V GRAND PRIX DES FRONTIÈRES
Chimay (B), 9 June 1930 (Monday). 10 laps x 10.87 km (6.75 mi) = 108.7 km (67.5 mi)
De Marotte wins with his Salmson
by Leif Snellman
Seven cars with different engine sizes took part in the race. While several of the competitors suffered problems, Georges de Marotte with his 1.1 litre Salmson, the smallest car in the
race, made a faultless race to lead from start to finish. Roger Rouleau in an old Alfa Romeo finished second and Emile Cornet with a 2 litre Bugatti third.
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Organized for the fifth time by l'Auto-Moto Club de Beaumont-Chimay the Grand Prix de Frontières was as usual raced on the Chimay course in the Ardennes near the French boarder.
The plan was to organize three races, the first one for 750 and 1100 cc cars, the second for the 1500 cc and the 2000 cc cars, and the third for the cars with more than 2 litres engines.
However, due to the economic situation in Belgium the entry lists turned out smaller than expected and the classes were rearranged so that there was to be a 750cc race, a race for sports
cars regardless of engine size and a start for race cars regardless of engine size.
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Entries:
There were seven starters in the race class. Except for Freddy Charlier, who had crashed fatally at the 1929 Spa-Francorchamps 24 race, most of the Belgian regular drivers were present.
Georges de Marotte raced a 1.1 litre Salmson. Roger Rouleau, brother to Marcel Rouleau, raced a 3620cc Alfa Romeo RL Targa Florio. The rest of the field consisted of Bugattis.
Arthur Legat raced a 1.5 litre T37A voiturette (#37355) and Emile Cornet raced his Bugatti T35. Willy Longueville entered a T35B and Robert Vidal, French motor cycle driver who made
his car race debut, raced a T35A. Both his and Longueville's cars were bought from Bugatti agent Reinartz at Charleroi. Abel Blin d'Orimont entered a Bugatti sports T44.
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Race:
The event started with a five lap race for the 750 cc class with five Rosengart cars starting. Additionally Marcel Rouleau in his 2.3 litre Amilcar CS sedan took part in the race. The
latter made 7 laps in 53m33s against Muée, winner of the 750cc class, who made the five laps in 44m43s.
The next start was a 10 lap race for the sports cars with four cars taking part. Willy Longueville with a Bugatti T37A was the winner with a time of 58m58s.
Then it was finally time for the main event, the 10 lap race car start with seven competitors. The cars were lined up two and two with de Marotte in his Salmson on pole position.
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Legat Bugatti
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de Marotte Salmson
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? Bugatti
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? Bugatti
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? Bugatti
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? Bugatti
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Rouleau Alfa Romeo
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According to André Biaumet's book the bigger cars of Blin d'Orimont and Rouleau started 30 seconds behind the rest (Note 1).
When the flag was dropped at 4.55 p.m. de Marotte took command of the race. He led after the first lap followed by Cornet, Vidal, Rouleau and Blin d'Orimont. Longueville made a pit
stop at the end of the first lap to change spark plugs and Legat had had problems with his Bugatti and he ended the first lap far behind the rest and also stopped for repairs.
Blin d'Orimont made a pit stop a few laps later while Longueville after his stop advanced through the field passing Rouleau and Vidal for third position. He then caught and passed
Cornet as well for second position only to have to retire his Bugatti at Salles on the seventh lap due to an engine failure.
By then Rouleau with his Alfa Romeo had passed Cornet and with Longueville's retirement Rouleau moved up to second position. De Marotte still led the race in his little Salmson.
Vidal retired after crashing his Bugatti. After having made another pit stop to change plugs Legat went out and made the fastest lap of the race with a time of 5m28.8s (119 km/h)
beating Freddy Charlier's old lap record.
Rouleau closed in on the leader during the last laps but de Marotte held on to win the race with his 1.1 litre Samson followed by Rouleau and Cornet while Blin d'Orimont, who had
been lapped by the winner, finished in fourth position and Legat, who had been lapped twice, finished last.
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Results
Pos. | No. | Driver | Entrant | Car | Type | Engine | Laps | Time/Status | Diff |
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1. | | Georges de Marotte | G. de Marotte | Salmson | GP | 1.1 | S-4 | 10 | 59m22s |
2. | | Roger Rouleau | R. Rouleau | Alfa Romeo | RLTF | 3.6 | S-6 | 10 | 59m59s | + 37s |
3. | | Emile Cornet | E. Cornet | Bugatti | T35 | 2.0 | S-8 | 10 | 1h02m34s | + 3m12s |
4. | | Abel Blin d'Orimont | A. Blin d'Orimont | Bugatti | T44 | 3.0 | S-8 | 10 | 1h08m03s | + 8m41s |
5. | | Arthur Legat | A. Legat | Bugatti | T37A | 1.5 | S-4 | 10 | 1h12m19s | + 12m57s |
DNF | | Robert Vidal | R. Vidal | Bugatti | T35A | 2.0 | S-8 | | crash |
DNF | | Willy Longueville | W. Longueville | Bugatti | T35B | 2.3 | S-8 | | engine |
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Fastest lap: Arthur Legat (Bugatti) on lap in 5m28.8s = 119.0 km/h (74.0 mph)
Winner's medium speed: 109.9 km/h (68.3 mph)
Weather: fine.
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Footnote:
1. I don't know if that was meant as some kind of handicap or if it was done for safety seasons and in the latter case I don't know if it was compensated in the results.
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My main source has been André Biaumet's "Le Grand Prix des Frontières a Chimay", as I have been unable to find any articles in contemporary newspapers.
Special thanks to:
Michael Müller
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9 June 1930: The B.A.R.C. Whitsun Meeting was held at Brooklands.
The handicap races were won by J. Field (Talbot 1.5L), J. Cobb (Delage 10.7L), P. Rogers (Bugatti 1.5L), D. Froy (Leyland-Thomas),
A. Gardner (Amilcar 1.1L), B. Durand (Bentley 4.4L), C. Paul (Benz 21.5L), Campbell (Mercedes-Benz 7.0L).
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II GRAND PRIX DE LYON
Quincieux - Lyon (F), 15 June 1930. 46 laps x 6.515 km (4.048 mi) = 299.7 km (186.2 mi)
An easy victory for Chiron
by Leif Snellman
The race was run in three classes with the major class consisting of seven Bugattis. During the early part of the race there was a fight for the lead between Dreyfus, Lehoux and "Eddoura". Chiron then
joined the fight and took the lead when Dreyfus had to retire. While Chiron pulled away Zanelli, "Eddoura" and Lehoux had to retire as well, leaving Chiron with more than a lap advantage over von Morgen
and Etancelin and that was also the finishing order. Czaykowski (Bugatti) was the winner of the voiturette class and Simons (DKW) of the cycle car class.
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This was the second time the Grand Prix de Lyon, organized by the Automobile Club du Rhône and the Motorcycle Club de Lyon, included a car race. Earlier events had been exclusively for motorcycles.
It was again raced on the fast but quite narrow triangular Circuit de Quincieux north of Lyon. The cars were to do 46 laps on the 6.515 km circuit for a total of 299.7 km. The cars were divided into
3 classes: 1100cc, 1500cc and over 1500cc.
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Entries:
The class over 1.5 litre consisted of seven Bugattis, three 2 litre T35Cs and four 2.3 litre T35Bs.
Chiron entered a factory Bugatti T35C (#4950), probably under his own name. Etancelin's car (#4945) had been delivered to him from Molsheim on 24 March 1930. 24 year old Edouard Grammont, who had started racing
motorcycles at the age of 15, was making his debut in car racing with a Bugatti T35C (#4920), an ex Baron de Rothschield car now owned by Marcel Rousselet from Villeurbanne. Grammont was racing under the
anagram "Eddoura".
Among the 2,3 litre cars von Morgen's T35B (#4948) was a former works car that back in April had been raced by Bouriat at the Monaco Grand Prix, then as a 2 litre engined T35C. René Dreyfus'
T35B (#4944) was owned by Ernest Friderich, Bugatti dealer at Nice. Marcel Lehoux' car (#4935) had been bought by him from Molsheim back in June 1929 and Juan Zanelli raced the car that had been the
1929 Bugatti GP winner's prize (#4939).
In the 1500cc class there was an Alphi-CIME and six Bugattis in the entry list, among them Gaupillat (#37317), de Bondeli (#37365) and Pierre Matussière alias "Foc" (#37368), but in the end only
Count Czaykowski (#37316) took part in the race.
Among the four entries in the 1100cc class "José" Scaron in an Amilcar would have been the favourite. German driver Hans Simons entered a DKW, Jean Lobre a BNC and Yves Giraud-Cabantous, who would
go on taking part in F1 races after the war, a Salmson.
(A great thanks to Michael Müller for the chassis info.)
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Race:
Early in the morning, the crowd already flocked to the circuit. The event started with motor cycle races for 175cc, 250cc, 350cc and 500cc and sidecar classes. More spectators were to arrive throughout
the morning hours, most of them from Lyon and Villefranche-sur-Saône, the huge number of cars creating problems for the organizers.
In the early afternoon it was time for the main event. The 12 cars were lined up on the grid probably in 2-2 formation even if details of the grid are not known. At 1:30 p.m. the Viscount de Rohan,
president of the l'A.C.F., dropped the flag and the race was on its way.
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Dreyfus immediately took the lead of the race. After the first lap the race order was Dreyfus, Lehoux, "Eddoura", Etancelin, and von Morgen. Already on the second lap both Dreyfus and Lehoux crushed the
old lap record of 3m29s, Lehoux making the lap in 3m18s (118.5 km/h).
The interesting struggle between Dreyfus, Lehoux and "Eddoura" continued. Chiron who had started the race calmly and bidding his time now also joined the game, equalling the fastest race lap 3m18s on the
sixth lap and improving his position closing in on the leader. On the 10th lap Dreyfus retired with a broken engine and Chiron took over the lead of the race, improving the fastest lap time to 3m16s (119.7 km/h).
In the 1100cc class Lobre, Scaron and Giraud-Cabantous retired as well as did Zanelli in the major class. Chiron started to pull away from Lehoux, improving the fastest lap time again to 3m15s
(120.3 km/h). After 18 laps the gap between Chiron and Lehoux was 27 seconds and the gap increased further for each lap. "Eddoura" retired as did Lehoux but by then Chiron was already leading the
latter by a minute. With Lehoux and "Eddoura" gone Chiron was suddenly leading by five minutes having already lapped second positioned von Morgen, and most of the interest in the race had gone.
Despite of the situation Chiron decided to push during the last lap and made the fastest lap of the race with a time of 3m12s (121.5 km/h) to take the chequered flag, with von Morgen arriving
5 1/2 minutes later and Etancelin another 1m38s behind in third position.
Czaykowski, taking the flag after 44 laps, naturally won the 1500cc class while Simons with DKW was the winner of the 1110cc class making 38 laps. There were no other finishers of the race.
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Results
Pos. | No. | Driver | Entrant | Car | Type | Engine | Laps | Time/Status | Diff |
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1. | 20 | Louis Chiron | L. Chiron | Bugatti | T35C | 2.0 | S-8 | 46 | 2h32m33.0s |
2. | 19 | Heinrich-Joachim von Morgen | H-J. von Morgen | Bugatti | T35B | 2.3 | S-8 | 46 | 2h38m02.8s | + 5m29.8s |
3. | 17 | Philippe Etancelin | P. Etancelin | Bugatti | T35C | 2.0 | S-8 | 46 | 2h39m41.4s | + 7m08.4s |
4. | 6 | Stanisłas Czaykowski | S. Czaykowski | Bugatti | T37A | 1.5 | S-4 | 44 | 2h51m48.0s | |
5. | 2 | Hans Simons | H. Simons | DKW | FWD | 1.0 | S-4 | 38 | 2h54m55.0s | |
DNF | 18 | Marcel Lehoux | M. Lehoux | Bugatti | T35B | 2.3 | S-8 | 26? | mechanical |
DNF | 15 | "Eddoura" | E. Grammont | Bugatti | T35B | 2.3 | S-8 | 26 | mechanical |
DNF | 21 | Juan Zanelli | J. Zanelli | Bugatti | T35B | 2.3 | S-8 | 11 | mechanical |
DNF | 5 | Yves Giraud-Cabantous | Y. Giraud-Cabantous | Salmson | | 1.1 | S-4 | 10 | mechanical | |
DNF | 16 | René Dreyfus | Ecurie Friderich | Bugatti | T35B | 2.3 | S-8 | 10 | engine |
DNF | 4 | José Scaron | J. Scaron | Amilcar | C6 | | S-6 | 5 | mechanical | |
DNF | 3 | Jean Lobre | J. Lobre | BNC-SCAP | 527 | 1.1 | S-4 | 3 | mechanical | |
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Fastest lap: Louis Chiron (Bugatti) on lap 46 in 3m12s = 122.2 km/h (75.9 mph)
Winner's average speed >1500cc (Chiron): 117.9 km/h (73.2 mph)
Winner's average speed 1500cc (Czaykowski): 100.1 km/h (62.2 mph)
Winner's average speed 1100cc (Simons): 84.9 km/h (52.8 mph)
Weather: sunny.
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Primary sources researched for this article:
AUTOMOBIL-REVUE, Bern
L'Auto, Paris
Echo de Paris, Paris
Le Figaro, Paris
Le Journal, Paris
Le Matin, Paris
Match, Paris
Special thanks to:
Michael Müller
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21-22 June 1930: Bentley Motors Ltd team wins the
"Les 24 Heures du Mans" race on the Circuit de la Sarthe in France.
Results:
1. | W. Barnato / G. Kidson | Bentley | 6.6 litre | 179 laps |
2. | F. Clement / D. Watney | Bentley | 6.6 litre | 173 |
3. | B. Lewis / H. Eaton | Talbot | 2.3 litre | 162 |
4. | T. Rose-Richards / J. Hindmarsh | Talbot | 2.3 litre | 160 |
5. | E. Howe / L. Callingham | Alfa Romeo | 1.8 litre | 159 |
6. | K. Peacock / S. Newsome | Lea Francis | 1.5 litre | 140 |
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VI GRAND PRIX DE LA MARNE
Reims-Gueux (F), 29 June 1930. 50 laps x 8 km (4.97 mi) = 400 km (248.5 mi)
Dreyfus wins the Marne Grand Prix
by Hans Etzrodt
A total of 19 drivers started in the Marne Grand Prix on the Reims-Gueux Circuit and only three cars finished the 400 km race. Almost the entire field was comprised of various Bugatti types interrupted only by Scaron's
fast 1100 Amilcar which retired after 20 laps and Casali's 1500 La Perle which was flagged off in fifth place. Lehoux was the early leader but on lap five Etancelin moved into first place, chased by Dreyfus. Chiron
encountered carburation problems, resulting in numerous pit stops. On lap ten Dreyfus held the lead ahead of Etancelin and Lehoux. Etancelin broke a wheel on lap 13 and obtained a replacement running to his pit far
away. In the meantime Dreyfus followed by Lehoux and Doré were the only ones to complete the 50 laps, while Faggioli, Casali, de Bondeli and Etancelin, all many laps behind, were stopped when the crowd invaded the course.
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For the sixth time l'Automobile-Club Ardennes-Champagne-Argonne (Section Marne) together with the journal l'Eclaireur del'Est organized the Grand Prix de la Marne. The entries were divided into three categories,
750 cc to 1100 cc, 1500cc and 2000 cc, all race cars, which had to start at the same time and complete 50 laps of the 8 km circuit or 400 km. The category up to 1100 cc raced for the Prix du C. O. F. A. C. A.
(Prix du Comité d'Oorganisation des Fêtes de l'Automobile Club Argonne (Section Marne), the 1500 cc category raced for the Prix de la Sociétè du Circuit de Reims and the 2000 cc category raced for the Prix du Journal
l'Eclaireur de l'Est. The race was run over the triangular permanent Circuit de Reims-Gueux, which had been used for the Marne Grand Prix each year 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 on Route 31 and Thillois before the finish straight.
The prize money for the 1100 cc category was 5,000 francs for first, 2,500 fr. for second and 1,500 fr. for third. In the 1500 cc category, first received 6,000 francs, second 3,000 fr. and third 2,000 fr. In the
2000 cc category, first received 8,000 francs, second 4,000 fr. and third 2,000 fr.
The competitor driving the fastest lap, regardless of category, received a special price of 1,000 francs. The competitor breaking the existing lap record received a special price of 2,000 francs (The current record
holder was Chiron, 2-L Bugatti at 146.938 km/h). The competitor breaking the existing race record received a special price of 3,000 francs (The current record holder was Etancelin, 2-L Bugatti at 137.850 km/h). The
overall winner Dreyfus received the challenge award of the Ancien Automobile Club de La Marne, an objet d'art worth 10,000 francs, was to be held for a year by Dreyfus, the owner of the winning car, and permanently
assigned after three consecutive victories (the current holder was Etancelin, 2-liter Bugatti).
Scrutineering of the cars took place on Saturday from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM outside the offices of the newspaper "Eclaireur de l'Est" in the Place d'Erlon in Reims.
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Entries:
From 24 entries 19 cars appeared at the start of which seven were in the 2000 cc class, 11 in the 1500 cc class and one 1100 cc Amilcar. Amongst a horde of Bugattis there was one Amilcar and one 1500 cc La Perle.
Two Maseratis were entered but did not appear. Hence, only two interlopers interrupted an otherwise pure Bugatti field of cars which are listed at the beginning of this report.
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Race:
The day of the race was very hot. The Paris newspaper, Figaro, stated that near the start and finish area 50.000 spectators were present with another 100.000 around the circuit, making a total of 150.000 spectators.
When the cars assembled for the start, Sandri, Czaykowski, Nenzioni, Lennart and Givaudan did not appear. The remaining 19 cars lined up on the grid opposite the grandstand and their engines were started.
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At 2:30 PM Mr. Pallette lowered his flag to start the race. The thundering cars left the grid to the indescribable enthusiasm of the spectators and the struggle on the track began
from the outset. Lehoux was first at Gueux, also at Garenne and still at Thillois. He finished the first lap at an average speed of 135.849 km/h ahead of Etancelin, Dreyfus, Miquel, Zanelli, Chiron and the rest,
while Doré headed the 1500 category at a speed of 121.008 km/h. After the first lap the order was:
| 1. | Lehoux (Bugatti) | 3m32s | 2000 cc |
| 2. | Etancelin (Bugatti) | ? | 2000 |
| 3. | Dreyfus (Bugatti) | ? | 2000 |
| 4. | Miquel (Bugatti) | ? | 2000 |
| 5. | Zanelli (Bugatti) | ? | 2000 |
| 6. | Chiron (Bugatti) | ? | 2000 |
| 7. | Doré (Bugatti) | 3m56s | 1500 |
After lap two Lehoux was still in the lead, followed by Dreyfus and Miquel both of whom had overtaken Etancelin and were bolting past the grandstand. Chiron encountered carburation trouble and stopped at his pit.
On the third lap Etancelin turned a record lap at 140.383 km/h while Chiron stopped for the second time and fell further behind. During the race he was forced to stop several times and therefore was no longer with
the leading group. With Chiron sidelined, the remaining 2000 cc contenders Lehoux, Dreyfus, Etancelin and Zanelli had a splendid race in their battle for the lead. The dog fight between Etancelin, Lehoux and
Dreyfus was superb. Etancelin passed the leader Lehoux at Garenne to be first by the grandstand on the fifth lap at 140.480 km/h average speed ahead of Dreyfus who had also passed Lehoux. Meanwhile Miquel had
dropped to fifth behind Zanelli. Doré headed the 1500 category with an average speed of 129.612 km/h after five laps:
| 1. | Etancelin (Bugatti) | 17m05s | 2000 cc |
| 2. | Dreyfus (Bugatti) | ? | 2000 |
| 3. | Lehoux (Bugatti) | ? | 2000 |
| 4. | Zanelli (Bugatti) | ? | 2000 |
| 5. | Miquel (Bugatti) | ? | 2000 |
| 6. | Doré (Bugatti) | 18m31s | 1500 |
The exciting fight between Etancelin, Dreyfus and Lehoux continued with their positions frequently changing. On lap eight Dreyfus passed Lehoux in front of the grandstand to take the lead. Etancelin followed closely
and also passed Lehoux. At around the tenth lap Gaupillat retired his 1500 Bugatti while in fourth place of his class and Chiron made another of his pit stops. After 80 kilometers Dreyfus held the lead at 141.592 km/h
average speed ahead of Etancelin, Lehoux and Zanelli with less than 10 seconds separating the first three, while Doré headed the 1500 category at 130.140 km/h average speed after lap 10:
| 1. | Dreyfus (Bugatti) | 33m54s | 2000 cc |
| 2. | Etancelin (Bugatti) | 33m58s | 2000 |
| 3. | Lehoux (Bugatti) | 34m03s | 2000 |
| 4. | Zanelli (Bugatti) | 34m16s | 2000 |
| 5. | Miquel (Bugatti) | 34m42s | 2000 |
| 6. | Doré (Bugatti) | 36m53s | 1500 |
| 7. | Brunier (Bugatti) | 38m18s | 1500 |
| 8. | Auber (Bugatti) | 38m24s | 1500 |
| 9. | Gaupillat (Bugati) | 38m29s | 1500 |
| 10. | Fourny (Bugatti) | 38m30s | 1500 |
On lap 12 Dreyfus established a new lap record but was still chased closely by Etancelin, who on lap 13 skidded on the slippery tar at Garenne corner where he hit a tree and broke his left rear wheel. Despite the
heat of the day Etancelin ran a few kilometers to his pit to return with a new wheel. Lehoux encountered problems with his engine at Gueux and on lap 15 he stopped for 30 seconds at his pit. Veličkovič in the
1500 Bugatti crashed and retired with a broken fuel pipe. Auber retired his 1500 Bugatti when he arrived completely exhausted at his pit suffering from a badly burned leg, possibly caused by his car's exhaust.
Brunier had also retired his 1500 Bugatti earlier on the circuit and had walked back to the pits. Longueville in another 1500 Bugatti also retired around lap 15. Lehoux and Zanelli were engaged in a close battle
for second place and were just two seconds apart. After 15 laps Dreyfus held the lead at 142.762 km/h average speed ahead of Lehoux while Doré headed the 1500 category at 130.277 km/h average speed after lap 15:
| 1. | Dreyfus (Bugatti) | 50m26s | 2000 cc |
| 2. | Lehoux (Bugatti) | 51m12s | 2000 |
| 3. | Zanelli (Bugatti) | 51m14s | 2000 |
| 4. | Miquel (Bugatti) | 52m13s | 2000 |
| 5. | Doré (Bugatti) | 55m16s | 1500 |
| 6. | Auber (Bugatti) | 57m06s | 1500 |
| 7. | Fourny (Bugatti) | 57m25s | 1500 |
| 8. | de Bondeli (Bugatti) | 58m34s | 1500 |
After 160 km Dreyfus maintained the lead at 143.034 km/h average speed ahead of Zanelli who had left Lehoux behind to the tune of over a minute. The close, exciting battle of the opening laps had now become a race
of attrition as the three leading protagonists were now over a minute apart from each other. Doré still headed the 1500 category at 130.375 km/h average speed after 20 laps:
| 1. | Dreyfus (Bugatti) | 1h07m07s | 2000 cc |
| 2. | Zanelli (Bugatti) | 1h08m33s | 2000 |
| 3. | Lehoux (Bugatti) | 1h09m38s | 2000 |
| 4. | Miquel (Bugatti) | 1h09m47s | 2000 |
| 5. | Doré (Bugatti) | 1h13m38s | 1500 |
| 6. | Fourny (Bugatti) | 1h16m47s | 1500 |
| 7. | de Bondeli (Bugatti) | 1h17m14s | 1500 |
| 8. | Scarron (Amilcar) | 1h18m00s | 1100 |
After mid race, it was the time for pit stops to refuel and change tires. Dreyfus continued to hold the lead at 143.027 km/h ahead of Zanelli, Lehoux and Miquel. Doré kept the lead in the 1500 category at 130.493 km/h
average speed after lap 25:
| 1. | Dreyfus (Bugatti) | 1h23m54s | 2000 cc |
| 2. | Zanelli (Bugatti) | 1h25m45s | 2000 |
| 3. | Lehoux (Bugatti) | 1h26m30s | 2000 |
| 4. | Miquel (Bugatti) | 1h27m07s | 2000 |
| 5. | Doré (Bugatti) | 1h30m21s | 1500 |
| 6. | Fourny (Bugatti) | 1h35m54s | 1500 |
| 7. | de Bondeli (Bugatti) | 1h36m27s | 1500 |
| 8. | Delbos (Bugatti) | 1h37m54s | 1500 |
Chiron was struggling with his car and stopped for the 4th time at his pit. By now he had fallen hopelessly behind. Doré refueled at the halfway point, having led his class for 200 km with surprising regularity.
Dreyfus slowed in front of the grandstand and refueled very quickly, and was followed by Faggioli and Casali who also stopped at the pits. By now Etancelin, had walked back to Garenne Corner, mounted the new wheel
and to the spectators' applause left the scene with a huge handicap. After 30 laps, Dreyfus was leading at 141.084 km/h average speed while Doré, despite his pit stop, still headed the 1500 category at 130.493 km/h
average speed after 30 laps:
| 1. | Dreyfus (Bugatti) | 1h42m04s | 2000 cc |
| 2. | Zanelli (Bugatti) | 1h42m41s | 2000 |
| 3. | Lehoux (Bugatti) | 1h43m29s | 2000 |
| 4. | Doré (Bugatti) | 1h50m21s | 1500 |
| 5. | de Bondeli (Bugatti) | 1h56m07s | 1500 |
| 6. | Delbos (Bugatti) | 1h57m17s | 1500 |
Doré stopped for the second time at his pit for 12.4s. After 280 km, Dreyfus held the lead at 141.285 km/h average speed ahead of Zanelli while Doré held first place in the 1500 category after lap 35:
| 1. | Dreyfus (Bugatti) | 1h58m54s | 2000 cc |
| 2. | Zanelli (Bugatti) | 1h59m36s | 2000 |
| 3. | Lehoux (Bugatti) | 2h00m15s | 2000 |
| 4. | Doré (Bugatti) | ? | 1500 |
After 320 km Dreyfus held the lead at 141.159 km/h average speed ahead of Lehoux while Doré was leading the 1500 category after lap 40:
| 1. | Dreyfus (Bugatti) | 2h16m01s | 2000 cc |
| 2. | Lehoux (Bugatti) | 2h16m51s | 2000 |
| 3. | Zanelli (Bugatti) | 2h17m15s | 2000 |
| 4. | Doré (Bugatti) | ? | 1500 |
On lap 41, Dreyfus extended his lead and gained a few seconds from Zanelli, who stopped to refuel. His car would not restart and after several failed attempts he was forced to retire. Soon afterwards Delbos
crashed his 1500 Bugatti and the driver luckily escaped without injury. It is unknown how many laps Chiron had fallen behind during his multiple pit stops but he retired when Dreyfus completed lap 41.
Chiron came into the pits with de Bondeli riding on the back of his car whom he had picked up after his car had broken down on the circuit. After 45 laps, Dreyfus' lead was a minute ahead of Lehoux while
Doré was now third, following the retirement of Zanelli, and still headed the 1500 category after lap 45:
| 1. | Dreyfus (Bugatti) | 2h32m43s | 2000 cc |
| 2. | Lehoux (Bugatti) | 2h33m43s | 2000 |
| 3. | Doré (Bugatti) | ? | 1500 |
At the end of lap 50, Dreyfus finished after 2h49m27.6s and Lehoux followed just over two minutes later. Doré who had been lapped several times carried on completing the 50 laps after which the large crowd
started to invade the course. This caused the officials to flag down the remaining drivers, Faggioli and Etancelin, and probably also Casali who was not shown as retirement. All three of them were many laps
behind. Faggioli was reported as the fourth finisher, nine laps behind. Dreyfus drove the fastest lap in 3m18s at 145.454 km/h but did not beat the existing record of 3m17s at 146.938 km/h established
in 1928 by Chiron.
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Results
Pos. | No. | Driver | Entrant | Car | Type | Engine | Laps | Time/Status | Diff |
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1. | 40 | René Dreyfus | R. Dreyfus | Bugatti | T35B | 2.3 | S-8 | 50 | 2h49m27.6s |
2. | 38 | Marcel Lehoux | M. Lehoux | Bugatti | T35B | 2.3 | S-8 | 50 | 2h51m30.4s | + 2m02.8s |
3. | 2 | Michel Doré | M. Doré | Bugatti | T37A | 1.5 | S-4 | 50 | 3h06m14.2s | + 16m46.6s |
4. | 36 | Giorgio Faggioli | G. Faggioli | Bugatti | T35 | 2.0 | S-8 | 41 | flagged |
DNC | 16 | Louis Casali | L. Casali | La Perle | | 1,5 | S-4 | 40 | flagged | |
DNF | 6 | Albert de Bondeli | A. de Bondeli | Bugatti | T37A | 1.5 | S-4 | 40 | mechanical | |
DNF | 44 | Juan Zanelli | J. Zanelli | Bugatti | T35B | 2.3 | S-8 | 40 | car would not restart |
DNF | 24 | Delbos | Delbos | Bugatti | T37A | 1.5 | S-4 | 40 | crash | |
DNF | 34 | Philippe Etancelin | P. Etancelin | Bugatti | T35C | 2-0 | S-8 | 38 | flagged |
DNF | 52 | Louis Chiron | L. Chiron | Bugatti | T35C | 2.0 | S-8 | ? | mechanical |
DNF | 42 | Raoul Miquel | R. Miquel | Bugatti | T35C | 2.0 | S-8 | 22 | wheel problem |
DNF | 26 | José Scaron | J. Scaron | Amilcar | C6 | 1.1 | S-6 | 20 | mechanical | |
DNF | 8 | Willy Longueville | W. Longueville | Bugatti | T37A | 1.5 | S-4 | 20 | mechanical | |
DNF | 28 | Brunier | Brunier | Bugatti | T37A | 1.5 | S-4 | 13 | crash | |
DNF | 10 | Veličkovič | Veličkovič | Bugatti | T37A | 1.5 | S-4 | 13 | crash and fuel pipe |
DNF | 4 | Philippe Auber | P. Auber | Bugatti | T37A | 1.5 | S-4 | 13 | driver injured by exhaust |
DNF | 22 | Jean Gaupillat | J. Gaupillat | Bugatti | T37A | 1.5 | S-4 | 9 | mechanical | |
DNF | 18 | Max Fourny | M. Fourny | Bugatti | T37A | 1.5 | S-4 | 5 | mechanical | |
DNF | 12 | Emile Tetaldi | E. Tetaldi | Bugatti | T37A | 1.5 | S-4 | 5 | mechanical | |
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Fastest lap: René Dreyfus in 3m18.0s = 145.5 km/h (90.4 mph)
Winner's medium speed 2000cc (Dreyfus): 141.6 km/h (88.0 mph)
Winner's medium speed 1500cc (Doré): 128.9 km/h (80.1 mph)
Weather: hot, sunshine.
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In retrospect:
The information published by the newspaper L'Eclaireur de l'Est was of utmost importance with individual lap times but the report itself often provided just superficial information which left several details doubtful and
inconclusive. Chiron's progress at the back of the field was not described, except that he retired on the 41st lap. Etancelin stopped on lap 13 with a broken wheel, ran to his pit to fetch a new one which he fitted to
his car after lap 25. At the very best he had dropped only 12 laps behind the leader, probably more. The official time keeping and/or the reporting in the organizing newspaper l'Eclaireur del'Est left much to be desired
and puts to question the accuracy of the various retirements at lap 5, 13 and lap 40 when groups of drivers simultaneously dropped out of the race.
The label '2000 cc category' used by the organizers is rather odd as both 1991cc and 2262cc Bugattis took part in it. 'Category over 1500 cc' would have been more correct.
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Primary sources researched for this article:
AUTOMOBIL-REVUE, Bern
Figaro, Paris
L'AUTO,Paris
L'Eclaireur de l'Est, Reims
Motor Sport, London
Special thanks to:
Alain Thibaudat
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