4 Felice Nazzaro Fiat SpA Fiat 804
12 Pierre de Vizcaya Automobiles Ettore Bugatti Bugatti T30
22 Pierre Marco Automobiles Ettore Bugatti Bugatti T30
GRAND PRIX DE L'AUTOMOBILE CLUB DE FRANCE
Strasbourg (F), 15 July 1922 (Saturday).
60 laps x 13.38 km (8.314 mi) = 802.8 km (498.8 mi)
Nazzaro wins the French Grand Prix with Fiat
by Hans Etzrodt
Ballot, Rolland-Pilain and Bugatti defended the French colors against Sunbeam and Aston Martin from Great Britain and Fiat from Italy. All racing nations were represented except America,
whose cars did not conform to the formula and Germany, whose cars were not allowed into the contest of the ACF, the club that organized the 803 km race at Strasbourg. 18 drivers started
at the 800 km race over 60 laps. Felice Nazzaro (Fiat) led the first two laps and Friederich (Bugatti) the third. Bordino (Fiat) was first from the fourth to 14th lap when six cars had
retired. Nazzaro led the next two laps, and Bordino from the 17th to 29th lap with only ten cars left in the race. Nazzaro was first from lap 30 to 32 and Bordino from the 33rd to 49th
lap with only six cars left to do battle. Felice Nazzaro took the lead on the 50th lap to win the race. Meanwhile 14 cars had retired amongst them Biagio Nazzaro (Fiat) who had a wheel
come off at top speed, causing his fatal accident. Bordino also had a wheel come off but at a low speed. Only three cars finished, Felice Nazzaro (Fiat), de Vizczya and Marco in Bugattis.
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Planned as the greatest event of the year, the Grand Prix did not attain its prewar importance when many nations were participating to fight for victory. After the Great War in 1921, the
French Grand Prix had been transformed into an invitational race. As a result, German and Austrian cars and drivers could not participate as they were not invited. The VIII French
Grand Prix of 1922 was held on a Saturday, preceded by the motorcycle race on Wednesday and followed by the touring car Grand Prix on Sunday, when the surface of the dirt roads was already
torn apart, exposing masses of stones.
The race took place on a 13.380 km triangular road course south west of Strasbourg, stretching over 60 laps, with a total of 802.8 km. The start was just past Düppigheim and went clockwise
to the east along a straight to Entzheim where a right-hand hairpin led south-west along a straight to Innenheim where a wider right turn headed north along a short winding uphill road
section leading through a right-hand turn at Düttlenheim to the start and finish near Düppigheim. The three turns were extended and slightly banked to assure the highest possible speeds.
The ACF awarded a cup to the manufacturer of the winning car and 5,000 francs were offered by Mr. René Costii to the driver of the car that classified first.
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Entries:
Ballot entered three cars with their famous drivers Jules Goux and Giulio Foresti who were driving for some time already with Ballot and count Giulio Masetti who normally drove only
Mercedes and earlier also Fiat. The Ballot 2LS race car had finished third in last year's Grand Prix. It had a 1996 cc (69.9 x 130 mm), 4-cylinder twin o.h.c. 16-valve engine, giving 90 hp
at 5000 rpm, capable of 170 km/h. The car appeared for this race with a redesigned streamlined, bloated and ugly barrel body.
Bugatti entered four cars, which was not difficult for him since his Molsheim factory was just a few kilometers from the racecourse. The drivers were Ernst Friderich and Pierre
de Vizcaya already established with Bugatti, the Italian Pierre Marco who was still unknown and Jacques Monès-Maury who came from Cuba and was known as a Brooklands race driver. The first
Type 30 cars Bugatti built were the four entered at the 1922 French Grand Prix at Strasbourg. The streamlined cigar shaped body was fitted with a long tail, powered with a new type 8-cylinder
1989 cc (60 x 88 mm) engine with a single ohc, three valves per cylinder, dual ignition, giving 80 hp at 4000 rpm.
Rolland-Pilain was the third French team. They entered three cars with a nice streamlined tail, painted light blue with a 1983 cc (59.7 x 90 mm) straight-eight engine with a ball
bearing crank, twin o.h.c. 16-valves, producing 75 hp and reached speeds of 175 km/h for Albert Guyot, Victor Hémery and Louis Wagner. Hémery was already a great driver 20 years earlier
with Darracq and Benz while Wagner had driven for Mercedes, Darracq and Fiat.
Fiat entered three new type 804 cars with a six-cylinder twin o.h.c. engine of 1996 cc (65 x 100) delivering 112 hp at 5000 rpm for Felice Nazzaro, Pietro Bordino and Biagio Nazzaro,
a nephew of Felice and experienced motorcycle rider. Felice Nazzaro was the team leader of great fame, having won several major races between 1907 and 1914 for Fiat and with his own car.
The Fiat President, Senator Agnelli, had invited Nazzaro to rejoin the Fiat team for 1922.
Sunbeam arrived with three cars for the French driver Jean Chassagne, and the British Gentlemen drivers Kenelm Lee Guinness and Major Henry Segrave. The 1922 car had a 1997cc
(68 x 136 mm) 4-cylinder engine, twin o.h.c. with three valves per cylinder, capable of 160 km/h.
Aston Martin entered two 4-cylinder cars with 1486 cc (65 x 112 mm) twin o.h.c. 16valve engine delivering 57 hp at 3950 rpm. Count Louis Zborowski who financed the company drove one
car and the other was assigned to Clive Gallop, who took part in his first road race.
Delage had built two 2-Liter cars, of which only one was for racing. Charles Planchon designed the 2 LS Type with 4-cylinder engine of 1998 cc (70 x 130 mm), overhead valves giving
75 hp at 3400 rpm. The car, called Torpille (Torpedo), was raced on 12 August 1922 at the Lyon Speed trial, between Les Chères and Anse, where René Thomas recorded 192 km/h. Two cars were
entered at Strasbourg but did not appear.
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Practice:
Racecar practice was scheduled for Wednesday July 5, 6 and 8. At 4:45 a.m. a yellow flagged pilot car opened the circuit, and at 5 a.m. drivers could proceed with practice. The first on the
track were the Sunbeams of Chassagne, Guinness and Segrave. Fiat appeared after a few minutes and took full advantage of the day with some slight modifications to their cars. Bordino and Nazzaro
completed several laps at a very brisk pace, doing 6m12s, and 6m19s, which represented a speed of 130 to 135 km/h. Zborowski with the Aston Martin drove very fast. Bugatti was there with
their very original looking racecar. After times were taken on a short portion of the circuit, it was noted for Fiat 179 km/h; for Rolland-Pilain 167; for Sunbeam 162 and for Bugatti 160.
Felice Nazzaro had been timed with a lap in 5m58s at 134.172 km/h.
Guyot, the Rolland-Pilain team leader whose car was not running very well, was victim of an accident which was further delaying their preparation. Guyot was driving at full speed when a return
to the carburetor caused a fire which immediately took on great proportions as the entire engine crankcase was covered in gasoline. The mechanic sprang up and did well, while Guyot, with his
usual marvelous cold blood, got up in his seat and did not leave the car until it had come to a stop. The following day, Rolland-Pilain's bad luck continued. After having seen Guyot's car
burn, they could not manage to find the same fault on Wagner's car: The Tours factory had sent Hemery's car and that of Wagner at the same time. However, the first car arrived safely while
the other remained untraceable. For the past 48 hours, despite serious search on the eastern network, no one knew where it was hiding.
Charles Faroux wrote in L'Auto about additional practice on 11. July: There were a lot of spectators this morning and the enthusiasm is starting to show. I think this Grand Prix is going to
be the best of an already brilliant series. The fastest lap of the morning was accomplished by Bordino, (Fiat) in 6m4s at 132.325 km/h, then came Wagner (Rolland-Pilain) in 6m22s and
Friderich (Bugatti) in 6m24s. On the other hand, it was rumored that Delage could have completed his preparation of a car in good time and that Thomas would arrive this evening.
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Scrutineering:
An extract from L'Auto report by Charles Faroux: Scrutineering and weighing of the cars took place the week following practice, on Thursday from 9 to 4 p.m. in Strasbourg. The spectators, held
in place by ropes, were numerous. Inside the room, which was reserved for official operations, everyone was at their post under the direction of Mr. de Knyff and Longuemarre. Rolland-Pilain
were the first to be weighed, decided by drawing of lots. Wagner was less concerned than usual. He smiled very little, but his smiles were so rare that the few that were seen showed that the
likeable driver should not be unhappy with his preparation. Guyot had his usual good nature and when the drivers were weighed in the morning, he was the heaviest, 90 kilos; but maybe he suspected
it. Mr. Ballot arrived. His cars would be weighed in the afternoon. He shook hands quickly and turned towards the newly arrived Fiat's to take a good look. He was not very confident because
Goux had not yet driven on the circuit with his car. After the Rolland-Pilains, it was the turn of the Sunbeams, pretty cars all in green. Chassagne was in a hurry and Guinness was smiling.
Then it was the turn of the three Fiat. Felice Nazzaro, always serious, led his team with the formalities to be completed. Many Italian fans had accompanied the Fiat team and all of them, with
their tremendous excitement, were in fact confident that Fiat would win, because it could not be otherwise. Only one Aston Martin, that of Zborowski, was present.
In the afternoon after 2 p.m. it eventually was learned that the four Bugattis would take the start, but they would not come until the end of the day. Ballot therefore was next in line. Goux
and Foresti arrived with their 2-liter barrel-bodied cars that gave an impression of incomparable power. Masetti was not yet there, but we were looking for him. The two Aston Martins returned
to be checked as that of Gallop had to pass. We did not understand the presence of Zborowski unless this was to show team spirit. Shortly thereafter, Mathis arrived with his 4-seater touring car.
The nice guy gave a demonstration. The wait for the Bugattis continued. A backfire at the corner of the street signaled their presence. So much the better; it would have been a shame if they
weren't at the start only a few kilometers from their factory. Finally, Masetti arrived with the third Ballot. So, there were only three non-starters, those of Mathis, S.L.I.M.-Pilain and
Delage, leaving 18 starters for Saturday morning. The minimum unloaded weight had to be at least 650 kg. Driver and his mechanic had to weigh not less than 120 kg.
| Manufacturer | Weight | Driver | | Mechanic |
| Fiat No. 4 | 663 kg | F. Nazzaro | 76 kg | Cerignano | 68 kg |
| Fiat No. 11 | 657 kg | Bordino | 66 kg | Bruno | 64 kg |
| Fiat No. 17 | 761 kg | B. Nazzaro | 61 kg | Germano | 73 kg |
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| Bugatti No. 5 | 730 kg | Friederich | 84 kg | Rohfritsch | 54 kg |
| Bugatti No. 12 | 757 kg | De Vizcaya | 62 kg | Étienne | 67 kg |
| Bugatti No. 18 | 730 kg | Monès-Maury | 53 kg | Zira | 50 kg |
| Bugatti No. 22 | 739 kg | Marco | 60 kg | Berger | 61 kg |
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| Rolland-Pilain No. 6 | 762 kg | Guyot | 90 kg | Chatelard | 63 kg |
| Rolland-Pilain No. 13 | 778 kg | Hémery | 83 kg | Delalande | 70 kg |
| Rolland-Pilain No. 19 | 686 kg | Wagner | 74 kg | Flohot | 70 kg |
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| Ballot No. 7 | 816 kg | Goux | 67 kg | Decroze | 70 kg |
| Ballot No. 14 | 810 kg | Foresti | 76 kg | Neapoli | 66 kg |
| Ballot No. 20 | 810 kg | Masetti | 85 kg | Romei | 61 kg |
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| Aston Martin No. 8 | 650 kg | Gallop | 59 kg | Bentley | 67 kg |
| Aston Martin No. 15 | 652 kg | Zborowski | 76 kg | Martin | 75 kg |
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| Sunbeam No. 9 | 700 kg | Chassagne | 73 kg | Laly | 75 kg |
| Sunbeam No. 16 | 708 kg | Guinness | 72 kg | Divo | 80 kg |
| Sunbeam No. 21 | 686 kg | Segrave | 74 kg | Moriceau | 70 kg |
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| Mathis No. 1 | | Lams | ... | Kuntz | ... |
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Race:
During the night before the race a severe rain storm had soaked the roads causing a lot of mud. Half an hour before the start it had rained again heavily. At 7:30 a.m. the circuit was cleared and
sometime later the field of cars left the pits on a short drive towards Düttlenheim to the starting grid. There the 18 cars lined up 15 minutes before the rolling start, 400 meters from the start
line, two per row in order of their race numbers, which had been decided by ballot. The massed start, planned for 8 a.m., was the first in Grand Prix history.
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4 F. Nazzaro Fiat
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6 Guyot Rolland-Pilain
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5 Friderich Bugatti
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8 Gallop Aston Martin
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7 Goux Ballot
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11 Bordino Fiat
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9 Chassagne Sunbeam
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13 Hémery Rolland-Pilain
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12 Vizcaya Bugatti
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15 Zborowski Aston Martin
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14 Foresti Ballot
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17 B. Nazzaro Fiat
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16 Guinness Sunbeam
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19 Wagner Rolland-Pilain
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18 Monès-Maury Bugatti
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21 Segrave Sunbeam
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20 Masetti Ballot
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22 Marco Bugatti
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Along the only 10-meter-wide road everything was ready except the officials, who only appeared at 8:15 a.m. which was the reason for the delay. This was not regretted by the spectators in thousands
of cars which were reportedly stuck in traffic jams on the arrival roads. Finally, the official procession appeared. At that time, it would have been impossible to have given the start. Among the
personalities who took their places in the Honor Grandstand were Mr. Maginot, the War Minister and Mr. Le Trocquer, Minister of Public Works and Mr. Alapetite, General Commissioner, Count de Vogué, ACF
President, Chevalier de Knyff, Count Florio, Mr. Mercanti, President of RACI, Mr. Voisin, Mr. Mathis, Mr. Bugatti and others. At this point, the Marseillaise was played, then the engines were
cranked to live.
At 8:18 a.m. the loud rumbling cars followed the pace-making French champion motorcyclist Naas up to the starting line, where he pulled aside giving way to the 18 cars. Felice Nazzaro led Guyot,
Friderich and Goux, followed by the rest. There were about 200 meters between the first and the last. The roads were covered with greasy mud from the earlier rain-storms.
At the end of the first lap F. Nazzaro was in the lead after 7m12s, ahead of Friederich, Guyot, Goux, Bordino, Segrave, Chassagne, Masetti, Foresti, Guinness, B. Nazzaro, Vizcaya, Hémery, Gallop,
Zborowski, Monès-Maury, Marco and Wagner last, who arrived slowly and stopped at his pit but re-joined after a short time.
After the second lap, F. Nazzaro still held first place after a lap in 6m51s, followed by Friederich and Guyot. Bordino passed Goux for fourth place and B. Nazzaro was now tenth. The Rolland-Pilain
of Wagner retired at the end of the second lap with a broken connecting rod that went through the crankcase.
On the third lap the Bugatti of Friederich took the lead with a lap in 6m52, ahead of Bordino and F. Nazzaro, followed by Segrave, Masetti and Goux. B. Nazzaro advanced to ninth place while Guyot
retired his Rolland-Pilain with a broken crankshaft.
After the fourth lap Bordino took the lead with a lap in 6m40s ahead of Friederich, F. Nazzaro, Masetti, Segrave, Guinness and B.Nazzaro in seventh place.
During the fifth lap, in his battle with Bordino, Friederich dropped from second to thirteenth place when he spun his Bugatti in a turn. Chassagne retired his Sunbeam at the pits with a broken valve.
Bordino led the 15-car field with the order as follows after 5 laps:
| 1. | Bordino (Fiat) | 32m58s |
| 2. | F. Nazzaro (Fiat) | 34m00s |
| 3. | Masetti (Ballot) | 34m15s |
| 4. | Segrave (Sunbeam) |
| 5. | B. Nazzaro (Fiat) |
| 6. | Goux (Ballot) |
| 7. | Guinness (Sunbeam) |
| 8. | Foresti (Ballot) |
| 9. | Gallop (Aston Martin) |
| 10. | Vizcaya (Bugatti) |
| 11. | Zborowski (Aston Martin) |
| 12. | Marco (Bugatti) |
| 13. | Friederich (Bugatti) |
| 14. | Monès-Maury (Bugatti) |
| 15. | Hémery (Rolland-Pilain) |
After six laps Guinness retired his Sunbeam with a broken inlet valve and Hémery disappeared with his Rolland-Pilain after lap seven with a broken valve. During this chase, Masetti drove into the outer
race course fencing which dropped him from third to seventh place, enabling B. Nazzaro to advance to fourth position. Bordino set a new record on the eighth lap in 5m57s at 135 km/h average speed but
Felice Nazzaro bettered this on the same lap with 5m52s. On the ninth lap B. Nazzaro passed Segrave's Sunbeam for third place, so that the Fiat team was now leading in the first three positions ahead
of the remaining ten cars. After 10 laps, 133.860 km, Bordino had raised his advantage to almost three minutes. His average lap time during the first ten laps was 6m20s, enabling him to lap all cars
except his two teammates, also Segrave and Foresti. The order was as follows after ten laps:
| 1. | Bordino (Fiat) | 1h03m20s |
| 2. | F. Nazzaro (Fiat) | 1h06m04s |
| 3. | B. Nazzaro (Fiat) | 1h07m50s |
| 4. | Segrave (Sunbeam) | 1h08m04s |
| 5. | Foresti (Ballot) | 1h09m36s |
| 6. | Goux (Ballot) | 1h10m40s | 1 lap behind |
| 7. | Masetti (Ballot) | 1h11m13s | 1 lap behind |
| 8. | Gallop (Aston Martin) | 1h11m44s | 1 lap behind |
| 9. | Vizcaya (Bugatti) | 1h12m39s | 1 lap behind |
| 10. | Marco (Bugatti) | 1h13m06s | 1 lap behind |
| 11. | Zborowski (Aston Martin) | 1h13m49s | 1 lap behind |
| 12. | Friederich (Bugatti) | 1h16m09s | 2 laps behind |
| 13. | Monès-Maury (Bugatti) | 1h17m32s | 2 laps behind |
After the 11th lap Friederich retired his Bugatti with one of his magnetos broken. The order did not change until lap 13, when Vizcaya passed Marco and Zborowski dropped to last place. Bordino stopped
on lap 15 to change rear wheels but did not lose his first position. On lap 16 Masetti fell from sixth to ninth place, and then retired on the 18th tour when a connecting rod broke on his Ballot. Zborowski
retired the Aston Martin with a broken magneto after the 19th lap. After 20 laps Bordino was still in the lead of the 10-car field. His average lap time during the last ten laps was 6m32s with the order as
follows after 20 laps:
| 1. | Bordino (Fiat) | 2h08m40s |
| 2. | F. Nazzaro (Fiat) | 2h09m46s |
| 3. | B. Nazzaro (Fiat) | 2h13m26s |
| 4. | Segrave (Sunbeam) | 2h14m08s |
| 5. | Foresti (Ballot) | 2h16m38s | 1 lap behind |
| 6. | Gallop (Aston Martin) | 2h21m08s | 1 lap behind |
| 7. | Goux (Ballot) | 2h21m14s | 1 lap behind |
| 8. | Marco (Bugatti) | 2h26m53s | 2 laps behind |
| 9. | Vizcaya (Bugatti) | 2h29m25s | 3 laps behind |
| 10. | Monès-Maury (Bugatti) | 2h33m40s | 3 laps behind |
The order remained unchanged until lap 22 when Foresti passed Segrave's Sunbeam for fourth place. After 25 laps Bordino led in 2h39m03s followed by F. Nazzaro in 2h41m18s, B. Nazzaro in 2h45m45s, Foresti in
2h49m32s, Segrave in 2h50m28s and Goux in 2h54m15s. Gallop was seventh, followed by the Bugattis of Vizcaya, Monès-Maury and Marco. This new order remained until the 29th lap when Segrave came to a stop with a
broken inlet valve that damaged the piston. After mid-race, 401.4 km, when Gallop retired with a broken magneto drive, the field was down to eight cars. After a fast lap in 5m47s, Bordino stopped at the pits
for 3m57s to change spark plugs and to refuel as the lead was taken by Felice Nazzaro. His average lap time during the last ten laps was 6m19s with the order as follows after 30 laps:
| 1. | F. Nazzaro (Fiat) | 3h12m55s |
| 2. | Bordino (Fiat) | 3h14m24s |
| 3. | B. Nazzaro (Fiat) | 3h17m31s |
| 4. | Foresti (Ballot) | 3h22m45s | 1 lap behind |
| 5. | Goux (Ballot) | 3h36m31s | 2 laps behind |
| 6. | Vizcaya (Bugatti) | 3h28m01s | 2 laps behind |
| 7. | Marco (Bugatti) | 3h41m09s | 4 laps behind |
| 8. | Monès-Maury (Bugatti) | 3h58m20s | 7 laps behind |
The order of the first five cars stayed the same with Goux's Ballot in fifth place which remained until the 33rd lap when Goux retired. After Innenheim, Nazzaro, who was passing Goux, found himself a little
caught up in the following turn and braked too quickly, leaving no room for Goux, who crashed at high speed into the track fencing palisades, which forced him to give up. This unfortunate incident deprived
Ballot of a well-deserved second place. Later Goux asked to be heard by the Sporting Commission which was in a meeting. In short, everything came together against Ballot once again. Vizcaya now held fifth
place ahead of Marco and Monès-Maury. When F. Nazzaro made his only pit stop to refuel in 1m53s and change rear wheels as a precaution, Bordino took the lead on lap 34 with F. Nazzaro in second place.
After 35 laps Bordino led in 3h43m55s followed by F. Nazzaro in 3h44m17s and B. Nazzaro in 3h49m02s ahead of Foresti, Vizcaya, Marco and Monès-Maury. This order changed on lap 36, when Foresti passed B. Nazzaro
who had stopped at the pits when driver and mechanic replaced a fractured fuel tank in 14m30s. On lap 37 he stopped again to repair a fuel leak and dropped to fifth place on lap 39, when passed by Vizcaya.
But before lap 40 he regained fourth place. Bordino's average lap time during the last ten laps had improved to 6m01s, when he led the 7-car field in this order after 40 laps:
| 1. | Bordino (Fiat) | 4h14m33s |
| 2. | F. Nazzaro (Fiat) | 4h16m41s |
| 3. | Foresti (Ballot) | 4h33m13s | 3 laps behind |
| 4. | B. Nazzaro (Fiat) | 4h34m41s | 3 laps behind |
| 5. | Vizcaya (Bugatti) | 4h53m09s | 6 laps behind |
| 6. | Marco (Bugatti) | 5h10m10s | 9 laps behind |
| 7. | Monès-Maury (Bugatti) | 6h00m09s | way behind |
The order remained unchanged until lap lap 44 when third placed Foresti pushed his Ballot to the pits with a broken piston. On lap 45, Bordini led in 4h44m13s, ahead of F. Nazzaro in 4h46m30s, B. Nazzaro, Vizcaya
in 5h27m06s, followed by Marco and Monès-Maury. This order remained until lap 49, when on the following lap Felize Nazzaro passed Bordino with B. Nazzaro third, followed by the three Bugattis. F. Nazzaro's
average lap time during the last ten laps was 5m51s. He led the six-car field in the following order after 50 laps:
| 1. | F. Nazzaro (Fiat) | 5h15m09s |
| 2. | Bordino (Fiat) | 5h16m40s |
| 3. | B. Nazzaro (Fiat) | 5h58m40s | 7 laps behind |
| 4. | Vizcaya (Bugatti) | 6h00m49s | 7 laps behind |
| 5. | Marco (Bugatti) | 6h30m00s | way behind |
| 6. | Monès-Maury (Bugatti) | 7h31m00s | way behind |
Bordino set a new record on lap 52 in 5m43s at 140.435 km/h average speed. On the same lap Biagio Nazzaro was reaching a speed of around 140 km/h about half a mile from the Entzheim hairpin, when a rear wheel came
off. The car went into a spin, hit a tree and turned end over end to come to rest against another. Biagio was killed immediately. His mechanic Germano suffered minor injuries.
After 55 laps F. Nazzaro, who was not aware of his nephew's crash, was leading in 5h45m10s ahead of Bordino in 5h57m57s, followed by the Bugattis of Vizcaya, Marco and Monès-Maury. At the end of lap 59 between
Innenheim and Düttenheim, Bordino also had a rear wheel come off in a slow inclined turn, where his car came to a stop with minor damage due to his low speed. Driver and mechanic escaped with minor injuries.
The only cars left in the field was now the Fiat of Felice Nazzaro and the three Bugattis.
At the end of lap 60 Nazzaro crossed the finish line after 6h17m17s. He drove one additional lap as René de Knyff failed to wave the finishing flag. The three Bugattis were many laps behind and kept driving to
cover the required distance of 60 laps. Vizcaya finished 58 minutes after the winner and half hour later was followed by Marco in third place. The Monès-Maury Bugatti in fourth place was now the only car on the
course, still had three laps to go. Because the roads had to be opened up for general traffic, the marshals decided to stop the race and flagged off Monès-Maury who was not classified.
While the other competitors had continued their race, Nazzaro walked back to the stands, where the crowd gave him a warm ovation. Nazzaro was presented to the officials, who congratulated him on the splendid victory.
Then he returned to the pits, carried in triumph on strong shoulders of his admirers.
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Results
Pos. | No. | Driver | Entrant | Car | Type | Engine | Laps | Time/Status | Diff |
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1. | 4 | Felice Nazzaro | Fiat SpA | Fiat | 804 | 2.0 | S-8 | 60 | 6h17m17.0s |
2. | 12 | Pierre de Vizcaya | Automobiles Ettore Bugatti | Bugatti | T30 | 2.0 | S-8 | 60 | 7h15m09.0s | + 57m52s |
3. | 22 | Pierre Marco | Automobiles Ettore Bugatti | Bugatti | T30 | 2.0 | S-8 | 60 | 7h48m04.0s | + 1h30m47s |
DNC | 18 | Jacques Monès-Maury | Automobiles Ettore Bugatti | Bugatti | T30 | 2.0 | S-8 | 57 | flagged off |
DNF | 11 | Pietro Bordino | Fiat SpA | Fiat | 804 | 2.0 | S-8 | 58 | crash |
DNF | 17 | Biagio Nazzaro | Fiat SpA | Fiat | 804 | 2.0 | S-8 | 51 | fatal crash |
DNF | 14 | Giulio Foresti | Etablissements Ballot | Ballot | 2LS | 2.0 | S-4 | 43 | piston |
DNF | 7 | Jules Goux | Etablissements Ballot | Ballot | 2LS | 2.0 | S-4 | 32 | crash |
DNF | 8 | Clive Gallop | Bamford and Martin, Ltd. | Aston Martin | GP | 1.5 | S-4 | 29 | magneto drive |
DNF | 21 | Henry Segrave | Sunbeam Motor Car Co Ltd | Sunbeam | | 2.0 | S-4 | 29 | broken inlet valve |
DNF | 15 | Louis Zborowski | Bamford and Martin, Ltd. | Aston Martin | GP | 1.5 | S-4 | 19 | magneto armature |
DNF | 20 | Giulio Masetti | Etablissements Ballot | Ballot | 2LS | 2.0 | S-4 | 17 | connecting rod |
DNF | 5 | Ernest Friderich | Automobiles Ettore Bugatti | Bugatti | T30 | 2.0 | S-8 | 11 | magneto |
DNF | 13 | Victor Hémery | SA des Etablissements Rolland-Pilain | Rolland-Pilain | A22 | 2.0 | S-8 | 6 | broken valve |
DNF | 16 | Kenelm Lee Guinness | Sunbeam Motor Car Co Ltd | Sunbeam | | 2.0 | S-4 | 5 | broken inlet valve |
DNF | 9 | Jean Chassagne | Sunbeam Motor Car Co Ltd | Sunbeam | | 2.0 | S-4 | 4 | broken inlet valve |
DNF | 6 | Albert Guyot | SA des Etablissements Rolland-Pilain | Rolland-Pilain | A22 | 2.0 | S-8 | 2 | crankshaft |
DNF | 19 | Louis Wagner | SA des Etablissements Rolland-Pilain | Rolland-Pilain | A22 | 2.0 | S-8 | 1 | connecting rod |
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Fastest lap: Pietro Bordino (Fiat) on lap 52 in 5m43s = 140.4 km/h (87.3 mph).
Winner's average speed: 127.7 km/h (79.3 mph).
Weather: overcast.
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In retrospect:
David Hodges wrote: It was later found that the rear axle casings of the Fiats were faulty; in each case they fractured close to the hub and a wheel came off. A similar, developing, crack was
found on the third car of the team after the race.
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Primary sources researched for this article:
Allgemeine Automobil-Zeitung, Berlin
Allgemeine Automobil-Zeitung, Wien
AUTOMOBIL-REVUE, Bern
Gazzetta dello Sport, Milano
La Stampa. Torino
La Stampa Sportiva, Torino
L'Auto, Paris
La Vie Automobile, Paris
L'Écho de Paris, Paris
Le Figaro, Paris
Le Matin, Paris
Le Miroir des Sports, Paris
L'Ouest-Éclair, Rennes
Omnia, Paris
Special thanks to:
Giuseppe Prisco
Hugo Boecker
Robert Dick
Markus Neugebauer
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