10 Gastone Brilli Peri
Scuderia Materassi
Talbot 700 
60 Giuseppe Morandi
G. Morandi
O.M. 665 S 
30 Enrico Benini
E. Benini
Alfa Romeo 6C-1750 S
CIRCUITO DEL MUGELLO
Circuito del Mugello (I), 9 June 1929.
6 laps x 61.8 km (38.4 mi) = 370.8 km (230.4 mi)
Brilli Peri wins with Talbot at Mugello
by Hans Etzrodt
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At the 1929 Mugello Circuit race the battle was between 10 Alfa Romeos, 5 Maseratis, 5 Bugattis, 3 O.M.s, 3 Fiat's, 1 Itala, 1 Talbot, 1 Austro Daimler and 3 Salmsons. The cars started individually in Targa Florio
style. This time Brilli Peri drove his powerful 1500 Talbot and led from start to finish. The German Stuck in his Austro Daimler held second position until mid-race, when he passed Brilli for first place but crashed
soon thereafter without serious consequences. Then Varzi and Morandi held second place alternately, while Campari, Maserati and Benini held third position at one time or other. On the last lap Alfieri Maserati
relieved his brother Ernesto, who was ill. Brilli Peri finished first ahead of Morandi, Benini, Pintacuda, Varzi, Campari, Biondetti, Ferrari and Nuvolari, who was in ninth place. From the 32 cars at the start,
19 reached the finish line and 13 retired.
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The races on the Circuito del Mugello north of Florence were also called the "Little Targa Florio". The race was held for the ninth time with various configurations of its course. This year it took place on the
same course of the Mugello district as in 1928 with the start at San Piero a Sieve - Scarperia - Giogo - Firenzuola - Futa - Montecarelli - bivio di Novoli - San Piero a Sieve. It was a 61.800 km course and the race was
run over six laps making a total of 370.800 km. The Automobile Club di Firenze organized this event with the supervision of the Commissione Sportiva del R.A.C.I. (Reale Automobile Club d'Italia).
It was the last time that this circuit was used before it reappeared in the fifties.
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Entries:
Practically all the better known Italian race drivers appeared at the start plus some lesser known faces. A complete list of entries is shown at the beginning of this report. From the 32 drivers that appeared, 6
started in the 1500 cc class, 15 in the 2000 cc class, 5 in the 3000 cc class and 6 in the 1100 cc class. Two foreign drivers entered the 3000 cc class, the German Stuck of hill climb fame, with a fast 3-liter
Austro Daimler with factory support and the Belgian Bouriano in a 2300 Bugatti grand prix car. Two of the Maseratis were official factory entries, a 2000 cc tipo B26 for Ernesto, one of the Maserati brothers, the
other a 1700 cc tipo 26R for Borzacchini. Fabbrica O. M. entered two cars for Morandi and Rosa. Scuderia Materassi appeared with just one of the 1500 cc Talbots, which had won the 1927 World Championship, to be
driven by Conte Brilli Peri.
The following comparison of cars specifications may explain why a 1500cc car won the race. Brilli Peri's 8-cyl, 1500 cc Talbot Grand Prix car produced 150 hp @ 7000 rpm and with Brilli Peri's pure alcohol fuel it
might have given 170 hp. The Maserati racecars, a tipo 26R had a 1700cc s/c twin cam engine quoted with 140 hp @ 6500 rpm and the Maserati 26B with a 2000 cc s/c twin cam engine produced 155 hp @ 5300 rpm. The
Alfa Romeo sports car in race trim, tipo 1750 SS (s/c twin cam) was quoted by Fusi with 85 hp @ 4500 rpm and the Austro Daimler 3-liter ohc suction engine produced 120 hp @ 4200 rpm.
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Practice:
Nuvolari practiced Friday morning when his car hit another one coming from the opposite direction. The car left the road. Luckily Nuvolari's experience and skill prevented a serious outcome. He only received some
scratches on the hands, which did not prevent him from taking part in the race. His car also sustained no serious damage.
Nuvolari and Varzi had not driven the twisting course before, so they were not familiar with the numerous turns and it showed in their performance during the race. Campari and Ferrari both knew the circuit well but
had problems with their cars and were slowed down.
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Race:
In the early hours of Sunday morning numerous enthusiasts filled the grandstands in San Piero a Sieve and others arrived to take possession of the best viewpoints around the entire circuit. Because of the dust from the
dirt roads, the cars were started individually, at intervals of one minute. The starter Fabio Vecchioni, commissioner of the R.A.C.I. was ready for the 9:00 AM start and released the first car which was Natali's Alfa Romeo
with the lowest number four.
However, the cars were not necessarily released at 1-minute intervals, similar to the Targa Florio starting procedures. For instance Natali left probably at 9:01 because the #2 car which did not appear, was assigned for
a 9:00 AM start. The times were determined beforehand according to their numbers and if particular cars did not appear at the start (e.g. #2 and #6), car number 4 and number 8 were held to their predetermined time of
departure. Additionally there seems to have been another rule affecting the start of each different class, which was dispatched at a 2-minute interval, for the 2000 cc class #22 and #24 or for the 3000 cc class
#52 and #54. There was a 3-minute gap between the last of the 3000 cc cars and the first of the cycle cars. It was all guaranteed to confuse the spectators. IL LITTORIALE reported that the last car, Moradei's
Salmsom, started at 9:46 AM.
Next in line after Natali, was Ruggeri in the Maserati, who had number eight. One minute later it was the turn for the great "Brillione" in the number ten Talbot who received much applause. The same car he was
driving had won the 1928 race driven by Emilio Materassi. So one after the other the 32 cars were started individually until 46 minutes after the first car had left Moradei in the Salmson finally started.
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| | 1. | Natali | 4 | Alfa Romeo | - 9:01 | 1500 cc class |
| 2. | Ruggeri | 8 | Maserati | - 9:03 |
| 3. | Brilli Peri | 10 | Talbot | - 9:04 |
| 4. | Arcangeli | 12 | Bugatti | - 9:05 |
| 5. | Cracchi | 18 | Bugatti | - 9:08 |
| 6. | Pintacuda | 22 | Alfa Romeo | - 9:10 |
| 7. | Caruso | 24 | Itala | - 9:13 | 2000 cc class |
| 8. | Rosa | 26 | O. M. | - 9:14 |
| 9. | Carraroli | 28 | Alfa Romeo | - 9:15 |
| 10. | Benini | 30 | Alfa Romeo | - 9:16 |
| 11. | Varzi | 32 | Alfa Romeo | - 9:17 |
| 12. | Nenzioni | 34 | Maserati | - 9:18 |
| 13. | Borzacchini | 36 | Maserati | - 9:19 |
| 14. | de Sterlich | 38 | Maserati | - 9:20 |
| 15. | E. Maserati | 40 | Maserati | - 9:21 |
| 16. | Biondetti | 42 | Bugatti | - 9:22 |
| 17. | Nuvolari | 44 | Alfa Romeo | - 9:23 |
| 18. | Campari | 46 | Alfa Romeo | - 9:24 |
| 19. | E. Ferrari | 48 | Alfa Romeo | - 9:25 |
| 20. | Razzauti | 50 | Alfa Romeo | - 9:26 |
| 21. | A. Sartorio | 52 | Alfa Romeo | - 9:27 |
| 22. | Bouriano | 54 | Bugatti | - 9:30 | 3000 cc class |
| 23. | Giorgini | 56 | O. M. | - 9:31 |
| 24. | Stuck | 58 | Austro Daimler | - 9:32 |
| 25. | Morandi | 60 | O. M. | - 9:33 |
| 26. | Blancas | 62 | Bugatti | - 9:34 |
| 27. | Corinaldi | 68 | Fiat | - 9:40 | 1100 cc class |
| 28. | Di Stefano | 70 | Fiat | - 9:41 |
| 29. | Gualtieri | 72 | Salmson | - 9:42 |
| 30. | Bucci | 74 | Fiat | - 9:43 |
| 31. | Fagioli | 78 | Salmson | - 9:45 |
| 32. | Moradei | 80 | Salmson | - 9:46 |
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Brilli Peri returned from his first lap less than 9 minutes later. From then on cars came by the grandstand every minute or two. Of course it was almost always just one car at a time. For spectators single car starts offered
a very different experience from a whole grid start. If Mugello had featured a grid start, the crowd would have had to wait the best part of an hour before anything happened. The negative side is that it's much harder to follow
the course of a race when all the cars start at different times.
Brilli Peri's Talbot was the first to appear at the end of the first lap in 50m31.4s at an average speed of 73.392 km/h. He had passed Ruggeri and probably Natali on the road, both having started ahead of him. Stuck in the
Austro Daimler drove the second best time and Campari in the Alfa Romeo was third. Borzacchini stopped at his pit for one minute to change a rear wheel. Four drivers did not finish the first lap, Natali (Alfa Romeo),
Arcangeli (Bugatti), Corinaldi and Di Stefano both with Fiats, reducing the field to 28 cars. The order after the first lap was:
| 1. Brilli Peri (Talbot) | 50m31.4s |
| 2. Stuck (Austro Daimler) | 51m23.8s |
| 3. Campari (Alfa Romeo) | 51m56.0s |
| 4. E. Maserati (Maserati) | 51m59.0s |
| 5. Borzacchini (Alfa Romeo) | 52m34.4s |
| 6. Varzi (Alfa Romeo) | 52m58.6s |
| 7. Pintacuda (Alfa Romeo) | 53m25.0s |
| 8. Morandi (O.M.) | 53m25.0s |
| 9. Benini (Alfa Romeo) | 53m44.0s |
| 10. Biondetti (Bugatti) | 53m46.0s |
| 11. Razzauti (Bugatti) | 53m57.0s |
| 12. E. Ferrari (Alfa Romeo) | 54m11.0s |
| 13. Rosa (O.M.) | 54m26.0s |
| 14. De Sterlich (Maserati) | 54m49.0s |
| 15. Caruso (Itala) | 54m58,0s |
| 16. Bouriano (Bugatti) | 55m11.0s |
| 17. C. Nenzioni (Maserati) | 55m36.0s |
| 18. A. Sartorio (Alfa Romeo) | 56m01.0s |
| 19. Carraroli (Alfa Romeo) | 56m16.0s |
| 20. Giorgini (O.M.) | 56m32.0s |
| 21. Nuvolari (Alfa Romeo) | 56m41.0s |
| 22. Ruggeri (Maserati) | 57m48.0s |
| 23. Moradei (Salmson) | 59m55.0s |
| 24. Cracchi (Bugatti) | 1h00m48s |
| 25. Bucci (Fiat) | 1h01m31s |
| 26. Blancas (Bugatti) | 1h02m58s |
| 27. Gualtieri (Fiat) | ? |
| 28. Luigi Fagioli (Salmson) | ? |
During the second round Brilli Peri lapped in 50m12.8s at an average speed of 73.840 km/h. This was the fastest lap of the race, but did not beat the old record of 49m58s, established by Campari in 1928. The cars passing the
grandstands after Brilli Peri were Pintacuda, Ruggeri, Rosa, Varzi, Benini, who stopped at the pits, Maserati, who had passed Borzacchini, who stopped to have his Alfa's brakes fixed, falling from 5th to 21st place, Carraroli,
Biondetti, Campari, Cracchi, de Sterlich, Ferrari, Stuck, who was fast and menacing, Morandi, Nuvolari, Sartorio, Bouriano, who stopped at his pit, Giorgini, Blancas, who stopped at the pits, Moradei, who had passed Bucci, who
also stopped at the pits. Brilli Peri did not have to pass any cars on a free road, which enabled him to increase his advantage to Stuck, while the German passed on the road Sartorio (Alfa Romeo), Razzauti (Bugatti), Borzacchini
(Alfa Romeo) and Nuvolari (Alfa Romeo). Morandi passed just Bouriano (Bugatti) and Sartorio (Alfa Romeo) on the road.
That was how the cars were positioned on the road but below they are listed according to classification after two laps. Stuck drove an outstanding race and it appeared that he could even threaten Brilli Peri, if his engine would
withstand the strain. When Nenzioni crashed his Maserati and Fagioli retired his Salmson with broken brakes after two laps, the field was down to 26 cars in the following order:
| 1. Brilli Peri (Talbot) | 1h40m44s |
| 2. Stuck (Austro Daimler) | 1h42m35s |
| 3. E. Maserati (Maserati) | 1h45m08s |
| 4. Varzi (Alfa Romeo) | 1h45m41s |
| 5. Morandi (O.M.) | 1h45m47s |
| 6. Campari (Alfa Romeo) | 1h45m49s |
| 7. Pintacuda (Alfa Romeo) | 1h46m15s |
| 8. E. Ferrari (Alfa Romeo) | 1h46m53s |
| 9. Benini (Alfa Romeo) | 1h47m11s |
| 10. Biondetti (Bugatti) | 1h47m41s |
| 11. Rosa (O.M.) | 1h48m31s |
| 12. Caruso (Itala) | 1h49m11s |
| 13. Razzauti (Bugatti) | 1h50m18s |
| 14. De Sterlich (Maserati) | 1h51m51s |
| 15. A. Sartorio (Alfa Romeo) | 1h52m13s |
| 16. Giorgini (O.M.) | 1h52m17s |
| 17. Bouriano (Bugatti) | 1h52m51s |
| 18. Carraroli (Alfa Romeo) | 1h53m09s |
| 19. Nuvolari (Alfa Romeo) | 1h54m23s |
| 20. Ruggeri (Maserati) | 1h54m46s |
| 21. Borzacchini (Alfa Romeo) | 1h57m02s |
| 22. Moradei (Salmson) | 1h59m03s |
| 23. Cracchi (Bugatti) | 2h00m58s |
| 24. Bucci (Fiat) | 2h04m09s |
| 25. Gualtieri (Fiat) | 2h17m01s |
| 26. Blancas (Bugatti) | ? |
After the third lap Brilli Peri had done another fast lap in 50m25.8s but his race average had fallen very slightly to 73.588 km/h. He stopped at his pit for 4m40s to refuel and replace wheels. The next cars passing the
grandstands were Pintacuda, who stopped at the pits for fuel and wheels, Ruggeri, Caruso, who stopped at the pits, Rosa, Varzi and Benini, who both stopped at the pits, Biondetti and Campari, who both did the same, Ernesto
Maserati and Ferrari. Next there appeared Stuck, fast, without stopping, Carraroli pitting, Morandi, de Sterlich pitting, Cracchi, Nuvolari, Giorgini, Sartorio and Bouriano, who both arrived with flat right rear tires.
Brilli Peri extended his lead again with a free road on the third lap, while Stuck passed on the road De Sterlich (Maserati), Cracchi (Bugatti) and lapped Gualtieri (Fiat). Morandi passed Razzauti (Bugatti) and Nuvolari
(Alfa Romeo) on the road.
This was the order of the cars on the road, but below they are listed according to classification after three laps, where Brilli also held the lead ahead of the German Stuck in second place. After Brilli passed the finish
line, he stopped at his pit for 4m40s. Stuck, who had started 28 minutes after Brilli Peri, did not stop, so while Brilli Peri's car was stationary in the pits, the German temporarily went into the lead by time, where he was
over a minute ahead of Brilli Peri. Morandi and Pintacuda moved into third and fourth position respectively. Varzi hit a wall and had to change a wheel. Ernesto Maserati had stopped at Sasso di Castro to replenish fuel and
had fallen back to 11th place by the time he passed the finish line. The same happened to the others who had stopped less long or longer. When Blancas retired his Bugatti and Borzacchini ended his race, the field was down
to 24 cars after the third lap at this order:
| 1. Brilli Peri (Talbot) | 2h31m10s |
| 2. Stuck (Austro Daimler) | 2h34m49s |
| 3. Morandi (O.M.) | 2h37m54s |
| 4. Pintacuda (Alfa Romeo) | 2h38m54s |
| 5. Campari (Alfa Romeo) | 2h39m00s |
| 6. E. Ferrari (Alfa Romeo) | 2h39m42s |
| 7. Varzi (Alfa Romeo) | 2h40m13s |
| 8. Biondetti (Bugatti) | 2h40m42s |
| 9. Benini (Alfa Romeo) | 2h41m14s |
| 10. Rosa (O.M.) | 2h42m57s |
| 11. E. Maserati (Maserati) | 2h43m17s |
| 12. Caruso (Itala) | 2h43m51s |
| 13. Razzauti (Bugatti) | 2h46m10s |
| 14. Giorgini (O.M.) | 2h46m14s |
| 15. De Sterlich (Maserati) | 2h49m15s |
| 16. Bouriano (Bugatti) | 2h49m33s |
| 17. A. Sartorio (Alfa Romeo) | 2h50m08s |
| 18. Carraroli (Alfa Romeo) | 2h50m25s |
| 19. Nuvolari (Alfa Romeo) | 2h50m30s |
| 20. Ruggeri (Maserati) | 2h51m42s |
| 21. Cracchi (Bugatti) | 3h00m51s |
| 22. Moradei (Salmson) | 3h05m49s |
| 23. Bucci (Fiat) | 3h19m19s |
| 24. Gualtieri (Fiat) | 3h32m32s |
At the end of the fourth lap Brilli regained first place, which he had lost temporarily to Stuck during his pit stop of 4m40s bringing his lap to 56m05s. The next cars passing the grandstands were Pintacuda, Rosa, Benini,
Varzi, Biondetti, Campari, Morandi, Maserati, who stopped at the pits because he apparently did not feel well, Ferrari, Ruggeri, Carraroli, Nuvolari, Razzauti pitting, de Sterlich, Cracchi and Sartorio, who both pitted. The
German Stuck failed to appear at the end of the fourth lap. Later it became known that he had left the road without greater harm. Then Caruso appeared and headed for the pits, Giorgini did the same, Moradei, Bucci and
Gualtieri last. But the dust factor undoubtedly was a form of handicap. Brilli Peri only had to face the dust from two cars and only that for a part of the first lap. Everyone, including Brilli Peri, had to peer through the
dust and of course it affected the faster drivers most, because they had to drive into the dust vortex of the slower cars and just hope that the road would be clear as they overtook. And that's exactly how Stuck's race ended.
This was the order as they passed the grandstands, but below they are listed according to classification after four laps, where Brilli Peri again kept the lead followed by Morandi and Varzi third. Stuck -still on his third
lap- had passed Brilli in time while his Talbot was serviced in the pits. Stuck kept leading the race in time from this moment on until his crash during lap 4, when Brilli regained the lead the moment the German wrecked his
Austro Daimler. Nuvolari advanced to 12th position. Allgemeine Automobil-Zeitung (Wien) reported that Stuck's race ended when his Austro Daimler hit the wall of a bridge due to dust kicked up by another competitor. He
suffered a broken nose and multiple back injuries and later filed a protest for impediment by a competitor. In his 1967 book "Tagebuch eines Rennfahrers", Hans Stuck describes the accident in which parts of his account are
complete nonsense. But what might be true is that Stuck tried to pass a car and had to drive blindly into a gigantic dust cloud. He could not see that the road narrowed to lead across a small bridge. At full speed he raced
into the bridge railing, was ejected from the car and landed below on a boulder of the dry river bed. The car had come to a stop hanging in the broken bridge railing with the smashed front of the car suspended above the
abyss. His injuries were not nearly as serious as described in his book, because two weeks later he raced at Baden-Baden and almost beat Caracciola at the hill climb. When Bouriano and Stuck retired, the field was down to
22 cars after four laps when the order was as follows:
| 1. Brilli Peri (Talbot) | 3h27m15s |
| 2. Morandi (O.M.) | 3h30m16s |
| 3. Varzi (Alfa Romeo) | 3h35m39s |
| 4. Campari (Alfa Romeo) | 3h36m10s |
| 5. Pintacuda (Alfa Romeo) | 3h36m22s |
| 6. Benini (Alfa Romeo) | 3h36m22.8s |
| 7. Biondetti (Bugatti) | 3h37m19s |
| 8. E. Ferrari (Alfa Romeo) | 3h38m10s |
| 9. Rosa (O.M.) | 3h38m18s |
| 10. E. Maserati (Maserati) | 3h41m18s |
| 11. Razzauti (Bugatti) | 3h43m28s |
| 12. Nuvolari (Alfa Romeo) | 3h45m40s |
| 13. A. Sartorio (Alfa Romeo) | 3h50m21s |
| 14. De Sterlich (Maserati) | 3h52m08s |
| 15. Giorgini (O.M.) | 3h52m10s |
| 16. Carraroli (Alfa Romeo) | 3h52m20s |
| 17. Ruggeri (Maserati) | 3h59m49s |
| 18. Cracchi (Bugatti) | 4h05m01s |
| 19. Caruso (Itala) | 4h05m17s |
| 20. Moradei (Salmson) | 4h05m40s |
| 21. Bucci (Fiat) | 4h23m48s |
| 22. Gualtieri (Fiat) | 4h48m17s |
After the fifth lap Brilli Peri again increased his lead ahead of Morandi, Benini, Pintacuda, Campari, Varzi, Biondetti, Ferrari, Rosa, followed by Razzauti, Nuvolari, Ernesto Maserati, who was no longer fast due to his
discomfort, de Sterlich, Sartorio, Carraroli, Giorgini, Ruggeri, Cracchi, Caruso, Moradei first of the 1100 cc class. After Bucci and Gualtieri retired their Fiats on lap five, the field was down to 20 cars. The order by
classification after five laps was the following:
| 1. Brilli Peri (Talbot) | 4h18m22s |
| 2. Morandi (O.M.) | 4h25m12s |
| 3. Benini (Alfa Romeo) | 4h28m39s |
| 4. Pintacuda (Alfa Romeo) | 4h29m32s |
| 5. Campari (Alfa Romeo) | 4h30m01s |
| 6. Varzi (Alfa Romeo) | 4h31m01s |
| 7. Biondetti (Bugatti) | 4h31m34s |
| 8. E. Ferrari (Alfa Romeo) | 4h33m50s |
| 9. Rosa (O.M.) | 4h34m00s |
| 10. Razzauti (Bugatti) | 4h42m39s |
| 11. Nuvolari (Alfa Romeo) | 4h43m16s |
| 12. E. Maserati (Maserati) | 4h43m38s |
| 13. De Sterlich (Maserati) | 4h49m39s |
| 14. A. Sartorio (Alfa Romeo) | 4h50m27s |
| 15. Carraroli (Alfa Romeo) | 4h51m06s |
| 16. Giorgini (O.M.) | 4h53m10s |
| 17. Ruggeri (Maserati) | 4h59m41s |
| 18. Cracchi (Bugatti) | 5h08m29s |
| 19. Caruso (Itala) | ? |
| 20. Moradei (Salmson) | ? |
On the sixth and final lap the first four drivers held their positions. Varzi picked up speed and was able to move ahead of Campari. Biondetti and Ferrari both stopped at the pits. When Rosa retired, the field was down
to 19 cars. Nuvolari moved ahead of Razzauti. Ernesto Maserati stopped at his pit, too sick to carry on, so his brother Alfieri took over for the last lap. Brilli Peri finished first after 5h10m57.6s, followed by 18 other
finishers. Sartorio overtook De Sterlich on the last lap and beat him by just 6 seconds after almost six hours at the wheel.
Aside from Brilli Peri, the two stars of this race were Morandi and Benini. They were eighth and ninth on the first lap and gradually made their way to the head of the field, presumably with a mixture of fast aggressive,
yet safe driving. As for Benini, how many drivers have beaten the trio of Campari, Varzi and Nuvolari in identical cars? Likewise Pintacuda, the second fastest Alfa driver with a 6C-1500 moved from sixth at the start to fourth place at the finish.
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Results
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In retrospect:
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Alessandro Silva explained the controversy that followed the 1929 Mugello race:
| | Campari claimed to have been baulked by Biondetti during several laps and filed a complaint with the clerk of the course. Soon later the journalist Canestrini from the Gazzetta dello Sport
columns had accused Campari of having been lazy and not determined in the pursuit of Brilli Peri. The Gazzetta published a letter in reply by Campari in which he renewed his accusations
against Biondetti and challenged the winner Brilli Peri to a race on the same course and with the same cars, with a bet of 5000 Liras to be given to charities. Biondetti and Brilli Peri
accepted and the challenge would take place during the race of the following year. Of course there would be no Mugello race until 1955! The RACI Sporting Commission fined Biondetti 2000
liras on 23 July 1929. So Campari was apparently right.
(To give an idea of the sums involved, a skilled worker would earn around 600 Liras of monthly wage.)
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Primary sources researched for this article:
Allgemeine Automobil-Zeitung, Wien
AUTOMOBIL-REVUE, Bern
AZ-Motorwelt, Brno
Gran Sport, Firenze
IL LITTORIALE, Bologna
LA STAMPA, Torino
Tutti gli Sports, Napoli
Special thanks to:
Bernhard Völker
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Philippe Auber
P. Auber
Bugatti T37A 
Bayssières
Bayssières
Omega Six
Fort
Fort
?
GRAND PRIX DE PICARDIE
Péronne (F), 9 June 1929.
20 laps x 9.655 km (6.00 mi) = 193.1 km (120.0 mi)
Auber leads from start to finish
by Leif Snellman
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A minor 20 lap race with only nine runners. To compensate that the organizers divided them into six classes, giving almost all a chance for a class win.
Philipe Auber in a Bugatti was the leader throughout the race, for an overall victory.
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The Grand Prix de Picardie was held for the fourth time. Organized by the l'Automobil Club de Picardie-Aisne it included a 10 lap motorcycle race and a 20 lap car race with the cars
divided into six classes.
For the benefit of the spectators a special train left Péronne station at 12:25 p.m. for Mons-en-Chaussée and returned to Péronne at 6:30 p.m.
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Entries:
In the end only nine cars took part in the race, divided into six classes, even if Le Progres de la Somme news paper listed several other names including Emile Tedaldi in the 1500cc, supercharged class
The car weighing operations were carried out on Saturday at the weighbridge on Avenue de la Gare the in Péronne.
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Race:
The motor cycle race started at 1:50 p.m. After that it was time for the car race but due to a delay of the timekeepers the race was 50 minutes late, finally staring at 4 p.m.
Two tri-cycle cars, driven by Patron and Rémond, started together with the nine cars to do 10 laps.
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Aubert in his Bugatti took the lead of the race. He did the first lap in 5m34s (104.1 km/h). Gaupillat in second position stopped in the pits after the first lap to retire.
Vandame went wide at Brie damaging his car. He made a lengthy pit stop as did Antony beacuse of a fuel leak.
On the second lap Bayssière's Omega Six spun but it able to continue the race. Treffell had to stop to replace a spark plug but it did not help and soon he was forced to make a new pit stop to check the engine.
Vandame finally managed to make a second lap before definitely retiring. Anthony made another pit stop falling further behind.
Auber did the first five laps in 27m19s (106.0 km/h) he was leading over Pluquet by 80 seconds. Then followed Bayssière, Patron and Rémond on the tri-cycles, and Doublet.
Doublet retired on the 6th lap. He was then already two laps behind leading Auber.
Halfway, through the race the order was Auber, Bayssière, Patron (who was flagged as winner of the tri-cycle cars), Pluquet, Rémond (flagged), Fort, Treffel and Antony.
Pluquet vs. Fort were the only remaining class duel and Pluquet was leading the latter by almost a lap but then Pluquet dropped back from his second position and had to retire leaving only
five cars to finish, each winning their own class, Auber being the overall leader throughout the race.
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Results
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Entrant | Car | Type | Engine | Laps | Time/Status |
|
| 1. | | Philippe Auber | P. Auber | Bugatti | T37A | 1.5 | S-4 | 20 | 1h47m24.8s |
| 2. | | Treffel | Treffel | Amilcar | | 1.1 | S-4 | 20 | 1h48m39s |
| 3. | | Bayssières | Bayssières | Omega | Six | 3.0 | S-6 | 20 | 1h56m25.0s |
| 4. | | Anthony | Anthony | Anthony | | | | 20 | 1h59m05s |
| 5. | | Fort | Fort | Anthony | | | | 20 | 1h59m55.0s |
| DNF | | Pluquet | Pluquet | Bugatti | T37A | 1.5 | S-4 | >10 | plugs |
| DNF | | Henri Doublet | H. Doublet | Hinstin | | | | 5 |
| DNF | | Van Damme | Van Damme | ? | | | | 2 | brakes? |
| DNF | | Jean Gaupillat | J. Gaupillat | Bugatti | T37 | 1.5 | S-4 | 1 |
| |
Fastest lap: Philippe Aubert (Bugatti) in 5m10.0s = 112.1 km/h (69.7 mph)
Winner's medium speed: 107.9 km/h (67.0 mph)
Weather: ?
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In retrospect
Le Progres de la Somme strongly critizised the time keepers for starting the race late and then showing nonchalance by refusing to publish the results in time for the news papers' dead line.
Interestingly L'Auto had no problem publishing the car race results in their Monday paper.
|
Primary sources researched for this article:
L'Auto, Paris
Le Progres de la Somme, Amiens
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25 Simson
Simson
Bugatti T35 
4 José Scaron
J. Scaron
Amilcar
23 "Foc"
P. Matussière
Bugatti T37A
GRAND PRIX DE LYON
Quincieux - Lyon (F), 16 June 1929.
38 laps x 6.513 km (4.047 mi) = 247.5 km (153.8 mi)
Simson victorious at Lyon
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Entries:
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Race:
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Results
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Entrant | Car | Type | Engine | Laps | Time/Status | Diff |
|
| 1. | 25 | Simson | Simson | Bugatti | T35 | 2.0 | A-8 | 38 | 2h27m56.0s |
| 2. | 4 | José Scaron | J. Scaron | Amilcar | | | | 38 | 2h32m00.0s | + 4m04-0s |
| 3. | 23 | "Foc" | P. Matussière | Bugatti | T37A | 1.5 | S-4 | 38 | 2h32m43.0s | + 4m47.0s |
| 4. | 17 | Georges Avon | G. Avon | Bugatti | T37A | 1.5 | S-4 | 38 | 2h42m29.6s | + 14m33.6s |
| 5. | 1 | Lobre | Lobre | BNC-SCAP | 527 | | S-4 | 38 | 2h52m53.4s | + 24m57.4s |
| 6. | 27 | René Cadet | R. Cadet | Bugatti | T35A | 2.0 | S-8 | 38 | 2h55m44.8s | + 27m48.8s |
| 7. | 26 | Derancourt | Derancourt | Bugatti | T40 | 1.5 | S-4 | 38 | 3h01m46.4s | + 33m50.4s |
| 8. | 12 | Etiénne Lepicard | E. Lepicard | Donnet | | | | 37 | | |
| 9. | 14 | Jean Vinatier | J. Vinatier | Rosengart | | | | 36 | | |
| 10. | 11 | Emile Dupont | E. Dupont | Amilcar | | | | 36 | | |
| DNF | 20 | René Dreyfus | R. Dreyfus | Bugatti | T37A | 1.5 | S-4 | 33 | crash | |
| DNF | 22 | Papinaud | Papinaud | Bugatti | T37 | 1.5 | S-4 | 25 | | |
| DNF | 6 | Bernard | Bernard | Salmson | | | | 22 | tyre | |
| DNF | 9 | Guichard | Guichard | Amilcar | | | | 20 | | |
| DNF | 8 | Roux | Roux | Salmson | | | | 20 | | |
| DNF | 3 | Marcel Delarochette | M. Delarochette | BNC-SCAP | 527 | | S-4 | 5 | | |
| DNF | 21 | Jeo | Jeo | Bugatti | T37 | 1.5 | S-4 | 4 | | |
| DNF | 10 | Victor Marret | V. Marret | Salmson | | | | 4 | | |
| DNF | 18 | Monmon | Monmon | BNC-SCAP | 527 | | S-4 | 3 | | |
| DNF | 19 | Albert de Bondeli | A. de Bondeli | Bugatti | T35 | 2.0 | S-8 | 3 | | |
| |
Fastest lap: "Foc" (Bugatti) in 3m39.0s =107.1 km/h (66.5 mph)
Winner's medium speed: 100.4 km/h (62.4 mph)
Winner's medium speed (1500cc): 97.2 km/h (60.4 mph)
Winner's medium speed (1100cc): 97.7 km/h (60.7 mph)
Weather: .
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36 "W. Williams"
Automobiles Ettore Bugatti
Bugatti T35B 
28 Andre Boillot
SA des Automobiles Peugeot
Peugeot 174S
30 Caberto Conelli
Automobiles Ettore Bugatti
Bugatti T35B
GRAND PRIX DE L'AUTOMOBILE CLUB DE FRANCE
Circuit de la Sarthe - Le Mans (F), 30 June 1929.
37 laps x 16.36 km (10.17 mi) = 605.3 km (376.1 mi)
Williams wins the Bugatti-Peugeot battle of the French Grand Prix
by Hans Etzrodt
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At the 15th Grand Prix of the A. C. de France there were just 11 cars at the start, racing to the 1929 fuel consumption formula. The three factory Bugattis of Williams, Conelli and Divo had to face the official Peugeots
of André Boillot and Bouriat. The remaining independent entries would play no role in deciding the race. The battle between Boillot and Williams kept the first third of the event interesting, but after the 12th lap with
Williams continually holding the lead, the race developed into a procession run to conserve fuel. Boillot's Peugeot twice held the lead but stayed behind in second position after a brief stop. The car was too slow to
catch up with Williams' Bugatti, who won the race with Conelli and Divo driving the other official Bugattis in third and fourth place, followed by the independent Bugattis of Sénéchal and Gauthier. Towards the end during
the rain when Boillot was making major inroads into Williams lead it became exciting once more and looked for a while as if Boillot might catch him. And Conelli almost caught Boillot at the line. The winning margin was
little more than a minute after more than four hours of driving. It only needed a tiny delay by Williams and a Peugeot would have won, not a Bugatti. Despite the fact that none of the cars ran out of fuel, it was an
uneventful race, predestined by employing the international formula and their peculiar looking racecars with exposed fuel tanks.
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The promoters announced that 1929 was the 23rd race for the Automobile Club de France, and this was also published in many reports of this race. However, the first Grand Prix was held in 1906 and the 1929 race was the
15th in the series. In spite of that, the ACF decided to include the 1895 to 1903 town-to-town races to achieve their high number, clearly an invalid manipulation of a race title.
The French Grand Prix on June 30 was the only event held in 1929 to the AIACR fuel consumption formula for racecars which limited the fuel and oil consumption to 14 kg/100 km. Additional regulations set a minimum engine
capacity of 1.1-liter and a minimum width of the 2-seat body, measured at the seats, of 100 cm, which was to remain constant over a height of at least 25 cm. The minimum race distance was fixed at 600 km - 372 mi. The
minimum weight was 900 kg (1,984 lbs.) dry but included one complete spare wheel, to enable lighter cars to participate. The type of fuel tank was prescribed and had to be mounted accessibly and visibly behind the seats,
not enclosed in bodywork, but mounted with one spare wheel behind. The entry fee of 5,000 francs, which had to be paid for each car to the ACF, included the barrel tank with a monstrous fuel gauge mounted on top together
with 85 kg fuel to assure everybody had the same fuel.
The race, which was to take place on the 16.360 km Sarthe Cicuit of Le Mans, was run over 37 laps making a total of 605.320 km. However, the CSI would not award this title at season's end
because the obligatory 1929 European Grand Prix had not taken place.
The prize money comprised a total of 260,000 francs and was split up as follows: the winner received 100,000 francs, second 70,000, third 40,000, fourth 25,000, fifth 15,000 and sixth 10,000 francs. The ACF had contributed
100,000 francs while the remaining amount was donated by several companies, at 10,000 francs each.
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Entries:
The ACF received a total of just 18 entries amongst them three manufacturers. Bugatti sent three official 2300 cc cars for Divo, Conelli and Williams. SA des Automobiles Peugeot arrived with two modified 1925 racecars for
André Boillot and Bouriat, while S.A. Ariès entered two cars for Laly and another driver to be named. De Rovin drove a 2-liter Bugatti, not his 1500 cc grand prix Delage. Two early 1920s Ballot grand prix cars were entered
independently by Philippe Aubert for Chassagne the 1920/21 type 3/8LC with 8-cyl engine with new body and radiator similar to the 1921 model and Bésaucèle drove a modified 1921 type 2LS with 2-L 4-cyl engine.
"Philippe" stood for Philippe de Rothschild, who appeared with his Bugatti T44 touring car in racing trim. This had a 3-liter 8-cylinder engine of about 80 hp
power output instead of his regular T35C racecar with 120 hp, which he was still racing at other events. Car #14 for the Rumanian Prince Ghica Cantacuzino was a totally unknown marque, named F.A.R. In any event the car did not
appear, but it could have been the two-stroke Cozette modified to 1500 cc capacity, which was wrecked in René Cozette's fatal accident during a 1929 Montlhéry test drive. L'Auto wrote on June 23 about Dubonnet's entry to be a
D.B., in fact a racecar of special conception built to Dubonnet's own ideas. Since this car was not ready, the champion would race a 1500 Bugatti with Cozette blower. On June 30 L'Auto reported that Dubonnet would not
start because his car had a split engine block.
Besides the Belgian Bouriat and Williams from Great Britain, there were no foreign drivers or a foreign manufacturer, which would have given this event an international flavor. Sadly, it was an almost totally French affair,
actually a national race and this aspect marked it as an insignificant event even before it had started, despite the fact that the race counted towards the 1929 World Championship and was well organized. Worse was to come, when
the two Ariès failed to appear, as did another five entries, reducing the field to only 11 cars at the start. Besides the five official cars already mentioned, the remaining six independent entries by gentlemen drivers who had
no chance of winning against these professionally organized teams. Two of those independent drivers were Gauthier and Sénéchal, both in Bugattis. A complete list of entries is shown at the beginning of this report.
Alternative drivers, listed by L'Auto:
| #2 de Rovin, alt Eminente |
| #10 Sénéchal, alt Velitchkovich |
| #12 Divo, alt Connelli, Williams, Dutilleux |
| #16 Philippe, alt de Costier |
| #28 Boillot, alt Bouriat |
| #30 Connelli, alt Williams, Divo, Dutilleux |
| #34 Bouriat, alt Boillot |
| #36 Williams, alt Connelli, Divo, Dutilleux |
Weights obtained during scrutineering:
| 4 Chassagne | Ballot | 955 kg |
| 10 Sénéchal | Bugatti | 944 kg |
| 28 Boillot | Peugeot | 928 kg |
| 8 Bésaucèle | Ballot | 920 kg |
| 34 Bouriat | Peugeot | 920 kg |
| 36 "W. Williams" | Bugatti | 919 kg |
| 12 Divo | Bugatti | 914 kg |
| 2 de Rovin | Bugatti | 912 kg |
| 6 Gauthier | Bugatti | 909 kg |
| 30 Conelli | Bugatti | 909 kg |
| 16 Philippe | Bugatti | 902 kg |
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Race:
On Saturday each of the 11 cars which were to start in the race, received an exactly measured amount of fuel and the tanks were sealed just as precisely. Thereafter the cars were brought into the parc fermé and sealed for the night.
On Sunday morning in unsettled weather the French Grand Prix for motor cycles took place. Soon afterwards the 11 cars were pulled with tow trucks from the enclosed parc fermé and lined up diagonally, side by side, in order of
their race numbers in front of the pits from where they were soon going to start.
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Just five minutes before the starting flag was lowered, the drivers were allowed to start their engines with the help of their mechanics. The drivers had been concerned about racing cold cars, which had been left out overnight.
They could afford little time to run their engines due to the miserly measured fuel, which had to be saved. Exactly at 12 Noon Race Manager Lesieur lowered the flag, the engines roared and the unusual start from in front of the pits
went smoothly with Chassagne leading the field away, all except for Philippe, who had difficulty starting his car and had to chase after the others following a 1m45s delay. However he would soon catch up with the tail-enders.
After the first lap Boillot with the Peugeot was leading the field with a lap of 7m25s at a 132.350 km/h race average, followed closely by Williams' Bugatti, next Conelli, Sénéchal, Divo, Chassagne, Gauthier, de Rovin,
who had fallen behind, next Philippe already in ninth place ahead of Bésaucèle and Bouriat did not appear as he was stranded on the circuit a few kilometers after the start with a defective magneto. The cars arrived in
the following order:
| 1. | Boillot (Peugeot) | 7m25s |
| 2. | Williams (Bugatti) |
| 3. | Conelli (Bugatti) |
| 4. | Sénéchal (Bugatti) |
| 5. | Divo (Bugatti) |
| 6. | Chassagne (Ballot) |
| 7. | Gauthier (Bugatti) |
| 8. | de Rovin (Bugatti) |
| 9. | Philippe (Bugatti) |
| 10. | Bésaucèle (Ballot) |
| 11. | Bouriat (Peugeot) |
After lap two Boillot was still leading Williams, Conelli, Sénéchal and Divo. He completed the second lap at an average speed of 137.929 km/h while his race average climbed to 134.773 km/h. Gauthier had passed Chassagne
for sixth place and Philippe had overhauled de Rovin to move into eighth position. Bouriat still did not return to the pits, his Bugatti even now broken down on the circuit. He was going to suffer a time loss of a full
hour before he would continue without any chance of success. After two laps the order was:
| 1. | Boillot (Peugeot) | 14m32s |
| 2. | Williams (Bugatti) |
| 3. | Conelli (Bugatti) |
| 4. | Sénéchal (Bugatti) |
| 5. | Divo (Bugatti) |
| 6. | Gauthier (Bugatti) |
| 7. | Chassagne (Ballot) |
| 8. | Philippe (Bugatti) |
| 9. | de Rovin (Bugatti) |
| 10. | Bésaucèle (Ballot) |
| 11. | Bouriat (Peugeot) |
At the end of lap three Boillot's average speed had gone up to 135.185 km/h. Williams made up some ground to the leader. Further behind, Divo had overhauled Sénéchal while Philippe passed Chassagne. The order after three
laps was:
| 1. | Boillot (Peugeot) | 21m47s |
| 2. | Williams (Bugatti) |
| 3. | Conelli (Bugatti) |
| 4. | Divo (Bugatti) |
| 5. | Sénéchal (Bugatti) |
| 6. | Gauthier (Bugatti) |
| 7. | Philippe (Bugatti) |
| 8. | Chassagne (Ballot) |
| 9. | de Rovin (Bugatti) |
| 10. | Bésaucèle (Ballot) |
| 11. | Bouriat (Peugeot) |
At the end of lap four Boillot's average speed had climbed to 135.548 km/h. Williams closed up further on the leader with a lap of 7m07s at an average speed of 137.929 km/h. Automobilia reported that Chassagne had bad
luck and retired on lap four while de Rovin entered the pits with substantial engine problems. After five laps Boillot's race average had climbed further to 135.955 km/h, ahead of Williams close behind him. Gauthier
stopped for a few seconds at his pit on lap five. On the sixth lap Williams took the lead by driving a lap in 7m01s at an average speed of 139.895 km/h, which was to stand as the fastest lap of the race. He pushed the
race average speed up to 136.280 km/h. On lap eight Williams held on to first place with a time of 57m44s at an average speed of 136.018 km/h, followed 50 meters behind by Boillot, next Conelli, Senechal, Divo and
Philippe. After eight laps the order was:
| 1. | Williams (Bugatti) | 57m44s |
| 2. | Boillot (Peugeot) |
| 3. | Conelli (Bugatti) |
| 4. | Sénéchal (Bugatti) |
| 5. | Divo (Bugatti) |
| 6. | Philippe (Bugatti) |
| 7. | Gauthier (Bugatti) |
| 8. | Bésaucèle (Ballot) |
| 9. | de Rovin (Bugatti) |
| 10. | Bouriat (Peugeot) |
On lap nine Boillot moved back into first position and was leading Williams by a few seconds. De Rovin stopped for the third time at the pits to cure his Bugatti's engine problems. At around the ninth lap Bouriat must
have rejoined the race after his one hour ignition breakdown, but none of the reports mentioned the moment when he united with the rest of the field. During lap 10 Williams had taken the lead back from Boillot, who was
now second, followed by Conelli. Divo passed Sénéchal to regain fourth place. At the beginning of lap 12 Boillot stopped at his pit to connect a loose ignition cable. He lost one and a half minutes to Williams and
was unable to recover the lost time despite his best efforts. After 12 laps Williams' time was 1h26m34s at a race average of 136.333 km/h, the fastest that was recorded during the race. On lap 14 Divo passed Sénéchal,
so that the official Bugatti team was now marching in the lead, only interrupted by Boillot's Peugeot. Williams' race average speed was 136.130 km/h after 14 laps when the order was:
| 1. | Williams (Bugatti) | 1h40m57s |
| 2. | Boillot (Peugeot) | 1h42m23s |
| 3. | Conelli (Bugatti) | 1h42m39s |
| 4. | Divo (Bugatti) |
| 5. | Sénéchal (Bugatti) |
| 6. | Philippe (Bugatti) |
| 7. | Gauthier (Bugatti) |
| 8. | Bésaucèle (Ballot) |
| 9. | de Rovin (Bugatti) |
| 10. | Bouriat (Peugeot) |
On lap 16 Conelli moved into second position behind Williams demoting Boillot to third place. But on the following lap the Peugeot driver moved again into second spot. Williams held on to the lead and slightly
increased his advantage over Boillot to 1m44s when the order on lap 18 was as follows:
| 1. | Williams (Bugatti) | 2h09m45s |
| 2. | Boillot (Peugeot) | 2h11m29s |
| 3. | Conelli (Bugatti) | 2h11m40s |
| 4. | Divo (Bugatti) | 1h13m18s |
| 5. | Sénéchal (Bugatti) | 2h14m00s |
| 6. | Philippe (Bugatti) |
| 7. | Gauthier (Bugatti) |
| 8. | Bésaucèle (Ballot) |
| 9. | de Rovin (Bugatti) |
| 10. | Bouriat (Peugeot) |
After lap 19, close to half distance, despite a brief rain shower the race speed had almost remained the same but spectators rushed towards the sheltering roofs until the sun came out again. Williams' average speed after
19 laps or 310.840 km was 136.249 km/h when the order after 19 laps was:
| 1. | Williams (Bugatti) | 2h16m53s |
| 2. | Boillot (Peugeot) | 2h18m56s |
| 3. | Conelli (Bugatti) | 2h19m08s |
| 4. | Divo (Bugatti) | 2h20m40s |
| 5. | Sénéchal (Bugatti) | 2h21m31s |
| 6. | Philippe (Bugatti) | 2h25m00s |
| 7. | Gauthier (Bugatti) | 3 laps behind | |
| 8. | Bésaucèle (Ballot) | 5 laps behind | |
| 9. | Bouriat (Peugeot) | 11 laps behind | |
| 10. | de Rovin (Bugatti) | 12 laps behind | |
On lap 21 Bouriat and Bésaucèle stopped at the pits. Williams was leading after 22 laps with 2h38m52s at an average speed of 135.932 km/h and had a 2m24s advantage over Boillot. After 24 laps Williams' average speed
had further dropped to 135.215 km/h because of the light rain, which had stopped around this time. He still held first place after 2h54m10s, ahead of Boillot and Conelli while Divo and Philippe both made brief pit stops
on the same lap. Next followed Gauthier, Bésaucèle and Bouriat many laps behind.
After lap 27, Williams still held the lead and at the same time had steadily increased his advantage over Boillot. Another ten laps had to be completed and it looked like Bugatti would win the race. Sénéchal stopped at
his pit, while Philippe now made several pit stops and fell further behind, as did de Rovin, who had fallen12 laps behind after the 19th circuit, so when he retired on lap 27, he had completed at best only 15 laps but
this was not reported in any of the available sources. Bouriat with the second Peugeot, who had joined the race again around lap nine, drove superbly and fast, but had fallen so far behind that he could not hope to be
classified. The order after lap 27 was:
| 1. | Williams (Bugatti) | 3h15m53s |
| 2. | Boillot (Peugeot) | 3h18m42s |
| 3. | Conelli (Bugatti) | 3h19m35s |
| 4. | Divo (Bugatti) | 3h24m17s |
| 5. | Sénéchal (Bugatti) | 3h26m13s |
| 6. | Philippe (Bugatti) |
| 7. | Gauthier (Bugatti) |
| 8. | Bésaucèle (Ballot) |
| 9. | Bouriat (Peugeot) |
On lap 29 Williams' time was 3h30m31s with an average of 135.221 km/h, and he was leading Boillot by 2m50s when it started to rain again. On lap 31 Williams turned a lap in 7m38s with his race speed down to 134.267 km/h.
On the wet roads Boillot was able to reduce William's advantage to 1m57s. Philippe retired on lap 31 but had completed at best only 28 laps. This was not reported in the available sources. On lap 27 Philippe was two
laps behind, thereafter he made additional pit stops, so four laps later, on lap 31, he was at least three laps down. On lap 32 Williams further slowed his pace due to the rain and his average speed had dropped to
133.892 km/h. Boillot had steadily diminished Williams' lead - from 2'50" on lap 29, to 1'58" to 1'32 -and the race was getting exciting with each new lap. On lap 33 Williams had slowed even more due to the rain and
the race average dropped to 133.188 km/h with Boillot 1m54 s behind. Although Williams had slowed, he had somehow gained 22 seconds over Boillot. . Both of them - and others - were slowing to ensure that they had
enough fuel for the complete race distance.
Williams completed lap 34 in 4h09m48s at an average speed of 133.604 km/h. His advantage to Boillot had remained the same. Boillot made several attempts to catch up with the leader but never succeeded in getting
close enough to pressure Williams, who was well informed by his pit and was determined to hold on to his lead. Conelli in third place was driving regularly like clockwork. Divo held fourth place ahead of Sénéchal and
Gauthier. Bouriat in the second Peugeot, despite being many laps behind, drove very regularly, reeling off the laps as fast as Williams. Over the last ten laps the roads were wet from the rain and as a result the race
pace came down. Although it looked to the spectators that Bugatti would win the race, slight doubts about the outcome were now appearing towards the end of the race. Would the limited amount of fuel last until the
end of the race? The order after lap 34 was:
| 1. | Williams (Bugatti) | 4h09m48s |
| 2. | Boillot (Peugeot) | 4h11m42s |
| 3. | Conelli (Bugatti) | 4h11m58s |
| 4. | Divo (Bugatti) |
| 5. | Sénéchal (Bugatti) |
| 6. | Gauthier (Bugatti) |
| 7. | Bésaucèle (Ballot) |
| 8. | Bouriat (Peugeot) |
On lap 37, the final lap, Williams finished after 4h33m01.6s at an average speed of 133.029 km/h to much applause from the crowd, stopped at the end of the grandstand and walked back to the Bugatti pits. Boillot arrived shortly afterwards and was received with even
greater applause since he was the first Frenchman. Conelli and Divo finished next without great attention. Conelli almost caught Boillot and was only eight seconds behind at the end, after more than four hours at the wheel.
He had made up eight seconds during the final three laps and 1m35s during the last 10 laps. Surprisingly the spectators did not acknowledge his effort. Sénéchal and Gauthier, the only two gentleman drivers, had been
lapped and kept on driving to complete 37 laps to be qualified. The race was stopped after the arrival of the sixth finisher. Bouriat in the second Peugeot and Bésaucèle in the Ballot were still racing and both were
flagged off. Bouriat was reported by Le Croix to have driven 32 laps and Bésaucèle 33 laps, insufficient to be classified.
At the conclusion of the race the President of the ACF, Vicomte de Rohan, congratulated Ettore Bugatti and Jean-Pierre Peugeot and together with the first three drivers completed a lap of honor in a Bugatti Royale.
Of great interest was of course the fuel consumption. From the six cars that classified, both Williams and Boillot still had eight liters fuel left while the other four cars finished with more than ten liters in their tanks.
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Results
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Entrant | Car | Type | Engine | Laps | Time/Status | Diff |
|
| 1. | 36 | "W. Williams" | Automobiles Ettore Bugatti | Bugatti | T35B | 2.3 | S-8 | 37 | 4h33m01.2s |
| 2. | 28 | Andre Boillot | SA des Automobiles Peugeot | Peugeot | 174S | 4.0 | S-4 | 37 | 4h34m20.0s | + 1m18.8s |
| 3. | 30 | Caberto Conelli | Automobiles Ettore Bugatti | Bugatti | T35B | 2.3 | S-8 | 37 | 4h34m28.0s | + 1m26.8s |
| 4. | 12 | Albert Divo | Automobiles Ettore Bugatti | Bugatti | T35B | 2.3 | S-8 | 37 | 4h41m27.4s | + 8m26.2s |
| 5. | 10 | Robert Sénéchal | Count Veliktovich | Bugatti | T35B | 2.3 | S-8 | 37 | 4h58m27.8s | + 25m26.6s |
| 6. | 6 | Robert Gauthier | R. Gauthier | Bugatti | T35C | 2.0 | S-8 | 37 | 5h18m38.4s | + 45m37.2s |
| DNC | 8 | "Bésaucèle" | P. Aubert | Ballot | 2LS | 2.0 | S-4 | 33 | did not classify |
| DNC | 34 | Guy Bouriat | SA des Automobiles Peugeot | Peugeot | 174S | 4.0 | S-4 | 32 | did not classify |
| DNF | 16 | "Philippe" | P. de Rothschild | Bugatti | T44 | 3.0 | S-8 | 28 | mechanical |
| DNF | 2 | Raoul de Rovin | R. de Rovin | Bugatti | T35C | 2.0 | S-8 | 15 | engine problems |
| DNF | 4 | Jean Chassagne | P. Aubert | Ballot | 3/8LC | 3.0 | S-8 | 3 | mechanical |
| |
Fastest lap: "W.Williams" (Bugatti) on lap 6 in 7m01.0s = 139.9 km/h (86.9 mph)
Winner's medium speed: 133.0 km/h (82.7 mph)
Weather: intermittent rain and sun.
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Primary sources researched for this article:
Allgemeine Automobil-Zeitung, Berlin
Allgemeine Automobil-Zeitung, Wien
AUTOMOBIL-REVUE, Bern
Automobilia, France
El Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona
Figaro, Paris
IL LITTORIALE, Bologna
La Croix, Paris
L'AUTO, Paris
MOTOR und SPORT, Pössneck
Omnia, Paris
Special thanks to:
Bernhard Völker
Jean-Maurice Gigleux
Lutz Montowski
Reinhard Windeler
Robert Dick
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34 Philippe Etancelin
P. Etancelin
Bugatti T35C
40 Juan Zanelli
J. Zanelli
Bugatti T35B
36 Marcel Lehoux
M. Lehoux
Bugatti T35C
GRAND PRIX DE MARNE
Reims-Gueux (F), 7 July 1929.
50 laps x 8 km (4.97 mi) = 400 km (248.6 mi)
1100cc: 15 laps x 8 km (4.97 mi) = 120 km (74.6 mi)
Etancelin wins the Marne Grand Prix
by Hans Etzrodt
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Just 17 drivers appeared for the start at the Marne Grand Prix on the Reims Circuit. Etancelin and Zanelli maintained the first two places throughout the race, but twice changed positions when Zanelli passed Etancelin
while he was refueling, but Etancelin got the lead back by overtaking Zanelli on the circuit. Lehoux and Gauthier held the next two places. That is how these four Bugatti drivers finished the race. The primary field
comprised nine Bugattis and a 1500 cc Delage. Tersen (Bugatti) won the 1500 class. Simultaneously with the large cars there was a seven-car gaggle of cycle cars, comprising Salmsons, Amilcars, a Caban, a BNC and a
Rosengart, from which Giraud-Cabantous (Salmson) emerged victorious.
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For the fifth time l'Automobile-Club Ardennes-Champagne-Argonne (Section Marne) together with the journal l'Eclaireur del'Est and the patronage of the journal l'Auto organized the Grand Prix de la Marne.
The entries were split up into three categories. Several drivers had the same model cars with equal engine power so that only their skill should play a decisive factor. The category up to 1100 cc which had to complete 15 laps
or 120 km for the Prix de la Ville de Reims, the 1500 cc category which raced for the Prix du Conseil Général de la Marne over 50 laps and the category for 2000 cc which also had to cover 50 laps or a total of 400 km
racing for the Prix de l'Eclaireur del'Est. The race was run over the 8 km triangular permanent Reims-Gueux road circuit, which had been used for the Marne Grand Prix annually since 1925. The course featured two
long straights, one curved back leg and three sharp right hand turns at the village of Gueux, La Garenne and Thillois. The fasted lap at the first race in 1925 was driven by Ivanowsky at 104 km/h. In 1926 Lescot
reached 114.777 km/h and Etancelin got up to 119 km/h in 1927. It was expected that last year's record by Chiron at 146.938 km/h would be beaten by several cars this year. The total prize money was 45.000 francs.
The prize money for the 1500 cc and 2000 cc category was the same, the victor receiving 6,000 francs, the second 3,000 and the third 2,000. The prize money for the cycle car category was 3,000 francs for first,
2,000 for second, 1,000 for third and 500 for fourth.
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Entries:
Many French drivers raced on the same day, the seventh of July, at the Dieppe Grand Prix. For this reason there were only 17 drivers from 29 entries at Reims. Just a few strong entries were received in the 2-liter category.
Etancelin, who had won the 1927 race and finished sixth at Monaco, appeared with his new T35C Bugatti (#2940). Zanelli arrived with his new Bugatti Type 35B, which was given to him as the first place prize for winning the
Grand Prix Bugatti on the second of June. Lehoux raced here for the first time after winning the Algerian Grand Prix earlier in the year with his Bugatti T35C. Gauthier in a T35 had finished second here the year before,
had placed sixth at the French Grand Prix the previous weekend and finished second to Zanelli at the Grand Prix Bugatti. Tersen, Tetaldi and Auber in 1500 Bugattis were the leading contenders in the 1.5-liter category and all
three had raced here before. The 1100 cc category cars are shown in the complete list of entries at the beginning of this report.
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Race:
Originally it had been planned to start the cycle cars first at 8:00 AM, later changed to 1:45 PM and separately from the bigger cars which were to start originally at 1:30 PM, thereafter changed to 3:15. But this was later
changed for all cars to start at two o'clock. On Sunday all 17 cars assembled for the start, in the same way as the week before at the French Grand Prix, where cars were arranged diagonally, side by side, in front of the pits
from where they were going to start. The order of line-up was probably by their potential speed with the fastest cars in front and the seven cycle cars forming the rear of the grid.
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Despite some last minute arrangements of the 1100 and 1500 cc categories, the line-up of the cars in front of the pits was impressive. After the engines were started, the flag was lowered at 2:15 PM, the engines roared and the
unusual start went smoothly with Etancelin, Lehoux and Zanelli leading the field away.
At the end of the first lap Etancelin crossed the finish first after 3m37s at an average speed of 132.718 km/h, ahead of Zanelli, Lehoux, Gauthier, de Rovin, Giraud-Cabantous and the rest. Auber pitted his Bugatti at the end of
lap one. After the next lap, Etancelin was still leading with a lap of 3m25s at 138.461 km/h. At the end of lap three he had increased his lead over Zanelli to 11 seconds. De Rovin retired his Delage after 4 laps.
L'Eclaireur de l'Est reported that during one of these early laps while Zanelli passed the grandstand at full speed, he lost a wheel to the horror of the crowd who thought there would be a serious dreadful accident. But the
racecar carried on at full speed. It was only a spare wheel which in its bouncing run hit a spectator in the face. He was knocked unconscious and transported to a hospital.
On the 11th lap, Mme Derancourt stopped at the pits but left immediately. After 15 laps, Etancelin was leading Zanelli, Gauthier, Lehoux, Tetaldi and Tersen. Further behind were Mme Derancourt and Cadet. L'Eclaireur de l'Est
reported that the Auber Bugatti had caught fire on lap 15 and by means of an extinguisher the fire was quickly put out and although there was no significant damage, the car was retired.
The Prix de la Ville de Reims was restricted to the 1100 cc cars over just 15 laps. So, at the end of lap 15, after 120 km, the officials stopped the 1100 cc category cars, as their race had ended, though the larger
cars kept on racing. The winner was Giraud-Cabantous (Salmson) in 56m13.8s at 128.045 km/h average speed who received a standing ovation from the crowd and Mr. Abd-El-Nour, President of l'Automobile-Club Ardennes, presented
him with a giant bouquet of flowers. Dupont (Amilcar) finished second in 58m22.2s, ahead of Namon (Salmson) in 59m36.6s, Fontaine (Amilcar) 14 laps, Vinatier (Rosengart) 14 laps and Morris (BNC) 13 laps. Billiet (BNC) had
retired earlier. After 15 laps Etancelin led at an average speed of 138. 461 km/h, while Tetaldi headed the 1500 category at 121.861 km/h average speed, which was slower than the fastest cycle car. With de Rovin and Auber
out of the race, the field was down to eight cars in this order:
| 1. | Etancelin (Bugatti) | 52m |
| 2. | Zanelli (Bugatti) | 52m33s |
| 3. | Gauthier (Bugatti) | 54m26s |
| 4. | Lehoux (Bugatti) | no time |
| 5. | Tetaldi (Bugatti) | 59m05s |
| 6. | Tersen (Bugatti) | 1h04m58s |
| 7. | Derancourt (Bugatti) | no time |
| 8. | Cadet (Bugatti) | no time |
Etancelin steadily increased his lead over Zanelli. When Gauthier had to stop at the pits Lehoux passed him. After 20 laps, Etancelin held a strong lead at 138.528 km/h average speed ahead of Zanelli and Lehoux. Derancourt
and Cadet had fallen so far behind that their progress was no longer reported.
| 1. | Etancelin (Bugatti) | 1h09m18s |
| 2. | Zanelli (Bugatti) | 1h10m33s |
| 3. | Lehoux (Bugatti) | 1h12m08s |
| 4. | Gauthier (Bugatti) | no time |
| 5. | Tetaldi (Bugatti) | 1h18m28.0s |
| 6. | Tersen (Bugatti) | 2 laps down on Tedaldi |
After 25 laps or 200 km, Etancelin was still leading Zanelli and Lehoux at 138.808 km/h average speed. The only passing happened when slower cars were lapped.
| 1. | Etancelin (Bugatti) | 1h26m27s |
| 2. | Zanelli (Bugatti) | 1h27m27s |
| 3. | Lehoux (Bugatti) | 1h29m52s |
| 4. | Gauthier (Bugatti) | no time |
| 5. | Tetaldi (Bugatti) | 1h37m46s |
| 6. | Tersen (Bugatti) | 2 laps down on Tedaldi |
Past mid-race, on lap 27, Etancelin stopped to refuel which took 50 seconds. This enabled Zanelli to get past him and then a nice duel developed when Zanelli redoubled his efforts to maintain his slight advantage, while
Etancelin pursued relentlessly. On lap 29 Lehoux stopped to refuel. After 30 laps, Zanelli was leading at 137.317 km/h average speed, 26 seconds ahead of Etancelin and Lehoux, who had been lapped twice. Tedaldi, already
several laps behind Zanelli, was the 1500 cc category leader at 122.831 km/h average speed ahead of Tersen who was three laps down on him.
| 1. | Zanelli (Bugatti) | 1h44m52s |
| 2. | Etancelin (Bugatti) | 1h45m18s |
| 3. | Lehoux (Bugatti) | 2 laps down |
| 4. | Gauthier (Bugatti) | no time |
| 5. | Tetaldi (Bugatti) | 1h57m14s |
| 6. | Tersen (Bugatti) | 3 laps down on Tedaldi |
On lap 31 Etancelin made up ten seconds on Zanelli and seriously chased after his opponent. On lap 33 Cadet stopped to refuel while Zanelli equaled the fastest lap set earlier by Etancelin. On lap 34 Etancelin took another
10 seconds from Zanelli's advantage. After 35 laps Zanelli and Etancelin were side by side at 137.423 km/h average speed, and soon thereafter Etancelin took the lead. Tedaldi, who had been leading the 1500cc category, did not
appear for two laps because of a magneto failure which had to be repaired. This enabled Tersen to get ahead of him with 112 km/h average speed after 35 laps.
| 1. | Zanelli (Bugatti) | 2h02m15s |
| 2. | Etancelin (Bugatti) | 2h02m15s |
| 3. | Lehoux (Bugatti) | 2 laps down |
| 4. | Gauthier (Bugatti) | no time |
| 5. | Tersen (Bugatti) | 2h30m |
| 6. | Tetaldi (Bugatti) | 2 laps down on Tersen |
On lap 36 Etancelin beat the lap record in 3m22s, at 142,574 km/h. He continued to hold the lead, a few seconds ahead of Zanelli and on lap 37 he managed to fend off a serious attack. As they passed the grandstands, they were
both wheel to wheel engaged in a fierce duel. On the next lap Etancelin was only one second ahead. For the following laps the fight was really exciting as Etancelin was unwilling to give up the lead to Zanelli. After 40 laps
both drivers were once more given the same time at a speed of 137.552 km/h, while Tersen led the 1500 cc category at 110.376 km/h average speed.
| 1. | Etancelin (Bugatti) | 2h19m37s |
| 2. | Zanelli (Bugatti) | 2h19m37s |
| 3. | Lehoux (Bugatti) | 2 laps down |
| 4. | Gauthier (Bugatti) | 4 laps down |
| 5. | Derancourt (Bugatti) | 12 laps down |
| 6. | Cadet (Bugatti) | 12 laps down |
| 7. | Tersen (Bugatti) | 2h53m57s |
| 8. | Tetaldi (Bugatti) | 6 laps down on Tersen |
On lap 42, Zanelli stopped for 20 seconds to refuel which gave Etancelin the opportunity to increase the slight advantage that he had been able to build up over the previous two laps. Tersen stopped to refuel. After 45 laps
Zanelli somehow had lost more time; an explanation was not given. Etancelin was leading Zanelli at 137.975 km/h average speed while Tersen's average was 110.599 km/h.
| 1. | Etancelin (Bugatti) | 2h36m33s |
| 2. | Zanelli (Bugatti) | 2h38m30s |
| 3. | Lehoux (Bugatti) | 2 laps down |
| 4. | Gauthier (Bugatti) | no time |
| 5. | Tersen (Bugatti) | 3h15m18s |
| 6. | Cadet (Bugatti) | no time |
| 7. | Derancourt (Bugatti) | no time |
| 8. | Tetaldi (Bugatti) | 6 laps down on Tersen |
Four laps before the end Etancelin and Zanelli were separated by exactly 2m03s. After 48 laps the gap was 2m11s and after 49 laps by 2m10s. Finally, Etancelin finished his 50th and final lap and crossed the finish line to the
wildly cheering spectators. Zanelli arrived next and also received a standing ovation, followed by Lehoux and Gauthier. The 1500 cc categorie for the Prix du Conseil Général de la Marne, was won by Tersen after 3h38m24.4s at
an average speed of 109.886 km/h ahead of Tetaldi who was six laps behind.
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Results
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Entrant | Car | Type | Engine | Laps | Time/Status | Diff |
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| 1. | 34 | Philippe Etancelin | P. Etancelin | Bugatti | T35C | 2.0 | S-8 | 50 | 2h54m14.6s |
| 2. | 40 | Juan Zanelli | J. Zanelli | Bugatti | T35B | 2.3 | S-8 | 50 | 2h55m50.8s | + 1m36.2s |
| 3. | 36 | Marcel Lehoux | M. Lehoux | Bugatti | T35C | 2.0 | S-8 | 50 | 3h01m53.2s | + 7m38.6s |
| 4. | 32 | Robert Gauthier | R. Gauthier | Bugatti | T35 | 2.0 | S-8 | 50 | 3h14m03.4s | + 19m48.8s |
| 5. | 14 | Vincent Tersen | V. Tersen | Bugatti | T37A | 1.5 | S-4 | 50 | 3h38m24.4s | + 44m09.8s |
| 6. | 38 | René Cadet | R. Cadet | Bugatti | T35A | 2.0 | S-8 | 47 |
| 7. | 30 | Mme Derancourt | Derancourt | Bugatti | T35 | 2.0 | S-8 | 45 |
| 8. | 16 | Emile Tetaldi | E. Tetaldi | Bugatti | T37A | 1.5 | S-4 | 44 | | |
| DNF | 10 | Philippe Auber | P. Auber | Bugatti | T37A | 1.5 | S-4 | 14 | fire | |
| DNF | 4 | Raoul de Rovin | R. de Rovin | Delage | 15S8 | 1.5 | S-8 | 4 | | |
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Fastest lap: Philippe Etancelin (Bugatti) on lap 37 in 3m22s = 142.6 km/h (88.6 mph).
Winner's medium speed, 2000 cc and above: 137.7 km/h (85.6 mph).
Winner's medium speed, 1500 cc (Tersen): 109.9 km/h (68.3 mph).
Weather: overcast, dry.
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Prix de la Ville de Reims Results
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Entrant | Car | Type | Engine | Laps | Time/Status | Diff |
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| 1. | 9 | Yves Giraud-Cabantous | Y. Giraud-Cabantous | Salmson | | 1.1 | | 15 | 56m13.8s |
| 2. | 7 | Emile Dupont | E. Dupont | Amilcar | MCO | 1.1 | S-6 | 15 | 58m22.2s | + 2m08.4s |
| 3. | 21 | Namon | Namon | Salmson | | 1.1 | | 15 | 59m36.6s | + 3m22.8s |
| 4. | 5 | Fontaine | Fontaine | Amilcar | | 1.1 | | 14 |
| 5. | 23 | Vinatier | Vinatier | Rosengart | 5 CV | 0.8 | S-4 | 14 |
| 6. | 19 | Violette Morris | Mme V. Morris | BNC | 527 | 1.1 | S-4 | 13 |
| DNF | 17 | Henri Billiet | H. Billiet | BNC | 527 | 1.1 | S-4 | ? |
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Fastest lap: Y. Giraud-Cabantous (Salmson) on lap 37 in 3m22s = 142.6 km/h (88.6 mph).
Winner's medium speed: 128.0 km/h (79.6 mph)
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In retrospect:
We have to accept the times published by L'Eclaireur de l'Est. But in this case there are strong reasons for skepticism. There were three 'dead heats' with times to the nearest second. Then there is the question of the laps on
which the 'dead heats' took place, always on a lap ending in '0' or '5', which were the published laps. Yet in between these laps the cars were apparently several seconds apart. So we're led to believe that the two cars were
separated by quite a margin for a while, but always caught up and crossed the line together on those critical laps.
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Primary sources researched for this article:
Allgemeine Automobil-Zeitung, Wien
AUTOMOBIL-REVUE, Bern
Figaro, Paris
L'Eclaireur de l'Est, Reims
Special thanks to:
Alain Thibaudat
Hugo Boecker
Jean-Maurice Gigleux
Michael Müller
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