8 replies to this topic

[Anders1]

Hi everybody,

 

I run the website www.thefirstairraces.net, which chronicles the first airplane races. Quite a number of auto racers started flying around 1909-1910, for example (from the top of my head) Henry Fournier, Henri Rougier, Arthur Duray, Baron Pierre de Caters, "Edmond", Albert Guyot and René Thomas. Several times in references about those pilots I've come across statements that auto racing went through a difficult period during those years, with few races and factory teams closing. What was the background to this? Can you point me to some references? Most of these converts went back to auto racing again, so whatever the problem was it must have been sorted out?

 

Grateful for answers,

Anders

[Tim Murray]

In 1908 a large number of manufacturers had become disillusioned with Grand Prix racing, finding it too expensive and featuring cars with enormous engines which bore little resemblance to the cars which they were trying to sell to the public. The French were also smarting from their humiliation in the 1908 Grand Prix.

Thus 17 of the manufacturers – mainly French – entered into a Self-Denying Ordnance under which all the signatories undertook to give up Grand Prix racing, with anyone breaking the ordnance undertaking to pay a hefty fine.

The ACF had drawn up regulations for the 1909 Grand Prix and nominated a circuit, but as only Mors had entered when the entry list closed, the race was abandoned. This left the French manufacturers free to concentrate on voiturette racing, where they were dominant.

It took several years for the effects of the ordnance to dissipate. In 1912 the ACF revived the Grand Prix, but to obtain a decent field allowed voiturettes to enter as well. In the end 33 out of the 47 entries were voiturettes.

[robert dick]

Most of the old French manufacturers were reluctant to start in the 1909 Grand Prix de l’ACF - because of the Fiat victory in 1907, the Mercedes victory in 1908, and because of the crisis - manufacturers produced more cars than there were customers to buy them.
The 1909 Grand Prix was to be run on the Circuit de l’Anjou in July 1909 (maximum bore 130 mm/minimum weight 900 kg).
Motor Age/Chicago, December 1908:

Motor Age, January 1909:

[Anders1]

Thank you very much for the replies! I guess it would have been like Mercedes, Renault, Ferrari and Honda pulling out of F-1 at the same time...

 

Anders

[Vitesse2]

How it unfolded, as reported in The Times:

 

October 9th 1908:

 

October 20th:

December 1st:

December 19th:

December 29th:

January 13th 1909:

February 11th:

 

[robert dick]

1910 Grand Prix:
There were 34 "promesses d'engagement" (entry promises) for the 1910 Grand Prix including De Dion and Mors, but behind the scenes Panhard, Renault and Brasier still had so much influence within the ACF that the race was cancelled again - from La Vie Automobile/Paris, November 1909:

 

[Roger Clark]

The article from The Times 13/01/09 on Motor Engineering, posted by Vitesse2 is quite interesting.

The author describes a mistaken the belief that engine capacity should be used as the basis for racing formula and says that the use of such a formula in the 1907 Kaiserpreis and Coppa Florio led to "abnormally flat short stroke engines in the winning cars". Within six years and for most of the following 100, such a requirement became the dominant requirement.

He shows how stroke:bore ratios had approached unity in recent years and appears to be in favour of a limited bore formula. This requirement led to some of the most freakish-looking racing cars over the next three years with engines so tall that the drivers had to look round the side. When Grand Prix racing resumed in 1912, with no restrictions on engine design, the winning Peugeot had a stroke:bore ratio of 1.8. Stroke:bore ratios did not approach unity again until the late 1930s.

The table referred to in the article, but not posted by Vitesse2, gives an interesting comparison of the way engine dimensions and road speed had developed since the early days of motor racing.

[DCapps]

All this, of course, seems to relate to the racing in Europe while ignoring that occurring in the United States. During this period, despite some of the economic issues that caused ripples in the American automotive industry, the racing was actually quite robust, a direct contrast to what was happening on the other side of the Atlantic. Road racing which really began to blossom beginning with the 1908 season, was pretty strong during this period, as well.

[PJGD]

Mervyn O'Gorman, an Irishman and an engineer, also the author of that Motor Engineering article above, was Superintendent of the Royal Aircraft Factory (later RAE) at Farnborough during the first world war, with the title of Colonel.  He hired Sam Heron into the R.A.F as a draughtsman in June 1915.  It was here that Heron learned so much about air cooled cylinders that served him well when he moved to the USA in 1920.

 

PJGD