1939 GP de Picardie

The 1939 GP de Picardie is a fairly obscure event. Equally obscure is the result of the qualifying heat. According to Sheldon, Georges Grignard was a DNA with an Amilcar C6. Venables says he finished fourth, behind Trémoulet in a Salmson GS. Venables, on the other hand, says Trémoulet was in another Amilcar! Neither of them drove in another Voiturette race that year, although Grignard had run an Amilcar at La Baule in 1938. Just to add a little more confusion, Sheldon says Joseph Paul was in an Amilcar too.

Would anyone have a definitive answer to this?

The entry list published in contemporary French and Belgian press included Sommer, Trémoulet, Hug, de Graffenried (who lent his car to Sommer and was NA), Dipper, Joa, Trintignant, Decaroli, Herkuylens, Delorme, de Burnay (Portuguese according Le Figaro), Guérin, Roumani, Horvilleur, Grignard and Wakefield.

As Venables wrote in The Racing 1500, because of so many NA, instead of 2 qualifying heats and 1 final, all the starters were to run in a 10 lap heat and the survivors would take part in a 15 lap final.

Rain was one of the reason of some abstentions.

qualifying heat were
1- Wakefield (Maserati)
2- Hug (Maserati 4CM)
3- Trémoulet (Salmson)
4- Grignard (Amilcar C6)
5- Herkuylens (MG)
6- Horvilleur (Maserati 6CM)
7- Roumani (Bugatti)
8- Decaroli
9- Sommer (Maserati 6CM)

DNF- Delorme (Bugatti T51)

Final
1- Wakefield (Maserati 4CL)
2- Sommer (Maserati 6CM)
3- Horvilleur (Maserati 6CM)
4- Roumani (Bugatti)
5- Trémoulet (Salmson)
6- Herkuylens (MG)

DNF- Hug (Maserati 4CM)
...

According Le Figaro Paul was disqualified in final, being pushed in the start. Surprising as he was not in the results of the heat. He maybe had replaced Grignard ? So yes there is one confusion.

About Trémoulet my note said he was driving a Salmson, not an Amilcar. In the Coupe de Paris (May 7th), he was supposed to drive also a Salmson (he didn't appear in the results, but in the entry list with the #38).

The GP de Picardie was part of The french driver championship including le GP de Pau, La Course de côte La Turbie, La Coupe de Paris (Monthléry), Le Bol d'Or, Le GP de Picardie, Les 24 Heures du Mans, Le GP d'Angoulême, Le GP de l'ACF (Reims), La Coupe de la Commission sportive (Reims), Le GP d'Albi and le GP du Comminges.

AUTOMOBIL-REVUE, No. 49 on June 16, 1939

The Grand Prix de Picardie for 1.5-liter racing cars was held June 6, 1939. De Burnay, De Guérin, Trintignant, Joa and Dipper had withdrawn their entries. De Graffenried gave his Maserati to Sommer, who in turn had waited in vain for a promised Alfa Romeo and Maserati. Because these six drivers were absent, the organizers dropped one of the two heat races.

The heat race went over 10 laps of the 9.765 km circuit
At the time when the start took place for the sole heat race, the rain came down in buckets on the ten cars taking off:
Delorme (Bugatti)
Roumani (Bugatti)
Herkuleyns (MG)
Paul (Amilcar)
Trémoulet (Salmson)
Hug (Maserati)
Sommer (Maserati)
Wakefield (Maserati)
Horvilleur (Maserati)
De Caroli[sic] (Maserati)

Delorme left the track already on the first lap when he drove into the bushes, not to be seen any more. Wakefield in a new 6-cylinder Maserati stayed in first place without problems with Hug in second place.
1 – Wakefield (Maserati) 44m35.4s =130.195 km/h
2 – Hug (Maserati) 44m59s
3 – Trémoulet (Salmson)
4 – Paul (Amilcar)
5 – Herkuleyns (MG)
9 – Sommer (Maserati) seven laps behind.

Finale: 15 laps = 145.475 km[sic]
Wakefield
Hug
Sommer
Horvilleur
Trémoulet
Roumani
Herkuleyns

Already in the first lap, Wakefield had an advantage of 18 seconds to Hug and 21 to Sommer. This gap increased from lap to lap. On lap four Hug went out with mechanical problem and Wakefield had an easy time.
1 – Wakefield (Maserati) 1h06m33s =132.058 km/h
2 – Sommer (Maserati) 2 laps behind
3 – Horvilleur (Maserati) 2 laps behind
4 – Roumani (Bugatti) 2 laps behind
5 – Trémoulet (Salmson) 2 laps behind
6 – Herkuleyns (MG) 3 laps behind

Just came across a Reuters report of this event in The Times of June 13th 1939. There are some discrepancies from what Marc and Hans found, mainly to do with the qualifying heat.

It seems to confirm that the second heat was cancelled due to the rain: perhaps it had delayed proceedings so much that the two were amalgamated?

The finishing time for Wakefield in the heat is given as 47'35.2" at a speed of 130.195km/h. However, they quote a track length of 9km, rather than the 9.76km I have it as: this is somewhat at odds with a quoted race length in the final of 150km and 15 laps!

Horvilleurs [sic] was said to be driving a Riley, rather than a Maserati. Any thoughts on that? Seems unlikely, but you never know ....

Just came across a Reuters report of this event in The Times of June 13th 1939

I'm speechless!

Auto Italiana 20/6/1939 pp.43/44. Summary

Seven qualified in ONE qualifying heat. Same starters as Hans. Wakefield in a 4CL of course. Paul in Grignard's Amilcar (see 1945 Bois de Boulogne). Delorme crashed.

Between heat and final a ladies race won by Mme Simon.

Final 145 km. First 6 qualified plus Sommer, fastest lap. Paul gave place to Roumani. Seven starters. Winner's time 1h6m33s, 132.058 kph. Sommer -2 laps Horvilleurs -3 laps

If the race length was 145 km the average is wrong, being corrected at 130,729.
If the race length was 145,475 km the AR average is wrong as well, being corrected at 131.157.
if time and average were correct then the length of the final would be 146.475, which I believe is the right one.

From l'Auto, only one qualifying heat because of the numerous defections: de Burnay, Guérin and Trintignant on Bugattis, Joa and Dipper Maseratis. Sommer, at first entered with an Alfa-Romeo and then a Maserati, finally started with the 6CM of de Graffenried.
One lap= 9,765 km, so the qualifying heat on ten laps: 97,650 km, and the final on laps: 146,475 km and not 145,475 as writen in l'Auto.
The race for ladies was run with Renault Juvaquatres. 10 women started for 7 laps (68,355 km).
1. Mme Simon 2. Mlle Hellé-Nice 3. Mlle Seligmann 4. Mme Marinovitch 5. Mme Forestier 6. Mme Brunot 7. Mme Mazaud 8. Mme Roger 9. Mme Morey. DNF: Mlle Lamberjack.

Thank you gentlemen

Nobody thinks the Riley's likely then?;) Interesting that Auto Italiana apparently has him as Horvilleurs as well, but I'm pretty sure that's a typo. They're also on their own in putting him three laps down.

I'm going to have to sit down and look at this one again, I think.

Originally posted by Barry Boor


I'm speechless!

Well, not exactly the paper: thanks to a long-unused Bristol Libraries card I now have access to the Times Online archive and this was just a little postscript to a Donington Park race report I was reading.. An amazing resource

Bedfordshire Libraries accept online membership which gives access to the Times Archives ... I signed up a couple of weeks ago.

http://www.galaxy.be...cgi-bin/vlib.sh

Originally posted by Vitesse2
Thank you gentlemen

Nobody thinks the Riley's likely then?;) Interesting that Auto Italiana apparently has him as Horvilleurs as well, but I'm pretty sure that's a typo. They're also on their own in putting him three laps down.

I'm going to have to sit down and look at this one again, I think.

Richard, from l'Auto 06/06/1939, the following list:
Sommer AlfaRomeo Alfetta
Trémoulet Salmson
Hug Maserati
de Graffenried Maserati
Joa Maserati
Dipper Maserati
Trintignant Bugatti
Delorme Bugatti
Decaroli Bugatti
Guérin Bugatti
Roumani Bugatti
Herkuleyns MG
de Burnay Riley
Horvilleur Riley
Grignard Amilcar

The Rileys didn't appear and the starters (L'Auto 12/06/1939) were:
Delorme Bugatti
Roumani Bugatti
Herkuleyns MG
Paul Amilcar
Trémoulet Salmson
Decaroli Maserati
Hug Maserati
Sommer Maserati
Horvilleur Maserati
Wakefield Maserati

Classification of the qualifying heat:
1. Wakefield 10 laps in 44.35 2/5 130,195 km/h
2. Hug 10 laps in 44.59.2/5
3. Trémoulet 8 laps
4. Paul 8 laps
5. Herkuleyns 7 laps
6. Horvilleur 7 laps
7. Roumani 7 laps
8. Decaroli 3 laps
9. Sommer 3 laps

Delorme left the road in the opening lap.

Final: seven cars started: Wakefield, Hug, Sommer, Horvilleur (all on Maseratis), Trémoulet (Salmson), Roumani (Bugatti), Herkuleyns(MG).

Classification of the final:
1. Wakefield 15 laps 1.06.33 132, 058 km/h
2. Sommer 13 laps 1.07.27
3. Horvilleur 13 laps 1.09.30
4. Roumani 13 laps 1.10.30
5. Trémoulet 13 laps 1.10.30 (?)
6. Herkuleyns 12 laps 1.10.18

Hug retired on lap 4 (engine-piston)