1903 ARDENNES CIRCUIT

1 9 0 3

1 Pierre de Crawhez
C. Jarrott
Panhard-Levassor 80 hp

12 Léonce Girardot
Charron, Girardot et Voigt
CGV 40 hp

21 René de Brou
De Diétrich et Cie
De Diétrich 45 hp

1903 ARDENNES CIRCUIT RACE

Bastogne (B), 22 June 1903 (Monday).
6 laps x 85.4 km (53.07 mi) = 512.4 km (318.4 mi)
Voiturette: 2 laps x 149 km (92.588 mi) = 298 km (185.177 mi)

No.	Driver	Entrant	Car	Type	Engine		Weight

	Heavy Car Category - 700 to 1000 kg
1	Baron Pierre de Crawhez	P. de Crawhez	Panhard-Levassor	80 hp	13.7	S-4	984
3	Gaston Guders	Co. Belge de Construction Automb.	Pipe	24 hp	7.2	S-4	954
4	Charles Jarrott	De Diétrich et Cie	De Diétrich	24 hp	4.2	S-4	992
8	Évence Coppée	SA des Atteliers Germain	Germain	30 hp	1.5	S-4	990
10	George Heath	G. Heath	Panhard-Levassor	80 hp	13.7	S-4	996
12	Léonce Girardot	Charron, Girardot et Voigt	C.G.V.	40 hp	9.8	S-4	1000
13	Émile Voigt	Charron, Girardot et Voigt	C.G.V.	40 hp	9,8	S-4	1000
14	Étienne Giraud	Charron, Girardot et Voigt	C.G.V.	40 hp	9,8	S-4	996
17	William K. Vanderbilt jr.	W.K. Vanderbilt jr.	Mors	80 hp	11.4	S-4	998
19	Van de Poele	Co. Belge de Construction Automb.	Pipe	24 hp	7.2	S-4	992
20	Lucien Hautvast	Co. Belge de Construction Automb.	Pipe	24 hp	7.2	S-4	980
21	Émile de Brou	De Diétrich et Cie	De Diétrich	45 hp	9.8	S-4	996
22	Louis Rigolly	Sté Gobron-Brillié	Gobron-Brillié	100 hp	13.5	S-4	998
23	Arthur Duray	Sté Gobron-Brillié	Gobron-Brillié	100 hp	13.5	S-4	983
26	Hubert le Blon	Gardner-Serpollet	Gardner-Serpollet	40 hp	3.1	S4	996
27	Chanliaud	Gardner-Serpollet	Gardner-Serpollet	40 hp	3.1	S4	960
28	Sidney Girling	Wolseley Tool and Motor Car Co, Ltd.	Wolseley	72 hp		S-4	996
29	Arthur Callan	Wolseley Tool and Motor Car Co, Ltd.	Wolseley	50 hp	11.0	S-4	997
34	Julius Beutler	Peter's Union Tire Co.	De Diétrich	45 hp	9.8	S-4	991
36	Roerlink Wattecamps	SA des Atteliers Germain	Germain	30 hp	1.5	S-4	921	DNS - did not start
37	Edward Lisle	Star Motor Co Ltd	Star	80 hp		S-4	970
39	Robert Prunel	Sté des Usines Prunel	Prunel	60 hp		S-4	920
41	Louis Loste	Boyer et Cie.	Boyer	50 hp	1.5	S-4	1000
42	Gabreau	Boyer et Cie.	Boyer	50 hp	1.5	S-4	986	DNS - did not start
45	Gustave Caillois	Gardner Serpollet	Serpollet	40 hp	3.1	S4	998
49	Francis Terry	Sté. d'Electr. Et d'Automnobiles Mors	Mors	60 hp	9.2	S-4	997	DNS - did not start
54	Henri Béconnais	Société A. Darracq.	Darracq	40 hp	6.8	S-4	778
55	Manded	Société A. Darracq	Darracq	40 hp	6.8	S-4	780

De Crawhez wins the 1903 Ardennes Circuit Race

by Hans Etzrodt

The 1903 Ardennes Circuit Race, organized by the Belgian AC, changed last year's procedures. Now the 25 Heavy Cars, the 13 Light Cars and 13 Voiturettes, a total of 51 vehicles, did not race together like the year before but each group contested a separate race. The Heavy cars started at 3:15 in the morning and at 12:35 p.m. the light car got going. The 12 Voiturettes raced the following day on a different circuit with Arlon as the starting place. The tourist category was abolished this year.
Pierre de Crawhez on a 70 hp Panhard, held the lead from the first till the sixth lap, winning the Heavy Car category with ease in 5h52m07.6s. Girardot (C.G.V.) finished second and De Brou (De Diétrich) third followed by eight other finishers, the last was van de Poele (Pipe) after 11h25m48.0s.

The Royal Belgian AC organized the Ardennes Circuit race on 22. and 23. of June. A precursor was held on Saturday 20. June, a kilometer-speed trial at Huy with flying start, which was won by Barbaroux (35 hp Benz) in 30.2s at 119.205 km/h. The following day a kilometer-hill climb was held at Huy, won again by Barbaroux (35 hp Benz) in 45.4s at 79.295 km/h.

Scrutineering:
The event started on Sunday, 21. June at the Bastogne railroad station, with scrutineering and weighing of the entrants, 27 Heavy Cars, 16 Light Cars and 9 Voiturettes, a total of 52 vehicles appeared to complete the essential formality with their weights listed with all entries at the beginning of this report. Weighing lasted up to six hours. In Belgium, vehicles are qualified as large cars starting at 700 kilos and not 659 as in France. Up to the last vehicle, it was sufficient to check whether the cars did not exceed the regulatory weight, i.e. 1,000 kilos for large cars, while the limit for light cars was raised from 650 to 700 kg and 400 kilos for light cars. The voiturettes had a few cars whose weights in kg was not known. This year the tourist category was eliminated.

Circuit:
The 85.4 km hilly Ardennes Circuit was driven in anticlockwise direction six times, a total distance of 512.4 km. The race was named after the dense Ardennes Forest with its rolling hills and ridges of Belgian provinces, Luxembourg, and Namur. The course passed through an area without any towns or large villages that would require neutralization. As a result, the race was without any mandatory stops. From the start at Bastogne at a 300-meter stretch of cobbled stone paving the road headed south-west for 25 km to Longlier along a straight road with some fast bends. At Longlier the course turned south-east for 23 km passing through some sharp turns, climbing up to Béhême village, then downhill to Habay la Neuve. At that juncture, the track led east, to soon turn north for 17.2 km to reach Martelange, near the Luxembourg border. The following section went further north for 20.2 km on an almost straight stretch to Bastogne, completing the 85.4 km circuit. It was hoped that the repeated passing of the cars over the same road would make the race much more interesting for the spectators.

Entries:
Panhard-Levassor 80 hp cars were in the hands of private owners. One driven by Baron Pierre de Crawhez the other by Georges Heath.
Charron, Girardot et Voigt entered three 40 hp C.G.V. cars with 9.8-liter 4-cylinderv engines for Léonce Girardot, Émile Voigt, and Francois Giraud.
De Diétrich entered three cars, a 24 hp car for Charles Jarrot, which was the same car he had driven at the Paris-Madrid race, and two 45 hp cars for René de Brou and Julius Beutler, the latter was entered by Peter's Union Tire Co.
One Mors 80 hp car was run by William K. Vanderbilt jr., and a 40 hp Mors officially entered for the event and the two cars were driven by their owners. Baron Pierre de Crawhez ran the heavy Panhard he had previously driven. All entries are listed at the beginning of this report.

Timing, Scoring, Controversy and Variances:
1- Le Vélo has race numbers, results are incomplete, with errors at the finishing order.
2- L'Auto has race numbers, has intermediate times, a few mistakes included.
3/4-AAZ(A) and AAZ(D) have intermediate times copied from L'Auto with some mistakes.
5-The Autocar (GB) has no race numbers, no intermediate times and a report including errors.
6-The Automotor Journal (GB) has a brief report with race numbers and incomplete intermediate lap times.
There were many variations between the nine accounts used for this Ardennes Circuit report. The intermediate lap times were printed only by L'Auto, also by The Automotor Journal with incomplete intermediate times. AAZ(A) and AAZ(D) also published intermediate lap times but with mistakes. Gerald Rose utilized the L'Auto intermediate times in his book with a few mistakes of his own and this report also made use of the same times throughout this account, to calculate every individual Total Time. Each of these times has been rechecked, so adding up all lap times turns out the correct final times in the results.

Start:
More than 75 vehicles were listed, but this report deals only with 49 starters. 24 heavy cars set off on 22. June at 3:15 a.m. and the finishing time was set at midday. Thereafter at 12:35 p.m. the 13 light cars started and had to finish by 8:30 p.m. The 12 voiturettes got going the following day, on Tuesday at 7:00 a.m., and had to finish by 1:00 p.m. but this race was held on a different circuit with the start at Arlon.
The early morning was very cold, with a bitter north-east wind, and the heavy clouds promised not good weather conditions for the day. The previous rains had been laying down the dust, and the whole race was run off without the slightest danger from this cause, according to Autocar. The non-starters were Roerlink Wattecamps (#36 Germain), Gabreau (#42 Boyer) and Terry (#49 Mors). The heavy cars start at Bastogne took place at a 300-meter stretch of cobbled stone paving. Exactly at fifteen minutes past three o'clock Baron Pierre de Crawhez was sent off on his Panhard and the other 24 cars were started at intervals of a minute.

Time

Driver

Racing Car

Remark