1922 GRAND PRIX SEASON -

7 André Boillot
SA des Automobiles et Cycles Peugeot
Peugeot 174 S

5 Henry Segrave
Sunbeam Motor Car Co Ltd
Sunbeam DA 673

3 Maurice Béquet
SA des Automobiles et Cycles Peugeot
Peugeot 174 S

COPPA FLORIO

Medio Circuito Madonie - Palermo (I), 19 November 1922.
4 laps x 108 km (67.1 mi) = 432 km (268.4 mi)

No.	Driver	Entrant	Car	Type	Engine

1	Jean Chassagne	Sunbeam Motor Car Co Ltd	Sunbeam	DA 6732	4.9	S-6
2	Ferdinando Minoia	Officine Meccaniche SA	OM	469	1.5	S-4
3	Maurice Béquet	SA des Automobiles et Cycles Peugeot	Peugeot	174 S	3.8	S-4
4	Guido Meregalli	Società Anonima Autocostruzioni Diatto	Diatto	20S	2.0	S-4
5	Henry Segrave	Sunbeam Motor Car Co Ltd	Sunbeam	DA 6732	4.9	S-6
6	Luigi Lopez	Officine Meccaniche SA	OM	469	1.5	S-4
7	André Boillot	SA des Automobiles et Cycles Peugeot	Peugeot	174 S	3.8	S-4
8	Alfieri Maserati	Società Anonima Autocostruzioni Diatto	Diatto	20S	3.0	S-4
9	Paolo Arnone	Società Anonima Autocostruzioni Diatto	Diatto	20S	2.0	S-4
	Felice Nazzaro	Fabbrica Automobili Nazzaro	Nazzaro	Tipo 5 Sport	4.4	S-4	DNS - Did not start
	Giulio Masetti	Fabbrica Automobili Nazzaro	Nazzaro	Tipo 5 Sport	4.4	S-4	DNS - Did not start
	Giovanni Caprione	Fabbrica Automobili Nazzaro	Nazzaro	Tipo 5 Sport	4.4	S-4	DNS - Did not start
	Kenelm Lee Guinness	Automobiles Tabot	Talbot-Darracq		1.5	S-4	DNA - Did not appear
	X	Automobiles Tabot	Talbot-Darracq		1.5	S-4	DNA - Did not appear

André Boillot wins the Coppa Florio with Peugeot

by Hans Etzrodt

The sixth Coppa Florio had only nine drivers and four manufacturers at the start. Boillot (Peugeot) led the first lap ahead of Chassagne (Sunbeam), Béquet (Peugeot), the two OM of Minoia and Lopez, Maserati (Diatto), Segrave (Sunbeam) and Arnone (Diatto) while Meregalli (Diatto) had crashed with his riding mechanic Giacchino tragically killed. After the second lap Boillot led ahead of Chassagne, Maserati, Béquet, Segrave and Minoia, while Lopez and Arnone retired. After three laps Boillot led Béquet, Segrave, Maserati, Chassagne and Minoia retired. After Maserati retired, only four drivers were left starting the fourth lap. Chassagne experienced more problems in last place which left only three cars to finish in time, the victorious Boillot (Peugeot), Segrave (Sunbeam) and Béquet (Peugeot).

The origin of the "Coppa Florio" is to be found at the 1904 Week of Brescia where a small race was held for the Florio Cup. Count Vincenzo Florio took part in a Mercedes and finished third after Lancia (Fiat) and Teste (Panhard). The result of the race, but especially the large interest of the public and industry, inspired the count to stage a circuit race in 1905 and donate a challenge trophy, the "Coppa Florio" with a value of 20,000 Franc, a very large sum at that time. The trophy was designed by the sculptor Polak Aine of Paris. The regulations required that seven Coppa Florio races had to be held and the trophy would go to the make who achieved the greatest success. In case two makes after the seventh race would have the same claim, then an eighth race should be held in which the both contestants were allowed to start with not more than three cars each. Until 1922, the Coppa Florio had been held five times. Every year another manufacturer had won, Itala in 1905, Isotta in 1907, Fiat in 1909, Nazzaro in 1914, Ballot in 1921. The 1922 Coppa Florio was the 6th repetition and was held to free formula regulations, specifying a racing car category without restrictions of engine capacity.
The cars had to cover four laps of the 108 km Medium Madonie circuit, equal to 432 km, in use since 1919 and included approximately 1500 corners per lap through the mountainous Madonie region of Sicily. The narrow circuit with its steep gradients was a true measure of both driver and car. The start and finish took place near Cerda train station just a few meters above sea level. The road led several miles up to Cerda village at 273 meters altitude. From here the course twisted uphill to Caltavuturo at 640 meters. From this village the tight, twisting roads wound through the Madonie Mountains and turned back past a depot to refuel and change tires in the town of Polizzi, 917 meters above sea level. Tortuous hairpin bends followed next, snaking downhill through the mountain village of Collesano at 500 meters and then on to Campofelice, just 50 meters above sea level. From there it was downhill to the seven km fast coastal straight where it was possible to use top gear. Then the circuit turned inland to the finish near the Cerda train station.
The Automobile Club di Sicilia organized the international open car race for the Coppa Florio in accordance with the ACI Sporting Regulations. Each car had to carry two people, seated side by side, with a total minimum weight of 120 kg each. The maximum time to be classified was nine hours. The make that built the winning car would be the holder of the Florio Cup, until it would be put back into competition. A small replica of the Florio Cup was offered to the car manufacturer. The winner received a large gold medal, the second, third, fourth and fifth a large silver medal. The riding mechanic of the winner received a small gold medal, all other riding mechanics of cars that were classified, received a small silver medal.

Entries:
The 1922 race was preceded by week-long rains which turned the roads into an unsuitable condition and disabled the drivers from any practice. The Italian Nazzaro had entered three cars which had a problematic start and stayed away from the race due to the impossibility of sufficient practice. After the withdrawal of Nazzaro, it seemed probable also that Talbot-Darracq would not start. In such a case, the French industry with Peugeot would face the British industry with Sunbeam and the Italian industry with Diatto and OM.
The journey of the British cars deserves a brief mention: Lee Guinness had a yacht with a well-equipped garage forward for six cars below decks. The two Sunbeams were put on board at Southampton and the three Talbot-Darracqs were picked up at Le Havre with the team of mechanics and pit gear. After a strenuous trip through a rough sea, they reached Barcelona for the Penya Rhin Grand Prix on 5. November. Lee Guinnes in the 1500 Talbot-Darracq was victorious while Segrave finished fourth with a damaged engine and Chassagne retired with a broken engine. The following day the ship left Barcelona for Palermo with Chassagne and Segrave, the two Sunbeams, Lee Guinness' brother Algemon, and the great technician Coatalen on board. The Talbot-Darracq voiturettes were missing, due to the impossibility to repair them after the Spanish race and Lee Guiness withdrew his entries. The dark grey Sunbeams entered for Henry Segrave and Jean Chassagne were type DA 6752 of 4.9-Liter (81.5 x 157 mm) 4914 cc 6-cylinder engines with 24 valves, built for the 1919 Indianapolis and mounted in the low TT chassis with four-wheel brakes and the TT type bolster fuel tank. The two Sunbeam seemed too low and too long for the Madonie circuit with the same chassis that won the Tourist Trophy. The weight of these cars was 1000 kg.
The two blue Peugeots were equipped with the same type slide-valve engine used at the Strasbourg Touring Car Grand Prix, mounted now on a much shorter and less heavy chassis. The Peugeots had 3.8-Liter four-cylinder sleeve-valve engines for well-known French André Boillot, who had already won the Targa Florio in 1919 and Maurice Joseph Jules Béquet, who was born 10. May 1899 in France. He was a pilot in the French army and in 1921 had driven at Ernemont and Wimille hill climbs in a GP Alda with 180 hp Hispano-Suiza engine, information which was supplied by Reinhard Windeler.
Alessandro Silva informed us that Maserati had a special car with a 3-L Diatto engine in a Tipo 20 chassis. Only one example of the engine existed for the use of Alfieri Maserati. Meregalli's Diatto was a so called Tipo 20S GP, made for the 1922 Coppa Florio, basically a souped up Tipo 20S. The two 1500 OM were both of the 469-type with the car of Minoia a racing version, looking identical to the Garda Circuit type.
These were the four manufacturers to run with nine drivers. Everyone could be the winner and no one was excluded from a possible victory, due to the very simple fact that all starting cars, small and large, had a significant margin of speed-limit allowed by the circuit. But Boillot was considered the favorite with Chassagne and Meregalli also a good chance, leaving Minoia the role of the outsider.

Practice:
On Friday before the race, activities at Termini continued at the placid rhythm of provincial life, and did not seem overly interested in the rapid raids of the nine candidates to win the Coppa Florio. Practice had begun on Sunday a week before the race when Maserati and Meregalli tested on the circuit. In the practice session Meregalli gave the best impression and his strong pace over one lap suggested, that the previous records could be improved. On Monday, the Sunbeam, OM and Peugeot teams arrived and immediately set to work although they were hindered from practice by pouring rain and strong-winds.
The cars and the drivers were stationed in improvised garages. The two blue Peugeots were equipped with the same type slide-valve engine used at the Strasbourg Touring Grand Prix. Boillot had great confidence in winning if the car would not run into trouble. He feared a lot about the roads that except for the initial stretch he found as horrible as in 1918. Boillot spoke very well about his teammate Béquet, a new name in motoring, but a glorious French aviator.
Chassagne and Segrave also showed themselves discouraged by the bad state of the roads. In his book "The Lure of Speed", Segrave described that some of the road surfaces over which one had to drive, were such as to bring the driver of an ordinary touring car down to an absolute crawl. He said that a speed race for racecars on that circuit is impossible and he believed it was more suitable for a touring car race. Completely ignorant of the character of the Coppa Florio race, Segrave on his first experimental lap with Moriceau, started at 3 in the afternoon, thinking it would not take much more than an hour. They had not gone far when rain fell in torrents and it became pitch-dark with remarkable suddenness. As there were no lights, Segrave was reduced to crawling along with Moriceau walking in front in the middle of the road and the driver followed the white blur of his overalls. Eventually they stopped at the nearest village. Wet and hungry they finally could sleep on hay in a barn.
Maserati and Arnone worked at the red three-liter Diatto, the type similar to the Autumn Grand Prix. Only Meregalli could complete some laps. When Maserati was asked for his impressions of the circuit, he replied: "It is certain that Masetti's record (1h37m37s) will not be beaten".
Even at OM, the work was in full swing for the last touches on the cars which were identical to the victorious one of the Garda Circuit. Minoia talked about the conditions of the circuit, which had some deep ditches up to the crossroads of Polizzi, also bad with mud and landslides as well as steep road damage up to Campofelice and the final straight which was bad and reduced the high speeds. The road-roller machines were working with hope to improve the roads for Sunday, even if the weather, that cleared on Friday, would not get worse, it would be difficult to achieve a good performance.

Race:
On Sunday morning at 6 am the air was cool at the stands in Cerda. The damp and cold mist penetrated the clothes. Authorities, spectators, competitors in rigorous winter dressing began to arrive. Cavalliere Vincenzo Florio who thought of everything had arranged all the services and communications in the most perfect way with the collaboration of his friends. There was no huge crowd near the finish as seen at the last Targa Florio, instead, mainly passionate motoring fans were present. On the stands, the Italian, British and French flags were flying on a single beam. Garlands of orange trees were everywhere, it looked like in spring time. The start time was approaching and Prince Patrulla, timekeeper at the booth, called the drivers half an hour before the start to the finish line. After a stop at the refueling posts, they arranged themselves in front of the timekeepers. The Sunbeam of Chassagne in the leading car, like that of Segrave, was painted dark gray instead of the prescribed green. The Peugeot of Béquet and Boillot were blue, and the Diatto and the OM were red. Only Béquet and Boillot were dressed in raincoats, the others wore sweaters. Meregalli had on a blue jersey and Segrave a blue combination. With the exception of Minoia's car, none had mudguards. Maserati's car has spiked wheels and if it rained the Bolognese driver would have an advantage.
The cars started individually in order of their race numbers at intervals of five minutes. A few drops of rain fell at 7:30 a.m. when Petrulla gave the "go" signal to Chassagne. Next was Minoia in the small but very fast OM ahead of Béquet, followed by Merigalli, the great favorite with Giacchino as mechanic.