1 9 1 3
8 Georger Boillot
Automobiles et Cycles Peugeot
Peugeot EX 3
14 Jules Goux
Automobiles et Cycles Peugeot
Peugeot EX 3
15 Jean Chassagne
Sunbeam Motor Car Co. Ltd.
Sunbeam
GRAND PRIX DE L'AUTOMOBILE CLUB DE FRANCE
Picardie Circuit at Amiens (F), 12 July, 1913 (Saturday).
29 laps x 31.621 km (19.648 mi) = 917.0 km (569.8 mi)
| No. | Driver | Entrant | Car | Type | Engine | Mechanic or Remarks |
|
| 1 | Gustave Caillois | Sunbeam Motor Car Co. Ltd. | Sunbeam | | 4.5 | S-6 | Smith |
| 2 | Paul Bablot | Automobiles Delage | Delage | Y | 6.2 | S-4 | Lausson |
| 3 | Carl Jörns | Adam Opel | Opel | | 4.0 | S-4 | Breckheimer |
| 4 | Dragutin Esser | E. E. C. Mathis | Mathis | | 2.2 | S-4 | Henrad |
| 5 | Joseph Christiaens | SA des Auto Excelsior | Excelsior | | 6.1 | S-6 | Dills |
| 6 | Maurice Croquet | Automobiles Th. Schneider | Schneider | | 5.4 | S-4 | Didier |
| 7 | Felice Nazzaro | Fabbrica Automobili Itala | Itala | | 8.4 | S-4 | Cosso |
| 8 | Georges Boillot | Automobiles et Cycles Peugeot | Peugeot | EX3 | 5.6 | S-4 | Prévost |
| 9 | Dario Resta | Sunbeam Motor Car Co. Ltd. | Sunbeam | | 4.5 | S-6 | Harrison |
| 10 | Albert Guyot | Automobiles Delage | Delage | Y | 6.2 | S-4 | Secuws |
| 11 | Ligurd G. Hornsted | SA des Auto Excelsior | Excelsior | | 6.1 | S-6 | Caerells |
| 12 | Fernand Gabriel | Automobiles Th. Schneider | Schneider | | 5.4 | S-4 | Mongeot |
| 13 | H. R. Pope | Fabbrica Automobili Itala | Itala | | 8.4 | S-4 | Aldertella |
| 14 | Jules Goux | Automobiles et Cycles Peugeot | Peugeot | EX3 | 5.6 | S-4 | Bégin |
| 15 | Jean Chassagne | Sunbeam Motor Car Co. Ltd. | Sunbeam | | 4.5 | S-6 | Mitchell |
| 16 | René Champoiseau | Automobiles Th. Schneider | Schneider | | 5.4 | S-4 | Didier/ |
| 17 | Antonio Moriondo | Fabbrica Automobili Itala | Itala | | 8.4 | S-4 | Foresti |
| 18 | Jean Delpierre | Automobiles et Cycles Peugeot | Peugeot | EX3 | 5.6 | S-4 | Marronet |
| 19 | Kenelm Lee Guinness | Sunbeam Motor Car Co. Ltd. | Sunbeam | | 4.5 | S-6 | Cook |
| 20 | René Thomas | Automobiles Th. Schneider | Schneider | | 5.4 | S-4 | Benblant |
|
|
Boillot victorious for second time in 1913 Grand Prix with Peugeot
by Hans Etzrodt
|
The Automobile Club de France held their 1913 Grand Prix on the 31.6 km long Circuit de la Picardie at Amiens, over 29 laps, a total of 916.8 km. There were 20 entries from five nations, in fact 9 French represented
by 4 Schneider, 3 Peugeot and 2 Delage; 4 British Sunbeam; 3 Italian Itala; 2 Belgian Excelsior; and 2 German, 1 Opel and 1 Mathis, a total of 8 teams present. The start was delayed by 30 minutes due to dense fog which
lifted only after the sixth lap. From the start Boillot (Peugeot) led the first two laps. When he repaired loose plug wires, Goux (Peugeot) led from the third to eighth lap throughout the intense battle between Peugeot,
Sunbeam and Delage. Then the faster Guyot (Delage) held first place for 8 rounds till lap 16 when a front tire burst, and his mechanic got hurt. After that Boillot (Peugeot) took the lead for the last 13 laps, winning to the
ovation of the frenzied crowd. Goux in the other Peugeot finished second while Chassagne (Sunbeam) arrived third. The two capable Delage of Bablot and Guyot ran into trouble, ending up fourth and fifth, with
Resta (Sunbeam) sixth ahead of Champoiseau (Schneider), Christiaens (Excelsior), the two Schneiders of Thomas and Croquet, followed by Hornsted (Excelsior) in this order. There were nine retirements.
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For the 1913 Grand Prix, the Automobile Club de France introduced a fuel consumption formula; limited to 20 liter per 100 km or 14.12 mpg; mandatory standard also included a cylindrical tank exposed in rear; streamlined
tails behind this tank were forbidden. The weight of the car was restricted to between 800 and 1100 kg or 1763 and 2425 lb without fuel, oil, water, tools, spare parts, etc. Another regulation declared that all supplies
of fuel, oil, tires, and spare parts had to be taken at the entrant's pit. The refilling of water at any place along the route was allowed under supervision by a race or circuit commissioner. Italian cars had to be red;
English, green; French, blue; German, white; Belgian, yellow. The Grand Prix was held on Saturday, 12 July while the Motorcycles and Cyclecars raced on Sunday.
|
Circuit:
The Picardie circuit was much shorter than the courses used for the preceding Grands Prix, placed south-east of Amiens, near the place of Longueau. It had a triangular shape running clockwise. The Longueau start was placed
at the center of a broad concrete double right turn, connecting the third with the first of the triangular legs. The first leg was a very long straight of 13 km along Route No. 203 climbing slightly to the intersection with
Route No. 23, where it turned right on the second leg along Route No. 23 for about 4.3 km before a sharp right turn at the place of Moreuil. Now along numerous bends leading the winding return leg of Route Nationale No. 35
for about 14.3 km to the finish near Longueau. Along this narrow stretch with two 'esses' under the railway between Fouéncamps and Boves and again ahead of the Longueau fourche, in fact the road junction of N. 35 and
GC.203. But the fourche was avoided, instead a special bypass was constructed to join the two roads a short distance from the hairpin, where the two roads were about 130 meters apart. This wide concrete turn with pits on
the inside and grandstand on the outside, connected under one end of the track by a tunnel. Deplorably, this turn had hardly been inclined at all, so the speed had to be slowed radically. As a result, Jörns and Moriondo
skidded over the border during the race. The length of the course was 31.621 km and had to be covered 29 times with the total distance of 916.800 km. The missing 209 meters resulted from the fact that the timekeeper's post
was located 209 meters ahead of the finish line, so on the last lap only 31.412 km had to be completed. This arrangement had been considered to avoid any battles in the final turn to slow down ahead of the last turn and
drive slower in front of the grandstands.
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Entries:
Five different nations arrived with 20 entries of eight factory teams to face the starter, consisting of 9 French, 4 British, 3 Italian, 2 Belgian and 2 German cars, all are named in the list of entries.
Driverchanges happened when Jean Delpierre replaced the 26-year-old Italian Paolo Zuccarelli who died in a practice accident. H.R. Pope replaced Guido Bigio who had died testing an Itala during practice. Jean Chassagne
was nominated to drive the Sunbeam of Victor Rigal, who was forced to withdraw because of injuries sustained in practice for a Spanish touring car race. Prominent Arthur Duray had been hired by Delage as an
additional driver. His presence did not diminish Delage's first-rate chances. The Grand Prix regulations allowed for a change of driver during the event.
Reinhard Windeler informed us that the driver of the German Mathis entry was Dragutin Esser, born 5 March 1886 in Vaica, a town in Serbia, close to the Croatian border. Dragutin was the son of Henri Esser,
the technical and commercial director at the Mathis factory from 1911 onwards. His son Dragutin was driving Mathis cars as of June 1911 at the Grand Prix des Voiturette held in Boulogne.
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Practice:
During pre-race testing of the Itala on 22. May, Guido Bigio, and his mechanic Crescentino Ardizzone were killed in an accident. Because the Amiens circuit was off-limits to competitors at that
time, on his return from England, Guido Bigio, director of Itala, went instead to Dieppe for testing where he crashed his race car early morning at Mesnil-Réaume near EU. There were no
witnesses. At a fast left-hand corner, the car overturned after hitting a tree and Guido Bigio remained under it. He died a few minutes later, murmuring words of health to his mechanic,
Ardizzone, who suffered both broken thighs. He had been entangled in the car, managed to drag himself to the side of the road and call for help. The body of Guido Bigio was transported
to a house in Mesnil-le-Roi and Ardizzone was taken to the hospital in Dieppe, where his condition worsened and at 5:30 p.m. he passed away. Crescentino Ardizzone was born on
April 24, 1888; in 1906 he was Lancia's mechanic, winning the Coppa d'Oro for Fiat.
A month later the 26-year-old Italian Paolo Zuccarelli died on 19. June 1913 carrying out tests with his Peugeot on the road from Nonancourt to Evreux located to the west of Paris, as
reported by L'Auto. For more than a month, this straight road section had been used for testing by most of the teams entered in the Grand Prix. Between Tivoli and Thomer, about 7 km
from Nonancourt, a horse-drawn farmer's cart suddenly came out of a side road, goaded by Mr. Morice, a rather old man who was unfortunately deaf. Zuccarelli was unable to steer clear
and struck the horse, which was literally torn to pieces. The cart, disconnected from the horse, fell backwards, and Mr. Morice was slightly bruised. Zuccarelli who was thrown out of
the car suffered a fracture at the base of his skull and was killed instantly. His mechanic, his childhood companion, Ernest Fanelli, who was also thrown onto the road, suffered a broken
eyebrow bone and multiple bruises. Zuccarelli's car went another twenty yards, then crashed into a tree and was completely wrecked. Boillot, who was following his teammate, arrived right
away at the scene of the accident. The body of Zuccarelli was transported to the Hotel du Grand Cerf in Nonancourt, while Fanelli was taken to the Nonancourt hospital in serious condition.
Three practice sessions on the 25th, 26th, and 27th of June on the Picardie Circuit were arranged, again very early in the morning, at 3:00 to 4:30 a.m. and these were largely devoted to
fuel tests. On the first morning, the first cars leaving the grandstands were the two Peugeots of Boillot and Goux, followed by the Delage of Bablot. At the same time the Sunbeam team of
Caillois, Resta, Guinness and Chassagne, set off. The temperature was still a little cold. Boillot covered a lap in 15m12s and Bablot in 16m04s.
On the second morning the two Peugeots and the two Delages who were the fastest entrants had a speed contest. The absentees were again Itala, Schneider, Excelsior and Opel, but they were
expected not to be faster than the cars of Boillot, Goux, Bablot and Guyot. Nazzaro arrived, but without his car and practiced on the circuit with a 60 HP Itala with Pope. The Schneiders
should appear on the last morning.
On the last practice day both Delages were again very imposing. The Sunbeams appeared to be faster than the day before and were perfectly capable regarding fuel consumption. Thomas tried
out the circuit with last year's Schneider. Jörns practiced with an Opel touring car as his race car was not ready.
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Scrutineering:
All competing cars had to be at the official enclosure of the course the day before the start, where they were weighed, and the tanks filled. The weight of the car was restricted to between 800 and 1100 kg - 1763 and
2425 lb without fuel, oil, water, tools, spare parts, etc. The weight of the driver and his mechanic had to be at least 120 kg - 265 lb. The fuel tank of each car had to be emptied, to be filled after the weighing.
From 8 to 9 a.m. the four Sunbeams passed through the pesage. The two Delage were next from 9:00 to 9:30, followed by the Opel and Mathies, a spare Opel went through the full procedure of verification and pesage. At
10 a.m. it was the turn of the two Excelsior. From 2 p.m. the four Schneider passed the pesage. From 3 p.m. the three Itala and the #8 Peugeot. The Itala cars were about 20 kg overweight. Spares were removed, oil
and water drained, the radiator cowling was removed and part of the under shield was taken off before two cars passed. The third Itala of Pope was approved only after parts of the exhaust had been cut away and smooth
tires substituted for studded covers. At 4 p.m. the other two Peugeot were dealt with.
All fuel was taken on board at once into a barrel tank at the rear of the driver's seat. Competitors could choose their own fuel from about eight well-known makes available in France. The fuel line had to be fitted
externally. The 183 liters fuel at a temperature of 15 degrees centigrade was filled into a large measuring funnel tank. As soon as the supply was complete, the fuel was released into the car tank placed below. The
three filler caps, carburetor fuel line and all connections were sealed. Once the tanks had been filled and sealed the cars were pushed into separate lock-up boxes, where they were guarded by soldiers until the time
for bringing them out on Saturday morning of the race. Since the tanks were filled and sealed before the start of the race, there was no fuel in the pits. All work on the cars had to be done by the driver and his
mechanic while the pit attendants merely presented articles required.
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Race:
At 4 a.m. Saturday morning a large troupe of soldiers blocked the circuit when thousands of sightseers streamed to the course and the large grandstands filled quickly with spectators. A horse towed the cars towards
the road in front of the grandstand. The weather was clammy. The starting order had been decided by drawing lots. The 5 a.m. start was delayed for half an hour due to heavy fog but still the drivers saw the road
only badly as fog was lingering on the entire circuit. The first car was released at 5h31m followed by the others in gaps of one minute, see below:
|
| | | | |
| |
| Time | No. | Driver | Car | Wt./kg | |
|
| 5h31m | 1 | Caillois | Sunbeam | 1072 |
| | 5h32m | 2 | Bablot | Delage | 1036 |
| 5h33m | 3 | Jörns | Opel | 842 |
| 5h34m | 4 | Esser | Mathis | 820 |
| 5h35m | 5 | Christiaens | Excelsior | 1008 |
| 5h36m | 6 | Croquet | Schneider | 1098 |
| 5h37m | 7 | Nazzaro | Itala | 1100 |
| 5h38m | 8 | Boillot | Peugeot | 1040 |
| 5h39m | 9 | Resta | Sunbeam | 1075 |
| 5h40m | 10 | Guyot | Delage | 1028 |
| 5h41m | 11 | Hornsted | Excelsior | 1005 |
| 5h42m | 12 | Gabriel | Schneider | 1080 |
| 5h43m | 13 | Pope | Itala | 1099 |
| 5h44m | 14 | Goux | Peugeot | 1038 |
| 5h45m | 15 | Chassagne | Sunbeam | 1068 |
| 5h46m | 16 | Champoiseau | Schneider | 1098 |
| 5h47m | 17 | Moriondo | Itala | 1099 |
| 5h48m | 18 | Delpierre | Peugeot | 1045 |
| 5h49m | 19 | Lee Guinness | Sunbeam | 1074 |
| 5h50m | 20 | Thomas | Schneider | 1090 |
| |
|
Caillois left at 5:31 a.m. Bablot, who had to start second, stalled twice and lost 2m30s, leaving Jörns and Esser to go before him. Christiaens also stalled; decidedly, the fog was harmful. Croquet lost three minutes.
Guyot had a difficult start. The Itala and little Mathis set out with great ease; the same was true of the Sunbeams and Goux.
Lap 1 - the last car, Thomas (Schneider) had just started at 5:50 a.m. when Caillois (Sunbeam) after 19m05s appeared at the grandstands turn. The blue Peugeot of Boillot appeared a few minutes later, having passed
already six cars, followed by Christiaens (Excelsior), then passed quickly one after the other 16 other cars with strong leaning through the last turn. When the times were announced, Boillot (Peugeot) was in the lead by
four seconds to Goux (Peugeot), while Chassagne (Sunbeam) followed 17 seconds in third place. Guyot (Delage) was fourth, the Sunbeams of Guinness and Resta fifth and sixth ahead of Moriondo (Itala) in seventh spot.
Champoiseau (Schneider) was eighth, Caillois (Sunbeam) ninth and Thomas (Schneider) tenth.
Pope (Itala) did not finish the first lap when after 13 km at the first turn, a loud noise under the hood marked the end of the Itala when a bearing went in the engine. A few reports stated that the Itala caught fire
and was almost completely burned. The second retirement was Delpierre (Peugeot) who ran off the road, the car turning over as it did so, crashed at the second railway bridge of Boves ending up in a ten-meter-deep ditch.
Luckily, neither Delpierre nor his mechanic was hurt but the car was too badly damaged to carry on. [It is worth noting that Pope (#13 Itala) and Delpierre (#18 Peugeot) were listed only in the timesheets of La Vie
Automobile and AAZ(A)].
At the end of the first lap, the Opel of Jörns went at the grandstand-turn over the embankment on the other side into the ditch. Jörns was forced to retire because he had used outside help to push his car from the
track to the pits where his car would not restart. After 31.621 km, Boillot (Peugeot) was leading in 16m39s at 113.949 km/h average speed the 18-car field in the following order after the first lap:
| 1. | 8 | Boillot (Peugeot) | 16m39s |
| 2. | 14 | Goux (Peugeot) | 16m43s |
| 3. | 15 | Chassagne (Sunbeam) | 17m02s |
| 4. | 10 | Guyot (Delage) | 17m15s |
| 5. | 19 | Lee Guinness (Sunbeam) | 17m29s |
| 6. | 9 | Resta (Sunbeam) | 17m54s |
| 7. | 17 | Moriondo (Itala) | 17m54s |
| 8. | 16 | Champoiseau (Schneider) | 18m30s |
| 9. | 1 | Caillois (Sunbeam) | 19m05s |
| 10. | 20 | Thomas (Schneider) | 19m26s |
| 11. | 11 | Hornsted (Excelsior) | 19m41s |
| 12. | 5 | Christiaens (Excelsior) | 19m43s |
| 13. | 7 | Nazzaro (Itala) | 19m50s |
| 14. | 6 | Croquet (Schneider) | 23m12s |
| 15. | 4 | Esser (Mathis) | 24m03s |
| 16. | 2 | Bablot (Delage) | 24m53s |
| 17. | 12 | Gabriel (Schneider) | 29m25s |
| 18. | 3 | Jörns (Opel) | 29m59s |
Lap 2 - The order of the first four cars remained the same as before, Boillot (Peugeot) was still first, ten seconds ahead of Goux (Peugeot), Chassagne (Sunbeam) was third and Guyot (Delage) fourth. The Sunbeams
of Resta and Guinness had changed places, fifth and sixth. Champoiseau (Schneider) moved up to seventh, as Moriondo (Itala) dropped behind. Caillois (Sunbeam) climbed to eighth spot, Christiaens (Excelsior) moved from
twelfth to ninth and Thomas (Schneider) remained tenth. Gabriel (Schneider) missed the bend at the stands and continued straight ahead towards the fourche. He was forced to reverse before he could rejoin the race.
Moriondo (Itala) arrived at the turn ahead of the grandstands too fast, skidded against the protective embankment and rolled on its side. The accident which happened only a few meters from the grandstand crowd caused
a great sensation. The driver and mechanic were not injured and heaved the 1100 kg car back on its wheels. One of the tires was torn away, the mechanic ran 50 meters to the pits, fetched a spare wheel and fitted it
in a hurry. They straightened the bent steering column then left amidst the roar of applause with a car that was quite dented.
After 63.242 km, Boillot (Peugeot) was leading in 33m06s at 114.638 km/h average speed. He led the 17-car field in the following order after the second lap:
| 1. | 8 | Boillot (Peugeot) | 33m06s |
| 2. | 14 | Goux (Peugeot) | 33m16s |
| 3. | 15 | Chassagne (Sunbeam) | 33m44s |
| 4. | 10 | Guyot (Delage) | 34m26s |
| 5. | 9 | Resta (Sunbeam) | 34m59s |
| 6. | 19 | Lee Guinness (Sunbeam) | 35m03s |
| 7. | 16 | Champoiseau (Schneider) | 36m18s |
| 8. | 1 | Caillois (Sunbeam) | 36m24s |
| 9. | 5 | Christiaens (Excelsior) | 37m29s |
| 10. | 20 | Thomas (Schneider) | 37m51s |
| 11. | 11 | Hornsted (Excelsior) | 38m39s |
| 12. | 7 | Nazzaro (Itala) | 39m08s |
| 13. | 2 | Bablot (Delage) | 41m49s |
| 14. | 17 | Moriondo (Itala) | 42m43s |
| 15. | 6 | Croquet (Schneider) | 43m49s |
| 16. | 12 | Gabriel (Schneider) | 46m42s |
| 17. | 4 | Esser (Mathis) | 52m07s | 1 lap behind |
Lap 3 - Boillot stopped at his pit for about a minute to deal with spark plug wires that persisted in not wanting to stay in place, losing time and first place to his teammate Goux. Bablot (Delage), who pushed
hard, set the fastest lap in 16m07s at 117.720 km/h average speed and began to close the gap a little. The order had changed with Goux (Peugeot) now first, about one minute ahead of Chassagne (Sunbeam) who was followed
by Guyot (Delage) third. Boillot (Peugeot) had dropped to fourth, pursued by the Sunbeams of Resta, Guinness and Caillois. Champoiseau (Schneider) climbed to eighth spot, Hornsted (Excelsior) was ninth and
Nazzaro (Itala) improved to tenth.
After 94.863 km, Goux (Peugeot) was leading in 49m43s at 114.484 km/h average speed the 17-car field in the following order after the third lap:
| 1. | 14 | Goux (Peugeot) | 49m43s |
| 2. | 15 | Chassagne (Sunbeam) | 50m30s |
| 3. | 10 | Guyot (Delage) | 50m50s |
| 4. | 8 | Boillot (Peugeot) | 51m18s |
| 5. | 9 | Resta (Sunbeam) | 51m58s |
| 6. | 19 | Lee Guinness (Sunbeam) | 52m08s |
| 7. | 1 | Caillois (Sunbeam) | 53m49s |
| 8. | 16 | Champoiseau (Schneider) | 53m55s |
| 9. | 11 | Hornsted (Excelsior) | 56m59s |
| 10. | 7 | Nazzaro (Itala) | 57m40s |
| 11. | 2 | Bablot (Delage) | 57m56s |
| 12. | 20 | Thomas (Schneider) | 1h01m10s |
| 13. | 12 | Gabriel (Schneider | 1h03m42s |
| 14. | 6 | Croquet (Schneider) | 1h03m52s |
| 15. | 5 | Christiaens (Excelsior) | 1h04m40s |
| 16. | 17 | Moriondo (Itala) | 1h06m36s | 1 lap behind |
| 17. | 4 | Esser (Mathis) | 1h37m29s | 2 laps behind |
Lap 4 - Goux (Peugeot) was still first, over one minute in front of Chassagne (Sunbeam) who was just 23 seconds ahead of Boillot (Peugeot) who got the better of Guyot and climbed to third place. Guyot (Delage)
was now fourth followed by the Sunbeams of Resta, Guinness and Caillois followed by Champoiseau (Schneider) in eighth place. Bablot (Delage) moved up two places to ninth, after he turned an even faster lap in 16m04s
at 118.086 km/h average speed, whereas Nazzaro (Itala) remained tenth and Hornsted (Excelsior) had dropped behind. Christiaens (Excelsior) stopped to change plugs.
Gabriel (Schneider) retired due to carburetor problems. After 126.484 km, Goux (Peugeot) was leading in 1h06m03s at 114.898 km/h average speed the 16-car field in the following order after the fourth lap:
| 1. | 14 | Goux (Peugeot) | 1h06m03s |
| 2. | 15 | Chassagne (Sunbeam) | 1h07m13s |
| 3. | 8 | Boillot (Peugeot) | 1h07m36s |
| 4. | 10 | Guyot (Delage) | 1h07m41s |
| 5. | 9 | Resta (Sunbeam) | 1h09m05s |
| 6. | 19 | Lee Guinness (Sunbeam) | 1h09m14s |
| 7. | 1 | Caillois (Sunbeam) | 1h10m59s |
| 8. | 16 | Champoiseau (Schneider) | 1h11m37s |
| 9. | 2 | Bablot (Delage) | 1h14m00s |
| 10. | 7 | Nazzaro (Itala) | 1h16m04s |
| 11. | 20 | Thomas (Schneider) | 1h19m33s |
| 12. | 11 | Hornsted (Excelsior) | 1h22m37s | 1 lap behind |
| 13. | 6 | Croquet (Schneider) | 1h23m36s | ---"--- |
| 14. | 5 | Christiaens (Excelsior) | 1h27m25s | ---"--- |
| 15. | 17 | Moriondo (Itala) | 1h28m31s | ---"--- |
| 16. | 4 | Esser (Mathis) | 2h32m33s | 5 laps behind |
Lap 5 - The order for the fifteen cars remained the same but Caillois (Sunbeam) retired. Goux (Peugeot) was in the lead, Chassagne (Sunbeam) was second, Boillot (Peugeot) third, Guyot (Delage) fourth followed by
the Sunbeams of Resta, Guinness, while Caillois retired. Champoiseau (Schneider) advanced to seventh, Bablot (Delage) to eighth, Nazzaro (Itala) to ninth and Thomas (Schneider) to tenth. As the morning fog was
gradually dispelled by the sun, lap times dropped. Bablot (Delage) beat his lap record in 15m59s at 118.702 km/h average speed. Esser (Mathis) in the slowest car, stopped for twenty minutes.
Caillois (Sunbeam) retired with a broken tie rod. After 158.105 km, Goux (Peugeot) was leading in 1h22m15s at 115.334 km/h average speed the 15-car field in the following order after the fifth lap:
| 1. | 14 | Goux (Peugeot) | 1h22m15s |
| 2. | 15 | Chassagne (Sunbeam) | 1h23m46s |
| 3. | 8 | Boillot (Peugeot) | 1h23m51s |
| 4. | 10 | Guyot (Delage) | 1h24m00s |
| 5. | 9 | Resta (Sunbeam) | 1h25m53s |
| 6. | 19 | Lee Guinness (Sunbeam) | 1h26m08s |
| 7. | 16 | Champoiseau (Schneider) | 1h29m20s |
| 8. | 2 | Bablot (Delage) | 1h29m59s |
| 9. | 7 | Nazzaro (Itala) | 1h34m12s |
| 10. | 20 | Thomas (Schneider) | 1h37m48s |
| 11. | 11 | Hornsted (Excelsior) | 1h39m59s | 1 lap behind |
| 12. | 6 | Croquet (Schneider) | 1h42m53s | ---"--- |
| 13. | 5 | Christiaens (Excelsior) | 1h46m05s | ---"--- |
| 14. | 17 | Moriondo (Itala) | 1h46m06s | ---"--- |
| 15. | 4 | Esser (Mathis) | 3h21m27s | 7 laps behind |
Lap 6 - Goux (Peugeot) held the lead, Boillot (Peugeot) advanced to second place, Guyot (Delage) climbed to third, Chassagne (Sunbeam) dropped from second to fourth and was trailed by Resta and Guinness.
Bablot (Delage) was seventh, while Champoiseau (Schneider) was eighth, Nazzaro (Itala) was still ninth and Thomas (Schneider) tenth. Croquet (Schneider) in twelfth place, stopped at his pit for water.
After 189.726 km, Goux (Peugeot) was leading in 1h38m25s at 115.471 km/h average speed the 15-car field in the following order after the sixth lap:
| 1. | 14 | Goux (Peugeot) | 1h38m25s |
| 2. | 8 | Boillot (Peugeot) | 1h39m34s |
| 3. | 10 | Guyot (Delage) | 1h39m50s |
| 4. | 15 | Chassagne (Sunbeam) | 1h40m19s |
| 5. | 9 | Resta (Sunbeam) | 1h42m45s |
| 6. | 19 | Lee Guinness (Sunbeam) | 1h43m03s |
| 7. | 2 | Bablot (Delage) | 1h45m42s |
| 8. | 16 | Champoiseau (Schneider) | 1h46m52s |
| 9. | 7 | Nazzaro (Itala) | 1h52m04s |
| 10. | 20 | Thomas (Schneider) | 1h55m51s | 1 lap behind |
| 11. | 11 | Hornsted (Excelsior) | 1h57m29s | ---"--- |
| 12. | 6 | Croquet (Schneider) | 2h01m51s | ---"--- |
| 13. | 17 | Moriondo (Itala) | 2h03m14s | ---"--- |
| 14. | 5 | Christiaens (Excelsior) | 2h03m35s | ---"--- |
| 15. | 4 | Esser (Mathis) | 3h41m44s | 7 laps behind |
Lap 7 - Goux (Peugeot) still held the lead, while Boillot (Peugeot) stopped for a few moments at his stand with more of the same problem dealing with spark plug wires. Guyot and Chassagne took advantage
of this to passed him. The Sunbeams of Resta and Guinness headed seventh placed Bablot (Delage) who made a new lap record in 15m29s at 122.535 km/h average speed. Champoiseau (Schneider) was still eighth,
Nazzaro (Itala) ninth and Thomas (Schneider) tenth. Hornsted (Excelsior) stopped for oil.
After 221.347 km, Goux (Peugeot) was leading in 1h54m42s at 115.787 km/h average speed the 15-car field in the following order after the seventh lap:
| 1. | 14 | Goux (Peugeot) | 1h54m42s |
| 2. | 10 | Guyot (Delage) | 1h55m49s |
| 3. | 15 | Chassagne (Sunbeam) | 1h56m56s |
| 4. | 8 | Boillot (Peugeot) | 1h58m20s |
| 5. | 9 | Resta (Sunbeam) | 1h59m28s |
| 6. | 19 | Lee Guinness (Sunbeam) | 2h00m03s |
| 7. | 2 | Bablot (Delage) | 2h01m11s |
| 8. | 16 | Champoiseau (Schneider) | 2h04m17s |
| 9. | 7 | Nazzaro (Itala) | 2h09m50s |
| 10. | 20 | Thomas (Schneider) | 2h13m25s | 1 lap behind |
| 11. | 11 | Hornsted (Excelsior) | 2h20m04s | ---"--- |
| 12. | 5 | Christiaens (Excelsior) | 2h21m08s | ---"--- |
| 13. | 6 | Croquet (Schneider) | 2h21m45s | ---"--- |
| 14. | 17 | Moriondo (Itala) | 2h22m28s | ---"--- |
| 15. | 4 | Esser (Mathis) | 4h06m52s | 8 laps behind |
Lap 8 - Goux (Peugeot) still held the lead, now just twenty seconds ahead of Guyot. Boillot set a quick lap in 15m43s at 120.716 km/h average speed and got closer to Chassagne, just as Guyot got closer
to Goux. The Sunbeams of Resta and Guinness were in fifth and sixth place followed by Bablot (Delage), Champoiseau (Schneider), Nazzaro (Itala) and Thomas (Schneider) in this order, same as before.
After 252.968 km, Goux (Peugeot) was leading in 2h11m15s at 115.642 km/h average speed the 15-car field in the following order after the eighth lap:
| 1. | 14 | Goux (Peugeot) | 2h11m15s |
| 2. | 10 | Guyot (Delage) | 2h11m35s |
| 3. | 15 | Chassagne (Sunbeam) | 2h13m17s |
| 4. | 8 | Boillot (Peugeot) | 2h14m03s |
| 5. | 9 | Resta (Sunbeam) | 2h16m35s |
| 6. | 19 | Lee Guinness (Sunbeam) | 2h16m55s |
| 7. | 2 | Bablot (Delage) | 2h16m56s |
| 8. | 16 | Champoiseau (Schneider) | 2h21m33s |
| 9. | 7 | Nazzaro (Itala) | 2h27m31s |
| 10. | 20 | Thomas (Schneider) | 2h30m43s | 1 lap behind |
| 11. | 17 | Moriondo (Itala) | 2h39m03s | ---"--- |
| 12. | 11 | Hornsted (Excelsior) | 2h39m29s | ---"--- |
| 13. | 6 | Croquet (Schneider) | 2h40m11s | ---"--- |
| 14. | 5 | Christiaens (Excelsior) | 2h41m10s | ---"--- |
| 15. | 4 | Esser (Mathis) | 4h44m12s | 8 laps behind |
Lap 9 - Guyot (Delage) seized the lead from Goux (Peugeot). Boillot took third place by setting another quick lap in 15m32s at 122.141 km/h average speed which jumped him past Chassagne. Bablot (Delage)moved
to fifth spot. The Sunbeams of Guinness and Resta were in sixth and seventh place followed by Champoiseau (Schneider), Nazzaro (Itala) and Thomas (Schneider) in this order. The oil tank of Resta's Sunbeam began to
leak, requiring frequent stops for the rest of the race.
Esser (Mathis) retired with valve problems. After 284.589 km, Guyot (Delage) was leading in 2h27m18s at 115.922 km/h average speed the 14-car field in the following order after the ninth lap:
| 1. | 10 | Guyot (Delage) | 2h27m18s |
| 2. | 14 | Goux (Peugeot) | 2h27m25s |
| 3. | 8 | Boillot (Peugeot) | 2h29m35s |
| 4. | 15 | Chassagne (Sunbeam) | 2h30m15s |
| 5. | 2 | Bablot (Delage) | 2h32m35s |
| 6. | 19 | Lee Guinness (Sunbeam) | 2h33m38s |
| 7. | 9 | Resta (Sunbeam) | 2h36m27s |
| 8. | 16 | Champoiseau (Schneider) | 2h38m48s |
| 9. | 7 | Nazzaro (Itala) | 2h45m04s | 1 lap behind |
| 10. | 20 | Thomas (Schneider) | 2h47m53s | ---"--- |
| 11. | 17 | Moriondo (Itala) | 2h55m46s | ---"--- |
| 12. | 6 | Croquet (Schneider) | 2h58m20s | ---"--- |
| 13. | 5 | Christiaens (Excelsior) | 2h58m54s | ---"--- |
| 14. | 11 | Hornsted (Excelsior) | 3h10m06s | 2 laps behind |
Lap 10 - The fog had finally withdrawn only now, and soon the sun presented an enormous heat. Guyot (Delage) held on to the lead with Goux (Peugeot) in second place. Boillot was third, he improved the lap
record to 15m26s at 122.932 km/h average speed and closed in on the leading drivers. Chassagne was fourth followed by the Sunbeams of Guinness and Resta in fifth and sixth place ahead of Bablot (Delage), who stopped
at his pit with some trouble. He lost two places and all the benefit of the great effort he made since the third lap. Champoiseau (Schneider) remained eighth, Nazzaro (Itala) ninth and Thomas (Schneider) tenth.
After 316.210 km, Guyot (Delage) was leading in 2h43m03s at 116.360 km/h average speed the 14-car field in the following order after the tenth lap:
| 1. | 10 | Guyot (Delage) | 2h43m03s |
| 2. | 14 | Goux (Peugeot) | 2h43m57s |
| 3. | 8 | Boillot (Peugeot) | 2h45m01s |
| 4. | 15 | Chassagne (Sunbeam) | 2h46m51s |
| 5. | 19 | Lee Guinness (Sunbeam) | 2h50m33s |
| 6. | 9 | Resta (Sunbeam) | 2h53m39s |
| 7. | 2 | Bablot (Delage) | 2h53m56s |
| 8. | 16 | Champoiseau (Schneider) | 2h57m08s |
| 9. | 7 | Nazzaro (Itala) | 3h02m48s | 1 lap behind |
| 10. | 20 | Thomas (Schneider) | 3h04m55s | ---"--- |
| 11. | 17 | Moriondo (Itala) | 3h12m36s | ---"--- |
| 12. | 5 | Christiaens (Excelsior) | 3h16m32s | 2 laps behind |
| 13. | 6 | Croquet (Schneider) | 3h17m42s | ---"--- |
| 14. | 11 | Hornsted (Excelsior) | 3h32m27s | 3 laps behind |
Lap 11 - The order of this lap remained the same as the prior round. Guyot (Delage) held on to the lead with Goux (Peugeot) in second place. Boillot drove again very fast and closed even more on the two
leaders. Chassagne was fourth, Guinness fifth, followed by Resta who had to refill oil at every lap, as his tank was constantly leaking. Bablot (Delage) remained seventh, Champoiseau (Schneider) eighth,
Nazzaro (Itala) ninth and Thomas (Schneider) tenth.
After 347.831 km, Guyot (Delage) was leading in 2h58m52s at 116.678 km/h average speed the 14-car field in the following order after the eleventh lap:
| 1. | 10 | Guyot (Delage) | 2h58m52s |
| 2. | 14 | Goux (Peugeot) | 3h00m08s |
| 3. | 8 | Boillot (Peugeot) | 3h00m35s |
| 4. | 15 | Chassagne (Sunbeam) | 3h03m27s |
| 5. | 19 | Lee Guinness (Sunbeam) | 3h07m22s |
| 6. | 9 | Resta (Sunbeam) | 3h10m45s |
| 7. | 2 | Bablot (Delage) | 3h10m52s |
| 8. | 16 | Champoiseau (Schneider) | 3h14m31s |
| 9. | 7 | Nazzaro (Itala) | 3h20m20s | 1 lap behind |
| 10. | 20 | Thomas (Schneider) | 3h22m14s | ---"--- |
| 11. | 17 | Moriondo (Itala) | 3h29m18s | ---"--- |
| 12. | 5 | Christiaens (Excelsior) | 3h34m13s | 2 laps behind |
| 13. | 6 | Croquet (Schneider) | 3h36m54s | ---"--- |
| 14. | 11 | Hornsted (Excelsior) | 4h06m48s | 4 laps behind |
Lap 12 - The order was the same as in the two preceding laps. Guyot (Delage) was leading the two Peugeot of Goux and Boillot third, still driving very quick closing on the cars ahead. Chassagne was
fourth, Guinness fifth, followed by Resta, Bablot, Champoiseau, Nazzaro and Thomas tenth.
After 379.452 km, Guyot (Delage) was leading in 3h14m44s at 116.914 km/h average speed the 14-car field in the following order after the twelfth lap:
| 1. | 10 | Guyot (Delage) | 3h14m44s |
| 2. | 14 | Goux (Peugeot) | 3h16m19s |
| 3. | 8 | Boillot (Peugeot) | 3h16m33s |
| 4. | 15 | Chassagne (Sunbeam) | 3h19m50s |
| 5. | 19 | Lee Guinness (Sunbeam) | 3h24m25s |
| 6. | 9 | Resta (Sunbeam) | 3h29m39s |
| 7. | 2 | Bablot (Delage) | 3h29m54s |
| 8. | 16 | Champoiseau (Schneider) | 3h32m07s | 1 lap behind |
| 9. | 7 | Nazzaro (Itala) | 3h37m46s | ---"--- |
| 10. | 20 | Thomas (Schneider) | 3h39m27s | ---"--- |
| 11. | 17 | Moriondo (Itala) | 3h45m58s | ---"--- |
| 12. | 5 | Christiaens (Excelsior) | 3h51m52s | 2 laps behind |
| 13. | 6 | Croquet (Schneider) | 3h53m43s | ---"--- |
| 14. | 11 | Hornsted (Excelsior) | 4h24m43s | 4 laps behind |
Lap 13 - Guyot (Delage) made a fastest lap in 15m56s while Boillot took second place from his teammate Goux. Chassagne was fourth, Guinness fifth, Bablot sixth after he passed Resta now seventh, followed by
Champoiseau, Thomas and Moriondo (Itala) tenth. Christiaens (Excelsior) in eleventh place stopped again to change plugs and got some oil. Nazzaro's race ended when the Itala back spring broke, then the frame
cracked, and the propeller-shaft came out of the sliding joint at the back.
After 411.073 km, Guyot (Delage) was leading in 3h30m40s at 117.077 km/h average speed the 13-car field in the following order after the thirteenth lap:
| 1. | 10 | Guyot (Delage) | 3h30m40s |
| 2. | 8 | Boillot (Peugeot) | 3h32m31s |
| 3. | 14 | Goux (Peugeot) | 3h32m39s |
| 4. | 15 | Chassagne (Sunbeam) | 3h36m20s |
| 5. | 19 | Lee Guinness (Sunbeam) | 3h41m19s |
| 6. | 2 | Bablot (Delage) | 3h46m17s |
| 7. | 9 | Resta (Sunbeam) | 3h46m26s |
| 8. | 16 | Champoiseau (Schneider) | 3h52m38s | 1 lap behind |
| 9. | 20 | Thomas (Schneider) | 3h59m33s | ---"--- |
| 10. | 17 | Moriondo (Itala) | 4h02m52s | 2 laps behind |
| 11. | 5 | Christiaens (Excelsior) | 4h09m26s | ---"--- |
| 12. | 6 | Croquet (Schneider) | 4h11m59s | ---"--- |
| 13. | 11 | Hornsted (Excelsior) | 4h42m41s | 4 laps behind |
Lap 14 - Guyot (Delage) still held the lead, but Boillot had gained 25 seconds on the leader. Goux lost ground while Chassagne remained fourth, Guinness fifth and Bablot sixth. His Delage again smashed
Boillot's lap record in 15m22s at 123.465 km/h, but he was now too far behind to worry the leaders. Resta was still seventh, followed by Champoiseau, Thomas and Christiaens (Excelsior) tenth. The Excelsiors were
repeatedly delayed by spark plug changes and were cruising on in the fumes from the short stub exhausts of their cars which had turned both mechanics into chimney sweepers with black faces. Moriondo had fallen
to last place. At the narrow road sections, a blue flag was raised by the stewards to signal to a driver that another competitor was approaching him and was about to overtake. Apart from the Boves sector and
the Moreuil descent, the road remained in excellent condition.
After 442.694 km, Guyot (Delage) was leading in 3h46m37s at 117.209 km/h average speed the 13-car field in the following order after the fourteenth lap:
| 1. | 10 | Guyot (Delage) | 3h46m37s |
| 2. | 8 | Boillot (Peugeot) | 3h48m03s |
| 3. | 14 | Goux (Peugeot) | 3h48m49s |
| 4. | 15 | Chassagne (Sunbeam) | 3h52m48s |
| 5. | 19 | Lee Guinness (Sunbeam) | 3h58m13s |
| 6. | 2 | Bablot (Delage) | 4h01m39s |
| 7. | 9 | Resta (Sunbeam) | 4h03m11s | 1 lap behind |
| 8. | 16 | Champoiseau (Schneider) | 4h10m00s | ---"--- |
| 9. | 20 | Thomas (Schneider) | 4h19m16s | ---"--- |
| 10. | 5 | Christiaens (Excelsior) | 4h26m52s | 2 laps behind |
| 11. | 6 | Croquet (Schneider) | 4h30m30s | ---"--- |
| 12. | 11 | Hornsted (Excelsior) | 5h00m50s | 4 laps behind |
| 13. | 17 | Moriondo (Itala) | 5h30m13s | 6 laps behind
|
Lap 15 - At mid-race the first nine positions remained the same. Guyot (Delage) continued in the lead with Boillot second and Goux third. Chassagne stopped at his pit to change a tire but remained
fourth, Guinness fifth, Bablot sixth, Resta seventh, Champoiseau eighth and Thomas ninth. Croquet (Schneider) passed Christiaens (Excelsior) for tenth place. The field was down to twelve cars after
Moriondo (Itala) retired with the same damage that had stopped Nazzaro on lap 13.
After 474.315 km, Guyot (Delage) was leading in 4h02m32s at 117.339 km/h average speed the 12-car field in the following order after the fifteenth lap:
| 1. | 10 | Guyot (Delage) | 4h02m32s |
| 2. | 8 | Boillot (Peugeot) | 4h03m51s |
| 3. | 14 | Goux (Peugeot) | 4h05m09s |
| 4. | 15 | Chassagne (Sunbeam) | 4h09m13s |
| 5. | 19 | Lee Guinness (Sunbeam) | 4h15m07s |
| 6. | 2 | Bablot (Delage) | 4h17m27s |
| 7. | 9 | Resta (Sunbeam) | 4h19m49s | 1 lap behind |
| 8. | 16 | Champoiseau (Schneider) | 4h27m32s | ---"--- |
| 9. | 20 | Thomas (Schneider) | 4h36m55s | 2 laps behind |
| 10. | 6 | Croquet (Schneider) | 4h49m14s | ---"--- |
| 11. | 5 | Christiaens (Excelsior) | 4h51m45s | 3 laps behind |
| 12. | 11 | Hornsted (Excelsior) | 5h18m54s | 4 laps behind |
Lap 16 - Guyot (Delage) continued in the lead with Boillot second chasing him, now just over one minute behind. Goux was third, Chassagne remained fourth, Bablot took fifth place, Resta was now sixth,
Champoiseau seventh, Thomas eighth, Croquet ninth and Christiaens tenth. On lap sixteen Guinness had a front tire of his Sunbeam burst at Boves bridge when the car crashed through the protective barrier of the
bridge and tumbled down the embankment into the river. Guinness and his mechanic Cook got out of the river suffering only minor bruises. Unfortunately, the Sunbeam had caught a spectator who suffered serious
injuries and died soon.
|
The Autocar p 115> Many alarming and misleading rumors were afloat with regard to the more regrettable incident which occurred to the Sunbeam car driven by Mr. A. Lee Guinness. It is a fact that the studded offside
front tyre on Mr. Guinness's car burst as he entered the road crossing the bridge at Boves. The car swerved frightfully, carried away a part of the wooden steps, and then struck one of the stones protecting the
bridge beyond. This stone was torn right out of the ground, and two others further on were broken right off. On one of the latter a man was unfortunately standing at the time, and he most lamentably was killed
outright. Then the car rolled right over into the river, and Mr. Guinness and his mechanic were thrown into the water, but without sustaining serious injury, but the car was, of course, badly damaged.
| |
When Guinness retired, the field was down to eleven cars. After 505.936 km, Guyot (Delage) was leading in 4h18m26s at 117.462 km/h average speed the 11-car field in the following order after the sixteenth lap:
| 1. | 10 | Guyot (Delage) | 4h18m26s |
| 2. | 8 | Boillot (Peugeot) | 4h19m42s |
| 3. | 14 | Goux (Peugeot) | 4h21m20s |
| 4. | 15 | Chassagne (Sunbeam) | 4h25m34s |
| 5. | 2 | Bablot (Delage) | 4h33m32s |
| 6. | 9 | Resta (Sunbeam) | 4h39m36s | 1 lap behind |
| 7. | 16 | Champoiseau (Schneider) | 4h45m11s | ---"--- |
| 8. | 20 | Thomas (Schneider) | 4h55m38s | 2 laps behind |
| 9. | 6 | Croquet (Schneider) | 5h07m12s | ---"--- |
| 10. | 5 | Christiaens (Excelsior) | 5h10m01s | 3 laps behind |
| 11. | 11 | Hornsted (Excelsior) | 5h38m53s | 4 laps behind |
Lap 17 - Boillot took the lead ahead of Goux and Chassagne when Guyot stopped after driving at high speed, the Delage blew one of his tires. Secuws, his mechanic, jumped from the car too early, stumbled,
and had his leg crushed by the rear wheel. Guyot helped him into his seat, changed the wheel himself, then slowly drove back to his pit to prevent his mechanic from suffering too much. When he finally arrived,
he took on a relief mechanic, while all necessary care was given to poor Secuws. Guyot resumed the race normally in fourth place and took 32m49s to cover the seventeenth lap. His delay, more than a quarter of
an hour to Boillot, deprived him of any chance for victory. Bablot in fifth place was still in trouble and lost precious time. Resta was sixth Champoiseau seventh, Thomas eighth, Croquet ninth and Christiaens tenth.
After 537.557 km, Boillot (Peugeot) was leading in 4h35m08s at 117.228 km/h average speed the 11-car field in the following order after the seventeenth lap:
| 1. | 8 | Boillot (Peugeot) | 4h36m08s |
| 2. | 14 | Goux (Peugeot) | 4h37m50s |
| 3. | 15 | Chassagne (Sunbeam) | 4h42m11s |
| 4. | 10 | Guyot (Delage) | 4h51m15s |
| 5. | 2 | Bablot (Delage) | 4h55m55s | 1 lap behind |
| 6. | 9 | Resta (Sunbeam) | 4h56m28s | ---"--- |
| 7. | 16 | Champoiseau (Schneider) | 5h02m59s | ---"--- |
| 8. | 20 | Thomas (Schneider) | 5h13m25s | 2 laps behind |
| 9. | 6 | Croquet (Schneider) | 5h26m44s | 3 laps behind |
| 10. | 5 | Christiaens (Excelsior) | 5h27m37s | ---"--- |
| 11. | 11 | Hornsted (Excelsior) | 5h56m35s | 5 laps behind |
Lap 18 - Boillot was leading Goux in second place with Chassagne still third. Resta managed to pass Bablot and Guyot, who dropped to fifth place. There were no position changes for the remaining five
drivers. Champoiseau was seventh, Thomas eighth, Croquet ninth, Christiaens tenth and Hornsted eleventh. After 569.178 km, Boillot (Peugeot) was leading in 4h50m41s the 11-car field in the following order
after the eighteenth lap:
| 1. | 8 | Boillot (Peugeot) | 4h50m41s |
| 2. | 14 | Goux (Peugeot) | 4h54m16s |
| 3. | 15 | Chassagne (Sunbeam) | 5h00m10s |
| 4. | 9 | Resta (Sunbeam) | 5h13m09s | 1 lap behind |
| 5. | 10 | Guyot (Delage) | 5h14m27s | ---"--- |
| 6. | 2 | Bablot (Delage) | 5h17m40s | ---"--- |
| 7. | 16 | Champoiseau (Schneider) | 5h20m40s | ---"--- |
| 8. | 20 | Thomas (Schneider) | 5h30m55s | 2 laps behind |
| 9. | 6 | Croquet (Schneider) | 5h44m42s | 3 laps behind |
| 10. | 5 | Christiaens (Excelsior) | 5h45m12s | ---"--- |
| 11. | 11 | Hornsted (Excelsior) | 6h14m13s | 5 laps behind |
Lap 19 - The order of the field remained the same as in the prior lap. Boillot was leading, Goux was second, Chassagne third, Resta fourth, Guyot fifth, Bablot sixth, Champoiseau seventh after he ran into
the sand bank at Moreuil but continued after some delay. Thomas was eighth, Croquet ninth, Christiaens tenth and Hornsted eleventh.
After 600.799 km, Boillot (Peugeot) was leading in 5h06m39s at 117.553 km/h average speed the 11-car field in the following order after the nineteenth lap:
| 1. | 8 | Boillot (Peugeot) | 5h06m39s |
| 2. | 14 | Goux (Peugeot) | 5h10m34s |
| 3. | 15 | Chassagne (Sunbeam) | 5h16m50s |
| 4. | 9 | Resta (Sunbeam) | 5h29m45s | 1 lap behind |
| 5. | 10 | Guyot (Delage) | 5h30m50s | ---"--- |
| 6. | 2 | Bablot (Delage) | 5h34m36s | ---"--- |
| 7. | 16 | Champoiseau (Schneider) | 5h38m25s | ---"--- |
| 8. | 20 | Thomas (Schneider) | 5h56m25s | 2 laps behind |
| 9. | 6 | Croquet (Schneider) | 6h02m50s | 3 laps behind |
| 10. | 5 | Christiaens (Excelsior) | 6h02m51s | ---"--- |
| 11. | 11 | Hornsted (Excelsior) | 6h31m39s | 5 laps behind |
Lap 20 - Boillot was leading Goux in second place with Chassagne third, while Guyot passed Resta who dropped behind with the cockpit of his car swamped with oil from the leaking tank. Bablot remained sixth,
Champoiseau seventh and Thomas eighth. Christiaens passed Croquet for ninth place and Hornsted remained eleventh.
After 632.420 km, Boillot (Peugeot) was leading in 5h22m11s at 117.775 km/h average speed the 11-car field in the following order after the twentieth lap:
| 1. | 8 | Boillot (Peugeot) | 5h22m11s |
| 2. | 14 | Goux (Peugeot) | 5h27m00s |
| 3. | 15 | Chassagne (Sunbeam) | 5h33m34s |
| 4. | 10 | Guyot (Delage) | 5h47m21s | 1 lap behind |
| 5. | 9 | Resta (Sunbeam) | 5h49m30s | ---"--- |
| 6. | 2 | Bablot (Delage) | 5h56m04s | 2 laps behind |
| 7. | 16 | Champoiseau (Schneider) | 6h04m25s | ---"--- |
| 8. | 20 | Thomas (Schneider) | 6h14m19s | 3 laps behind |
| 9. | 5 | Christiaens (Excelsior) | 6h20m33s | ---"--- |
| 10. | 6 | Croquet (Schneider) | 6h20m53s | ---"--- |
| 11. | 11 | Hornsted (Excelsior) | 6h49m02s | 6 laps behind |
Lap 21 - The order of the field stayed the same as on lap 20. Boillot was leading, Goux was second, Chassagne third, Guyot fourth, Resta fifth, Bablot sixth, Champoiseau seventh and Thomas eighth, Christiaens
ninth, Croquet tenth and Hornsted remained eleventh.
After 664.041 km, Boillot (Peugeot) was leading in 5h38m47s at 117.604 km/h average speed the 11-car field in the following order after the twenty-first lap:
| 1. | 8 | Boillot (Peugeot) | 5h38m47s |
| 2. | 14 | Goux (Peugeot) | 5h43m26s |
| 3. | 15 | Chassagne (Sunbeam) | 5h50m18s |
| 4. | 10 | Guyot (Delage) | 6h04m08s | 1 lap behind |
| 5. | 9 | Resta (Sunbeam) | 6h06m25s | ---"--- |
| 6. | 2 | Bablot (Delage) | 6h12m01s | 2 laps behind |
| 7. | 16 | Champoiseau (Schneider) | 6h23m53s | ---"--- |
| 8. | 20 | Thomas (Schneider) | 6h32m09s | 3 laps behind |
| 9. | 5 | Christiaens (Excelsior) | 6h37m56s | ---"--- |
| 10. | 6 | Croquet (Schneider) | 6h39m04s | ---"--- |
| 11. | 11 | Hornsted (Excelsior) | 7h06m14s | 6 laps behind |
Lap 22 - The order of the field continued the same as on lap 21. Boillot was first ahead of Goux and Chassagne in the same lap. Guyot was already lapped followed by Resta, Bablot, Champoiseau, Thomas,
Christiaens, Croquet and Hornsted last.
After 695.662 km, Boillot (Peugeot) was leading in 5h54m31s at 117.736 km/h average speed the 11-car field in the following order after the twenty-second lap:
| 1. | 8 | Boillot (Peugeot) | 5h54m31s |
| 2. | 14 | Goux (Peugeot) | 5h59m45s |
| 3. | 15 | Chassagne (Sunbeam) | 6h07m08s |
| 4. | 10 | Guyot (Delage) | 6h20m57s | 1 lap behind |
| 5. | 9 | Resta (Sunbeam) | 6h22m57s | ---"--- |
| 6. | 2 | Bablot (Delage) | 6h27m55s | 2 laps behind |
| 7. | 16 | Champoiseau (Schneider) | 6h40m55s | ---"--- |
| 8. | 20 | Thomas (Schneider) | 6h50m55s | 3 laps behind |
| 9. | 5 | Christiaens (Excelsior) | 6h55m18s | ---"--- |
| 10. | 6 | Croquet (Schneider) | 6h57m33s | ---"--- |
| 11. | 11 | Hornsted (Excelsior) | 7h23m42s | 6 laps behind |
Lap 23 - The order of the first seven drivers was the same as on lap 22. Although Boillot stopped at the pits, most probably his third stop, as cited by him, attending to ignition wires, but cannot be confirmed.
Christiaens passed Thomas for eighth place, Croquet remained tenth and Hornsted last.
After 727.283 km, Boillot (Peugeot) was leading in 6h12m59s at 116.994 km/h average speed the 11-car field in the following order after the twenty-third lap:
| 1. | 8 | Boillot (Peugeot) | 6h12m59s |
| 2. | 14 | Goux (Peugeot) | 6h15m53s |
| 3. | 15 | Chassagne (Sunbeam) | 6h23m39s |
| 4. | 10 | Guyot (Delage) | 6h38m17s | 1 lap behind |
| 5. | 9 | Resta (Sunbeam) | 6h39m31s | ---"--- |
| 6. | 2 | Bablot (Delage) | 6h43m21s | ---"--- |
| 7. | 16 | Champoiseau (Schneider) | 6h58m00s | 2 laps behind |
| 8. | 5 | Christiaens (Excelsior) | 7h12m40s | 3 laps behind |
| 9. | 20 | Thomas (Schneider) | 7h19m02s | ---"--- |
| 10. | 6 | Croquet (Schneider) | 7h19m18s | ---"--- |
| 11. | 11 | Hornsted (Excelsior) | 7h46m26s | 6 laps behind |
Lap 24 - The order of the entire field remained the same as on lap 23. After 758.904 km, Boillot (Peugeot) was leading in 6h29m50s at 116.804 km/h average speed, leading the 11-car field in the following
order after the twenty-fourth lap:
| 1. | 8 | Boillot (Peugeot) | 6h29m50s |
| 2. | 14 | Goux (Peugeot) | 6h34m04s |
| 3. | 15 | Chassagne (Sunbeam) | 6h40m18s |
| 4. | 10 | Guyot (Delage) | 6h55m32s | 1 lap behind |
| 5. | 9 | Resta (Sunbeam) | 6h56m09s | ---"--- |
| 6. | 2 | Bablot (Delage) | 6h58m59s | ---"--- |
| 7. | 16 | Champoiseau (Schneider) | 7h15m52s | 2 laps behind |
| 8. | 5 | Christiaens (Excelsior) | 7h30m05s | 3 laps behind |
| 9. | 20 | Thomas (Schneider) | 7h37m58s | ---"--- |
| 10. | 6 | Croquet (Schneider) | 7h41m13s | 4 laps behind |
| 11. | 11 | Hornsted (Excelsior) | 8h03m45s | 6 laps behind |
Lap 25 - The order of the field was the same as that on lap 24 excepting Bablot, who passed Resta for fifth place. After 790.525 km, Boillot (Peugeot) was leading in 6h45m52s at 116.864 km/h average speed the
11-car field in the following order after the twenty-fifth lap:
| 1. | 8 | Boillot (Peugeot) | 6h45m52s |
| 2. | 14 | Goux (Peugeot) | 6h50m25s |
| 3. | 15 | Chassagne (Sunbeam) | 6h56m38s |
| 4. | 10 | Guyot (Delage) | 7h11m44s | 1 lap behind |
| 5. | 2 | Bablot (Delage) | 7h14m28s | ---"--- |
| 6. | 9 | Resta (Sunbeam) | 7h15m13s | ---"--- |
| 7. | 16 | Champoiseau (Schneider) | 7h33m27s | 2 laps behind |
| 8. | 5 | Christiaens (Excelsior) | 7h47m35s | 3 laps behind |
| 9. | 20 | Thomas (Schneider) | 7h55m31s | 4 laps behind |
| 10. | 6 | Croquet (Schneider) | 7h57m59s | ---"--- |
| 11. | 11 | Hornsted (Excelsior) | 8h21m37s | 6 laps behind |
Lap 26 - The order of the field stayed the same as that on lap 25, except there was great emotion in the crowd when Boillot stopped at his pit, with a smoking engine. The hood was removed, the driver and Prévost,
his mechanic, noticed that a hose had burst, which caused the radiator to drain and released a lot of steam. They quickly sealed the hose with a rag and adhesive tape, then filled up the radiator; but the radiator cap was
lost, wasting time looking for it, then found it amongst some tools. Prévost turned to the crank, but the overheated engine refused to start; he finally succeeded in getting it started, when Boillot had a lead of only
six seconds over his teammate Goux. The great French driver left to wild cheers. Bablot, one lap down in fifth place, still drove a fast lap in 15m27s at 122,800 km/h. Resta had further problems with his leaking oil
tank and was now in sixth position.
After 822.145 km, Boillot (Peugeot) was leading in 7h07m03s at 115.510 km/h average speed the 11-car field in the following order after the twenty-sixth lap:
| 1. | 8 | Boillot (Peugeot) | 7h07m03s |
| 2. | 14 | Goux (Peugeot) | 7h07m09s |
| 3. | 15 | Chassagne (Sunbeam) | 7h12m52s |
| 4. | 10 | Guyot (Delage) | 7h28m00s | 1 lap behind |
| 5. | 2 | Bablot (Delage) | 7h29m55s | ---"--- |
| 6. | 9 | Resta (Sunbeam) | 7h31m52s | ---"--- |
| 7. | 16 | Champoiseau (Schneider) | 7h50m51s | 2 laps behind |
| 8. | 5 | Christiaens (Excelsior) | 8h05m15s- | 3 laps behind |
| 9. | 20 | Thomas (Schneider) | 8h12m13s | 4 laps behind |
| 10. | 6 | Croquet (Schneider) | 8h18m53s | ---"--- |
| 11. | 11 | Hornsted (Excelsior) | 8h43m53s | 6 laps behind |
Lap 27 - The order of the field was the same as on lap 26. After 853.767 km, Boillot (Peugeot) was leading in 7h22m27s at 115.777 km/h average speed in the following order after the twenty-seventh lap:
| 1. | 8 | Boillot (Peugeot) | 7h22m27s |
| 2. | 14 | Goux (Peugeot) | 7h23m51s |
| 3. | 15 | Chassagne (Sunbeam) | 7h28m59s |
| 4. | 10 | Guyot (Delage) | 7h44m45s | 1 lap behind |
| 5. | 2 | Bablot (Delage) | 7h45m22s | ---"--- |
| 6. | 9 | Resta (Sunbeam) | 7h48m31s | ---"--- |
| 7. | 16 | Champoiseau (Schneider) | 8h09m50s | 3 laps behind |
| 8. | 5 | Christiaens (Excelsior) | 8h22m38s | ---"--- |
| 9. | 20 | Thomas (Schneider) | 8h30m13s | 4 laps behind |
| 10. | 6 | Croquet (Schneider) | 8h37m05s | ---"--- |
| 11. | 11 | Hornsted (Excelsior) | 9h01m52s | 6 laps behind |
Lap 28 - The order of the field remained the same as that on lap 27, except Bablot had passed Guyot for fourth place by driving a fast lap of 15m25s at 123.065 km/h average speed.
After 885.388 km, Boillot (Peugeot) was leading in 7h38m25s at 115.884 km/h average speed the 11-car field in the following order after the twenty-eighth lap:
| 1. | 8 | Boillot (Peugeot) | 7h38m25s |
| 2. | 14 | Goux (Peugeot) | 7h40m12s |
| 3. | 15 | Chassagne (Sunbeam) | 7h48m52s |
| 4. | 2 | Bablot (Delage) | 8h00m47s | 1 lap behind |
| 5. | 10 | Guyot (Delage) | 8h01m09s] | ---"--- |
| 6. | 9 | Resta (Sunbeam) | 8h05m05s | ---"--- |
| 7. | 16 | Champoiseau (Schneider) | 8h26m49s | 3 laps behind |
| 8. | 5 | Christiaens (Excelsior) | 8h39m59s | ---"--- |
| 9. | 20 | Thomas (Schneider) | 8h47m15s | 4 laps behind |
| 10. | 6 | Croquet (Schneider) | 8h54m53s | ---"--- |
| 11. | 11 | Hornsted (Excelsior) | 9h19m47s | 6 laps behind |
Lap 29 - The order stayed the same as on lap 28. After 916.800 km, Boillot was leading in 7h53m56.8s at 116.089 km/h shown in the results:
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Le Figaro > Boillot rushed in, arrived like lightning, and crossed the finish line. To a standing ovation from the crowd, he entered the parc fermé. They rushed to meet him, grabbed him and his mechanic
from the car they had driven to victory, and carried them in triumph to the official stand, where General Picquart and the Prefect of the Somme warmly congratulated them. The band played the Marseillaise.
Ovations, applause, frenzied cheers. The second arrived with more cheers and ecstasy, the crowd rushed to leave, while Chassagne, Bablot and Guyot finished in conditions that deserved some applause.
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After his victory, Boillot still had 22.7 liters in his reservoir, Goux, Guyot, and Resta still had 25 each. Chassagne with 20 and Bablot 27.7 liters.
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Results
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Entrant | Car | Engine | Laps | Time | Diff/Status |
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| 1. | 8 | Georges Boillot | Automobiles et Cycles Peugeot | Peugeot | EX3 | 5.6 | S-4 | 19 | 7h53m56.8s |
| 2. | 14 | Jules Goux | Automobiles et Cycles Peugeot | Peugeot | EX3 | 5.6 | S-4 | 19 | 7h56m22.4s | + 2m25.6s |
| 3. | 15 | Jean Chassagne | Sunbeam Motor Car Co. Ltd. | Sunbeam | | 4.5 | S-6 | 19 | 8h06m20.2s | + 12m23.4s |
| 4. | 2 | Paul Bablot | Automobiles Delage | Delage | Y | 6.2 | S-4 | 19 | 8h16m13.6s | + 22m16.8s |
| 5. | 10 | Albert Guyot | Automobiles Delage | Delage | Y | 6.2 | S-4 | 19 | 8h17m58.8s | + 24m02.0s |
| 6. | 9 | Dario Resta | Sunbeam Motor Car Co. Ltd. | Sunbeam | | 4.5 | S-6 | 19 | 8h21m38.4s | + 27m41.6s |
| 7. | 16 | René Champoiseau | Automobiles Th. Schneider | Schneider | | 5.4 | S-4 | 19 | 8h44m37.2s | + 50m40.4s |
| 8. | 5 | Joseph Christiaens | SA des Auto Excelsior | Excelsior | | 6.1 | S-6 | 19 | 8h57m23.6s | + 1h03m26.8s |
| 9. | 20 | René Thomas | Automobiles Th. Schneider | Schneider | | 5.4 | S-4 | 19 | 9h04m12.2s | + 1h10m15.4s |
| 10. | 6 | Maurice Croquet | Automobiles Th. Schneider | Schneider | | 5.4 | S-4 | 19 | 9h12m56.6s | + 1h18m59.8s |
| 11. | 11 | Ligurd G. Hornsted | SA des Auto Excelsior | Excelsior | | 6.1 | S-6 | 19 | 9h37m40.6s | + 1h43m43.8s |
| DNF | 19 | Kenelm Lee Guinness | Sunbeam Motor Car Co. Ltd. | Sunbeam | | 4.5 | S-6 | 15 | 4h15m07s | crash |
| DNF | 17 | Antonio Moriondo | Fabbrica Automobili Itala | Itala | | 8.4 | S-4 | 14 | 5h39m13s | spring |
| DNF | 7 | Felice Nazzaro | Fabbrica Automobili Itala | Itala | | 8.4 | S-4 | 12 | 3h37m46s | spring |
| DNF | 4 | Dragutin Esser | E. E. C. Mathis | Mathis | | 2.2 | S-4 | 8 | 4h44m12s | valves |
| DNF | 1 | Gustave Caillois | Sunbeam Motor Car Co. Ltd. | Sunbeam | | 4.5 | S-6 | 4 | 1h10m59s | tie rod |
| DNF | 12 | Fernand Gabriel | Automobiles Th. Schneider | Schneider | | 5.4 | S-4 | 3 | 1h03m42s | carburetor |
| DNF | 3 | Carl Jörns | Adam Opel | Opel | | 4.0 | S-4 | 1 | 29m59s | engine |
| DNF | 18 | Jean Delpierre | Automobiles et Cycles Peugeot | Peugeot | EX3 | 5.6 | S-4 | 0 | | crash |
| DNF | 13 | H. R. Pope | Fabbrica Automobili Itala | Itala | | 8.4 | S-4 | 0 | | engine |
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Fastest lap: Paul Bablot (Delage) on lap 14 in 15m22s = 123.5 km/h (76.7 mph).
Winner's average speed: 116.1 km/h (72.1 mph).
Weather: : morning fog, later sunny, hot.
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In retrospect:
Intermediate and final times differed between the sources. The selected times are believed to be correct.
The timekeepers' recordings, predominantly intermediate times, were on many occasions manipulated in an evident manner. After writing down 374 different times, this was an annoying experience.
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Primary sources researched for this article:
Allgemeine Automobil-Zeitung, Berlin
Allgemeine Automobil-Zeitung, Wien
AUTOMOBIL-REVUE, Bern
Automobilwelt - Flugwelt, Berlin
Der Motorwagen, Berlin
La Vie Automobile, Paris
La Gazzetta dello Sport, Milano
La Presse, Paris
La Stampa Sportiva, Torino
L'Auto, Paris
L'Echo de Paris, Paris
Le Figaro, Paris
Le Matin, Paris
L'Ouest-Éclair, Rennes
MOTOR, Berlin
Motor Age, Chicago
Omnia, Paris
The Autocar, London
Special thanks to:
Robert Dick
Adam Ferrington
Giuseppe Prisco
Reinhard Windeler
Taso Mathieson: Grand Prix Racing 1906-1914
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