2 replies to this topic

[Marcor]

I would like to ask a simple question: since when are the light's system used for the start procedure in GP (or Grande Epreuve) ?

In Belgium it was in 1937 but somewhere else ?

In the 1937 Belgian GP at Spa, the cars were supposed to start when the lights became green. One minute before the start the lights came on red, 20 seconds before the start it became yellow and the cars could go away when the start switched to green, at the same moment the starter also shot into the air with a gun.

In reality all but one jumped the start and went away to the Eau Rouge when the lights went from the red to the yellow, 20 seconds before the start ! Von Brauchitsch had some problems to start his engine and nearly stalled on the grid. He started last.

In 1935, two years before, the starting procedure still used the classic National flag. It was a little bit chaotic as Rudi Caracciola didn't wait the signal of the official, Mister Marcellis which had the flag. He just stared at Neubauer who was next to Mr Marcellis. 2 seconds before the signal of the official, Caracciola jumped the start. He had just obeyed to Neubauer !!!

[fines]

In the thirties, no matter which starting procedure was to be applied, a Grand Prix inevitably started when Chiron took off...

[Vitesse2]

The German GP used starting lights (red-amber-green with twenty-second delays) from 1935. In at least one year (1936) a maroon was also fired at the moment the green light came on. In 1938 the lights failed to work properly and the green light, due at twenty seconds after the amber, didn't come on. Neubauer was counting out the seconds for the Mercedes drivers and they knew that when he reached ten fingers, there was ten seconds to go and they should engage first gear - Lang got a great start by simply counting down from ten!