Luigi Fagioli wins at the Montenero circuit in record time

The international motor sport week at Livorno ended with the Coppa Ciano race around the difficult Montenero circuit. It proved to be another classic battle between Varzi and Nuvolari in the fastest cars, the Alfa Romeo P2s, although it was inconclusive because both retired with car ailments. Fagioli (Maserati), Campari (Alfa Romeo), Maggi (Bugatti) and Borzacchini (Alfa Romeo) survived and finished in that order, followed by Fontana (O.M.) and Gazzabini (Alfa Romeo). The last drivers to complete the race were Moradei and Matrullo in 1100 cc Salmsons, the only small car survivors. The race was characterized as one of high attrition with only eight finishers from a field of 32 cars.

The races on the Montenero Circuit near Livorno (Leghorn in English) had been held since 1921. From 1922 onwards a 22.5 km circuit was used from Ardenza Mare - Montenero - Savolano - Castellaccio - Romito - Ardenza Mare. The narrow road circuit twisted through endless curves with steep up and down slopes through the mountains and was a small replica of the Madonie but considerably shorter. The start and finish with the grandstand were at Ardenza.       The 1930 international event counted towards the Italian Championship and was the tenth time that the race was held on the Circuito del Montenero. The organizer named it wrongly the tenth Coppa Ciano but in reality, 1930 was the fourth Coppa Ciano. The Coppa or trophy was donated by Italian Navy hero Costanzo Ciano for a 1927 Montenero sports car race, which was named after him. The Coppa Ciano name was applied for the second time to the 1928 sports car race. As of 1929, when the sports car race was dropped from the program, the Coppa Ciano name was assigned to the racecar event for the first time. The races were held annually and August 3 1930 was the fourth running of the Coppa Ciano and the tenth race on the Montenero circuit.       The Automobile Club Livorno and Moto Club Livorno staged a motorcycle race, the Coppa del Mare, the week before the automobile race for the Coppa Ciano. The 22.500 km circuit had to be lapped ten times. The cars were divided into two classes, class A up to 1100 cc and class B over 1100 cc. A special classification was provided for 1500 cc cars for scoring in the Italian Championship.       To be classified the large cars had to finish within 3 hours 20 minutes and the 1100 cc cars in 3 hours 40 minutes. These maximum times were based on 20 minutes per lap for the large group and 22 minutes for the little cars.       The total prize money of 154,000 lire went to the large car class of which 75,000 lire was to go to the victor plus the Ciano Cup, 30,000 to second place and the Mussolini Cup, 15,000 and the Mayor of Livorno Cup to third, 10,000 and the Province of Livorno Cup to fourth, 8,000 to fifth, 5,000 to sixth, 4,000 to seventh, 3,000 to eighth, 2,000 each to ninth and tenth. The first of the small car class received 3,000 lire and a gold medal by HM, the King, the second 2,000 and third 1,000 lire. There were additional prizes for the leader on each lap, fastest lap and breaking some existing records, totaling 40,000 lire.

Entries: Most of the better known Italian race drivers appeared at the start for the Coppa Ciano since it counted towards the Italian Championship. SA Alfa Romeo entered a P2 for Varzi and a 1750 Alfa Romeo for Campari. The newly established Scuderia Ferrari arrived with a modified 175 hp Alfa Romeo P2 for Nuvolari. According to Luigi Orsini, Enzo Ferrari had arranged to buy back this car from the Brazilian Vittorio Rosa. Upon its arrival in Milano the Alfa received from designer Vittorio Jano the same modifications as the other two factory P2s, which had raced at Rome. So this third P2 then became part of Scuderia Ferrari's ever increasing arsenal. The Scuderia Ferrari also entered the more powerful version of the basic 1750 model, the 85 hp Alfa Romeo 1750GS (Gran Sport) for Arcangeli. He was a Maserati driver who had recently won with the 2500 at Rome and Ferrari had hired him in June to drive in selected events for his team. Another new Scuderia member was Borzacchini, also an ex Maserati driver, in another 1750GS.       Count Aymo Maggi, who returned to racing after two years absence, appeared with a brand new 2-liter Bugatti, which he had picked up in Molsheim. The Maserati factory sent their 2500 Maserati to be driven by Fagioli. The large car class comprised 33 numbered entries plus three additional drivers. There were also 13 cars in the class up to 1100 cc. The entire list of 49 entries is shown above.

Practice: Official practice took place on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 12:30 to 14:30 PM. During these times the trams on the lines from Ardenza Mare, Antignano and Ardenza Terra-Montenero were to be stopped from operating.       Il Telegrafo reported that in Wednesday's practice Maggi turned laps with his Bugatti 2000, also Danese, Cantoni, Fagioli, Mazzacurati with the Scuderia Nuvolari Bugatti 2000 monoposto, Fontana and others. Maggi drove his laps in less than 17 minutes, but Danese also demonstrated that he was very well prepared. In the morning Franco Cortese had arrived from Milan with his Alfa 1750 and did some test laps. Varzi and Campari were also active as was Ghezzani in a 1500 supercharged Alfa. Juan Zanelli arrived directly from Paris with a Bugatti 2000 and Tassara with an Alfa 1500. From the small cars Mantovani practiced with his Fiat.       During Thursday's practice Nuvolari was timed with 15m22s, Borzacchini with15m55s and Pieranzi, who did not start in the race, with 15m56s. Campari turned a lap in 16m33s and Maggi in 16m53s. Varzi was timed at 16m09s, Cortese 16m15s, Fagioli 16m59s, di Vecchio 17m46s, Cantoni 18m23s and Ghezzani 19m07s.       On Friday the following drivers practiced: Nuvolari, Arcangeli, Ghezzani, Gazzabini, Danese, Maggi, Borzacchini, Cortese, Campari, Varzi, Biondetti, Cantoni, Sartorio, Fagioli, Matrullo and others. Varzi improved his speed to 15m27s, while Nuvolari was not that fast with 15m37s, Cortese 15m30s, Borzacchini 15m50s and Maggi 15m52s. Biondetti turned a lap in 16m05s, Campari 16m03s, Danese 16m25s, A. Sartorio 16m43s, Fagioli 17m04s, Cantoni 17m46s, Ghezzani 18m27s and Matrullo 19m25s.       Varzi and Nuvolari were the favorites. They had been involved in fierce battles, starting at the Mille Miglia in April where Nuvolari had won ahead of Varzi. In early May at the Targa Florio Varzi had been victorious while Nuvolari had only managed fifth in a lesser car. At the following Rome Grand Prix near the end of May, they were again immersed in a great battle with each other in equal cars but both Alfas broke down. Now, two months later, there followed the next clash at the Coppa Ciano where the two great opponents met again in equal cars. An exciting battle was expected and talked about, luring a large crowd to come and see the two best drivers fight it out on the difficult Montenero Circuit, each to prove that he was stronger and better than the other.

Race: A large crowd had come to witness the race and to see the outcome of the duel between Varzi and Nuvolari. At 2:30 PM the Minister of Communications Count Costanzo Ciano di Cortelazzo, the donor of the Cup, countess Carolina and princess Maria Ciano appeared with a large group of other officials. Before the start a one minute silence was called for remembrance and in recognition of the deceased drivers Brilli-Peri and Benini who had died earlier in the year. From 13 small cars up to 1100 cc only nine assembled on the grid since Platè and Mantovani did not start while Ramello and Marret did not appear.

Planned time: 4 Bucci Fiat 2 Moradei Salmson 3h00m00s 8 Lunghi Fiat 6 Rondina Fiat 3h00m30s 14 Arzilla Amilcar 10 Matrullo Salmson 3h01m00s 22 Ieroniti Salmson 16 Pratesi Salmson 3h01m30s 24 Savelli Fiat 3h02m00s The actual start was late, a bit after 3:00 PM

A little after 3:00 PM Princess Maria Ciano gave the signal to the drivers, starting the small cars, which left the grid one pair at a time, each pair being separated by 30 seconds. This system was used as a safety precaution since the road circuit was very narrow and difficult for drivers to pass each other. After Savelli, the last of the small cars, had left the start area, the long anticipated large cars moved forward. Here the field was also severely reduced since Pieranzi, Tassara and Zanelli did not start. Another ten drivers did not appear, resulting in the class B being down to 23 cars. Many drivers raced with a riding mechanic on board and carried spare wheels, as a precaution, for this lengthy and treacherous circuit. Two minutes after Savelli's Fiat had departed the class B cars were released in the same manner, including Brivio, a late entry, who was the last to leave the start area.

Planned time: 28 Danese Alfa Romeo 26 Sartorio Maserati 3h04m00s 34 Cortese Alfa Romeo 32 Fagioli Maserati 3h04m30s 38 Maggi Bugatti 36 di Veccio Bugatti 3h05m00s 44 Gazzabini Alfa Romeo 40 Campari Alfa Romeo 3h05m30s 48 Fontana O.M. 46 Nuvolari Alfa Romeo 3h06m00s 52 Borzacchini Alfa Romeo 50 Toti Maserati 3h06m30s 58 Varzi Alfa Romeo 56 Mazzacurati Bugatti 3h07m00s 64 Cantoni Alfa Romeo 60 Guglielmo Itala 3h07m30s 68 Arcangeli Alfa Romeo 66 Avattaneo Bugatti 3h08m00s 74 Biondetti Bugatti 72 Razzauti Bugatti 3h08m30s 80 Meoni O.M. 76 Ghezzani Alfa Romeo 3h09m00s ? Brivio Alfa Romeo 3h09m30s The actual start was late, a bit after 3:04 PM

The little Salmson of Moradei was the first car to appear at the end of the first lap, followed by Bucci, Matrullo, Rondina, Lunghi, Arzilla, Ieroniti and Savelli while Pratesi retired his Salmson. However, it is easier to show the order of the drivers by their individual times. Nuvolari was the first big car to appear with a lap in 15m06s ahead of Varzi in 15m10s. Despite a standing start, both had beaten Varzi's existing lap record of 15m10.4s from the year before. The fight between Fagioli and Maggi looked exciting when comparing lap times but on the road Fagioli was half a minute ahead of Maggi since he had started before him. There were other duels amongst several drivers with equal times. Borzacchini and Razzauti were two minutes apart on the road but had the same time in different cars. Mazzacurati and Avattaneo had almost equal lap times but due to different starting times, were one minute apart on the road. Cantoni overturned his Alfa without serious consequences for driver and mechanic. Toti (Maserati) and Ghezzani (Alfa Romeo) retired on the first lap. 1. Nuvolari (Alfa Romeo) 15m06s 2. Varzi (Alfa Romeo) 15m10s 3. Fagioli (Maserati) 15m30s 4. Maggi (Bugatti) 15m30s 5. Arcangeli (Alfa Romeo) 15m31s 6. Cortese (Alfa Romeo) 15m45s 7. Borzacchini (Alfa Romeo) 16m01s 8. Razzauti (Bugatti) 16m01s 9. Biondetti (Bugatti) 16m05s 10. Campari (Alfa Romeo) 16m09s 11. Sartorio (Maserati) 16m13s 12. Mazzacurati (Bugatti) 16m25s 13. Avattaneo (Bugatti) 16m26s 14. Peri (Itala) 16m52s 15. Gazzabini (Alfa Romeo) 16m57s 16. Brivio (Alfa Romeo) 17m21s 17. Fontana (O.M.) 17m24s 18. Meoni (O.M.) 18m01s 19. Danese (Alfa Romeo) ? 20. Di Vecchio (Bugatti) ? In the small group Moradei took the immediate lead, closely followed by Matrullo, both in Salmsons with the rest of the field spread out. Pratesi did not complete the first lap. The order was: 1. Moradei (Salmson) 18m10s 2. Matrullo (Salmson) 18m37s 3. Bucci (Fiat) 19m00s 4. Arzilla (Amilcar) 19m26s 5. Lunghi (Fiat) 20m15s 6. Rondina (Fiat) 20m27s 7. Savelli (Fiat) 20m48s 8. Ieroniti (Salmson) 20m54s During the second lap Nuvolari established a new record lap in 14m54s which placed him nine seconds ahead of Varzi. In third place followed Maggi who was ahead of Fagioli. Both were separated by just one second but on the road Fagioli was 29 seconds in front since he had started half a minute before Maggi. Avattaneo and Sartorio stopped at their pits. When Razzauti retired his Bugatti the large class was down to 19 cars. 1. Nuvolari (Alfa Romeo) 30m00s 2. Varzi (Alfa Romeo) 30m09s 3. Maggi (Bugatti) 30m51s 4. Fagioli (Maserati) 30m52s 5. Arcangeli (Alfa Romeo) 30m07s 6. Cortese (Alfa Romeo) 31m10s 7. Biondetti (Bugatti) 31m52s 8. Borzacchini (Alfa Romeo) 32m00s 9. Campari (Alfa Romeo) 32m06s 10. Danese (Alfa Romeo) 33m18s 11. Mazzacurati (Bugatti) ? 12. Di Veccio (Bugatti) 33m35s 13. Brivio (Alfa Romeo) 34m42s 14. Fontana (O.M.) 34m48s 15. Peri (Itala) 35m18s 16. Gazzabini (Alfa Romeo) ? 17. Avattaneo (Bugatti) 35m31s 18. Meoni (O.M.) 38m52s 19. Sartorio (Maserati) 39m44s Bucci retired his Fiat on lap two. Lunghi and Savelli appeared to have a close battle with same lap times but were 90 seconds apart on the road. The small group order was as follows: 1. Moradei (Salmson) 36m10s 2. Matrullo (Salmson) 37m18s 3. Arzilla (Amilcar) 38m17s 4. Rondina (Fiat) 40m28s 5. Lunghi (Fiat) 40m35s 6. Savelli (Fiat) 40m35s 7. Ieroniti (Salmson) 41m37s During the third lap the fierce battle between Nuvolari and Varzi continued. They both raced the same model cars and were leading the fastest Maserati by over a minute. By driving a new record lap in 14m43.2s at an average speed of 91.710 km/h Varzi had passed Nuvolari. They were just one second apart in time, yet at the finish line the distance between them was 59 seconds because Nuvolari had started one minute ahead of Varzi. The time battle between Fagioli and Maggi came to an end when Maggi stopped for nearly two minutes to change plugs on his new Bugatti. Maggi was just one second ahead of Borzacchini but on the road they were separated by 91 seconds. Sartorio retired his Maserati on lap three. 1. Varzi (Alfa Romeo) 44m52.2s 2. Nuvolari (Alfa Romeo) 44m53s 3. Fagioli (Maserati) 46m08s 4. Cortese (Alfa Romeo) 46m37s 5. Arcangeli (Alfa Romeo) 46m46s 6. Biondetti (Bugatti) 47m28s 7. Maggi (Bugatti) 47m41s 8. Borzacchini (Alfa Romeo) 47m42s 9. Campari (Alfa Romeo) 47m49s 10. Mazzacurati (Bugatti) 49m10s 11. Danese (Alfa Romeo) 49m22s 12. Di Veccio (Bugatti) 50m17s 13. Fontana (O.M.) 52m02s 14. Peri (Itala) 52m37s 15. Gazzabini (Alfa Romeo) 54m02s 16. Avattaneo (Bugatti) 55m09s 17. Brivio (Alfa Romeo) ? 18. Meoni (O.M.) ? On the third lap Matrullo and Arzilla, who had started as a pair, had a true battle and raced next to each other as they passed the finish line, while Lunghi and Savelli in their Fiats were 91 seconds apart on the road. Rondina retired his Fiat. The order was: 1. Moradei (Salmson) 54m05s 2. Matrullo (Salmson) 55m34s 3. Arzilla (Amilcar) 55m34s 4. Lunghi (Fiat) 1h00m53s 5. Savelli (Fiat) 1h00m54s 6. Ieroniti (Salmson) ? During lap four Nuvolari and Varzi continued their wild battle. Varzi increased his speed and did a lap in 14m39.0s while Nuvolari had the same idea and drove a new record lap at 14m38.4s at a speed of 92.211 km/h, which was to be the fastest lap of the race. Their lap times were just 1/5 of a second apart, yet on the road they were still separated by one minute. Gazzabini lost a lot of time, which put him at the end of the field. Cortese (Alfa Romeo) and Meoni (O.M.) retired on this lap. 1. Varzi (Alfa Romeo) 59m31.2s 2. Nuvolari (Alfa Romeo) 59m31.4s 3. Fagioli (Maserati) 1h01m24s 4. Arcangeli (Alfa Romeo) 1h02m22s 5. Biondetti (Bugatti) 1h03m11s 6. Campari (Alfa Romeo) 1h03m19s 7. Borzacchini (Alfa Romeo) 1h03m46s 8. Maggi (Bugatti) ? 9. Mazzacurati (Bugatti) ? 10. Di Veccio (Bugatti) 1h07m13s 11. Danese (Alfa Romeo) 1h07m17s 12. Fontana (O.M.) 1h09m25s 13. Avattaneo (Bugatti) 1h13m22s 14. Brivio (Alfa Romeo) 1h18m59s 15. Peri (Itala) 1h27m04s 16. Gazzabini (Alfa Romeo) 1h28m11s The small car field had shrunk to five cars after Ieroniti retired his Salmson. The order was: 1. Moradei (Salmson) 1h12m00s 2. Matrullo (Salmson) 1h13m32s 3. Arzilla (Amilcar) 1h17m24s 4. Savelli (Fiat) 1h20m37s 5. Lunghi (Fiat) 1h21m02s During lap five Varzi appeared with a clear lead as Nuvolari had slowed with a clutch problem. As a result, Fagioli was promoted to second position but he was 2m20s behind the leader. Biondetti and Campari had very close lap times, yet were three minutes apart on the road due to their different starting positions. Arcangeli retired his Alfa Romeo with a broken clutch at Castellaccio in the mountains and Peri retired his Itala on the same lap. 1. Varzi (Alfa Romeo) 1h14m24s 2. Fagioli (Maserati) 1h16m44s 3. Nuvolari (Alfa Romeo) 1h17m20s 4. Biondetti (Bugatti) 1h18m47s 5. Campari (Alfa Romeo) 1h18m49s 6. Borzacchini (Alfa Romeo) 1h19m29s 7. Maggi (Bugatti) 1h20m17s 8. Mazzacurati (Bugatti) 1h22m31s 9. Di Veccio (Bugatti) 1h23m54s 10. Fontana (O.M.) 1h26m45s 11. Avattaneo (Bugatti) 1h31m55s 12. Brivio (Alfa Romeo) 1h37m43s 13. Gazzabini (Alfa Romeo) 1h45m14s 14. Danese (Alfa Romeo) ? On the fifth lap Moradei stopped at his pit to refuel his car, losing much of his advantage. The five small cars order was: 1. Moradei (Salmson) 1h30m00s 2. Matrullo (Salmson) 1h30m59s 3. Arzilla (Amilcar) ? 4. Savelli (Fiat) ? 5. Lunghi (Fiat) ? At the end of lap six there was another big change when Fagioli found himself in the lead. At the beginning of lap six Nuvolari stopped at his pit with a burned clutch and did not leave again. He received large applause from the spectators. Half way into the sixth lap, while chasing after victory, Varzi was forced to retire when a broken differential brought him to a stop. When Biondetti, Mazzacurati and Brivio also retired on this lap, the large car field had shrunk to nine cars. 1. Fagioli (Maserati) 1h31m58s 2. Campari (Alfa Romeo) 1h34m20s 3. Borzacchini (Alfa Romeo) 1h35m08s 4. Maggi (Bugatti) 1h35m33s 5. Danese (Alfa Romeo) 1h40m06s 6. Di Veccio (Bugatti) 1h40m25s 7. Fontana (O.M.) 1h43m59s 8. Avattaneo (Bugatti) 1h52m10s 9. Gazzabini (Alfa Romeo) 2h04m23s In the small group there was another big surprise when Matrullo took first place as Moradei encountered more trouble. 1. Matrullo (Salmson) 1h48m12s 2. Moradei (Salmson) 1h49m03s 3. Arzilla (Amilcar) 1h45m47s 4. Savelli (Fiat) 2h02m16s 5. Lunghi (Fiat) 2h04m12s On lap seven Fagioli led Campari by over two minutes, followed by Maggi and Borzacchini who appeared to have a battle going with similar lap times, yet 88 seconds separated them on the road. Avattaneo stopped his Bugatti at his pit to refuel while Danese retired his Alfa Romeo at Romito while occupying fifth position. 1. Fagioli (Maserati) 1h47m24s 2. Campari (Alfa Romeo) 1h49m52s 3. Maggi (Bugatti) 1h50m45s 4. Borzacchini (Alfa Romeo) 1h50m47s 5. Di Veccio (Bugatti) 1h57m29s 6. Fontana (O.M.) ? 7. Avattaneo (Bugatti) 2h11m27s 8. Gazzabini (Alfa Romeo) 2h21m10s In the small group Moradei had regained his lead ahead of Matrullo. 1. Moradei (Salmson) 2h06m07s 2. Matrullo (Salmson) 2h06m30s 3. Arzilla (Amilcar) 2h15m12s 4. Savelli (Fiat) 2h25m23s 5. Lunghi (Fiat) 2h44m22s On lap eight Fagioli was driving regularly in the lead, while Campari and Maggi were battling for second place but were eight seconds apart on the road. The order was: 1. Fagioli (Maserati) 2h02m50s 2. Campari (Alfa Romeo) 2h05m30s 3. Maggi (Bugatti) 2h05m52s 4. Borzacchini (Alfa Romeo) 2h06m26s 5. Di Veccio (Bugatti) 2h14m49s 6. Fontana (O.M.) 2h18m45s 7. Avattaneo (Bugatti) 2h34m07s 8. Gazzabini (Alfa Romeo) 2h38m34s The small group order remained unchanged: Moradei (Salmson), Matrullo (Salmson), Arzilla (Amilcar), Savelli (Fiat) and Lunghi (Fiat).       On lap nine Fagioli still held the lead, while Di Veccio retired his Bugatti. 1. Fagioli (Maserati) 2h18m14s 2. Campari (Alfa Romeo) 2h20m56s 3. Maggi (Bugatti) 2h21m02s 4. Borzacchini (Alfa Romeo) 2h21m55s 5. Fontana (O.M.) 2h36m11s 6. Gazzabini (Alfa Romeo) 2h55m34s [estimated time] 7. Avattaneo (Bugatti) 2h58m10s The order of the small group remained unchanged with Moradei first ahead of Matrullo, Arzilla, Savelli and Lunghi.       There were no position changes during lap ten. Fagioli slightly slowed his pace on this last lap, winning in 2h33m59.6s at 87.666 km/h, beating the previous course record from 1929 by Varzi with 2h34m51.6s at 87,173 km/h. Fagioli was received with great applause while the band played the Marcia Reale Italiana. Campari in second place trailed over two minutes behind but improved upon the time with the Alfa Romeo 1750 compared to the previous year with the same type of car. Conte Maggi, who had returned after a two years absence from racing, finished with his new Bugatti in third place and Borzacchini ended up fourth, his first drive with an Alfa Romeo after leaving Maserati. Fontana, Gazzabini,Moradei and Matrullo had been lapped and drove another round to complete the required distance. Avattaneo (Bugatti) Arzilla (Amilcar), Savelli (Fiat) and Lunghi (Fiat), were not classified because they exceeded the maximum time allowed.

The tragic story about Edouard Grammont

The main race was run in two classes, with 12 Bugattis altogether taking part. Etancelin held an early lead until Lehoux took over. Promising newcomer Edouard Grammont racing under the anagram "Eddoura" put in the fastest laps in the race and took over the lead when Lehoux made a pit stop. Then, after opening up a 40 seconds gap to Etancelin, "Eddoura" crashed fatally when lapping a slower car. Lehoux retired and Etancelin went on to take a joyless victory.

The Circuit du Dauphiné was organized by the A.C and M.C Dauphinois. The circuit selected for the event was south of the Grenoble town center and was triangular in shape. Pits, a grand stand for 1000 spectators and terracing for another 1000 spectators were positioned at the start of the 2010 meter long straight on Teisseire road. A sharp right turn was followed by a 1010 meter section from Poisat to Eybens which included a left bend in the middle. Another sharp right turn was followed by a 140 meter section which led to Route d'Eybens (or CGC no 5 - nowadays known as Avenue Jean Perrot). A 500 meter long section next to the road was reserved for spectators. Route d'Eybens had had tram lines since 1897, always a hazard for race cars. The total length of the circuit was 5300 meters.       The event included motor cycle races and car races. The first car race was a combined cycle car race for class A, 1100cc un-supercharged, which had to cover 35 laps, and class B, 1100cc supercharged or 1500cc un-supercharged, which had to do 40 laps.       The second race, the main event, had two classes as well; class C for 1500cc supercharged, and 2000cc -3000cc un-supercharged cars and class D for cars over 1500cc supercharged or over 3000cc supercharged. The race length for class C was 44 laps and for class D one lap more, i.e. 45 laps.

Entries: All the cars that actually took part in the race were Bugattis. In the 1500cc supercharged category there were two starters, Michel Doré and Henri Aime-Martin, each entering T37As. In the same class there were five un-supercharged 2 litre T35s or T35As to be raced by Pierre Rey, Aimé Vassiaux from Cannes, "Savora", Benoit Falchetto and Veyrat.       There were five starters in the class over 1500cc supercharged as well. Philippe Etancelin raced his two litre T35C (#4945). Marcel Lehoux raced his usual 2.3 litre T35B (#4935). Motorcycle driver Edouard Grammont racing under the anagram "Eddoura" was doing his second Grand Prix start, having made his debut at the Lyon GP. Between the two GPs he had shown his talent by winning the La Baraque hill climb at Clermont-Ferrand. He was again racing an ex Baron de Rothschield car now owned by Marcel Rousselet from Villeurbanne (#4920). Aristide Lumachi from Marseille raced the T35B (#4942) he had bought from Guy Bouriat back in October 1929. Giorgio Faggioli completed the entry list.

Race: A large number of spectators turned up for the Sunday event. It started with motor cycle racing and shortly after 12 noon, the 10 racing cars in the 1100-1500 cc class started. Boissotte (Caban) was the winner of the A class and Scaron (Amilcar) the winner of the B class.       After 3 p.m. the competition of racing cars with larger content began. Class C was to race for 44 laps and class D for 45 laps.

3 Etancelin Bugatti 1 Lehoux Bugatti 32 Lumachi Bugatti 15 "Eddoura" Bugatti ? Bugatti 34? Faggioli? Bugatti Rest of grid unknown

As the flag dropped Etancelin was first away. He made the first lap in 2m43s (117 km/h) and was followed by "Eddoura" and Lehoux. Lehoux soon moved past "Eddoura" to take second position and on the fourth lap he took over the lead making the lap in 2m33s (125 km/h). "Eddoura" however was doing an impressive race and soon bettered Lehoux's lap time with a time of 2m30.7s (126.6 km/h). On the 6th lap he again improved the time to 2m30s (127.2 km/h) passing Etancelin for second position. On the 7th lap Lehoux made a pit stop and "Eddoura" was sensationally now up in the lead.       The newcomer gradually increased his advantage over Etancelin, and after 20 laps he had built a forty-seconds lead. On the 22nd lap however while he was trying to lap "Savora" on the Route d'Eybens, the two cars hooked their wheels up. Savora's car ended up across the tram line, the driver unhurt. "Eddoura's" Bugatti slid sideways, hit the tram rails, and rolled over three times before crashing into the wall surrounding the property of M. Delamarche. Aft of the engine the car was a total wreck (think Alonso, Australia 2016). The unfortunate driver was trapped between the car and the wall and the car had to be turned over to release the driver and give him first aid but it was already too late. Edouard Grammont's racing career is one of the shortest of a promising talent in the Grand Prix history.       On the 25th lap Lehoux retired with a broken piston putting an end to the remaining interest of the race. Etancelin took his car to the chequered flag and the victory with Lumachi second ¾ laps behind. Doré was the winner of the C class.