17 replies to this topic

[Tony Kaye]

When Paul Sheldon and the other members of the Formula 1 register prepared their wonderful black books, they limited the contents to Grand Prix and Voiturettes races. Sports and touring car races were excluded, as were hill climbs, handicap events and solo timed runs against the clock. Except for the early years, all the races started from a massed grid. Apart from these exceptions, as long as an event fitted the overall definition of a contest for out-and-out racing cars, it was deemed worthy of inclusion, no matter how small or insignificant.

However Paul could not be expected to uncover every single race and there were a very few which eluded him. The 1933 Almanach (courtesy Hans Etzrodt) details eight events from the previous season which are not in the black book for 1932. They were all minor events, so it is difficult to know if they were omitted knowingly because they were beyond the normal scope of the Formula 1 Register.

The question is, which, if any, of them merit a place in the black book for 1932?

Eibsee 5-7 February (Probably solo timed runs?)
5 laps 7.5 km
1500cc
1. Count Lurani Alfa Romeo 4’54.0” 91.8 kph
2. Albert Sporer Tracta 5’06.4”
Over 1500cc
1. von Morgen Bugatti 3’40.2” 122.6 kph
2. Karl von Michel Tuszling Austro-Daimler 4’42.0”
3. von Aretin Bugatti 5’04.0”

Circuit de l’Aisne 10 April (Sports and racing cars.) Racing car results only:-
1100cc 11 laps 232.4 km
1. Robert Salmson 2.30’52” 98.8 kph
1500cc 12 laps 253.6 km
1. Auber Bugatti 2.19’20” 108.9 kph
2. Herbaux Bugatti
2000cc 13 laps 274.7 km
1. Druck Bugatti 2.19’38” 117.7 kph
2. Marion Bugatti

Wiesbaden Aerodrome 5 May (Sports and racing cars) Racing car results only:-
10 laps 20 km
1500cc
1. Rudolf Steinweg Amilcar 13’11.4” 91.0 kph
2. Count Lurani Alfa-Romeo 13’33.6” 89.7 kph
Over 1500cc
1. H Lewy Bugatti 13’49.0” 86.8 kph
2. B Trye Bugatti 15’08.2” 79.3 kph

Terramare Autodrome Sitges 17 May.(This appears to be a genuine race)
15 laps 30 km
1. Stael Bugatti 11’28.0” 156.1 kph
2. Sabata Bugatti 11’31.0”
3. Moraviz Bugatti 11’42.0”

Circuit de Torvilliers 29 May (Mixed sports and racing cars.) Racing car results only:-
2 ½ hour race 1 lap=7.6 km
1100cc
1. Dupont Salmson 90.5 kph
1500cc
1. Girod FG-Lombard 93.4 kph
3000cc
1. Govillon Bugatti 89.8 kph
2. Bernasconi Bugatti
5000cc
1. Gauthier Bugatti

Circuito Boivista 24 June.
1 ½ hour race 1 lap= 4.1 km (Mixed sports and racing cars.) Racing car results only:-
1. de Fonseca Bugatti 130.3 kph
2. Alfredo Marinho Bugatti 123.9 kph
3. Arnaldo Crespi Salmson 123.6 kph

Frankfurt a M. Grasbahnrennen 14 August. (probably solo timed runs?)
5 laps 7.5 km
1500cc
1. Burggaller Bugatti 5’26.2” 82.9 kph
2. H Simons Bugatti 5’39.2”
3. Lazlo Hartmann Bugatti 5’40.4”
Over 1500cc
1. zu Leiningen Bugatti 5’20.4” 84.4”
2. Hans Stuck Mercedes-Benz 5’22.2”
3. Paul Pietsch Bugatti 5’43.2”

Circuito di Bolsena 2 October (probably solo timed runs?)
1 lap of Lake Bolsena? 29 km
1500cc
1. Francesco Matrullo Maserati 19’09” 90.9 kph
2. Pratesi Salmson 19’21.6”
3. Galeazzi Bugatti 19’24.8”
4. Salvini Bugatti 20’30.8”
Over 1500cc
1. Piero Taruffi Alfa Romeo 15’33.4” 118.5 kph
2. Luigi Fagioli Maserati 16’13.6”
3. Biondetti Bugatti-Maserati 16’30.6”
4. Benzi Bugatti 16’49.6”
5. Jovanella Mercedes 18’35.8”

[Vitesse2]

The Black Books don't usually include races which were run on non-traceable circuits. This excludes Eibsee (on ice), Frankfurt-am-Main and Wiesbaden (both grass tracks).

And yes, I know Sheldon includes some (but not all ;)) of the La Baule beach races!

Re Eibsee: there was also an 800cc race with 12 starters, won by Kohlrausch (BMW). Steinweg and Max Arco (both Amilcars) retired from the 1500cc race.

Re Wiesbaden: 1500cc race 3rd Seibel (Bugatti T37A)

800cc:
1 Bobby Kohlrausch (BMW)
2 Walter Bäumer (Austin)
3 Fritz Hedderich (BMW)

Re Frankfurt-am-Main: again an 800cc race.

1 Fritz Hedderich (BMW)
2 Willy Zinn (BMW)
3 Werner Bäumer (BMW)

[Hans Etzrodt]

Originally posted by Tony Kaye
Terramare Autodrome Sitges 17 May.(This appears to be a genuine race)
15 laps 30 km
1. Stael Bugatti 11’28.0” 156.1 kph
2. Sabata Bugatti 11’31.0”
3. Moraviz Bugatti 11’42.0”

Tony – the 1932 AUTOMOBIL-REVUE, MOTOR and Allgemeine Automobil-Zeitung brought no reports about Terramar, which appears to have been a minor local event.

After the first race at the Terramar Autodrom near Sitges, in 1923, the promoter ran out of money. The incurred looses could not be covered by reserves. Since then the track had been more or less dormant and history seem to be hard to establish. Many years of wind and weather left their marks of deterioration when Edgar Morawitz from Czechoslovakia, living in Barcelona, became the new owner of Terramar, probably in the early thirties. He tried to arrange a 1932 meeting on the oval through the Barcelona based Pena Rhin Motor Club. Don’t know if he was successful. Morawitz also owned several Bugattis.

At the June 25, 1933 Penya Rhin Grand Prix, Morawitz entered a Bugatti T51 for himself, a Type 35 for his Swiss friend Oscar Stahel and a Type 35B for Spanish Luis Anglí. Stahel evidently won the race at Terramar on May 17.

Also, check here:
http://forums.atlasf...&threadid=78861
http://www.atlasf1.c...&threadid=33766

[Hans Etzrodt]

Originally posted by Tony Kaye
Circuit de Torvilliers 29 May (Mixed sports and racing cars.) Racing car results only:-
2 ½ hour race 1 lap=7.6 km
1100cc
1. Dupont Salmson 90.5 kph
1500cc
1. Girod FG-Lombard 93.4 kph
3000cc
1. Govillon Bugatti 89.8 kph
2. Bernasconi Bugatti
5000cc
1. Gauthier Bugatti

Tony we had talked about this race here
http://www.atlasf1.c...rs Circuit Race

[Vitesse2]

Incidentally, the date of May 17th for the Sitges race seems dubious to me. That was a Tuesday: I have a note of the 1500cc event, won by Bigorra, dated on Sunday 15th May. AFAIK there were no Spanish holidays in May, so a Tuesday seems an odd day to choose.

edit: May 17th was a holiday in Galicia. But Sitges is in Catalunya ...

[Tony Kaye]

Reference the Eibsee event, I suddenly remembered Lurani’s book ‘Racing Round the World’.

“The race consisted of 5 laps of the course, that is 7.5 km., and usually in such a short race no unforeseen incident could take place, but things were to happen differently! The start was given and Max Arco and Steinweg went off full speed ahead, and I hanging on to their tail, immediately beghind them, being covered by the "dust" formed by the small particles of ice detached by the nails of their tyres-a dust reflecting all the colours of the rainbow!
So we went on for the first three laps of the race; the two Amilcars battling for the first place, and I about 60 metres behind.
Then just when I had resigned myself to 3rd position, the unforeseen happened. On one of the curves, Max Arco trying to overtake Steinweg, who was ahead, overdid his speed, did a couple of spins, and found himself completely off the track with a dead engine, and completely out of the race. Thus at the beginning of the last lap I was 2nd, still at a distance of about 60 metres. This was still the position when Steinweg was almost in sight of the winning post. Then, all at once the exhaust pipe of the Amilcar gave forth a significant cloud of smoke. The engine, which had been forced too hard during the duel with Arco, had given way suddenly, and while the small white car slowed down and stopped, I passed it at full speed and about 50 yards ahead passed the winning post-1st!
The exciting race had lasted 4'53" and I had averaged 91.8km./h., easily beating the previous record.”

It is clear from this that it was a genuine race, not a series of solo timed runs. Lurani also implies that the event for cars over 1500cc was a separate race.

The book’s cover painting by Bryan de Grineau depicts Lurani passing the hapless Amilcar of Steinweg. A photo on page 70 shows that the Monza was number 31.

[Tony Kaye]

A Monza in a 1500cc race! Whoops!

If I still had a brain, I would put it down to brain fade. But I haven't.......................

And just to prove it, I forgot to add that the 800cc contest was also a separate race and that although the whole event lasted 3 days (as in my original post), the races took place on the final day, the 7th of February.

[Tony Kaye]

“The black books don't usually include races which were run on non-traceable circuits.“ Vitesse 2

That’s a good point, but I wonder if their omission was due to an aversion to impermanent tracks per se or just that the races on them tended to be fairly inconsequential. Whatever, the 1947 Stockholm Grand Prix, which was held on Lake Vallelunga, was included in the black books. Sheldon states that it was “luckily frozen” at the time!

Hans, thanks for the links to Sitges and Torvilliers. Marc Ceulemans provides detailed information of the Sitges races in 1932 and I can’t see any reason why they should have been excluded from the black books – other than for lack of data. at the time of publication.

Can anyone provide more information about the races held at Bolsena, Boivista and de l’Aisne?

[Hans Etzrodt]

Originally posted by Tony Kaye
Wiesbaden Aerodrome 5 May (Sports and racing cars) Racing car results only:-
10 laps 20 km
1500cc
1. Rudolf Steinweg Amilcar 13’11.4” 91.0 kph
2. Count Lurani Alfa-Romeo 13’33.6” 89.7 kph
Over 1500cc
1. H Lewy Bugatti 13’49.0” 86.8 kph
2. B Trye Bugatti 15’08.2” 79.3 kph

Tony – the May 5, 1932 Wiesbaden Aerodrome race was part of the Wiesbadener Automobil-Turnier (= tournament). The venue was actually Flugplatz Erbenheim for five different races for automobiles over 10 laps of the two kilometer long grass track, a former horse track. This was followed with three races for airplanes and finally comparison races between cars and planes.

1. cars up to 800 cc
1. Bobby Kohlrausch (BMW) 13m43.3s = 87.7 km/h
2. Walter Bäumer (Austin)
? Hedderich (BMW) 1 lap down
? Hans Simons (DKW)
? Gerhard Macher (DKW)
? May (DKW)

2. touring cars over 1500 cc
1. Rudolf Sauerwein, (Bugatti) 15m19.1s = 78.2 km/h
2. Wilhelm Merck (Mercedes-Benz SS)
3. Rosenauer, Mediasch (Lancia)

3. racecars over 1500 cc
1. Hans Levy (Bugatti) 13m49m = 86.6 km/h
DNF Prinz Leiningen (Bugatti) 2 laps completed (magneto)
DNF Paul Pietsch (Bugatti T35B) ran out of fuel

4. racecars up to 1500 cc
1. Rudolf Steinweg (Amilcar) 13m11.2s = 91.3 km/h
2. Count Giovanni Lurani (Alfa Romeo)
3. Willy Seibel (Bugatti)

5. consolation race (handicap)
1. Walter Bäumer (Austin) 8 km in 5m26s = 88.6 km/h

Airplane and automobile comparison races (5 laps for cars, 8 laps for planes). The planes were placed at a disadvantage, therefore Levy (Bugatti), Kohlrausch (BMW) and Steinweg (Amilcar) were the superior winners.

[Tony Kaye]

Thanks for the full results of the Wiesbaden races, Hans.

Paul Pietsch must have been so embarrassed. I wonder if anyone else has ever run out of fuel in a 20 km race!

[Hans Etzrodt]

Originally posted by Tony Kaye
Circuito di Bolsena 2 October (probably solo timed runs?)
1 lap of Lake Bolsena? 29 km
1500cc
1. Francesco Matrullo Maserati 19’09” 90.9 kph
2. Pratesi Salmson 19’21.6”
3. Galeazzi Bugatti 19’24.8”
4. Salvini Bugatti 20’30.8”
Over 1500cc
1. Piero Taruffi Alfa Romeo 15’33.4” 118.5 kph
2. Luigi Fagioli Maserati 16’13.6”
3. Biondetti Bugatti-Maserati 16’30.6”
4. Benzi Bugatti 16’49.6”
5. Jovanella Mercedes 18’35.8”

Circuito Lago di Bolsena, 29 km in length on October 20, 1932 [as per Carli, p190], Coppa Frigo at Bolsena-Montefiascone – the hill climb [as per Taruffi in "Works Driver" p33] and Circuito di Bolsena [as per Orsini/Nye in "Scuderia Ferrari" p406].
Taruffi’s memory appears to be clouded since he describes the event as a hill climb.

Taruffi won in a Scuderia Ferrari entered Alfa Romeo 8C 2.3 MM in 15m33.4s = 111.847 km/h
Fagioli (Maserati) in 16m13.6s was second, and
Biondetti (M B) in 16m33.6s was third with his Maserati-Bugatti hybrid.
Carli also states that from 31 entries 28 cars finished.

[humphries]

Tony and Hans

A little clarification.

The meetings at Lago di Bolsena consisted of two events; a regularity run of a couple of laps of the lake for the Coppa del Principe Drago and a hill-climb from Lago di Bolsena up to the village of Montefiascone for the Coppa Frigo.

In 1931 (27/09) Piero Taruffi managed to win both events in his first ever drive for Enzo Ferrari using a 8C-2300. The climb was 14.4 km. His time was 7' 53.6.

In 1932 Taruffi again won the Coppa Frigo ( he was third OA in the Gara di Regolarita) over a distance of close to 29 km in 15' 33.4 which suggests the combined time of two runs.

The 1932 meeting was on 2 October, 1932 as reported in L'Auto Italiana, 10 Octobre 1932.

These events were not included in the Black Books for the above reasons and also because they were for sports cars.

John

[Stefan Ornerdal]

Tony wrote:

Whatever, the 1947 Stockholm Grand Prix, which was held on Lake Vallelunga

and

If I still had a brain, I would put it down to brain fade. But I haven't.......................

Yes, Tony, you have a fantastic brain, but this time fading...;)
Stockholm GP was at the lake Vallentuna. Vallelunga is somewhat nearer to Rome!

Don't you hate it when the brain is thinking of a specific word, and your fingers typing something else?

Kind regards
Stefan
www.formula2.net

[Tony Kaye]

Thanks John. So the Bolsena event wasn't a race at all, just a regularity run around the lake.

Of my original queries, that leaves the one and a half hour race at Boavista in Portugal on 24th June 1932 and Circuit de l'Aisne near St. Quentin in France on 10th April 1932.

The l'Aisne race was for both sports and racing cars in several capacity classes with a different number of laps for each. Since the event was of more than two hours duration, I imagine all the classes raced together at the same time, though it is just possible that there were two races, one for sports cars and another for racing cars.

Also at Boavista, sports and racing cars seem to have run together. Although the race took only 90 minutes, there might not have been time for two separate races as kilometer runs were held on the same day for the cars taking part in the race and for motorcycles as well.

[Tony Kaye]

Vallelunga!

What's Swedish for 'O, me miserum' ?

[Stefan Ornerdal]

Cuiusvis hominis est errare

Stefan

[sramoa]

Anyone has got more info for 1932 Eibsee event?Or describe for any German newspapers?

[sramoa]

1932 Eibsee Eis Rennen