1 9 0 2
45 Selwyn Francis Edge
England
Napier
THIRD GORDON BENNETT RACE
Paris (F) - Innsbruck (A), 26- 28 June 1902 (Wednesday).
618 km (384 mi)
| No. | Driver | Entrant | Car | Type | Engine | Remarks |
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| 1 | Henri Fournier | France | Mors | 60 hp | 9.2 | S-4 |
| 5 | René de Knyff | France | Panhard | 70 hp | 13.7 | S-4 |
| 12 | Léonce Girardot | France | C.G.V. | 60 hp | 7.4 | S-4 |
| 45 | Selwyn Francis Edge | England | Napier | 40 hp | 6.5 | S-4 |
| 170 | Montague Graham-White | England | Wolseley | 30 hp | 6.0 | S-4 | DNS - did not start |
| 171 | Arthur Callen | England | Wolseley | 30 hp | 6.0 | S-4 | DNA - did not appear |
Edge on Napier wins the third Gordon Bennett Race
by Hans Etzrodt
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The 1902 Gordon-Bennett Cup race received, like both its predecessors, little attention. It ran concurrently with the huge Paris-Vienna race, for which the ACF had received 219 entries. The Trophy event was to end halfway
at Innsbruck after 618 km. Initially there were six entries, but as the two English Wolseley pulled out, only three French cars raced for the cup, just Fournier (Mors), de Knyff (Panhard) and Girardot (C.G.V.) challenged
by the Englishman Edge (Napier). They were racing together with over 100 contenders of the Paris-Vienna race, but the Bennett cars had preference of the large field. At the 408 km first stage Paris-Belfort, Girardot
split his fuel tank after 140 km and Fournier dropped out when his gearbox broke after 263 km while de Knyff was first at Belfort ahead of Edge. The second stage Belfort-Bregenz, 312 km went through Switzerland where
motor racing was not permitted and therefore was completely neutralized. The third stage Bregenz-Innsbruck, 210 km on the third day brought the end for the leading de Knyff (Panhard) when his differential broke after
568 km. Luckily one car survived, Edge (Napier), to bring the Gordon Bennett trophy to England. Due to a rule violation his debated victory was protested. An International Commission led by de Knyff checked the statements
and at the end the trophy was awarded to the Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland.
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The 1902 Gordon Bennett race had not yet attracted sufficient international interest by itself, so the ACF decided again to combine the Trophy race with the major Paris-Vienna contest that was drawing over 100 entries.
The 1902 Gordon Bennett regulations were updated with maximum weight of 1000 kg (2205 lb.) and 7 kg (15 lb.) allowed in case of magneto while the minimum weight was 650 kg as in 1901. The English Napier of Edge was now
painted in green after having been red in the years before.
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Entries:
The Automobile Club de France picked their team in February 1902 without eliminating trials. Panhard produced the most powerful racing car built at that time, a 70 hp car with a 4-cylinder engine with 160 x 170 mm bore and
stroke giving a capacity of 13.7 liters. Since Charron had retired from the Panhard agency, de Knyff was the obvious choice for Panhard.
Mors was content with a lower output of 60 hp extracted from a 9.3-liter engine. Mors abandoned the curved front axle after Levegh's experiences in 1901. Fournier was the simple choice for Mors since he was the winner of
Paris-Berlin in 1901.
The third place went logically to Léonce Girardot as the previous year's winner who drove a brand new 60 hp C.G.V. (Charron, Girardot, Voigt), raced by its president Girardot.
The Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland supported the green painted Napier driven by S.F. Edge with his cousin Cecil Edge as mechanic. The engine was a small affair of 127 x 127 mm bore and stroke giving a capacity
of 6.5 liter, though it developed 40 hp. It was not chain-driven but used a new system - through an aluminum gearbox the drive passed direct to the bevel gear set round the differential by a double universal jointed propeller
shaft to a live axle. The car was finished at the last moment and could only be tested in France, since racing was not allowed on public roads in England. Hasty gearbox repairs were necessary in Paris under Montague Napier's
supervision.
Three Wolseley cars left England for Paris in June, but only two of them turned up at the start. The 30 hp racers had 4-cylinder engines of 6-liter capacity. Montague Grahame-White was to drive one of the cars while Arthur
Callen drove the other one with Claude Johnson, Secretary of the A.C.G.B.I., as mechanic. None of the cars started in the Gordon Bennett race, but one Wolseley fitted with new crankshaft, was driven by Herbert Austin and
White, eventually joined the heavy car category past closing, to reach Belfort after 17h53m.
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Distance:
The total distance of 618 km consisted of the 1st stage Paris-Belford, 408 km, plus the 3rd stage Bregenz-Innsbruck, 210 km. The 2nd stage Belfort-Bregenz, 312 km, through Switzerland was neutralized and did not count.
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Race:
On Thursday 26. June 1902 the start took place in Champigny, a small community about 17 km east of Paris. The very large crowd was controlled by a strong police force to keep the hill clear for the racing cars, which dashed up
the gradient one after the other. Leading the kilometer-long column of racecars were the Gordon Bennett entries ahead of the numerous Paris-Vienna drivers, 34 heavy cars, 46 light cars, 15 voiturettes and many motorcycles.
In the semi-obscurity of dawn Huet, official timekeeper of the ACF was ready, when Girardot advanced slowly to the white banner which indicated the official place of the start. He dispatched Girardot at 3:30 amid thousands of
cheers. The car disappeared in a cloud of dust. The Englishman, Montague Graham White, did not show up, his crankshaft snapped within a few yards of the starting line, so he withdrew his Wolseley at the last minute.
Meanwhile Fournier on the Mors put himself under the orders of the starter and at 3:32 he shot away like an arrow. Next left the Englishman Edge with his giant Napier; his engine banged like a Canon. He was completely
dressed in leather, the cap turned around with the shield in the neck. Last of the Gordon Bennett cars was de Knyff with the full-blooded Panhard racecar. As the three Wolseley drivers did not start, the French cars had
to face only one Englishman. But the Wolseley of White, after a five-hour repair to fit a new crankshaft, was driven by Herbert Austin and White, started with the heavy car category after closing.
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| 3h30m00s | 12 Girardot | C.G.V. |
| 3h32m00s | 1 Fournier | Mors |
| 3h34m00s | 45 Edge | Napier |
| 3h36m00s | 5 de Knyff | Panhard |
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First Stage - Paris-Belfort, 408 km on 26. June 1902
Provins, 74.5 km
The town was neutralized in 8 minutes, which had to be added to the already neutralized 31 minutes in the places which the cars had passed before.
| 1. | Fournier (Mors) | 4h39m15s |
| 2. | de Knyff (Panhard) | 4h44m04s |
| 3. | Edge (Napier) | 4h49m15s |
| 4. | Girardot (C.G.V.) | 5h12m30s |
Troyes, 147.5 km
Up to Troyes which was neutralized in 30 minutes Fournier got excellent time. Girardot broke down in Provins after 140 km. He had to give up with a leaking fuel tank which split open.
Much later, Girardot passed Troyes at 12h59m45s when he had a bandage on his head. He must have been injured, but it was impossible to know where and how because he continued
without stopping.
| 1. | Fournier (Mors) | 5h39m00s |
| 2. | de Knyff (Panhard) | 5h41m30s |
| 3. | Edge (Napier) | 6h04m00s |
| 4. | Girardot (C.G.V.) | 12h59m45s |
Bar sur Aube, 200.5 km
The town was neutralized in 15 minutes.
| 1. | Fournier (Mors) | 6h40m20s |
| 2. | de Knyff (Panhard) | 6h44m30s |
| 3. | Edge (Napier) | 7h13m30s |
Chaumont, 240 km
The town was neutralized in nine minutes. Fournier punctured his tires twice after Chaumont, causing a loss of 20 minutes. The strong headwind was a great hindrance but helped a little to drive the dust off the road.
| 1. | Fournier (Mors) | 7h33m00s |
| 2. | de Knyff (Panhard) | 7h37m10s |
| 3. | Edge (Napier) | 8h11m00s |
Langres 273.5 km
The town was neutralized in 15 minutes. Fournier made first-rate time up to Chaumont. Then, as he went at high speed past Nangis and just 10 km ahead of Langres, a broken clutch shaft on his Mors decided his fate but
he was able to reach Langres after de Knyff on the Panhard. When Maurice Farman of the open race slowed down to inquire as he passed town, Fournier declared that the damage was irreparable.
| 1. | de Knyff (Panhard) | 8h09m00s |
| 2. | Fournier (Mors) | 8h28m00s |
| 3. | Edge (Napier) | 8h55m00s |
Port sur Saône 335 km
The town was neutralized in 10 minutes. De Knyff led Edge by almost one hour. The large delay by Edge was caused by his coil giving trouble and his engine was therefore not creating its full power most of the time.
| 1. | de Knyff (Panhard) | 9h14m00s |
| 2. | Edge (Napier) | 10h12m00s |
Vesoul 347.5 km
De Knyff was France's only hope. He drove superbly, finishing first at Vesoul, leading Edge by a great margin.
| 1. | de Knyff (Panhard) | 9h35m00s |
| 2. | Edge (Napier) | 10h33m00s |
Belfort 408 km
The arrival took place on the outskirts of Belfort. The road on each side was roped off, guarded by soldiers and police to keep the large crowd under control. After the start at Champigny, 29 places had been passed,
totaling a neutralization time of 2h55m. The neutralization distance amounted to about 20 km, lowering the distance to approximately 388 km. De Knyff said that he seldom had such a smooth and accident-free drive
without the smallest stop from Paris to Belfort. De Knyff was awarded the Arenberg Cup for cars running on alcohol.
There were only two challengers left for the Gordon Bennett Cup, Edge on the notoriously unreliable Napier and De Knyff on his fast 70 hp Panhard. However, a weakness had developed within the Panhard's differential,
which caused the Frenchman considerable concern in view of the rough roads ahead. All the cars were locked up overnight in a huge artillery riding school and cars could not be checked over or repaired.
| 1. | de Knyff (Panhard) | 10h47m30.4s |
| 2. | Edge (Napier) | 12h32m18.6s |
Belfort Classification
De Knyff's arrival time at 10h47m30.4s less the start time of 3h36m and less 2h55m neutralization was totaling in a time of 4h16m30.4s. De Knyff averaged 84 km/h or 52.16 mph.
| 1. | de Knyff (Panhard) | 4h16m30.4s |
| 2. | Edge (Napier) | 6h03m28.8s |
Second Stage - Belfort-Bregenz, 312 km on 27. June 1902
The Belfort-Bregenz stretch went through Switzerland and was strictly neutralized without results as motor racing was not allowed by law. So, all cars had to drive like tourists, not exceeding
the 15 km/h speed limit. At the early morning start, some cars had developed trouble, lost their water during the night because their cylinders had leaked down during the long standing in the compound.
While some cars were easy to start, others had to make great efforts to get going. Cars not ready to leave the compound within two minutes of the signal were pushed by a squad of soldiers outside the
gates and the time was taken without delay.
The start was from the parc Champ Mars. De Knyff started first at 3h30m while Edge departed in 11th position at 3h50m00s. Of the 106 arrivals 105 left in succession.
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| 3h30m00s | 5 de Knyff | Panhard |
| 3h50m00s | 45 Edge | Napier |
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Basel 116 km
The passage across Switzerland was strictly neutralized
| 1. | de Knyff (Panhard) | 7h45m00s |
| 2. | Edge (Napier) | no time |
Brugg 160 km
| 1. | de Knyff (Panhard) | 10h02m00s |
| 2. | Edge (Napier) | no time |
Zürich 195 km
| 1. | de Knyff (Panhard) | 11h36m00s |
| 2. | Edge (Napier) | no time |
St. Gallen 275 km
| 1. | de Knyff (Panhard) | 14h25m00s |
| 2. | Edge (Napier) | no time |
Bregenz 312 km
The cars arrived at Bregenz in the afternoon. De Knyff was first, followed by Edge just minutes ahead. In the evening cars and drivers stayed in a park at Lake Constance. During his passage across
Switzerland the sleeve of the differential casing of de Knyff's Panhard had broken.
| 1. | de Knyff (Panhard) | 15h41m00s |
| 2. | Edge (Napier) | 15h44m38s |
Bregenz Classification
When de Knyff arrived at 3:41 p.m., he was given an ovation at least as considerable as in Belfort, only the ovation took place half in French, half in German. When questioned he was delighted
with his day.
| 1. | de Knyff (Panhard) | 3h41m00.0s |
| 2. | Edge (Napier) | 3h44m38.0s |
Third Stage - Bregenz-Innsbruck, 210 km on 28. June 1902
The start was again early morning. From the park through the neutralized town Bregenz were 15 minutes allotted to the actual start at Lauterach. Little interest was attached to the Gordon Bennett cup,
since the victory for de Knyff was a forgone conclusion, barring some accident to his Panhard. Edge was a doubtful outsider. De Knyff started first, while Edge departed in 4th position. All others
started also with gaps of 30 seconds in the order of their arrival in Bregenz.
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| 4h00m00s | 5 de Knyff | Panhard |
| 4h01m30s | 45 Edge | Napier |
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Bludenz 60 km
The town was neutralized in twelve minutes, which had to be added to the 65 minutes of neutralization applied in the villages having been passed before. Exiting Bregenz, Edge left the road and his Napier
ended in the River Ache. Edge explained that he had vigorously protested when his car was pulled out of the water by 40 people and brought back onto the road. Edge claimed that he tried to shy away the
people, but they did not understand him. Edge attempted to fend off the very helpful people. Luckily, he was not successful. The race regulations had been violated. Out of a deliberation afterwards he
was not disqualified.
| 1. | de Knyff (Panhard) | 5h09m00s |
| 2. | Edge (Napier) | 6h01m00s |
Langen 82 km
After Langen ensued the climb over the Arlberg. The steep road was in poor condition with ruts and loose stones abounding and hundreds of deep gutters crossing the road at right angles. Both ascent and
descent had to be managed with de Knyff leading. Edge was swerving down the mountain pass with the brake linings of the Napier burned out. He had lost the toolbox and all spare inner tubes, so whenever
a puncture occurred, they had to pull off the tires with bare and bleeding hands. Without a jack they had to move the car back and forth.
| 1. | de Knyff (Panhard) | 5h44m00s |
| 2. | Edge (Napier) | no time |
Landeck 127 km
The town was neutralized in 20 minutes. After climbing the Arlberg de Knyff was again in the lead ahead of Edge and the Farman brothers. The weather was excellent.
| 1. | de Knyff (Panhard) | 6h32m00s |
| 2. | Edge (Napier) | no time |
Imst 145 km
The town was neutralized in 8 minutes. De Knyff was still in the lead.
| 1. | de Knyff (Panhard) | 7h07m00s |
| 2. | Edge (Napier) | no time |
Telfs, 181 km
The town was neutralized in 10 minutes. De Knyff's Panhard broke down before he could reach Telfs, either 30 or 50 km ahead of Innsbruck, in both cases the breakdown was ahead of Telfs with broken gears
in his differential. Thus, Edge was leading the Gordon Bennett Cup race.
Innsbruck 210 km
Zirl, after 185 km was neutralized in 5 minutes. The arrival of the drivers took place at the entrance to the Innsbruck checkpoint. When Edge reached the town, shortly afterwards de Knyff got in, towed
behind Gondoin's Panhard. As de Knyff had retired ahead of Innsbruck, the Gordon Bennett Cup would fall to Edge (Napier). Edge was radiant and joyful at having successfully completed the Gordon Bennett
course. This meant that the A.C.G.B.I. had to organize the next race in England.
The loss of the trophy by France was not at all welcome. After the race there was an attempt to disqualify Edge on grounds that he had received outside assistance to get the car back on the road after
he had gone off. Edge denied this and an International Commission, led by de Knyff, checked the statements and at the end the trophy was awarded to England. The French protests might have been upheld,
if de Knyff had not sportingly intervened. But whichever way one looked at the race, France had not won.
Edge's time of 6h03m28,8s for Paris-Belfort plus 4h38m30s for Bregenz-Innsbruck added to 10h41m58.8s.
| 1. | Edge (Napier) | 10h41m58.8s |
Innsbruck Classification
| 1. | Edge (Napier) | 4h38m30s. The total distance of 618 km he completed in 10h41m58.8s. |
After a brief stop at Innsbruck, Edge carried on reaching Salzburg in 17th position. The next day he continued to arrive in Vienna in 21st position.
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Results
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Entrant | Car | Type | Engine | Distance | Time/Status |
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| 1. | 45 | Selwyn Francis Edge | England | Napier | 40hp | 6.5 | S-4 | 618 km | 10h41m58.8s |
| DNF | 5 | René de Knyff | France | Panhard | 70hp | 13.7 | S-4 | 568 km | differential |
| DNF | 1 | Henri Fournier | France | Mors | 60hp | 9.2 | S-4 | 273 km | clutch |
| DNF | 12 | Léonce Girardot | France | C.G.V. | 60hp | 7.4 | S-4 | 140 km | fuel tank |
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Winner's average speed 57.8 km/h (35.9 mph).
Weather: hot, dry.
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In retrospect:
Intermediate and final times differed between the sources. The selected times are thought to be correct.
Telegraph (London) 1. July 1902 > It has only to be added in this retrospect of the memorable motor-car run from Paris to Vienna that Mr. Edge, the English competitor for the Gordon-Bennett Cup,
who was first in at the goal at Innsbruck, claims his right to the prize before all the comers. There was some talk of his disqualification, as it was alleged that he received some assistance from peasants
when he was in difficulties on the road, but in conversation with the representative of the New York Herald at Vienna, he stated that he got clear of the trouble without help from anybody. He therefore
claims the International Cup, and protests against unfounded rumours.
Daily Mail (London) 5. July 1902 > Whether Mr. Edge will be permitted to retain the cup in view of the protests made against him remains to be seen. To the protest that he allowed some peasants
to assist him in regaining the road when his car had fallen over the parapet, he gives an unqualified denial. The men certainly offered their help, which was refused. With the assistance of his cousin,
Cecil Edge, he rightened the car, and repairing the damage drove the machine along the grass util the slope was sufficiently easy to allow of the car being driven up on to the road. It is also stated that
M. Michelin has protested that the tyres used were not of British manufacture, as was required by the conditions. As a matter of fact, they were made in Birmingham, so that it should be easy to dispose of
this objection.
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Primary sources researched for this article:
Allgemeine Automobil-Zeitung, Berlin
Allgemeine Automobil-Zeitung, Wien
Daily Mail, London
L'Auto-Vélo, Paris
La France Automobile, Paris
La Presse, Paris
Le Figaro, Paris
Le Matin, Paris
Le Petit Parisien, Paris
Le Vélo, Paris
Motor Age, Chicago
The Autocar, London
The Telegraph, London
The Times, London
Special thanks to:
Adam Ferrington
Richard Armstrong
Gerald Rose: A Record of Motor Racing
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