Motor sport year 1905
The motorsport year 1905 was a transition season to the first Grand Prix season in 1906 . The Gordon Bennett Cup , with its strict restrictions on only three vehicles per nation, no longer met the French automotive industry's claim to equal opportunities and was therefore held for the last time this year.
Race results
Gordon Bennett Cup - Auvergne
| space | driver | team | time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 Léon Théry
|
Richard Brasier | 7: 02.46.6 h |
| 2 |
 Felice Nazzaro
|
Fiat | + 7.26.6 min |
| 3 |
Alessandro Cagno
|
Fiat | + 19.40.0 min |
Although 1905 was the last time the Gordon Bennett Cup was driven, there was another great international competition. The Circuit du Auvergne, an extremely demanding circuit in the hilly landscape near Clermont-Ferrand with a lap length of 137.5 km and no fewer than 177 corners, was selected as the circuit , which was also called Circuit Michelin at the instigation of the tire manufacturer located there . Compared to the Taunus circuit from the previous year, the difficulty has again increased significantly. French teams were able to start training runs on the track months before the race and the French elimination race, which was necessary again, was held on it, so that the local participants had an advantage in terms of track knowledge. In return, Mercedes was able to send two complete teams into the race alone, which, as in the previous year, competed for Germany and Austria. The remaining field consisted of three other teams from Great Britain, Italy and the USA, so a total of 18 participants entered the race. Instead of the generally expected renewed Franco-German duel, however, it was primarily the FIAT racing cars of the Italian team that initially determined the course of the race, with which only the two Richard-Brasiers from last year's winner Léon Théry and Gustave Caillois could keep up. Only after the failure of front runner Vincenzo Lancia was Théry able to win the lead again for the French team and hold it until the end of the race. He was the first and only driver who could win the Gordon Bennett Cup twice. Second and third place went to FIAT drivers Felice Nazzaro and Alessandro Cagno , 17 and 19 minutes behind respectively, ahead of Caillois in fourth place. The Mercedes team, on the other hand, experienced a real debacle due to enormous tire wear. According to reports, the racing cars, which had once again been significantly increased in performance, were too front-heavy for the track characteristics, and due to the current weight limit of 1007 kg, lighter and therefore less durable tires had to be selected. The best Mercedes driver in the end was Christian Werner in 5th place, already over an hour behind.
Due to the disadvantage of the French automotive industry, which alone comprised more manufacturers than in the rest of Europe, the races for the Gordon Bennett Cup were subsequently replaced from 1906 by the Grand Prix de l´ACF as a new format.
Ardennes Race - Bastogne
| space | driver | team | time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Victor Hémery
|
Darracq | 5: 58.32.2 h |
| 2 |
Henri Tart
|
Panhard & Levassor | + 15.05.6 min |
| 3 |
Hubert Le Blon
|
Panhard & Levassor | + 24.23.8 min |
The traditional Ardennes race in Bastogne , Belgium , brought about the breakthrough for Victor Hémery on August 7, 1905, who won two Panhards with Darracq.
Vanderbilt Cup - Long Island
| space | driver | team | time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Victor Hémery
|
Darracq | 4: 36.08.0 h |
| 2 |
.svg){kind=small} George Heath
|
Panhard & Levassor | + 3.32.0 min |
| 3 |
Joe Tracy
|
Locomobile | + 22.18.0 min |
Once again the American industrialist William Kissam Vanderbilt II invited the European elite drivers to a circuit race on Long Island . The route was changed compared to the previous year. 283 miles (455.5 km) had to be driven in 10 laps.
The preliminary round for the USA (it was the nationality of the car manufacturer , not the driver that counted ) was won by Bert Dingley in the 60 hp Pope Toledo with the starting number 3 in front of Joe Tracy's red 90 hp locomobile with the number 7. It caused displeasure the decision of the American Automobile Association (AAA) Racing Committee that the three remaining contestants for the USA were determined by the committee regardless of rank. Thus came J. Walter Christie with its front-wheel drive race cars of their own design with 50 hp, Walter White with a 40 PS (no. 11) White - Steam race car (no. 19) and a second Pope-Toledo (No. 15 with Herbert Lytle. ) at the start.
At the race on October 14, 1905, as in the previous year's race, there were problems with spectators who stormed the track. An estimated 100,000 visitors followed the action on the route.
Of the 20 vehicles registered, 19 appeared at the start. The best team from the host USA was Locomobile in third place; Both Pope-Toledo were forced to close on the 6th lap after piston problems, White and Christie were out. The latter had an accident on his third lap after fuel problems with the then leading Vincenzo Lancia in a 120-hp FIAT on his eighth lap. By the time when Lancia had overlooked Christie returning to the track and had hit him from behind, his lead was 30 mi (48 km) on the eventual Second Hémery; by then he had dominated the race over 113 mi (182 km) with an average of 72 mph (116 km / h). The accident went smoothly for the participants, but Lancia lost half an hour due to a broken wheel and only finished fourth. The French Victor Hémery won ahead of local hero George Heath and the acclaimed Locomobile. Jenatzy in a Mercedes (No. 1) retired on the fourth lap with engine failure (bearing).
Interesting constructions took part in the race, such as the White Steamer (the only steam car ever to compete in a Vanderbilt Cup), Christie's innovative racing car with front-wheel drive and the leading European manufacturers Mercedes , Panhard & Levassor, De Dietrich , Renault and FIAT had the Locomobile not only the largest engine in the competition - the four-cylinder produced 1195 ci (19,583 cm³) - it was also the only US participant with competitive performance. The later winning car, the powerfully motorized 80 HP Darracq, was the lightest car in the field and the only one with cardan instead of chain drive. It also demonstrated the superior European technology at the time: without Lancia's accident, the first three places would have gone to France and Italy.
Web links
- vanderbiltcupraces.com: Race Statistics (English)
- vanderbiltcupraces.com: Classification with race course (English)
- 1905 Grand Prix. (No longer available online.) Www.teamdan.com, archived from the original on November 23, 2018 ; accessed on May 26, 2020 (English).