  
CIRCUITO DI MODENA JUNIOR
(Voiturette 1100cc)
Circuito di Modena (I), 14 October 1934
25 laps x 3.2 km (1.99 mi) = 80.0 km (49.7 mi)
Cecchini beats Farina at the Modena Circuit Junior race
by Hans Etzrodt
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At the 1934 Modena Circuit Junior race for 1100 cars only 10 cars faced the starter, four Maseratis, four Fiats one MG and one Amilcar. The 80 km race was held before the Grand Prix event. Raffaele Cecchini in an
MG Magnette was the surprise winner, beating the favorite, Giuseppe Farina in a 4CM Maserati. The race was over in less than an hour.
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Modena Circuit races for sports cars had been held in 1927 and 1928 over a 12 km dirt road circuit, organized by the RACI. They had been initiated by Enzo Ferrari as Modena was his home town. With Scuderia Ferrari founded
at the end of 1929, Modena had a great sports organization. In 1934 the Circuito di Modena took place for the third time, but this time it was for racecars, organized by the Modena Provincial Headquarters of the RACI
(Reale Automobile Club d'Italia). The 1934 circuit used the streets inside Modena and was just 3.200 km in length so that 25 laps of the circuit added up to 80 km. A description of the circuit is in the Grand Prix car report.
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Entries:
Maseratis were entered by Farina, Malaguti, and Matrullo. The two Rocca cars were built by Amadeo Rocca from Bologna. The #4 Rocca for Panzacchi had a Fiat 508 engine while Landi's #12 Rocca had an 1100 Maserati engine.
A list of the 13 entries is shown at the beginning of this report.
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Race:
Since Burgazzi (Fiat), Camilli (Lombard) and Battilana (Maserati) did not appear, only ten cars lined up on the starting grid in four rows in numerical order.
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12
Landi
Rocca-Maserati
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4
Panzacchi
Rocca-Fiat
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2
Toti
Maserati
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18
Cecchini
MG
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16
Mallucci
Fiat
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14
Lami
PE-Fiat
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24
Malaguti
Maserati
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22
Matrullo
Maserati
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20
Farina
Maserati
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26
Bianchi
Amilcar
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The Junior Race for the 1100 category which preceded the major category was started at 2:15 PM by the Prefect of Modena. The two Roccas of Landi and Panzacchi shot into the lead, chased by Cecchini, Farina and the rest.
After the first lap Farina in the Maserati was first, followed by Cecchini (MG), Landi (Rocca) and Malaguti (Maserati). On the second lap, Toti stopped for a few minutes and restarted but retired soon afterwards. On this
lap Cecchini lapped in 1m59.6s at an average of 96.160 km/h. Bianchi's Amilcar retired soon afterwards. When Mallucci in the Fiat 508 S made a most spectacular spin and retired after six laps there were only seven cars
left in the race. It was dominated by the fierce battle between Farina's Maserati and Cecchini's MG Magnette. After 32 km Farina was only three seconds or so behind Cecchini, who led at an average speed of 94.827 km/h
when the positions of the leading group were as follows after 10 laps:
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| 1. Cecchini (MG) | 20m17.0s |
| 2. Farina (Maserati) | 20m20.4s |
| 3. Malaguti (Maserati) | 21m23.2s |
| 4. Landi (Rocca-Maserati) | 21m53.4s |
On the twelfth lap Farina lapped at an average of 96.320 km/h. At mid-race the positions remained unchanged, but Cecchini lapped even faster at an average of 98 km/h and the serious fight between the two leaders continued
unabated. Malaguti in third place, over one minute behind, had a steady race but broke third gear. Landi, who was in fourth place with his Rocca, retired with clutch failure four laps from the end. Panzacchi in the other
Rocca then took his place, followed by Matrullo and Lami. Ceccini made the 1100 class fastest lap on lap 17 in 1m56.4s while Farina's best was in 1m57.0s.
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Results
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Entrant | Car | Type | Engine | Laps | Time/Status | Diff |
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| 1. | 18 | Raffaele Cecchini | R. Cecchini | MG | K3 Magnette | 1.1 | S-6 | 25 | 50m12.6s | |
| 2. | 20 | Giuseppe Farina | Officine Alfieri Maserati | Maserati | 4CM | 1.1 | S-4 | 25 | 50m18.4s | + 5.8s |
| 3. | 24 | Romano Malaguti | R. Malaguti | Maserati | 4CS | 1.1 | S-4 | 24 | 51m18.4s | |
| 4. | 4 | Giuseppe Panzacchi | G. Panzacchi | Rocca-Fiat | | 1.0 | S-4 | 22 | 51m18.0s | |
| 5. | 22 | Francesco Matrullo | F. Matrullo | Maserati | 4CM | 1.1 | S-4 | 22 | 51m24.6s | |
| 6. | 14 | Catullo Lami | P. Ermini | PE-Fiat | | 1.0 | S-4 | 22 | 51m29.4s | |
| DNF | 12 | Guido Landi | Amadeo Rocca | Rocca-Maserati | | 1.1 | S-4 | 20 | clutch | |
| DNF | 16 | Victor-Hugo Mallucci | V. Mallucci | Fiat | 508 S | 1.0 | S-4 | 6 | spun off | |
| DNF | 26 | Ernesto Bianchi | L. Castelbarco / G. Lurani | Amilcar | C6 | 1.1 | S-6 | 4 | mechanical | |
| DNF | 2 | Raffaello Toti | Gruppo Genovese San Giorgio | Maserati | 4CM | 1.1 | S-4 | 1 | | |
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Fastest lap: Raffaele Cecchini (MG) on lap 17 in 1m56.4s = 98.7 km/h (61.5 mph)
Winner's medium speed: 95.6 km/h (59.4 mph)
Weather: Overcast, dry
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In retrospect:
La Stampa published some incorrect final times.
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Primary sources researched for this article:
AUTOMOBIL-REVUE, Bern
IL LITTORIALE, Roma
La Domenica Sportiva, Milano
La Gazzetta dello Sport, Milano
La Stampa, Torino
Motor Sport, London
RACI settimanale, Roma
Special thanks to:
Alessandro Silva
Giuseppe Prisco
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III CIRCUITO DI MODENA
Circuito di Modena (I), 14 October 1934
40 laps x 3.2 km (1.99 mi) = 128.0 km (79.5 mi)
Nuvolari's first victory of the year
by Hans Etzrodt
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The 1934 race at the Modena Circuit over 40 laps was a minor national event. From 18 entries only 11 cars faced the starter, four Maseratis and seven Alfa Romeos. The main interest was the battle
between Nuvolari (Maserati) and Varzi (Alfa Romeo). But it was over in five laps by which time Nuvolari had established an eight seconds lead over Varzi, which he steadily increased to his pursuers.
On lap 25 an inspired Tadini passed his teammate Varzi for second place and started to pull away. On the 40th and final lap, Tadini spun his Alfa in a turn and before he could restart Varzi had
passed him into second place. Nuvolari won by over a minute ahead of Varzi with Tadini third. This was Nuvolari's first victory of the season, showing that the new Maserati was superior to
Scuderia Ferrari's Alfa Romeos. Barbieri and Ghersi in Alfa Romeos finished fourth and fifth followed by the Maseratis of Sandri and Soffietti, with Cornaggia in eighth place with the touring
Alfa and Corsi in a Maserati last. The Alfa Romeos of Pellegrini and Comotti retired.
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Modena Circuit races for sports cars had been held in 1927 and 1928 over a 12 km dirt road circuit, organized by the RACI. They had been initiated by Enzo Ferrari as Modena was his home town. With
Scuderia Ferrari founded at the end of 1929, Modena had a great sports organization. In 1934 the Circuito di Modena took place for the third time, but now for racecars, organized by the Modena
Provincial Headquarters of the RACI (Reale Automobile Club d'Italia). The course went along the streets of Modena. With a good road surface of just 3.2 km, 40 laps added up to a race distance
of 128 km. The circuit ran clockwise starting on Viale delle Rimembranze and continuing to Via Saragozza. It circled around the War Memorial, ran along a stretch of Viale Regina Elena, and at
Via Mascherella it joined the Viale Fabrizi. It then turned onto the long straight of Viale Muratori, which led to a sharp right turn into Viale Tassoni. At Piazzale S. Agostino there was a
180 degrees turn, which was followed along Viale Vittorio Veneto to a sharp left turn into Viale delle Rimembranze back to the finish. The circuit comprised seven sharp bends and an average
speed of 120 km/h was expected. The installations at the finish line were arranged so that the public in the grandstands was informed about all phases of the race.
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Entries:
Scuderia Ferrari arrived with five Alfa Romeo P3s and introduced the latest version with a 3.2-Liter engine. The increase of the bore resulted in a gain of 10 hp to 265 at 5400 rpm. Only two of
these cars were completed and they were assigned to Achille Varzi and Mario Tadini. The remaining three cars of Gianfranco Comotti, Pietro Ghersi and Nando Barbieri had 2.9-Liter engines. Attilio
Marinoni was the Scuderia's reserve driver. The independent driver Lelio Pellegrini-Quarantotti entered a 2300 Alfa Romeo Monza and Giovanni Cornaggia Medici drove a 2300 Alfa Touring Spider
equipped with fenders and lights.
Once again Nuvolari drove the latest 6C34 Maserati with a 6-cylinder engine of 3724 cc producing 270 hp mounted on an 8CM chassis. Soffietti had a white Maserati 8CM, the same ex-Whitney Straight
car that he drove at the Spanish Grand Prix three weeks before. Guglielmo Sandri's 8CM was also white but only the front, while the rear was red, a Swiss Maserati loaned by Hans Rüesch.
Clemente Biondetti and Secondo Corsi had 8C-3000 Maseratis based on 26M chassis.
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Race:
Before the Grand Prix car event, a Junior Race for 1100 cars over 80 km was held at 2:10 PM and won by Raffaele Cecchini in a MG Magnette beating the favorite, Giuseppe Farina in a 4CM Maserati.
The race was over in less than an hour. After a short break it was time for the main event where the eleven cars lined up in four rows in order of their race numbers.
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10
Soffietti
Maserati
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6
Corsi
Maserati
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4
Varzi
Alfa Romeo
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18
Sandri
Maserati
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16
Tadini
Alfa Romeo
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12
Comotti
Alfa Romeo
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24
Barbieri
Alfa Romeo
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22
Nuvolari
Maserati
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20
Ghersi
Alfa Romeo
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32
Cornaggia
Alfa Romeo
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30
Pellegrini
Alfa Romeo
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At 16.35 PM the Federal Secretary lowered the flag and the Maseratis of Soffietti, Corsi and Sandri jumped into the lead followed by the pack of Alfa Romeos headed by Varzi and Tadini with
Nuvolari's Maserati amongst them.
The first lap was completed with Nuvolari making his way through the field. On the first straight of the second lap Nuvolari passed Tadini and Varzi and also Sandri, so that at the end of lap
two Nuvolari had moved into first place. He had also made the fastest lap of the race in 1m43.8s at 110.980 km/h average speed. He was followed by Varzi, Tadini, Sandri and Comotti. Nuvolari
steadily increased his lead over Varzi, who was threatened by Comotti and Tadini.
On the fifth lap Nuvolari had an eight seconds advantage over Varzi, with a further gap of seven seconds to Tadini and another six seconds to Comotti. Nuvolari completed the first five laps, a
total of 16 km, in 8m59.6s, at an average of 106.745 km/h.
Varzi could only reach 1m44.6s on the eighth lap in a last attempt to regain ground. Tadini in third place made his best lap in 1m45.4s. Nuvolari constantly increased his lead over his pursuers,
regularly producing laps in 1m46s or 1m47s.
Up to lap 20, the positions of the first five drivers showed Varzi with only a slight advantage on Tadini, while Ghersi and Sandri passed Comotti. Pellegrini stopped briefly due to a wheel failure.
Comotti retired with an engine failure on lap 16. Nuvolari's average lap time for the first 20 laps was 1m46.1s, and he led at 108.328 km/h average speed. The order of the leaders was as follows
after 20 laps:
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| 1. Nuvolari (Maserati) | 35m21.2s |
| 2. Varzi (Alfa Romeo) | 36m04.0s |
| 3. Tadini (Alfa Romeo) | 36m11.0s |
| 4. Ghersi (Alfa Romeo) | 38m00.0s | 1 lap behind |
| 5. Sandri (Maserati) | 38m10.0s | 1 lap behind |
On the 25th lap, Tadini closed up and passed Varzi, advancing into second place, but Nuvolari had a lead of one minute over them. His average lap time for the last 10 laps remained at 1m46.1s and
he led after 96 km at 108.600 km/h average speed, when the order was as follows after 30 laps:
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| 1. Nuvolari (Maserati) | 53m01.8s |
| 2. Tadini (Alfa Romeo) | 54m02.6s |
| 3. Varzi (Alfa Romeo) | 54m08.4s |
| 4. Ghersi (Alfa Romeo) | 55m39.0s | 1 lap behind |
| 5. Sandri (Maserati) | 57m00.0s | 2 laps behind |
On the last lap Tadini, who was about 14 seconds ahead of Varzi, lost his concentration for a moment at the bend around the War Monument. The resultant spin and the time it took to restart
canceled out the advantage he had gained in so many laps. In that moment Varzi snatched second place and Tadini had to accept third. The other drivers were never in the fight. Barbieri completed
only 38 laps and finished fourth while Ghersi came fifth, with broken suspension and a malfunctioning gearbox. In sixth place was the smiling Sandri who made an excellent debut -he was Rüesch's
relief driver at Monza- followed by Soffietti, Cornaggia and Corsi. Comotti retired due to clutch failure and Pellegrini with spark plugs trouble.
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Results
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Entrant | Car | Type | Engine | Laps | Time/Status | Diff |
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| 1. | 22 | Tazio Nuvolari | T. Nuvolari | Maserati | 8CM (6C-34) | 3.7 | S-6 | 40 | 1h10m54.0s |
| 2. | 4 | Achille Varzi | Scuderia Ferrari | Alfa Romeo | Tipo B/P3 | 3.2 | S-8 | 40 | 1h12m20.4s | + 2m26.4s |
| 3. | 16 | Mario Tadini | Scuderia Ferrari | Alfa Romeo | Tipo B/P3 | 3.2 | S-8 | 40 | 1h12m25.6s | + 2m31.6s |
| 4. | 24 | Ferdinando Barbieri | Scuderia Ferrari | Alfa Romeo | Tipo B/P3 | 2.9 | S-8 | 38 | 1h10m46.0s | retired but classifed |
| 5. | 20 | Pietro Ghersi | Scuderia Ferrari | Alfa Romeo | Tipo B/P3 | 2.9 | S-8 | 38 | 1h11m01.0s |
| 6. | 18 | Guglielmo Sandri | G. Sandri | Maserati | 8CM | 3.0 | S-8 | 38 | 1h12m19.0s |
| 7. | 10 | Luigi Soffietti | Whitney Straight Ltd. | Maserati | 8CM | 3.0 | S-8 | 37 | 1h12m27.0s |
| 8. | 32 | G. Cornaggia-Medici | G. Cornaggia-Medici | Alfa Romeo | Touring Spider | 2.3 | S-8 | 35 | 1h11m45.6s |
| 9. | 6 | Secondo Corsi | Gruppo Genovese San Giorgio | Maserati | 8C-3000 | 3.0 | S-8 | 35 | 1h17m46.6s |
| DNF | 30 | Lelio Pellegrini | L. Pellegrini | Alfa Romeo | Monza | 2.3 | S-8 | 30 | spark plugs |
| DNF | 12 | Gianfranco Comotti | Scuderia Ferrari | Alfa Romeo | Tipo B/P3 | 2.9 | S-8 | 16 | clutch or engine |
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Fastest lap: Tazio Nuvolari (Maserati) on lap 2 in 1m43.8s = 111.0 km/h (69.0 mph)
Winner's medium speed: 108.3 km/h (67.3 mph)
Weather: Overcast, dry.
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|
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In retrospect:
La Stampa published some incorrect final times.
|
Primary sources researched for this article:
AUTOMOBIL-REVUE, Bern
IL LITTORIALE, Roma
La Domenica Sportiva, Milano
La Gazzetta dello Sport, Milano
La Stampa, Torino
Motor Sport, London
RACI settimanale, Roma
Special thanks to:
Alessandro Silva
Giuseppe Prisco
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COPPA PRINCIPESSA DI PIEMONTE
Circuito di Napoli, Posillipo (I), 21 October 1934
Heats: 2 x 25 laps x 4.0 km (2.49 mi) = 80.0 km (49.7 mi)
Final: 50 laps x 4.0 km (2.49 mi) = 200 km (124.3 mi)
Nuvolari wins at Naples
by Hans Etzrodt
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The 1934 race over 50 laps at the Naples Circuit for the Coppa Pricipessa di Piemonte was a minor national event and concluded the Italian automobile racing season. From 19 entries only 16 cars
faced the starter, nine Alfa Romeos and seven Maseratis. The main interest in the race was the battle between Nuvolari (Maserati) and the Scuderia Ferrari Alfa Romeos. The race was split into
two Heats and a Final. The first Heat was won by the Alfa Romeos of Tadini and Brivio with Minozzi (Maserati) third. Nuvolari (Maserati) won Heat 2 ahead of Comotti (Alfa Romeo) and the Maseratis of
Soffiotti and Farina. The first six in each Heat started in the Final, which was won by Nuvolari, and followed by Brivio, Tadini, Farina, Comotti, Soffietti, Minozzi, Premoli and Cornaggia.
Auricchio, Rocco and Piccolo retired.
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The last time a race had been held at Naples was on November 11, 1920. It was organized by the ACI on the 47 km of dirt roads of the Circuito dei Campi Flegrei and was won by Luigi Angelini in a Scat
at 37.8 km/h average speed. For 1934 the RACI of Naples organized the III Principessa Coppa di Piemonte -the Trophy of the Princess of Piedmont- on a completely new circuit in Naples at Vittoria Parc.
It climbed Vittoria hill near Posillipo, with a total elevation change of 56 meters and a gradient of over 5 percent or 1 in 20. The 4 km circuit had many gradients and slopes, nine large radius curves
and three sharp bends including one right-angle corner leading into the roughly 600 meters long straight where the start, finish, grandstand and pits were located. The asphalted roads were between
12 and 16 meters wide, and had the characteristics of a mixed circuit, of medium difficulty. Average speeds of 100 km/h were expected. The race was split into two heats of 20 laps of 80 km and a
final of 50 laps of 200 km. All the drivers were Italian.
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Entries:
There were 19 entries. Of the nine Alfa Romeos, Scuderia Ferrari entered three Tipo B/P3 with 2.9-Liter engines for Mario Tadini, Gianfranco Comotti and Antonio Brivio, who was a new driver to the team.
The independent driver Lelio Pellegrini-Quarantotti entered a 2300 Alfa Romeo Monza as did Luigi Pages. Luigi Premoli and Renato Danese drove 2300 Alfa Romeo Monzas. Gennaro Auricchio and Giovanni
Cornaggia Medici both drove 8C-2300 spider Alfa Romeos raced at the Mille Miglia.
The fastest of the seven Maserati entries was Nuvolari in the latest 8CM with 6C34 engine with which he had won the Modena Grand Prix the week before. Luigi Sofietti and Giovanni Minozzi each had a white
8CM, the same ex-Whitney Straight cars that had been seen before. Giovanni Rocco had a striped 26B Mille Miglia version. Clemente Biondetti had a 8C-3000 Maserati based on a 26M chassis, which was
driven in the Final by Letterio "Lillo" Cucinotta who was also known as Piccolo. Giuseppe Farina drove a 1500 cc 4CM, entered by L. Rovere and Romano Malaguti drove a 1.5-L 4CM without a headrest.
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Heat 1:
The eight cars from #2 to #20 started in Heat 1 which lined up in a 3 - 2 -3 grid in numerical order.
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2
Auricchio
Alfa Romeo
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4
Tadini
Alfa Romeo
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6
Cornaggia
Alfa Romeo
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10
Minozzi
Maserati
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12
Malaguti
Maserati
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18
Brivio
Alfa Romeo
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16
Pellegrini
Alfa Romeo
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14
Rocco
Maserati
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At 10:30 the eight drivers were flagged away by the Marquis Pietro Parisio, the governing commissioner of the RACI. After the 1st lap the Alfa Romeos of Tadini and Brivio were in the lead followed by
Minozzi. After five laps Tadini led Brivio by 1.5 seconds with Minozzi third, 11 seconds behind. On the 7th lap there was Brivio in the lead but Tadini repassed him again and left his rival behind.
Malaguti in fourth place retired on lap 18. On the last lap Auricchio and Rocco passed Cornaggia. In the meantime Brivio had closed up to the leader and after 20 laps was only one fifth of a second
behind to Tadini. Brivio made the fastest lap at 97.45 km/h average speed. The battle further back must have seemed intense to the spectators. Rocco finished fifth, less than a second behind
Auricchio and less than three seconds ahead of Medici. It could be that they were just 'coasting'. Their race order didn't really matter, as long as they finished in the first six.
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Heat 1 results
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Entrant | Car | Type | Engine | Laps | Time/Status | Diff |
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| 1. | 4 | Mario Tadini | Scuderia Ferrari | Alfa Romeo | Tipo B/P3 | 2.9 | S-8 | 20 | 50m54.0s |
| 2. | 18 | Antonio Brivio | Scuderia Ferrari | Alfa Romeo | Tipo B/P3 | 2.9 | S-8 | 20 | 50m54.2s | + 0.2s |
| 3. | 10 | Giovanni Minozzi | Whitney Straight Ltd. | Maserati | 8CM | 3.0 | S-8 | 20 | 51m37.0s | + 43.0s |
| 4. | 2 | Gennaro Auricchio | G. Auricchio | Alfa Romeo | 8C-2300 spider | 2.3 | S-8 | 19 | 51m44.6s |
| 5. | 14 | Giovanni Rocco | G. Rocco | Maserati | 26B MM | 2.0 | S-8 | 19 | 51m45.4s |
| 6. | 6 | G. Cornaggia-Medici | G. Cornaggia-Medici | Alfa Romeo | 8C-2300 spider | 2.3 | S-8 | 19 | 51m48.0s |
| 7. | 16 | Lelio Pellegrini | L. Pellegrini-Quarantotti | Alfa Romeo | 8C-2300 Monza | 2.3 | S-8 | 19 | 52m34.4s |
| DNF | 12 | Romano Malaguti | R. Malaguti | Maserati | 4CM | 1.5 | S-4 | 17 | mechanical |
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Fastest lap: Mario Tadini (Alfa Romeo) on lap 9 in 2m27.8s = 97.4 km/h (60.5 mph)
Winner's medium speed: 94.3 km/h (58.6 mph)
Weather: Overcast, dry.
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Heat 2:
The eight cars from #22 to #38 started in Heat 2 which lined up on the 3 - 2 -3 grid in numerical order.
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22
Nuvolari
Maserati
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24
Biondetti
Maserati
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26
Comotti
Alfa Romeo
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28
Farina
Maserati
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30
Premoli
Alfa Romeo
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32
Pages
Alfa Romeo
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34
Danese
Alfa Romeo
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38
Soffietti
Maserati
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The cars were started by Professor Dr. Sbordone at 11:40 AM. Nuvolari immediately jumped ahead and maintained the lead unchallenged until the end. Comotti, Farina, Soffietti, Premoli, Biondetti Danese
and Pages battled for the next places.
On lap 7 when Danese passed Premoli and Biondetti on the outside on the bend just before the finish straight, his car skidded and hit the row of sand bags bordering the outside of the turn. The car
overturned and landed on the track upside down. Danese remained in the car throughout the flight and managed to slip out from underneath it. As he was getting up, he took a step and then fell down.
Red Cross helpers assisted Danese who escaped with a slight wound to the face and a minor injury to his left leg. Shortly before the finish Farina was passed by Soffietti. Nuvolari finished first
and made the fastest lap.
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Heat 2 results
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Entrant | Car | Type | Engine | Laps | Time/Status | Diff |
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| 1. | 22 | Tazio Nuvolari | T. Nuvolari | Maserati | 8CM (6C-34) | 3.7 | S-6 | 20 | 50m03.2s |
| 2. | 26 | Gianfranco Comotti | Scuderia Ferrari | Alfa Romeo | Tipo B/P3 | 2.9 | S-8 | 20 | 50m20.0s | + 16.8s |
| 3. | 38 | Luigi Soffietti | Whitney Straight Ltd. | Maserati | 8CM | 3.0 | S-8 | 20 | 51m09.8s | + 1m06.6s |
| 4. | 28 | Giuseppe Farina | L. Rovere | Maserati | 4CM | 1.5 | S-4 | 20 | 51m40.2s | + 1m37.0s |
| 5. | 24 | Clemente Biondetti | Gruppo Genovese San Giorgio | Maserati | 8C-3000 | 3.0 | S-8 | 20 | 52m52.6s | + 2m49.4s |
| 6. | 30 | Luigi Premoli | L. Premoli | Alfa Romeo | 8C-2300 Monza | 2.3 | S-8 | 19 | 50m41.6s |
| 7. | 32 | Luigi Pages | L. Pages | Alfa Romeo | 8C-2300 Monza | 2.3 | S-8 | 18 | 51m07.4s |
| DNF | 34 | Renato Danese | R. Danese | Alfa Romeo | 8C-2300 Monza | 2.3 | S-8 | 6 | crash |
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Fastest lap: Tazio Nuvolari (Alfa Romeo) on lap 13 in 2m27.0s = 98.0 km/h (60.7 mph)
Winner's medium speed: 95.9 km/h (59.6 mph)
Weather: Overcast, dry.
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Final:
Only the fastest six drivers of each heat advanced to the Final over 50 laps equal to 200 km. Cucinotta did not start because of fuel supply problems with his #8 Maserati. When Biondetti developed a fever
and could not start in the Final, Cucinotta replaced him. The 12 drivers lined up on the grid in the following order:
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2
Auricchio
Alfa Romeo
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38
Soffietti
Maserati
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14
Rocco
Maserati
|
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26
Comotti
Alfa Romeo
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18
Brivio
Alfa Romeo
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10
Minozzi
Maserati
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30
Premoli
Alfa Romeo
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22
Nuvolari
Maserati
|
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6
Cornaggia
Alfa Romeo
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28
Farina
Maserati
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4
Tadini
Alfa Romeo
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24
Cusinotta
Maserati
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Prince Augusto of Piedmont was enthusiastically applauded when he started the Final at 1:45 PM. A drizzle came down soon after the start and made the roads very slippery causing the pace of the cars to
diminished considerably. During the first two laps Brivio in the Alfa Romeo held the lead but on the third lap he was passed by Nuvolari's new Maserati with a lap of 2m26.8s at 98.092 km/h average speed.
Auricchio had lost his goggles at the start and in his pursuit of the field from last place he did three spins. He bent his car's axle when he left the road and was out of the race as a result. After
five laps Nuvolari (Maserati) led the 11-car field at 95.186 mph average speed in 12m36.4s. Brivio (Alfa Romeo) was second, 12m38.6s, only two seconds behind, third was Tadini (Alfa Romeo) 13m07.8s, fourth
Comotti (Alfa Romeo), followed by Farina (Maserati), Soffietti (Maserati), Minozzi (Maserati), Rocco (Maserati), Premoli (Alfa Romeo), Cornaggia (Alfa Romeo) and Cucinotta (Maserati). Nuvolari and Brivio
remained close together, while the others were unable to keep up with the two leaders. Nuvolari's average lap time for the first 10 laps was 2m30.4s and after 40 km Nuvolari led at 95.757 mph average speed
in the following order after 10 laps:
|
| 1. | Nuvolari (Maserati) | 25m03.8s |
| 2. | Brivio (Alfa Romeo) | 25m08.0s |
| 3. | Tadini (Alfa Romeo) | 25m59.8s |
| 4. | Comotti (Alfa Romeo) | 26m16.6s |
| 5. | Farina (Maserati) | 26m19.4s |
| 6. | Soffietti (Maserati) | 26m47.8s |
| 7. | Minozzi (Maserati) | 26m58.0s |
| 8. | Premoli (Alfa Romeo) | 27m22.6s |
| 9. | Cornaggia (Alfa Romeo) | 27m28.8s |
| 10. | Rocco (Maserati) | 27m34.6s |
| 11. | Cucinotta (Maserati) | 28m08.8s | 1 lap behind |
On lap 13 Brivio tried to close up to Nuvolari and made the fastest lap of the race in 2m25.8s at 98.765 km/h average speed. On the same lap Nuvolari drove in 2m27s at 97.959 km/h average speed.
Rocco had trouble with his Maserati and retired before lap 20 when the field was down to 10 drivers. Cucinotta who had replaced Biondetti retired before 25 laps which reduced the field to nine cars.
After 100 km, midrace, Nuvolari was leading Brivio by four seconds with a gap of two minutes to Tadini in third place. Nuvolari's average lap time for the first 25 laps was 2m31.9s and he led at
94.897 km/h average speed. The order after 25 laps was:
| 1. | Nuvolari (Maserati) | 1h03m17.4s |
| 2. | Brivio (Alfa Romeo) | 1h03m21.8s |
| 3. | Tadini (Alfa Romeo) | 1h05m07.6s |
| 4. | Comotti (Alfa Romeo) | 1h05m37.4s |
| 5. | Farina (Maserati) | 1h05m39.0s |
| 6. | Minozzi (Maserati) | 1h08m07.0s | 1 lap behind |
| 7. | Soffietti (Maserati) | 1h08m17.0s | 1 lap behind |
| 8. | Premoli (Maserati) | 1h10m04.0s | 2 laps behind |
| 9. | Cornaggia (Alfa Romeo) | 1h10m24.0s | 3 laps behind |
Due to difficulties with his fuel supply, Brivio slowed his pace, which allowed Nuvolari to widen the gap between them. Tadini followed in third place while Comotti in the large Alfa Romeo and Farina in the small
Maserati battled for fourth place which was settled in favor of the Maserati. Meanwhile, the rain continued and the wet road slowed the race pace.
After 40 laps, equal to 160 km, Nuvolari was still leading in 1h43m09.6s at 93.059 km/h average. Brivio followed almost 11 seconds behind with Tadini third, 33 seconds behind Nuvolari. Farina was fourth,
followed after a gap by Comotti. Brivio drove the fastest lap of the race in 2m25.8s at 98.765 km/h average speed. In his first appearance with Scuderia Ferrari he beat his teammates Tadini and Comotti.
During the last ten laps there were no further changes. Despite the threatening weather the race was attended by a very large crowd that gave enthusiastic ovations to Nuvolari at the end of the race.
The Prince of Piedmont descended from the Royal Stand talking to Nuvolari at his pit. The crowd surrounded the Prince and the enthusiasm reached a very high pitch.
|
Results final
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Entrant | Car | Type | Engine | Laps | Time/Status | Diff |
|
| 1. | 22 | Tazio Nuvolari | T. Nuvolari | Maserati | 8CM (6C-34) | 3.7 | S-6 | 50 | 2h10m23.4s |
| 2. | 18 | Antonio Brivio | Scuderia Ferrari | Alfa Romeo | Tipo B/P3 | 2.9 | S-8 | 50 | 2h10m32.2s | + 8.8s |
| 3. | 4 | Mario Tadini | Scuderia Ferrari | Alfa Romeo | Tipo B/P3 | 2.9 | S-8 | 50 | 2h12m59.6s | + 2m36.2s |
| 4. | 28 | Giuseppe Farina | L. Rovere | Maserati | 4CM | 1.5 | S-4 | 49 | 2h11m09.4s |
| 5. | 26 | Gianfranco Comotti | Scuderia Ferrari | Alfa Romeo | Tipo B/P3 | 2.9 | S-8 | 49 | 2h12m04.0s |
| 6. | 38 | Luigi Soffietti | Whitney Straight Ltd. | Maserati | 8CM | 3.0 | S-8 | 47 | 2h10m30.4s |
| 7. | 10 | Giovanni Minozzi | Whitney Straight Ltd. | Maserati | 8CM | 3.0 | S-8 | 47 | 2h10m39.0s |
| 8. | 30 | Luigi Premoli | L. Premoli | Alfa Romeo | 8C-2300 Monza | 2.3 | S-8 | 46 | 2h11m31.8s |
| 9. | 6 | Giovanni Cornaggia-Medici | G. Cornaggia-Medici | Alfa Romeo | 8C-2300 spider | 2.3 | S-8 | 46 | 2h11m36.4s |
| DNF | 24 | Letterio Cucinotta | Gruppo Genovese San Giorgio | Maserati | 8C-3000 | 3.0 | S-8 | <24 | |
| DNF | 14 | Giovanni Rocco | G. Rocco | Maserati | 26B MM | 2.0 | S-8 | <19 | mechanical |
| DNF | 2 | Gennaro Auricchio | G. Auricchio | Alfa Romeo | 8C-2300 spider | 2.3 | S-8 | <4 | left road |
|
Fastest lap: Antonio Brivio (Alfa Romeo) on lap 13 in 2m25.8s = 98.8 km/h (61.4 mph)
Winner's medium speed: 92.0 km/h (57.2 mph)
Weather: intermittent rain
|
|
|
In retrospect:
La Stampa published incorrect final times for heat 2.
RACI settimale which published excerpts from La Stampa showed the same mistakes.
|
Primary sources researched for this article:
AUTOMOBIL-REVUE, Bern
IL LITTORIALE, Roma
La Gazzetta dello Sport, Milano
La Stampa, Torino
Motor Sport, London
RACI settimanale, Roma
Special thanks to:
Alessandro Silva
Giuseppe Prisco
|
|
 |
24 october 1934: Auto Union tested new drivers at Nürburgring with the following results: |
| North South
Pietsch 11m14.6s 3m05.4s
Rosemeyer 12m00.0s 3m07.0s
Simons 11m46.0s 3m09.4s
Steinweg 12m57.0s 3m18.6s
Soenius 12m00.8s 3m25.0s
Paul Pietsch and Bernd Rosemeyer were selected as junior/reserve drivers for the 1935 season.
Other drivers who participated in the tests were Hahn, Karmann, Kirschberg, Krämer, Michel-Tüssling, Ley and Trägner
|
 
IV GRAND PRIX d'ALGÉRIE
Bouzaréah - Alger (F), 28 October 1934
2 heats of 15 laps x 8.1 km (5.03 mi) = 121.5 km (75.5 mi)
Bugatti ends season on a high note
by Leif Snellman
|
The race was held in two 15 lap heats with the heat results added for the final standing. The first heat was won by Wimille (Bugatti) followed by Brivio (Alfa Romeo) and Straight (Maserati).
Chiron (Alfa Romeo) had to make a pit stop while leading and finished fourth while local hero Lehoux (Maserati) went wide and crashed. Brivio handed over his Alfa to Chiron for the second race.
Chiron held the lead until he had to slow down with a broken shock-absorber. Straight, who was running second for most of the heat, had to retire on the very last lap with a broken gearbox.
So the second heat was won by Wimille from Chiron and Soffietti and that was also the aggregate results.
|
The season ended with a race in Alger where despite the late date the weather was warm and sunny. The Commission Sportive of l'Automobile-Club d'Alger had organized the first edition of the
Grand Prix d'Algérie back in 1928.
The 8.1 km long course selected for the 1934 event was located some 4 km west of the centre of Alger in a hilly area between the communes of El Biar and Bouzaréah. From the start on what
nowadays is called Rue Ali Remli the course went southwards toward Route du Frais-Vallon following it eastwards to Vers el Biar. From there it followed Route Neuve
westwards and northwards to Place Martunetti from where it returned southwards to the start.
The extremely demanding course has been called a miniature Targa Florio with a multitude of ascents and descents and with sharp and twisty corners. The road was also mostly very narrow making
it difficult to overtake.
The event included motor cycle races, a touring car race on Saturday and a Grand Prix race. The Grand Prix was run in two 15 lap heats with the heat results added for the final standing.
|
Entries:
The Bugatti works team entered a Bugatti T59 for Jean-Pierre Wimille. Victor Marret and Roger Boucly raced Bugatti T51s as independents.
Scuderia Ferrari entered two Alfa Romeo P3s for Louis Chiron and Antonio Brivio. Renato Balestrero raced his Alfa Romeo Monza (#2311206) under the Gruppo Genovese San Giorgio banner and
Mlle. Helle-Nice raced her own two shades blue Monza (#2311213).
There was a strong Maserati entry. Hans Rüesch raced Nuvolari's Naples and Modena winning Maserati with a 3.7 litre 6C-34 engine (#3701) in an 8CM chassis (#3018). Whitney Straight Ltd.
entered two Maseratis with Whitney Straight himself driving the black #3011 while Marcel Lehoux raced the white-blue #3012. Scuderia Siena entered an 8CM initially for Giovanni Minozzi but
in the end the car was raced by Luigi Soffietti. For some reason it seems to have appeared in an odd red-white colour scheme. Philippe Etancelin entered his own blue 8CM (#3010) and ex-Salmson
driver "Raymond" Chambost made his Grand Prix debut in an 8CM two-seater (#3006) that he recently had bought from Raymond Sommer.
"Delmo" was supervising the stowing of his car on the steamboat Djebel-Aurès (2835grt) at Nice for the trip to Algeria, when he slipped and fell seven meters to the bottom of the hold, badly injuring himself.
|
Practice:
Practice took place Thursday to Saturday with touring cars and motor cycles practicing from 6 to 7 a.m. and the race cars from 7 to 8 a.m.
The Thursday session was mostly spent with the drivers getting familiar with the course. Wimille was fastest with a time of 5m11s (93.8 km/h). Chiron and Chambost both did a 5m22s lap and
Etancelin was marginally slower with a time of 5m23s. Lehoux, whose own car had still not arrived, used Hellé-Nice's car doing 5m34s while Hellé-Nice herself did 6m26s. Balestrero's time was 6m28s.
Wimille, who had been hit in the arm by a stone during Thursday practice, decided to rest on Friday. Lehoux, now with his own car, and Chiron were fastest during Friday practice each setting a
time of 5m17s (92.0 km/h). Brivio in the other Scuderia Ferrari car and Straight both made a 5m28s lap. Balestrero was faster than on Thursday but still far behind those mentioned above.
Chambost, Marret, and Mlle. Hellé-Nice also made several laps. Etancelin was in trouble because his Maserati did not run properly with the local fuel after the special fuel he had ordered
from France had failed to arrive.
Most of the drivers improved their times during the Saturday practice session. The Bugatti mechanics had changed the rear axle ratio on Wimille's car and the driver was able to better his time
by no less than 27 seconds, taking pole position with a time of 4m43.8s (102.7 km/h). Chiron improved his lap time to 4m59s, Brivio to 5m00.4s. Straight to 5m08.8s and Lehoux to 5m09.8s.
Etancelin still suffered from fuel trouble and was only sixth fastest with a time of 5m14.2s. Soffietti did 5m20s and Rüesch 5m20.4s.
On Saturday there was also a 25 lap Touring Car race at 1 p.m. with the following results:
| 5 litres: |
| 1. | 30 Albert Perrot | Delahaye | 2h21m30.8s |
| 2. | 28 R. Trévoux | Hotchkiss | 2h22m31s |
| 3. | 24 Pellegrini | Ford V8 | 2h25m33s |
| 4. | 34 Pastoriano | Ballot | 2h44m |
| 2 litres: |
| 1. | 6 Faure | Chenard-Walcker | 2h57m01s |
| 2. | 10 Vanini | Citröen | - 1 lap |
| 1.5 litres: |
| 1. | 8 De Malglave | Triumph | 2h47m04s |
|
Heat 1:
Race morning came and a horde of people and vehicles headed towards the course. Despite the hot weather the spaces reserved for spectators were soon filled with an enthusiastic crowd. The morning
was reserved for the motorcycle races but after a lunch break it was time for the first of the two car heats, which started at 1 p.m. Before the race there was a minute of contemplation for Guy Moll.
|
| | | |
|
26
Wimille
Bugatti
4m53.8s
|
22
Chiron
Alfa Romeo
4m59.4s
|
24
Brivio
Alfa Romeo
5m02.4s
|
16
Straight
Maserati
5m08.8s
|
20
Lehoux
Maserati
5m09.8s
|
18
Etancelin
Maserati
5m14.2s
|
28
Soffietti
Maserati
5m20.0s
|
6
Rüesch
Maserati
5m20.4s
|
10
Chambost
Maserati
|
4
Marret
Bugatti
|
14
Balestrero
Alfa Romeo
|
2
Hellé-Nice
Alfa Romeo
|
12
Boucly
Bugatti
|
|
Chiron made the best start to lead over Wimille and Brivio as the 13 cars headed towards Route du Frais-Vallon. Chiron made the first lap in 5m06s (95.3 km/h). He was followed by Wimille, Brivio,
Straight, Lehoux and Soffietti. Etancelin stopped in the pit because his fuel problem had not been solved.
On the second lap Wimille took over the lead, making the lap in 4m52s (99.9 km/h), a second faster than his pole position time. Etancelin stopped for the second time and retired with engine trouble,
probably caused by the fuel.
At the end of the third lap Chiron stopped for brake adjustments. Wimille was 5 seconds ahead of Brivio and 35 seconds ahead of Straight, who was followed by Lehoux and Soffietti.
On the fourth lap Chiron, who had returned to the race in fifth position, improved the lap record to 4m51s (100.2 km/h). Boucly made a long pit stop. After five laps Wimille was leading Brivio
by 11 seconds.
Wimille put Hellé-Nice a lap down. The gap between the two leading drivers varied very little and after eight laps Wimille was leading by some eight seconds. The race order was Wimille, Brivio,
Straight, Lehoux, Chiron, Chambost and Soffietti. Balestrero's Alfa Romeo stopped on the course with a burst piston.
On the tenth lap Soffietti passed Chambost for sixth position. After 10 laps the situation was as follows:
| 1. Wimille (Bugatti) | 49m31.0s |
| 2. Brivio (Alfa Romeo) | 49m41.4s |
| 3. Straight (Maserati) | 50m02.2s |
| 4. Lehoux (Maserati) | 50m19.8s |
| 5. Chiron (Alfa Romeo) | 51m37.2s |
Wimille started to pull away. After 12 laps the gap was 14 seconds, increasing to 19 seconds on the 13th lap. Lehoux, who was in fourth position 17 seconds behind Straight, skidded on some loose
sand in a corner, went wide and crashed in front of his home crowd. He returned to the pit but the car as too damaged for him to continue the race.
After the 14th lap Wimille was leading by 21 seconds and at the end of the race he took the flag 22.6 seconds in front of Brivio with Straight third, Chiron fourth and Soffietti fifth. The rest
of the field was flagged off after having done 14 or 13 laps.
|
Results
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Entrant | Car | Type | Engine | Laps | Time/Status | Diff |
|
| 1. | 26 | Jean-Pierre Wimille | Automobiles E. Bugatti | Bugatti | T59 | 3.3 | S-8 | 15 | 1h14m15.8s |
| 2. | 24 | Antonio Brivio | Scuderia Ferrari | Alfa Romeo | Tipo B/P3 | 2.9 | S-8 | 15 | 1h14m38.4s | + 22.6s |
| 3. | 16 | Whitney Straight | Whitney Straight Ltd. | Maserati | 8CM | 3.0 | S-8 | 15 | 1h15m19.0s | + 1m03.2s |
| 4. | 22 | Louis Chiron | Scuderia Ferrari | Alfa Romeo | Tipo B/P3 | 2.9 | S-8 | 15 | 1h16m29.6s | + 2m13.8s |
| 5. | 28 | Luigi Soffietti | Scuderia Siena | Maserati | 8CM | 3.0 | S-8 | 15 | 1h18m28.8s | + 4m13.0s |
| 6. | 6 | Hans Rüesch | T. Nuvolari | Maserati | 6C-34 | 3.7 | S-6 | 14 | 1h13m28.8s | |
| 7. | 4 | Victor Marret | V. Marret | Bugatti | T51 | 2.3 | S-8 | 14 | 1h17m01.2s | |
| 8. | 10 | Albert Chambost | A. Chambost | Maserati | 8CM | 3.0 | S-8 | 13 | 1h13m12.8s |
| 9. | 12 | Roger Boucly | R. Boucly | Bugatti | T51 | 2.3 | S-8 | 13 | 1h16m20.8s |
| 10. | 2 | Mlle "Hellé-Nice" | Mlle "Hellé-Nice" | Alfa Romeo | Monza | 2.3 | S-8 | 13 | 1h16m36.4s |
| DNF | 20 | Marcel Lehoux | Whitney Straight Ltd. | Maserati | 8CM | 3.0 | S-8 | | crash |
| DNF | 18 | Philippe Etancelin | P. Etancelin | Maserati | 8CM | 3.0 | S-8 | | fuel |
| DNF | 14 | Renato Balestrero | Gruppo Genovese San Giorgio | Alfa Romeo | Monza | 2.6 | S-8 | | |
|
Fastest lap: Louis Chiron (Alfa Romeo) in 4m42.5s? = 103.2 km/h (64.1 mph)
Winner's medium speed: 98.2 km/h (61.0 mph)
Pole position lap speed: 99.3 km/h (61.7 mph)
Weather: sunny and hot.
|
Heat 2:
It was announced that Brivio was not feeling well and that Chiron would take over his car for the second heat that was planned to start at 2:45 p.m. Indeed in less than half an hour after the
end of the first heat, the second race was flagged off with the grid formed according to the results in the first heat.
|
| | | |
|
26
Wimille
Bugattti
|
16
Straight
Maserati
|
24
Chiron
Alfa Romeo
|
28
Soffietti
Maserati
|
6
Rüesch
Maserati
|
4
Marret
Bugatti
|
10
Chambost
Maserati
|
12
Boucly
Bugatti
|
2
Hellé-Nice
Alfa Romeo
|
|
Wimille took the lead of the race and opened up a very high tempo, doing the first lap in 4m54s (99.2 km/h), 12 seconds faster than in the first heat. He was followed by Straight,
Chiron, Chambost, Soffietti, Rüesch, Marret and Boucly. Chiron made a gesture to the race director indicating that Straight was unfairly blocking him.
At the end of the second lap Chiron managed to pass Straight in front of the stands and started to close in on Wimille, doing a 4m48s (101.3 km/h) lap. Before the end of the third
round he passed Wimille for the lead after a great tussle between them.
Chiron opened up a 100 meters gap during the fourth lap and he did the fifth lap in a record time of 4m44s (102.7 km/h) to lead by 5 seconds:
| 1. Chiron (Alfa Romeo) | 24m02.4s |
| 2. Wimille (Bugatti) | 24m07.4s |
| 3. Straight (Maserati) | 24m37.0s |
| 4. Rüesch (Maserati) | 26m06.8s |
In the great duel Wimille kept near to the Alfa Romeo never allowing the gap to get higher than eight seconds. From the sixth lap onwards Wimille started to close in and retook the lead
at the ninth lap as the unfortunate Chiron made a pit stop because of a broken shock-absorber bracket. There was not much to be done and Chiron was immediately sent back to attempt to
take the car to the chequered flag.
After 10 laps Wimille led Chiron by 44.8s. Straight was over a minute behind the latter with Rüesch fourth and Soffietti fifth.
| 1. Wimille (Bugatti) | 48m02.0s |
| 2. Chiron (Alfa Romeo) | 48m46.8s |
| 3. Straight (Maserati) | 49m49.8s |
| 4. Rüesch (Maserati) | 51m51.2s |
| 5. Soffietti (Maserati) | 51m54.2s |
| 6. Chambost (Maserati) | 52m57.6s |
| 7. Marret (Bugatti) | 54m57.2s |
| 8. Boucly (Bugatti) | 55m49.8s |
| 9. Hellé-Nice (Alfa Romeo) | 58m15.0s |
On the eleventh round Rüesch gave up the race, leaving fourth position to Soffietti, another victim of the local fuel? Straight soon closed in on the struggling Chiron and on the thirteenth
lap he passed the Alfa Romeo for second position. However, on the last lap Straight had to retire due to a gearbox failure, giving back second position to Chiron.
However, Wimille was in a class of his own, taking the chequered flag with almost a 3 1/2 minute margin, to win both heats. Chiron finished second in Brivio's car, Soffietti was third and
Chambost fourth. The last cars had barely stopped before the spectators as usual in the French races invaded the course.
|
Results
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Entrant | Car | Type | Engine | Laps | Time/Status | Diff |
|
| 1. | 26 | Jean-Pierre Wimille | Automobiles E. Bugatti | Bugatti | T59 | 3.3 | S-8 | 15 | 1h13m28.0s |
| 2. | 24 | Louis Chiron | Scuderia Ferrari | Alfa Romeo | Tipo B/P3 | 2.9 | S-8 | 15 | 1h16m52.2s | + 3m24.2s |
| 3. | 28 | Luigi Soffietti | Scuderia Siena | Maserati | 8CM | 3.0 | S-8 | 15 | 1h18m45.2s | + 5m17.2s |
| DNF | 16 | Whitney Straight | Whitney Straight Ltd. | Maserati | 8CM | 3.0 | S-8 | 14 | gearbox |
| 4. | 10 | Albert Chambost | A. Chambost | Maserati | 8CM | 3.0 | S-8 | 14 | 1h14m14.6s |
| 5. | 4 | Victor Marret | V. Marret | Bugatti | T51 | 2.3 | S-8 | 14 | 1h17m10.6s |
| 6. | 12 | Roger Boucly | R. Boucly | Bugatti | T51 | 2.3 | S-8 | 14 | 1h17m52.0s |
| 7. | 2 | Mlle "Hellé-Nice" | Mlle "Hellé-Nice" | Alfa Romeo | Monza | 2.3 | S-8 | 13 | 1h16m00.0s |
| DNF | 6 | Hans Rüesch | T. Nuvolari | Maserati | 6C-34 | 3.7 | S-6 | 11 | fuel |
|
Fastest lap: Louis Chiron (Alfa Romeo) on lap 5 in 4m44s = 102.7 km/h (63.8 mph)
Winner's medium speed: 99.2 km/h (61.7 mph)
Weather: sunny and hot.
|
Results, total
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Entrant | Car | Type | Engine | Laps | Time/Status | Diff |
|
| 1. | 26 | Jean-Pierre Wimille | Automobiles E. Bugatti | Bugatti | T59 | 3.3 | S-8 | 30 | 2h27m43.8s |
| 2. | 22/24 | Louis Chiron | Scuderia Ferrari | Alfa Romeo | Tipo B/P3 | 2.9 | S-8 | 30 | 2h33m21.8s | + 5m38.0s |
| 3. | 28 | Luigi Soffietti | Scuderia Siena | Maserati | 8CM | 3.0 | S-8 | 30 | 2h37m14.0s | + 9m30.2s |
| 4. | 4 | Victor Marret | V. Marret | Bugatti | T51 | 2.3 | S-8 | 28 | 2h34m11.8s |
| 5. | 10 | Albert Chambost | A. Chambost | Maserati | 8CM | 3.0 | S-8 | 27 | 2h27m27.4s |
| 6. | 12 | Roger Boucly | R. Boucly | Bugatti | T51 | 2.3 | S-8 | 26 | 2h34m12.8s |
| 7. | 2 | Mlle "Hellé-Nice" | Mlle "Hellé-Nice" | Alfa Romeo | Monza | 2.3 | S-8 | 26 | 2h32m36.4s |
|
Winner's medium speed: 98.7 km/h (61.3 mph)
|
|
|
In retrospect:
After the race some of the drivers went to the Maison-Carée cemetery in Alger to visit Guy Moll's grave.
Regarding adding heat times Maurice Henry in L'Auto wrote: "La formule est simple..." Well, actually it was not that easy. With Chiron changing car, was it the driver's
times or the time of the car that should be added?
Chiron's combined time was 2h33m21.8s while car #24's combined time was 2h31m30.6s.
Most papers avoided the problem by just announcing the order Wimille and Chiron without giving any combined times or did not mention the combined results it at all. Motor Sport
and Le Matin gave Chiron's combined time 2h33m21.8s but Echo de Alger's reporter wrote at the start of the second heat:
"Chiron's result is 23 seconds behind Wimille. Will he make up for it?" i.e. he was actually referring to the result of car #24 from heat 1 rather than to Chiron and later when Chiron
led Wimille by 5 seconds: "There are 18 seconds left to do".
Note however that Chiron started the second heat on his "own" position of the grid (4th changed to 3rd) rather than Brivio's position ( 2nd) indicating that it was the driver that
counted rather than the car. Therefore the combined times for the driver is shown in the results table above as we believe that to be the correct one.
(Also, when adding times it would be preferable to let the racers race all the way to the end rather than flag them off with laps to go as this might in worst case mess up things badly.)
Chiron's fastest lap time in the first heat is from Sheldon's "black book". I have not been able to confirm it from any other source.
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Primary sources researched for this article:
L'Auto , Paris
Echo de Alger, Alger
Echo de Paris, Paris
Le Figaro, Paris
Le Matin, Paris
Le Petit Marocain, Casablanca
Motor Sport, London
Paris-Soir, Paris
Special thanks to:
Adam Ferrington
Markus Neugebauer
Robert Van der Plasken
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25 November 1934: Mercedes head designer Hans Nibel dies of a stroke. Max Sailer takes over the job.
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23 December 1934: Kelly Petillo (Stewens/Summer-Sparks) wins the 126 lap Mines Field Indycar championship race at Inglewood, California.
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27 December 1934: Whitney Straight (Maserati 8CM 3.0L) wins the I South African GP handicap race at
East London (Results).
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