Motorsport year 1897
In the motorsport year 1897 , only a few races took place over comparatively short distances. Instead, however, the speed week was held in Nice for the first time, in which a number of different competitions were held. This included a short race from Nice to La Turbie - arguably the first hill climb for automobiles ever, as well as a drag race called "Sprint", which can be considered the first drag race .
race calendar
date | run | winner | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 29.-31.01. | Marseille – Nice – La Turbie | Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat ( Trepardoux & Cie. ) |
2 | 07/24 | Paris - Dieppe | Paul Jamin ( Leon Bollee ) |
3 | 08/14 | Paris- Trouville | Gilles Hourgieres ( Panhard & Levassor ) |
4 | 22.-23.08. | Lyon - Uriage - Lyon | Etienne Giraud ( Panhard & Levassor ) |
5 | 12.09. | Arona - Stresa -Arona | Giuseppe Cobianchi ( Benz ) |
race results
Marseille - La Turbie
place | driver | team | time |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Gaston de Chasseloup Laubat | Trepardoux & Cie. | 7:45:09 a.m |
2 | Georges Lemaitre | peugeot | + 21.18 min |
3 | Charles Prevost | Panhard & Levassor | + 40.51 mins |
The first international race of the year Marseille–La Turbie took place on the French Riviera . In three daily stages from January 29th to 31st, 1897, they had to drive from Marseille to La Turbie via Fréjus and Nice . There were two categories: automobiles and motorcycles, the latter also including motorized tricycles and even voiturettes .
Steep hills and sharp curves characterized the demanding 233 km route, for which the winner Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat achieved a time of around 7 hours 45 minutes, i.e. an average speed of around 30 km/h.
This was the only one of the great long-distance voyages that could be won by a steam carriage ; Chasseloup-Laubat was also able to win all three daily stages.
Paris-Dieppe
place | driver | team | time |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Paul Jamin | Leon Bollee | 4:13:33 a.m |
2 | Albert de Dion | De Dion Bouton | + 6.01 mins |
3 | Gilles Hourgieres | Panhard & Levassor | + 22.27 mins |
In the race from Paris to Dieppe over 171 km on July 24, 1897, there were different car classes for the first time: two-seaters, four-seaters, six-seaters, voiturettes (i.e. small vehicles) and three-wheelers (tricycles).
Paris-Trouville
place | driver | team | time |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Gilles Hourgieres | Panhard & Levassor | 4:16.03 h |
2 | Georges Lemaitre | peugeot | + 1.37 mins |
3 | Albert de Dion | De Dion Bouton | + 10.22 mins |
The Paris–Trouville race on August 14, 1897 was conducted over 173 km from Paris to Trouville-sur-Mer in Normandy .
Motorcycles and four-wheeled cars started together. The winner, Gilles Hourgières, achieved an average speed of over 40 km/h.
literature
- Anthony Bird: De Dion Bouton - First Automobile Giant ; Ballantine's Illustrated History of the Car marque book No 6. (1971) Ballantine Books Inc. 101 Fifth Ave., New York, No. 02322-6 (English)
- Anthony Bird: The single-cylinder De Dion Boutons ; Profile Publications No. 25; Profile Publications Ltd., Leatherhead, Surrey, England (English)
- Jacques Rousseau: Guide de l'Automobile française , Editions Solar, Paris (1988); ISBN 2-263-01105-6 Hardcover (French)
web links
- Hans Etzrodt: GRAND PRIX WINNERS 1895-1949. Part 1 (1895-1916). www.kolumbus.fi, accessed 19 May 2020 (English).
- 1897 Grand Prix and Paris Races. (No longer available online.) www.teamdan.com Archived from the original on February 8, 2019 ; Retrieved May 19, 2020 (English).