8 replies to this topic

[Nanni Dietrich]

Dr. J. Sprenger van Eijk, from the Netherlands was the winner of the 1929 Rallye de Monte Carlo, at the wheel of a Graham-Paige.

In that same edition of the rally, Lucy O'Reilly Schell won the Prix des Dames.
What car did she drive?

According to an old issue of the Italian newspaper "Il Messaggero" (year 1929), she was Dr. J. Sprenger van Eijk's co-driver in the winning Graham-Paige.
I'm not able to find any source that confirms this fact.

[Vitesse2]

According to The Times (Jan 23rd 1929, page 6), Mme Schell, who had started from Berlin and was driving a Talbot, arrived at the Brussels checkpoint at 1.10am on January 22nd.

Dr van Eijk started from Stockholm and had arrived at 11.57pm on January 21st.

A very brief report two days later gives the winner as "Szmick", with van Eijk 2nd and Visser 3rd. Could "Szmick" actually be Frank Smit? No indication of a later protest or disqualification though.

And you can almost hear the snobbishness in this, from January 26th:

"The Prix des Dames of the Monte Carlo motor rally was won by Mrs Schell, an American. Miss Kitty Brunell (Talbot Six), the young British competitor, who started from John o' Groat's, was second."

[Darren Galpin]

I think it is Carlo Szmick, a different driver from Frank Smit.

[Vitesse2]

Or even Viktor Szmick, of whom I must confess I was in total ignorance until a couple of minutes ago. From the somewhat gobbledegook translation below, it looks like he might have been demoted to second place after the Concours d'Élégance? Something to do with damage incurred en route?

http://translate.goo...FB_enGB211GB211

[Tim Murray]

Graham Robson's Monte Carlo Rally history is confusing. He states:

In an event as severe as this, the two-loop regularity test was almost, but not quite, a formality. There were eight secret checks, but it was a crash on an early bend which eliminated Victor Szmick's 875 cc Weiss-Manfred, which had struggled through from Bucharest to lead the rally on arrival.

He then lists Szmick in second place in the final results, so obviously the car had not been 'eliminated'. I would guess, from Vitesse's link and the above quote, that Szmick's accident caused him to incur time penalties sufficient to drop him to second place.

[Mark A]

From The Louche Monte books.

Szmick made a navigational error which lost him the event.



Full comment on the 1929 event.

Although the cost of taking part was becoming increasingly high the 1929 rallt attracted 93 entries two-thirds of whom chose an itinerary of over 2,000 kms. There were 26 withdrawals as bad weather prevented several competitors from reaching their chosen starting point, 21 retirements and 21 eliminations after the check point was shut. Only 24 crews were classified. The increase in the average speed allied to bad weather, a lot of snow in both central and western Europe plus fog in the Rhone valley decimated the competitors. None of the crews leaving from Salonica (3,134 kms), Athens (3,687 kms), and Riga (2,633 kms) arrived in Monaco in time. This was the toughest of the post-war ralllies and required courage, resourcefulness and obstination. After the regularity stage Szmick from Hungary in his Weiss-Manfred was in the lead but a navigational error gave victory to Dutchman Sprenger Van Eijk in his Graham-Paige. Winner of the Ladies Cup was Mrs Lucy Schell (mother of Harry, future F1 ace) and among the finishers were two barons, a baroness and a prince. As was the custom each year there was the mont de Mules hill climb and the Comfort and Photographic Concours, the latter taking place during the convergence section.

[Murray Lord]

On an unrelated point about the 1929 Monte Carlo, I have learnt of the recent death in Australia at the age of 103 of Donald Trounson, who co-drove for Donald Healey on the event. Apparently some records of the event don't name him as having competed, but I hear he had photos to prove it.

[Vitesse2]

Originally posted by Vitesse2
According to The Times (Jan 23rd 1929, page 6), Mme Schell, who had started from Berlin and was driving a Talbot, arrived at the Brussels checkpoint at 1.10am on January 22nd.

The Times' correspondent may have misheard: according to Anthony Blight in "French Sports Car Revolution" (page 87), she had started from Tallinn (which on reflection I think makes more sense anyway!). She was driving a Talbot M-67.

[pnegyesi]

90 years ago Viktor Szmick reached second place with this Weiss Manfred touring car:

http://ceautoclassic...te-carlo-rally/