16 replies to this topic

[dbw]

does anyone know the car numbers assigned to j.von morgan,e.burgaller,h. leinigen in this race? thanks...dbw.

[David McKinney]

According to the relevant Sheldon "black book",
Burggaller was 26
von Morgen 28
zu Leiningen (also driven in the race by von Morgen) 30

[IMV]

Originally posted by David McKinney
According to the relevant Sheldon "black book",
Burggaller was 26
von Morgen 28
zu Leiningen (also driven in the race by von Morgen) 30

Correct, von Morgen started on 2,3 l Bugatti 35B with #28 and finished (and won) on 2 l Bugatti 35C with #30, which was started by Leiningen.
Source : book Grand Prix Brno - Ing.Zdenek Cizek

[Hans Etzrodt]

Out of my old files, one of my first stories:

Masaryk Circuit
A fiery von Morgen defeated the works Alfa Romeo P2's at their last appearance.

September 28, 1930 The inaugural event at the brand new Masaryk-Ring was a great success. This international event, Czechoslovakia's first big circuit race, was very exciting and did not lack any dramatic moments. Caracciola's Mercedes-Benz took an early lead. Von Morgen's Bugatti pursued relentlessly. Then Caracciola's engine went sour. Doré flipped his Bugatti in a serious crash. When difficulties arose in his Bugatti, Morgen had Leiningen stopped at the pits to exchange cars. As a result, Morgen lost a full lap. Leiningen, in Morgen's car, would keep the lead for a long time. After Nuvolari's Alfa Romeo broke down, he took over his teammate's car later in the race. He was able to gain the lead after Leiningen had to give up, driving Morgen's ruined Bugatti. In a heroic drive von Morgen outfoxed everyone and finished first in Leiningen's car. Just five miles from the finish, Nuvolari's Alfa Romeo ran out of cooling water. The Italian finally crossed the finish line with a steaming radiator, 32 minutes after von Morgen. It was the swan song for the Alfa Romeo P2 after seven successful years.

The reason for establishing this circuit was to follow the trend of the times. It was impossible to foresee if the once so popular short hill climbs would survive. The drivers had higher ambitions and the spectators were losing interest and demanded more. The brief visibility of the cars in hill climbs was not satisfactory any more. Natural development led in the direction of a closed road circuit. This new event replaced the traditional Brno-Sobesice hill climb, held for the last time in 1929. The intent was to be on the same level with other famous races - Le Mans, Spa, San Sebastian or Nürburgring. Czechoslovakia would have it's own Grand Prix like France, Italy, Belgium, Spain, or Germany.

The inaugural race on the Masarykuv okruh (Masaryk Circuit) was successfully organized by the CAMS or Ceskoslovensky Automobilovy Klub pro Moravu a Slezsko (Czechoslovakian Automobile Club for Moravia and Silesia) with offices in the large town of Brno. The circuit, first called Brno-Ring, was then named after Czechoslovakia's commendable first Minister-President, Thomas Garrigue Masaryk. Because the challenge trophy carried Masaryk's name, the event gained significance of the highest order. The Brno race was the greatest motor sport event the Czechoslovakian Republic had ever seen.

The circuit was just outside the borders of Brno and went counterclockwise. The first 18 km up to the village of Ostrovacice were formed primarily of winding, hilly, rather narrow district roads, leading through romantic forested areas and four other villages. From there the circuit turned back and the last 11 km were almost all wide, straight state roads, which allowed driving at top speed. In January the official length had been 29.212 km. Afterwards the circuit must have been measured again because with the CAMS announcement in June it was changed to the generally known 29.142 km road circuit. The preparation of these roads had taken more than a year and had cost millions of Koruny. The old dusty thoroughfares in Novy Liskovec, Pisarky outside Brno, Kohoutovice, and Zebetin were paved. These district roads received the biggest changes. They were widened to almost 20 feet and to 28 feet in the dangerous corners. The circuit, with 36 left-hand corners and 47 to the right, was in excellent, dust free condition with a maximum incline of 7% and a maximum decline of 9.5%. Special grand stands were built, from which the drivers could be seen up to 7 km away. In June, when the circuit was still under construction, the experts estimated that the large cars should be able to attain an average of 100 km/h. The circuit had to be lapped 17 times, bringing the total length of the race to 494.414 km.

The overall winner was to receive 80,000 Koruny, the second 40,000, and the third 20,000 Koruny. Additionally, for the first three in each group, there were prizes of 15,000, 10,000, 5,000 K. Besides these high monetary awards a great number of special prizes were donated. One was the Junek Memorial Prize for the best seventh lap, another the CAMS prize for the best time of the cars up to 1100cc.

Entry: In June the organizers announced that the official race numbers would be determined in the order of entries received. The race classes were in accordance with AIACR regulations: Group I up to 1500cc and group II over 1500cc. The final entry consisted of 19 large and 21 small cars. It was hoped that all would show up for the race. Besides the names on the list of results, three other names were mentioned. Lukas Oto driving a "Z", the Berliner Hans Simons on a DKW, and Prince Ferdinand Andreas von und zu Liechtenstein on a Bugatti. None of these drivers started in the race.

Local hero, Dr. Ottokar Bittmann, was the famous gynecologist, living close to the circuit in Brno. He had acquired his Bugatti T35C after Junek's accident. Following this event, Bittmann was to retire from racing. The good-looking Karel Tunal Divisek, owner of a driving school in Brno, was particularly popular with the ladies. He was a member of the "Z" team, from a nearby large armaments factory. Divisek was entrusted with one of their 1096cc four-cylinder supercharged two-stroke racing cars. It was also planned to race their latest design, another two-stroke but with a 1492cc eight-cylinder engine. Actually, it was a double piston four-cylinder with advancing suction piston, similar to the Zoller principle. This car, however, got so badly crushed on the last day of training, that it had to be withdrawn. That left only the four-cylinder for Divisek, but on the day of the race it was Ernst Prochazka at the start with Diversek as reserve driver. From Prague came "Hyta" who, in reality, was the wealthy Prince Georg Christian Lobkovicz and Milos Bondy, both in Bugattis. The excellent technician Jindrich Knapp, also from Prague, arrived with a 3.3-liter six-cylinder Walter. The Walter factory in Prague manufactured motorcycles, automobiles, and aero-engines. They had their own racing team. From the three cars entered, only Knapp's showed up at the start. The Masaryk race also ended Josef Vermirovsky's long career as top driver for Tatra. His Tatra Type 52 was a new design, with a previously seen central tubular frame and a new air-cooled 2-liter opposed four-cylinder engine. The car looked similar to the successful two-cylinder racing cars, but it was so slow that it had absolutely no chance against the Bugattis or Alfa's. Of the six Wikov cars entered in the small class, four made the start. They were very heavy cars with a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine driven by the factory drivers Adolf Szcyzycki and Jaroslav Konecnik. Other drivers were Gustav Kreml and the engineer Jiri Weinfurter. Also a group of three Belgian Impéria cars was entered. The engineer Jiri Tacheci was the local representative for this company, driving a factory racing car with a 2-liter six-cylinder slide-valve engine. Another local was privateer Jan Kubicek with the Ex-Junek/Ex-Horak Bugatti T35B he had acquired in 1929.

The German, Rudolf Caracciola with his fast Mercedes-Benz SSK had a good chance to win and was one of the favorites. The weekend before, Caracciola had won the sports car class in the Swab hill climb in Hungary, then changed the car over to race car trim for this race. The newly formed German Bugatti Team showed up complete, with Heinrich-Joachim von Morgen, Prinz Hermann zu Leiningen and Ernst-Günther Burggaller. Another German, the 40-year old engineer Kurt Volkhart, was to race his white 1.5-liter Bugatti T37A for the last time. He was well known since demonstrating a rocket car at the Nürburgring in 1929. The Masaryk race would conclude his short racing career. The DKW engineer Gerhard Macher from Berlin showed up with the sensitive 1000cc DKW two-stroke racing car. Another engineer, Bernhard Kandt, known through his success at the Alpine Trial, concluded the German delegation. He was leading a team of four tiny 743cc BMW Wartburgs. The race closed 45 minutes after the arrival of the victor, but for these tiny cars this time limit had been extended by 60 minutes.

There were three Austrians drivers. The young Count (Miki) Max Hardegg raced his yellow 1.5-liter Bugatti. Count Engelbert Arco-Zinneberg drove his supercharged Amilcar while his famous older brother Max took care of his pit business. Oskar Frankl from Vienna was the older brother of the better-known Emil. He drove one of the tiny BMW's.

Frenchmen Willy Longueville and Michel Doré, both drove 1.5-liter Bugattis. Champion Doré was now at the top of his career. With his Bugatti T37A he had been fifth in Monaco and third in the Marne Grand Prix. Both times he had pushed his 1.5-liter between the big cars.

Last but not least were the Italians with their modified red Alfa Romeo P2's. Tazio Nuvolari was very well known and just his presence was assurance that the race would remain honest. His teammate, Baconin Borzacchini, was not so fast but better placement in the Coppa Ciano and Coppa Acerbo had made him the more successful driver. He had raced the P2 Alfa for the first time three weeks before at Monza.

The race: Sunday, September 28 was cool and dry. About 80,000 spectators surrounded the long circuit. Loudspeakers were in place to keep the crowd continuously informed about the changing situation of the race. A single exchange of drivers during the race was allowed under supervision of a sport commissioner. In the small class Divisek was the reserve driver for Prochazka driving the "Z" two-stroke car. Zu Leiningen and von Morgen had agreed to be each other's reserve driver. Additionally Leiningen signed up as reserve for Burggaller. At the last moment Nuvolari and Borzacchini also signed up as well to be each other's reserve driver. The cars assembled on the grid in order of the official race numbers.
2……………………………4
"Hyta"…………………….Bondy
(Bugatti)………………….(Bugatti)
……………...6
……………...Bittmann
……………..(Bugatti)
8…………………………...10
Kubicek…………………..Caracciola
(Bugatti)…………..……..(Mercedes-Benz)
…………….12
…………….Knapp
…………….(Walter)
22………………………….18
Tacheci……………………Vermirovsky
(Impéria)………………….(Tatra)
…………….26
…………….Burggaller
…………….(Bugatti)
28………………………….30
v.Morgen…………………z.Leiningen
(Bugatti)………………….(Bugatti)
…………….32
…………….Nuvolari
…………….(Alfa Romeo)
34………………………..…36
Borzacchini………………..Longueville
(Alfa Romeo)……………...(Bugatti)

The grand stand was filled to capacity. The wooden pits located opposite displayed huge score boards above. Caracciola and Nuvolari were the favorites. At exactly 10 o'clock the group two cars were sent away. In all the racket, Caracciola stormed immediately into the lead of the 14 car field. After three minutes the flag went down a second time for the 16 drivers of the small cars.

The loudspeaker announced 12 minutes after the start that Caracciola, Nuvolari, and von Morgen had passed Ostrovacice almost simultaneously. The cars were now on the fast return leg of the circuit. Finally after 15m27.2s Caracciola blasted past the pits. Another 14.2 seconds later von Morgen came past with Nuvolari 14 seconds behind. There was a big gap of 47 seconds to Borzacchini and a similar gap to Burggaller, trailed by Leiningen, "Hyta", Longueville, Bondy, Bittmann, Knapp, Vermirovsky, Kubicek, and Tacheci. Just 25.3 seconds after Tacheci's Impéria, Doré, leader of the small group, turned up with a lap of 17m39.7s. That was fast enough to put him in front of sixth placed Leiningen's Bugatti, had they started at the same time.

After the second lap the leading trio remained the same. Caracciola's white Mercedes-Benz SSK first, 13.8 seconds later Morgen's white Bugatti, and then Nuvolari's red Alfa Romeo pursuing only 9.2 seconds behind with a fastest lap in 15m09.3s. There was an unbelievable long pause of over three minutes to the rest of the field, lead by Burggaller, then Leiningen, "Hyta", and finally Borzacchini, who had fallen back. He was the first one to stop at the depot. Bondy, Longueville, Bittmann, Knapp, and Doré in the little 1500cc Bugatti from the group two cars chased past, while the Alfa Romeo received new spark plugs and eventually joined in eleventh place. Tacheci, Kubicek, and Vermirovsky followed going into the third lap. The latter had to park his slow Tatra shortly afterwards with a broken gearbox.

After three laps the leaders were very close together. Von Morgen, having established a new lap record of 15m01.1s, had caught up and was only 1.1 seconds behind the Mercedes when they passed the grand stand. Nuvolari put up his fastest lap of 15m03.1s and was trailing by only 10.4 seconds. After a 5m05s interval Burggaller arrived to lead the rest of the field, which started to crumble up. Dr. Bittmann brought his Bugatti into the pits to change spark plugs. He lost so much time that he fell back to last place. Hausleutner stopped his tiny BMW at the depot with carburation problems and buzzed off after a short stop. Morgen's handy Bugatti had a problem getting around the heavy, unwieldy Mercedes-Benz.

Michel Doré had led the small class in superior style until he crashed on lap four and was seriously injured. In the village of Kohoutovice, just over three miles after the start, his car had swerved in a corner, flipped over, and smashed against one of the many trees. The unconscious young Frenchman had to be rescued from the wreck and was transported to the Brno hospital. (He was to remain there with a broken pelvis and serious internal injuries in life threatening condition. But later he recuperated and was eventually released from the hospital in November. This accident practically ended Doré's driving career.) Count Hardegg then took over the lead in the group two and displayed an even drive till the end. Longueville's Bugatti crashed in the same lap, when his car did not make it through the very fast left hand bend near km 24. The Frenchman escaped however without injuries.

At the end of lap four there was still no change in the lead. For quite a while Morgen had tried to pass Caracciola who used the whole width of the road to make it around the corners. Both Germans were chased by Nuvolari, with Burggaller and Leiningen trailing.

Lap five brought big changes. Von Morgen finally passed the inflexible Caracciola. Because of a hot-running engine, Caracciola had to let Morgen take the lead in his Bugatti. At the completion of five laps, Morgen lead Caracciola by 10.4 seconds. Nuvolari arrived 1m44s later with his Alfa in trouble. Car and driver were covered with oil from top to bottom. The P2 was eliminated with a cracked crankcase and clutch problems. To the great disappointment of the spectators, Nuvolari was forced to give up and the troubled champion retreated. Then Burggaller came past the pits over eight minutes behind the leader. He was followed by Leiningen and Borzacchini who had been stuck in ninth place between a group of cars but had worked himself up to sixth. Next came Bondy, Knapp, Tacheci, Kubicek, and Bittmann. "Hyta" had fallen to last place because a magneto problem kept him stranded for several laps. Burggaller had a lengthy pit stop, which benefited Leiningen and Borzacchini. Von Morgen was steadily pulling away from Caracciola.

After six laps the order was von Morgen, Caracciola, zu Leiningen, Borzacchini, Burggaller, Bondy, Knapp, Tacheci, Kubicek, Bittmann, and "Hyta". No changes took place during the seventh lap.

At the end of lap seven, Morgen lost five minutes when he stopped at his depot for new wheels and gasoline. He told his crew that his engine didn't work properly anymore. Caracciola gained first place while Morgen was still busy in the pits. The Mercedes would definitely have to stop for tires the next time but Caracciola did not get that far. His car swerved suddenly in one of the many corners and he caught the heavy SSK just in time. Caracciola had used the mountain gear ratio (the week before he won the Swab hill climb sports car class in Hungary) and therefore over-revved the engine on the long straight. He ended up with bearing defect causing the engine to finally expire.

After eight laps Morgen was leading Borzacchini by eight minutes, then came Leiningen, Burggaller, Bondy, Knapp, Tacheci, Kubicek, Bittmann, and "Hyta". The leader pulled up briefly at the depot, so did Borzacchini. Most others stopped now at the middle of the race. In the Alfa Romeo pit there was excitement and shouting. White steam from the car was evidence that the Alfa Romeo was running hot.

At the completion of the ninth lap, Morgen was leading Leiningen by over two minutes followed by Borzacchini, now only four minutes behind the leader. In fourth place came the steady Burggaller with almost a five-minute gap to Bondy. Knapp, Tacheci, Kubicek, and Bittmann were almost half an hour behind Morgen. "Hyta" was several laps behind with no chance to be counted. Besides these large cars there were still 13 of the small group running. Morgen stopped again at his depot. No work was done to the car, instead a short exchange of words and he rejoined the race. His lap time of over 20 minutes was very much slower than usual. Then two minutes later Leiningen pulled up with his Bugatti for new wheels and fuel. The car was ready to go but Leiningen rested on the pit counter. Borzacchini made another stop for water and joined the race in second place since Leiningen still did not get into his car. Borzacchini then had to make a stop on the circuit. Leiningen was still not moving and spectators thought he had given up.

At the end of lap ten Morgen was back with a good lap time. He jumped out of his car straight into Leiningen's waiting Bugatti and sped away. Morgen had left the leading car for his friend, Prince zu Leiningen, who chased right after him. The prince had only seven laps to do in Morgen's Bugatti whilst Morgen in Leiningen's car had to cover eight laps. Von Morgen knew that the murderous pace had left its mark on his Bugatti. He must have realized that his visibly worn-out car would not make it to the end. Therefore, he had switched. In spite of a one-lap handicap against a overheating Alfa Romeo, he figured he had a chance to win. A fierce fight for the lead had started. It was to last till the end of the race. The entire field of cars showed signs of heavy wear. Bittmann's Bugatti, already one lap behind, had been in for a messy fuel stop at his depot. He started to hasten away when the car began to backfire from under the hood. After a few yards, the Bugatti came to a stop still backfiring. A flame jumped from the carburetor to the fuel soaked tail and the car was on fire. Bittmann jumped out of the burning car and after a moment of absolute inactivity fire extinguishers were brought into action, one after the other. After the smoke clouds had drifted away, it then became evident that the fire department had done such an efficient job that the car was rendered useless. This led to Dr. Bittmann's retirement.

With the completion of 11 laps, Leiningen drove past the pits with a lap time of 19m08.7s. Next came second placed Borzacchini, who stopped at the depot. Nuvolari wanting to drive again, approached and asked Borzacchini, who could not deny his friend to have his car. The fresh and rested Nuvolari rushed away in Borzacchini's Alfa Romeo to attack the ailing Bugatti, now six minutes ahead of him. The smooth driving Burggaller was over three minutes behind Nuvolari. Morgen in fourth place was more than eight minutes behind the Italian Champion. Morgen's lap time of 16m44.0s was fastest of all and he had made up over one minute on the Alfa. With only six laps to go, was there a possibility for Morgen to catch the Alfa Romeo? These four leading drivers were followed by the first Czechoslovakian car, which was Knapp's Walter. Next came Tacheci, Kubicek, and Bondy, already lapped by the leader. "Hyta" in a hopeless position for any prize was last. On lap 12 it seemed that Morgen was catching up, and Leiningen was still driving at a good speed.

After 12 laps there were no changes with the exception of Knapp, retiring his 3.3-liter Walter. This heavy car had been the fastest Czechoslovakian machine. When in fifth place he had to stop with a broken oil line.

As the cars completed lap 13, it was Leiningen over five minutes ahead of the fast Nuvolari, who caught up a bit by doing a lap in 15m38.5s. In third place was Burggaller just over four minutes behind the Italian. By replacing his brake shoes, Morgen had lost valuable time and had fallen almost ten minutes back of Nuvolari. Behind this group trailed Tacheci's Impéria and Kubicek's Bugatti already lapped once, Bondy's Bugatti lapped twice, and "Hyta" way back.

After lap 14, Nuvolari was able to maintain his speed and had to stop again for water. Morgen made up another minute. With three laps remaining there was now little chance for Morgen to catch the Alfa Romeo, still over eight minutes ahead of him.

At the end of lap 15, Leiningen was still out front just over five minutes ahead of Nuvolari's Alfa. The leader wanted to give up but his team in the pits convinced him to carry on. Nuvolari made a short stop as well to top up water for his ailing Alfa Romeo. Between the Italian and the third car of Burggaller was a gap of more than three minutes. With time gained by the Alfa's pit stop and another murderous lap of 15m10.6s, von Morgen was now only 4m44.1s behind Nuvolari. On lap 16, Tacheci, already one lap behind the leader, retired his normally reliable Impéria with a defective cooling fan. Thus Kubicek and Bondy gained fifth and sixth place, respectively, with "Hyta" still at the end. Leiningen had to give up when the exhausted Bugatti broke down. Morgen's foreboding six laps prior had then really proved true. With that, the Alfa Romeo, still followed by Burggaller's Bugatti, inherited the lead. Then Morgen, driving at the fastest possible pace, caught up with Burgaller and passed him to take second place.

After 16 laps the Italian champion led von Morgen by now only 4m11.3s. The screaming crowd in the grand stand was carried away in excitement when they saw Nuvolari in the lead. Since the Alfa's radiator was boiling, the Italian drove with an open hood. Nuvolari must have not yet felt assured of victory because he did not take the time to top up his water. The Alfa's lap time of 15m45.5s was not so fast as the Bugatti's of 15m12.7s, but it was obvious that von Morgen could not make up the Alfa's 4m11.3s advantage in one lap. It looked as if an Italian victory was certain. After these two opponents the smooth driving Burggaller was already almost one minute behind von Morgen and at the end trailed the lapped Bugattis of Kubicek, Bondy, and "Hyta."

The last lap was truly dramatic. Near km 12, past the village of Zebetin, Nuvolari had a problem driving up the hill and got stuck. Here, he received assistance to move the Alfa. Nuvolari must have been aware that Morgen's white Bugatti was relentlessly closing in. Both of them drove at the fastest pace possible. After a while an announcement came through the loudspeakers that the Alfa had just passed km 18 at Ostrovacice. Now there were only 11 km of straight road left to the finish. Tension was building up. Could Nuvolari keep the fast approaching Morgen at bay? Then came again an announcement that the overheated Alfa Romeo had broken down once more. Now it was out of cooling water and had a broken water pump. It was at km 20 near the tiny place of Vodojam, only nine km from the finish. The news caused great commotion in the grand stand, where the triumphal finish of the Italian car was already expected. Nuvolari must have been desperate. People were running for water to cool the steaming Alfa and apparently a cylinder cracked during the hurried refill. One by one three Bugattis passed the forlorn Nuvolari as he was limping to the finish.

Masaryk Circuit, Brno: 17 laps x 18.109mi (29.142 km) = 307.850 mi (495.414 km)
Pos… No………Driver……...Car……Engine………Laps……Time / Status
1….. – 30………Leiningen/Morgen (Bugatti T35B)…17 laps…4h54m13.60s
2….. – 26………E. Burggaller (Bugatti T35B)………...17 laps…4h57m09.80s
*….. – 62………M. Hardegg (Bugatti T37A)…………17 laps…5h07m42.80s
3….. – 34………Borzacchini/Nuvolari (Alfa Rom P2)..17 laps…5h26m13.90s
4….. – 8………..J. Kubicek (Bugatti T35B)…………....17 laps…5h33m31.90s
*….. – 66………G. Macher (DKW 1.0 S-4)……………17 laps…5h34m20.40s
5….. – 4……..…M. Bondy (Bugatti T35)………….…17 laps…5h38m57.30s
DNC – 52………Procchazka/Divisek ("Z"1.1 S-4)……17 laps…6h01m36.30s
DNC – 44………J. Konecnik (Wikov 7 28) …………..17 laps…6h01m36.30s
*….. – 68………A. Kandt (BMW Wartburg)………...17 laps…6h04m29.20s
DNC – 54………G. Kreml (Wikov (7 28, 1.5 S-4)……...17 laps…6h08m00.40s
DNC – 60………H. Ostermuth (Amilcar 1.1 S-6)…..….16 laps…flagged off
DNC – 40………J. Weinfurter (Wikov 7 28, 1.5 S-4)…16 laps…flagged off
DNF – 80………O. Frankl (BMW Wartburg, .74 S-4)..16? laps..crash, drove in ditch
DNF – 28………Morgen/Leiningen (Bugatti T35B)…15 laps…mechanical
DNC – 2………"Hyta" (Bugatti T35C)………………..14 laps…flagged off
DNF – 22………G. Tacheci (Impéria 2.0 S-6)…………14 laps…cooling fan
DNF – 74………K. Volkhart (Bugatti T37A)…………14 laps…engine defect
DNF – 70………E. Hausleutner (BMW Wartburg )…13? laps..
DNF – 12………J. Knapp (Walter 6 Super 3.3 S-6)…..12 laps…broken oil line
DNF – 46………A. Szcyzycki (Wikov 7 28 1.5 S-4)….11 laps…
DNF – 6………..O. Bittmann (Bugatti T35C)…………..9 laps…fire at pit stop
DNF – 64………E. Arco-Zinneberg (Amilcar 1.1 S-6)...9 laps…engine
DNF – 10………R. Caracciola (Mercedes-Benz SSK)...7 laps…engine bearings
DNF – 32………T. Nuvolari (Alfa Romeo P2)…………5 laps…oil leak - crank case
DNF – 36………W. Longueville (Bugatti T37A)……...3 laps…crash
DNF – 58………M. Doré (Bugatti T37A)……………....3 laps…crash
DNF – 50………J. Horak (Amilcar 1.1 S-6)……………<3 laps…
DNF – 72………K. Mach (BMW (Wartburg)…….….<3 laps…
DNF – 18………J. Vermirowsky (Tatra 52 2.0 F-4)…….2 laps…gearbox
DNS – 14………? (Walter 6 3.3 S-6)
DNS – 16………M. Rouleau (Walter 6 3.3 S-6)
DNS – 20………A. Prokes (Impéria 2.0 S-6)
DNS – 24………? (Impéria 2.0 S-6)
DNS – 38? ……A. Broschek (Bugatti T35 2.0 S-8)
DNS – 42………Kohoutovicich (Wikov 7 28 1.5 S-4)
DNS – 48………Pisakarch (Wikov 7 28 1.5 S-4)
DNS – 56………F. Schmidt (Amilcar 1.1 S-6)
DNS – 76? ……A. Sommer (BMW Wartburg .75 S-4)
DNS – 78………T. K. Divisek ("Z" Z 13 1.5 S-8)
Winner's average speed: Leiningen/Morgen (Bugatti) 4h54m13.60s = 62.778 mph (101.027 km/h)
Fastest lap: Heinrich-Joachim von Morgen (Bugatti) 15m01.90s = 72.283 mph (116.322 km/h)
Fastest lap for cars up to 1500cc: Michel Doré (Bugatti) 16m46.20s = 63.706 mph (102.520 km/h)
Weather: overcast, cool and dry.
* = Group I cars up to 1500cc

Finish: Von Morgen crossed the finish line in first place, after almost five hours of racing. He had done the last lap in 15m16.9s, a truly magnificent drive with a race average of 62.778 mph. Leiningen, with reserve driver von Morgen, won the challenge trophy of the president of the Czechoslovakian Republic. The Junek Memorial Prize for the best seventh lap went to von Morgen with a lap time of 15m23.5s. The German flag was hoisted and homage was paid to the victor before he sank exhausted into a deck-chair. In second place, with a gap of 2m56.2s, was the other white Bugatti of Burggaller. He had driven the last lap in 17m17.9s at the same steady pace he had done all other laps. It seemed that he had not the slightest inkling how close to victory he had been. With 145,000 K, the German Bugatti Team took the largest chunk of the prize money. The Austrian flag went up the post for the victor in group one, Count Max Hardegg, who received 25,000 K. In his yellow 1.5-liter Bugatti he was also third fastest overall. Then at last, Nuvolari showed up with Borzacchini's damaged Alfa Romeo with white clouds of steam emitting from its radiator. The car was 32 minutes behind von Morgen in fourth place. Two certain rule viotions did not turn into protests and the Alfa Romeo was classified third in group two, with 5,000 K in prize money. This had been the last appearance and the demise of the Alfa Romeo P2. Kubicek in his Bugatti, fastest of the Czechoslovakian drivers, was the fifth car across the line. Sixth overall and second car in the small class was Macher with his 1000cc DKW. He collected 10,000 K and in addition gained the special prize of honor, for the best car with a two-stroke engine. He also received the honor prize of the CAMS for the best qualified car up to 1100cc. Bondy's Bugatti came seventh overall, just within 16.3 seconds of the allowable time limit.

The race closed 45 minutes after the arrival of the victor. For the 750cc cars this time limit had generously been extended by 60 minutes. Unfortunately it was neglected to have such a justifiable extension established for the 1100cc and 1500cc class. Consequently, the 1.1-liter "Z" of Prochazka/Divisek, third in the small class and eight overall, did not classify. Divisek had taken over from the smooth driving Prochazka. The two Wikovs in place nine and 11 also exceeded the 45-minute time limit, measured from the moment von Morgen had passed the finish line. Tenth car across the finish was Albert Kandt from Eisenach, who won the special prize for the fastest 750cc car with a BMW. He was well within his total extra time allowance of 105 minutes. All other cars still driving were flagged off. The prize from engineer Proskowecz and Fritz Hückel for the best overall lap by a Czechoslovakian driver with a Czechoslovakian car was won by Knapp in the 3.3-liter Walter with a lap time of 17m31.5s. Interestingly, none of the Czechoslovakian cars classified.

Conclusion: Of the 30 cars at the start, only 12 finished the race. Of these only eight were within the allowable time. This fact alone testifies to the fierce pace of competition. The Mercedes-Benz, Alfa Romeo, and 2.3-liter Bugatti were about evenly matched. However, the Bugatti, in the hands of von Morgen, was clearly a superior racing car. It should be said again that Nuvolari's presence had been assurance that the race remained honest. The Maestro could not have done better.

______________________________________________________________________H.E.

[IMV]

To Hans Etzrodt :

Don´t you have in your old files also stories from other GP´s in Brno ? I (and not only I guess) will appreciate it very much !

[dbw]

hans:
wow! what a story!...my admiration for those men of steel is only heightened by reading such a detailed account...i have driven the von morgan 35b in moderate anger under the most optimum track conditions at the most for perhaps 30 minutes and can barely stand up upon getting out...come to think about it,do we have a modern equivilent of a 5 hour single driver race?...an off road desert race perhaps??

[Boniver]

Hans,

Thank you

[Hans Etzrodt]

Originally posted by IMV
...Don´t you have in your old files also stories from other GP´s in Brno ? I (and not only I guess) will appreciate it very much !

Years ago, it once was my intent to write something comprehensive about all those grand prix races. Eventually, I realized that response and appreciation does not justify the time and effort to carry out such research and therefore I did other things of interest. Right now I am into hill climbs and after that I will look into grand prix racing of the twenties.

[Udo K.]

Fantastic, Hans. Thank you so much for this story !!!

[Michael Müller]

This is the cover of a German book released some months ago - "Bugatti - Die Renngeschichte von 1920 bis 1939" by Eckhard Schimpf & Julius Kruta.



It has been taken at the Masaryk race 1930, and especially in full format it is a really phantastic photo, showing the overalls of the drivers covered with dirt and oil after a hard race, and also the Bugatti is oil-covered, dented, and scratched.

The caption says it's HJ von Morgen right, and left Prince Leiningen. But #26 was Burggaller's car, and the guy in fact looks like him. All 3 had been teammates in their private German Bugatti team. Unfortunately I have no photo of Leiningen.

[dbw]

thanks michael...i just ordered the book!

[Rob G]

Originally posted by Michael Müller
The caption says it's HJ von Morgen right, and left Prince Leiningen. But #26 was Burggaller's car, and the guy in fact looks like him. All 3 had been teammates in their private German Bugatti team. Unfortunately I have no photo of Leiningen.

That same photo is used in Leif Snellman's wonderful Golden Era of Grand Prix Racing website, and the driver sitting on the car is identified as Burggaller. There's a photo of zu Leiningen in there also, and he doesn't resemble the driver in question to me.

[Vitesse2]

It's Burggaller sitting on the car and zu Leiningen standing. That's assuming that another picture caption in the same book can be trusted - it shows the #28 Bugatti in the pits with zu Leiningen peering into the engine as a mechanic works on it. Reference points between the two pictures are that baggy breast pocket and that pinched-in fold just above the cuff on the left arm on the overalls. Page 105 for those who have the book ;)

[Michael Müller]

Hmm, but the caption does not say it's von Leiningen....! They only talk about the Bugatti35 of von Leiningen / von Morgen. So the guy peering into the engine could be von Morgen as well. They swapped cars during the race.

[Hans Etzrodt]

Sitting on the #26 car is Burggaller and Morgen is standing next to him.

[Michael Müller]

Okay, file closed....!

Hello Hans, how's life?

[Hans Etzrodt]

I keep very busy. Leif Snellman's website provides never ending work. We just finished the 1933 Marseille Grand Prix. You can read about it here