-Arles-Salon -- (100 km) in 1h47m19s – won by de Farconnet (Turcat-Méry)
• 1899, July -- Lyon-Vals -- (175 km) in 3h58m10s – won by Lara (Benz)
  
• 1900, Nov 4 -- Paris-Rouen (Alcohol), (130 km) in 2h15m00s – won by Etienne Giraud (Panhard)
  
• 1902, April -- Arles-Salon (100 km) in 1h36m56.2s – won by Guillaume (Darracq K)

Hans

Wasn't the Bordeaux-Agen held on 25-26 May 1896 and the Lyon-Lagnieu on 2 August the same year?

John

Perhaps un amusement for the crowds attending the Grand Prix de Paris horse race on June 13th? Although the big news seems to have been an unsuccessful attempt on the life of President Faure as he travelled to the race.

Mes hommages Maestro Hans I've been here and there these last two years or so, but rarely around internet and TNF alas. You'll get an e-mail over the weekend with more details ;)
Nothing about your races in the Rousseau / Iacta opus I'm afraid . The ladies race in Longchamp gets a short mention as it was a premiere, but the book otherwise concentrates on the big races. I might find something in the local archives for the Arles and Salon races though. I'll let you know. Potentially some hillclimb stuff there too...
And what about "The List". If you or Maître Richard ( ) still have some interest in such matters, Rousseau gives a nice, even if short, insight on the foundation of the ACF amongst other things.

Your suggestion makes sense Richard. Any chance a suffragette was behind the attack ? Or was it just the regular anarchist ? Félix Faure was no automobile enthusiast btw, famously giving to the promoters of the 1898 Salon de l'Automobile the following farewell at the end of his official visit : "Vos voitures sont bien laides et sentent bien mauvais" (Your cars really are ugly and smell awful")

Two days after the event, The Times was reporting that "it may be supposed that the affair was unconnected with politics or anarchy" and speculating that it might have been a "practical joke". Apparently the place where this bomb went off had "since 1867 ... always been chosen for these activities". In other words, if you wanted to assassinate someone, this was where to do it!!

Summary of http://it.wikipedia....omobilismo_1897

Friday June 11th.
First “Championnat des chauffeuses”, organized by Pierre Lafitte of the "Echo de Paris" as part of a cycling manifestation at the Longchamp hippodrome. Other events for ladies included a bicycle run for actresses of the theatre of Paris, a run on tandems for non-professional cyclists and a parade of bicycles and motorcycles decorated with flowers.

Eight participants competed on tricycles with a De Dion-Bouton engine. There were three elimination runs of one lap each (3,5 km). In the first run Léa Lemoine finished first before Ellen Jouanny and Jane Boié; the second run was won by Bossu ahead of Germaine Deverne and Hélène Darlile, the third by De Grandval ahead of Hellé

In the decisive final run over two laps there was victory for Léa Lemoine; second and third place went to De Grandval and Bossu. With 41,501 km/h Lemoine set the lap record for “motorized ladies”.

All participants received a prize - a bracelet for Lemoine, a bicycle for De Grandval, a silver medal for Bossu, medals for Jouanny and Doverne, a watch for Boié, a dozen bottles of champagne for Hellé, and a fan for Darlile.

Forza Wikipedia!

Originally posted by humphries
Hans

Wasn't the Bordeaux-Agen held on 25-26 May 1896 and the Lyon-Lagnieu on 2 August the same year?

John

John - I have no additional information about those events. I do not know if this condensed data out of 1903 or 1904 Automobil-Welt is true or not. I have no other sources to compare.

Well, thanks Henk ! I must confess my allergy to wikipedia, but although I never go to wikipedia I can be grateful to it when it comes to me . Are you the author of this page ? If yes would you please have a source for this particular 1897 information ?

Incidentally came accross some Longchamp (almost) action for 1897. From the newspaper Le Petit Niçois of November 9 :
"Le match Fournier / Antony, à motocycles, qui devait se dérouler autour de Longchampn a été empêché par les gardes du bois."
Which I would translate as :
"The Fournier / Antony motorcycle match race, which was to take part around Longchamp, was cancelled after the local forest rangers forbid it."
It seems the infamous Monsieur Bochet of the 1898 Paris - Amsterdam - Paris race had predecessors

Another interesting Longchamps ( ) event for 1897, the... Grand Prix des Automobiles on April 26. Although presented as a race (course) it seems it was more like a demonstration run. But a nice one considering the participating chauffeurs. To name just the most famous ones : Zuylen, Dion, Chasseloup-Laubat, Archdeacon, Knyff, Mouter, Comiot, Charron, Landry, Meyan, Prévost. A chauffeuse was also among the starters : Madame Marcotte...
I am wrong in thinking this would be the first occasion that the horse racing Grand Prix term was associated to an automobile event ?


edit : source L'Eclaireur de Nice April 27, 1897

So, was this the first-ever circuit race in Europe?