Eugen Bjørnstad

Eugen Bjørnstad (born December 13, 1909 in Oslo , † August 13, 1992 in the United States ) was a Norwegian racing driver and the first Grand Prix participant in his country.

life and career

Bjørnstad's career fell in the 1930s, the time of the grand prizes before the establishment of a world championship . Although he never took part in the so-called Grandes Épreuves , on which the Grand Prix European Championship ranking was based, he was quite successful in smaller races. Ice races were his specialty . Initially traveling on a Fiat Amilcar and Bugatti , he switched to an Alfa Romeo 8C Monza , which he later sold to his Swedish rival Tore Berg ; his final season in 1937, he played with a former ERA - Trailer . At the end of 1937 he ended his racing career and from then on concentrated on his main job as a car salesman. He later moved to the United States , where he died at the age of 82.

Bjørnstad was known to be very easy to get along with and was highly respected in the paddock. On the racetrack, however, he was known for his aggressive driving style. His usual tactic was to take the lead as early as possible and defend it at all costs. This behavior repeatedly led to discussions regarding alleged false starts and disabilities.

statistics

Grand Prix results

season	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th
1932
	5
1933
	DSQ *	3 *	DNF	1	3	DNS
1934
	DNF *	DNF *	1	DNS	DNF
1935
	5 *	2 *	9
1936
	DNF *	1 *	1 *	1 *	1
1937
	1 *	1 *	1	3	3	7th	DNF

Note: For a better overview, not all of the sometimes very numerous races of the season are listed, only those in which Eugen Bjørnstad was registered. Races marked with an * were ice races.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Profile of Eugen Bjørnstad on kolumbus.fi . Retrieved October 27, 2013