11 Paul Bablot
Automobiles Delage
Delage Y
19 Albert Guyot
Automobiles Delage
Delage Y
25 Theodor Pilette
Theodor Pilette
Mercedes 100 hp
GRAND PRIX DE FRANCE
Sarthe (F), 5 August, 1913 (Tuesday).
10 laps x 54.061 km (33.592 mi) = 540.610 km (335.92 mi)
| No. | Driver | Entrant | Car | Type | Engine | Mechanic or Remarks |
|
| 1 | Lucièn Molon | Vinot et Deguignand | Vinot-Deguignand | | 3.0 | S-4 | Coupe de la Sarthe |
| 2 | Fernand Crespelle | Fernand Crespelle | Crespelle | | 3.0 | S-4 | Coupe de la Sarthe |
| 3 | Jean Porporato | Gregoire et Cie | Gregoire | | 3.0 | S-4 | Coupe de la Sarthe |
| 4 | Léon Molon | Vinot et Deguignand | Vinot-Deguignand | | 3.0 | S-4 | Coupe de la Sarthe |
| 10 | René Champoiseau | Automobiles Th. Schneider | Schneider | | 5.4 | S-4 |
| 11 | Paul Bablot | Automobiles Delage | Delage | Y | 6.2 | S-4 |
| 12 | Otto Salzer | Theodore Pilette | Mercedes | 90 hp | 7.2 | S-6 |
| 13 | Georges Boillot | Automobiles et Cycles Peugeot | Peugeot | EX3 | 5.6 | S-4 | DNA - did not appear |
| 14 | Joseph Christiaens | SA des Auto Excelsior | Excelsior | | 6.1 | S-6 |
| 15 | Carl Jörns | Adam Opel | Opel | | 4.0 | S-4 | DNA - did not appear |
| 16 | José de Moraès | José de Moraès | Benz | | 15.1 | S-4 |
| 17 | Vasily Soldatenkov | Vasily Vasilyevich Soldatenkov | Brasier | | 13.6 | S-4 |
| 18 | Maurice Croquet | Automobiles Th. Schneider | Schneider | | 5.4 | S-4 |
| 19 | Albert Guyot | Automobiles Delage | Delage | Y | 6.2 | S-4 |
| 20 | Christian Lautenschlager | Theodore Pilette | Mercedes | 90 hp | 7.2 | S-6 |
| 21 | Jules Goux | Automobiles et Cycles Peugeot | Peugeot | EX3 | 5.6 | S-4 | DNA - did not appear |
| 22 | Lydston G. Hornstead | SA des Auto Excelsior | Excelsior | | 6.1 | S-6 |
| 23 | Fernand Gabriel | Automobiles Th. Schneider | Schneider | | 5.4 | S-4 |
| 24 | Arthur Duray | Automobiles Delage | Delage | Y | 6.2 | S-4 |
| 25 | Theodore Pilette | Theodore Pilette | Mercedes | 100 hp | 9.5 | S-4 |
| 26 | René Thomas | Automobiles Th. Schneider | Schneider | | 5.4 | S-4 |
| 27 | Leon Elskamp | Theodore Pilette | Mercedes | 37/90hp | 9.5 | S-4 |
| 28 | Charles de Monte | Baron C. de Monte | Fiat | 200 hp | | | DNA - did not appear |
|
Bablot wins 1913 Grand Prix de France
by Hans Etzrodt
The 1913 Grand Prix de France was held by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest over 10 laps of the 54.061 km Le Mans course. The Grand Prix was sub-divided into the Coupe de la Sarthe, a race for 3-liter
cars, and those of unlimited engine size; both events were run concurrently. The 19 starters included four 3-liter cars, 3 Delage, 4 Schneider, 1 Brasier, 2 Belgian Excelsior, 1 Benz and 4 Mercedes
which were entered by the Belgian Mercedes agent Pilette.
At the first lap the three Delage of Bablot, Guyot and Duray were split by an Excelsior in second place; thereafter the Delage team held the lead until lap six. Pilette in the fastest Mercedes ran
fifth, Hornstead (Excelsior) sixth, followed by Lautenschlager (Mercedes), Croquet (Schneider), Salzer and Elskamp, both (Mercedes), covering the first ten places. On the 6th lap when Duray (Delage)
fell behind with a puncture, Pilette (Mercedes) rose to third place but was over six minutes behind Bablot. By that time the field was down to nine cars.
On the 7th lap when Guyot changed one tire, Pilette gained second place. This made the battle between Delage and Mercedes more exciting. Pilette maintained second place on the 8th and 9th lap with
a gap of 6m34s behind the leader Bablot. At the end of the 9th lap Bablot stopped for tires, oil and fuel and his mechanic was unable to restart. Three other mechanics tried without success. Over
six minutes had passed, and the Mercedes of Pilette it was said could win. Gigantic excitement, since Bablot could lose the race but then retired driver Léon Molon cranked the engine to life, then
jumped onto the seat next to Bablot, who sped away driving a record lap. Bablot won the race, Guyot came second and Pilette had to stop with a puncture and finished third. There were six more finishers
and ten retirements.
|
|
Organized by the Automobile Club de la Sarthe with many of the preparation done by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest who concluded that in 1913 the interest had shifted to the big cars, and that the same type
of car as those in the Grand Prix de l'ACF at Amiens, should be entered for the 1913 Grand Prix de France, while the Coupe de la Sarthe was for the 3-L class. The color of the French cars, Delage, Schneider.
Brasier, Crespelle, Gregoire and Vinot-Deguignand, had to be blue, the Belgian Excelsior had to be yellow and the German Mercedes and Benz were painted white. The races were held over two days. On
Monday, 4. August, races were for 22 motorcycles, 4 sidecars, 19 cycle cars and voiturettes. This report describes the race on Tuesday, 5. August.
|
Circuit:
The Circuit de la Sarthe was so known because of its situation in the French region's department de la Sarthe and the Sarthe River but was also called simply the Le Mans circuit as it was located to the
east of Le Mans. It had a triangular shape and was 103.18 km long for the 1906 Grand Prix. At the 1911 Grand Prix de France on 24 July, it was shortened to 53 km and 12 laps, a total of 636 km. The same
affected the 9. September 1912 Grand Prix de France. At the 1913 event the circuit length was quoted in most reports as 54 km or 54.006 km or 54,6 km but was truly 54.061 km, but now only 10 laps, adding
up to 540.610 km, as listed by M@RS Mercedes-Benz Classic. The start was near the Le Mans end, at Hunaudières, heading in clockwise direction south-east along the endless flat straight, passing
Parigné-l'Evéque, then at Le Grand-Luce turned west, bypassing Saint-Mars-d'Outillé, and at Ecommoy turned north passing Mulsanne, then around the last turn just before the finish. There were two stands
at the start, holding 2000 spectators. The timekeeper stand was between the two stands at Hunaudières.
|
Entries:
The cars for the Grand Prix de France had no restrictions of weight or engine size, a free formula. The Delage, Schneider, Brasier and Excelsior cars had run at the ACF Amiens event just three weeks
earlier whereas the Pilette entered four Mercedes had been excluded by the ACF, as they were not factory entries. The A. C. S. O. had no problems with the Mercedes entries. To develop new designs after
their 1908 victory, Paul Daimler decided to experiment with different types of cars with lighter aero engines. They entered two 7.2-liter 6-cylinder cars based on the 1912 DF80 aero engines.
All cars were of lighter weight, had chain drive, same body shapes and vee radiators except the car of Elskamp. They considered this race as pre-trial for the 1914 Grand Prix.
Robert Dick > The 15-liter Benz was owned by de Moraes (= Júlio José Pereira de Moraès/born 20 January 1881 in Rio de Janeiro / died 25 July 1956 in Rio?), from L'Auto, 21 August 1912".
In 1913 GP Moraes had to give up, not for technical reasons but for fitness reasons." Initially Victor Hémery was supposed to drive but then its owner, the Marquis de Moraes, started.
The Excelsior driver Sigurd Hornstead is false, it was instead Lydston Granville Hornstead = L. G. "Cupid" Hornstead.
There was no Knight engined Mercedes in this 1913 Grand Prix de France. Pilette drove a shaft-driven 4-litre Knight (100 x 130 mm) a few weeks before in the Indy 500. Elskamp's 1913 GP de France car
was a 9.5-litre (130 x 180 mm, three overhead valves) originally built for the 1909 French Grand Prix (maximum bore 130 mm; the 1909 GP was called off). The Elskamp car was identical to the three
9.5-litres driven in the US by DePalma, Wishart and Clark. A similar/detuned engine was used in the 37/90 touring car.
Kent Karslake > The poor support for the Coupe de la Sarthe was dobtless due to the fact that the Coupe de L'Auto race had not yet been run, and that the leading builders of 3-litre racing cars were
loath to show their hand before the big event of the year, which had been put off until 21st September." There were just four entries, the Molon brothers were there with their 1912 Vinot-Deguignand 3-L.
The constructor F. Crespelle drove his 3-L Crespelle and Jean Porporato entered one of last year's 3-L Gregoire.
Reinhard Windeler > the 1905 Brasier was driven by Vasily Vasilyevich Soldatenkov, born 14 July 1879 in Moskov, died 31 July 1944 in Rome, Italy, where he spent many years of his life.
The name Fernand Crespelle is listed at the Ministère des Armées - Service historique de la Défence (SHD). Jimmy Piget wrote in 2002 that Fernand Crespelle died on 19 July 1944 in his house under a bombing on his town (near Tours).
The two Peugeot of Boillot and Goux did not start, because Boillot while working on his car ahead of the race in the factory injured his shoulder and Peugeot did not want to send a replacement driver and
Goux alone with only one car, so they did not want to take part. Carl Jörns with an Opel and the Baron Charles de Monte with a 200 hp Fiat also did not apear.
|
Scrutineering:
took place for motorcycles, sidecars and cycle cars on Sunday 3. August in Le Mans, at the Place de la République, in front of the A. C. S. O. offices, where the weighing and stamping operations took
place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but the Grand Prix de France cars had no weight restrictions.
|
Race:
At 6 a.m. thousands of sightseers were heading to the racetrack. Instead of the heat on the prior day, cloudy and fresh weather prevailed on Tuesday morning. For the control the organizer had assigned
1600 soldiers and gendarmes. The roads had been made for high speeds, but the surface was not very good. The cars lined up at the starting area and the first car would start at 8:01 a.m. The race numbers
on the cars were identical with starting times.
|
| | | | |
| |
| Time | No. | Driver | Car |
|
| 8h01m | 1 | Lucièn Molon | Vinot-Deguignand |
| 8h02m | 2 | Crespelle | Crespelle |
| 8h03m | 3 | Porporato | Gregoire |
| 8h04m | 4 | Léon Molon | Vinot-Deguignand |
| 8h10m | 10 | Champoiseau | Schneider |
| 8h11m | 11 | Bablot | Delage |
| 8h12m | 12 | Salzer | Mercedes |
| 8h14m | 14 | Christiaens | Excelsior |
| 8h16m | 16 | de Moraès | Benz |
| 8h17m | 17 | Soldatenkov | Brasier |
| 8h18m | 18 | Croquet | Schneider |
| 8h19m | 19 | Guyot | Delage |
| 8h20m | 20 | Lautenschlager | Mercedes |
| 8h22m | 22 | Hornstead | Excelsior |
| 8h23m | 23 | Gabriel | Schneider |
| 8h24m | 24 | Duray | Delage |
| 8h25m | 25 | Pilette | Mercedes |
| 8h26m | 26 | Thomas | Schneider |
| 8h27m | 27 | Elskamp | Mercedes |
| |
|
When the start began at the two stands at Hunaudières, which were packed, at 8:01 Molon made an excellent start. He was followed by Crespelle who also took off wonderfully, next was Porporato followed
one minute later by the second Vinot. At 8:10 started Champoiseau in the blue Schneider; he and his mechanic had their heads completely covered with a white cap with only two small holes for the eyes.
Pilette, the Belgian Mercedes driver was likewise white masked, Thomas on Schneider and Elskamp on Mercedes. At 8:14 the yellow Excelsior of Christiaens took off, then it was the turn of the
white 15-L Benz. Mr. de Moraes sat at the wheel smoking calmly his cigarette. A deep rumble sounded from inside his 15-L Benz as the car jumped away like a wild animal
Lap 1 -
At the end of the first lap the first car arriving was Crespelle who blasted past the grandstands at great speed, closely followed by Molon. Bablot, who appeared to be fastest, caused large movement
amongst the spectators. When Salzer's Mercedes passed, one could notice that the Mercedes were slower, Pilette in the other Mercede drove a bit faster. Champoiseau (Schneider) lost 16 minutes at his
depot. Crespelle lost in front of the grandstand one tire, which he had to replace.
| | DRIVERS / CARS | Lap time | 54.61 km |
| 1. | Bablot (Delage) | 25m12s |
| 2. | Christiaens (Excelsior) | 25m27s |
| 3. | Guyot (Delage) | 25m27s |
| 4. | Duray (Delage) | 26m18s |
| 5. | Pilette (Mercedes) | 26m33s |
| 6. | Hornstead (Excelsior) | 27m12s |
| 7. | Lautenschlager (Mercedes) | 27m16s |
| 8. | Croquet (Schneider) | 27m57s |
| 9. | Salzer (Mercedes) | 27m57s |
| 10. | Elskamp (Mercedes) | 29m22s |
| 11. | de Moraès (Benz) | 30m06s |
| 12. | Crespelle (3-L Crespelle) | 30m10s |
| 13. | Léon Molon (3-L Vinot-Deguignand) | 31m17s |
| 14. | Gabriel (Schneider) | 31m55s |
| 15. | Lucien Molon (3-L Vinot-Deguignand) | 32m27s |
| 16. | Soldatenkov (Brasier) | 33m14s |
| 17. | Porporato (3-L Gregoire) | 35m32s |
| 18. | Thomas (Schneider) | 36m58s |
| 19. | Champoiseau (Schneider) | 52m53s |
Lap 2 -
On the second lap Bablot's Delage was the first car appearing and passed the spectators with sheer incredible speed. Crespelle followed him nearby but shortly after passing the grandstand he had to stop
with tire defect. Guyot (Delage) drove the fastest lap of 24m46s, which placed him in first place only seven seconds ahead of Bablot. Duray was third and Pilette (Mercedes) fourth, already three laps
behind the leader. Christiaens (Excelsior) broke one gear of his car and could not start the second lap. Lucien Molon (3-L Vinot-Deguignand) retired after the first lap with broken bearing.
| | DRIVERS / CARS | Lap time | Total time | 109.22 km |
| 1. | Guyot (Delage) | 24m46s | 50m13s |
| 2. | Bablot (Delage | 25m08s | 50m20s |
| 3. | Duray (Delage) | 25m30s | 51m48s |
| 4. | Pilette (Mercedes) | 26m31s | 53m04s |
| 5. | Lautenschlager (Mercedes) | 27m21s | 54m37s |
| 6. | Hornstead (Excelsior) | 27m58s | 55m10s |
| 7. | Salzer (Mercedes) | 27m49s | 55m46s | - corrected lap time |
| 8. | Croquet (Schneider) | 27m53s | 55m50s | - corrected lap time |
| 9. | Gabriel (Schneider) | 25m07s | 57m02s |
| 10. | Elskamp (Mercedes) | 30m35s | 59m57s | - corrected lap time |
| 11. | Crespelle (3-L Crespelle) | 30m03s | 1h00m13s |
| 12. | de Moraès (Benz) | 30m56s | 1h01m02s |
| 13. | Thomas (Schneider) | 26m24s | 1h03m22s |
| 14. | Soldatenkov (Brasier) | 32m11s | 1h05m25s |
| 15. | Porporato (3-L Gregoire) | 34m44s | 1h10m16s | - corrected lap time |
| 16. | Léon Molon (3-L Vinot-Deguignand | 39m40s | 1h10m57s |
| 17. | Champoiseau (Schneider) | 30m04s | 1h22m57s |
| 18. | Christiaens (Excelsior) | DNF |
| 19. | Lucien Molon (3-L Vinot-Deguignand) | DNF |
Lap 3 -
After the third lap, Guyot stopped to change one tire handing the lead back to Bablot, who drove a fast lap record in 24m30s. The three Delage were leading the race, over two minutes ahead of the fastest
Mercedes driven by Pilette with Lautenschlager in fifth and Salzer seventh. By now, there was no doubt that the battle was between Delage and Mercedes. The remaining cars played no role in the fight of
the leading group.
After the second lap de Moraès (Benz) had retired due to insufficient race practice. The Benz car stopped at the pits to end his battle. He lit a cigarette and said that his car bounced too much on the
bad course. All the time he had to turn off the ignition and therefore he could not extract from the Benz, what he would have liked. Léon Molon (3-L Vinot-Deguignand) and Croquet (Schneider) withdrew with
a broken conrod and the Russian Soldatenkov (Brasier) retired when his car caught fire.
| | DRIVERS / CARS | Lap time | Total time | 163.83 km |
| 1. | Bablot (Delage) | 24m30s | 1h14m50s |
| 2. | Guyot (Delage) | 27m10s | 1h17m23s | - corrected missing lap time |
| 3. | Duray (Delage) | 25m47s | 1h17m35s |
| 4. | Pilette (Mercedes) | 26m31s | 1h19m35s |
| 5. | Lautenschlager (Mercedes) | 26m53s | 1h21m30s |
| 6. | Gabriel (Schneider) | 24m58s | 1h22m00s |
| 7. | Salzer (Mercedes) | 27m41s | 1h23m27s |
| 8. | Hornstead (Excelsior) | 32m05s | 1h27m15s |
| 9. | Elskamp (Mercedes) | 29m19s | 1h29m16s |
| 10. | Thomas (Schneider) | 26m19s | 1h29m47s | - corrected lap time |
| 11. | Porporato (3-L Gregoire) | 34m15s | 1h44m31s |
| 12. | Crespelle (3-L Crespelle) | 37m07s | 1h37m20s |
| 13. | Champoiseau (Schneider) | 28m39s | 1h51m36s |
| 14. | de Moraès (Benz) | DNF |
| 15. | Léon Molon (3-L Vinot-Deguignand | DNF |
| 16. | Croquet (Schneider) | DNF |
| 17. | Soldatenkov (Brasier) | DNF |
Lap 4 -
After the fourth lap Bablot established the fastest lap of the race with 24m24s at an average speed of 134.6 km/h. Duray was second over three minutes behind, followed by Guyot in third place.
Pilette (Mercedes) was fourth over six minutes behind the leader. Crespelle, Porporato and Champoiseau were already lapped. When Gabriel (Schneider) retired on the course and Horstead (Excelsior)
also disappeared, the field was down to eleven cars.
| | DRIVERS / CARS | Lap time | Total time | 218.44 km |
| 1. | Bablot (Delage) | 24m24s | 1h39m14s |
| 2. | Duray (Delage) | 25m03s | 1h42m38s |
| 3. | Guyot (Delage) | 26m31s | 1h43m54s |
| 4. | Pilette (Mercedes) | 26m22s | 1h45m57s |
| 5. | Lautenschlager (Mercedes) | 26m45s | 1h48m15s |
| 6. | Salzer (Mercedes) | 27m49s | 1h51m16s |
| 7. | Thomas (Schneider) | 26m20s | 1h56m07s |
| 8. | Elskamp (Mercedes) | 31m05s | 2h00m21s |
| 9. | Crespelle (3-L Crespelle) | 32m45s | 2h10m05s | - corrected lap time |
| 10. | Porporato (3-L Gregoire) | 33m45s | 2h18m16s |
| 11. | Champoiseau (Schneider) | 30m18s | 2h21m54s |
| 12. | Gabriel (Schneider) | DNF |
| 13. | Hornstead (Excelsior) | DNF |
Lap 5 -
At mid-race after five laps, Delage occupied the first three places which they held since the second lap. The three Mercedes of Pilette, Lautenschlager and Salzer followed in this order, with Pilette
eight minutes behind Bablot. The Mercedes of Elskamp had been already lapped. When Champoiseau (Schneider) did not finish the fifth lap, the field was down to ten cars.
| | DRIVERS / CARS | Lap time | Total time | 273.05 km |
| 1. | Bablot (Delage) | 24m51s | 2h04m05s |
| 2. | Duray (Delage) | 25m34s | 2h08m12s |
| 3. | Guyot (Delage) | 24m57s | 2h08m51s |
| 4. | Pilette (Mercedes) | 26m12s | 2h12m09s |
| 5. | Lautenschlager (Mercedes) | 26m42s | 2h14m57s |
| 6. | Salzer (Mercedes) | 27m21s | 2h18m37s |
| 7. | Thomas (Schneider) | 29m02s | 2h25m09s |
| 8. | Elskamp (Mercedes) | 40m22s | 2h40m43s |
| 9. | Porporato (3-L Gregoire) | 33m55s | 2h52m11s | - corrected lap time |
| 10. | Crespelle (3-L Crespelle) | 1h11m55s | 3h22m00s | - corrected lap time |
| 11. | Champoiseau (Schneider) | DNF |
Lap 6 -
After six laps Bablot had to stop the Delage at the pits, losing 2m45s for midrace service. Pit stops were also made by Eskamp, Salzer and Duray, who in addition had the bad luck to change an already mounted
wheel and change it again since it did not hold the air, which lost Duray 5 minutes and 55 seconds and had dropped him to sixth place while the Mercedes of Pilette climbed to third position. An incident
happened when ahead of the grandstand, Elskamp, evidently by mistake ended up on the left side of the track and so obstructed for a moment the following Delage of Bablot who tried to pass him. The present
Delage manager complained, causing an exciting scene and a protest. As a result, the race commissioner issued a fine of 500 Francs to Elskamp. Crespelle, who mostly held the Coupe de la Sarthe lead for
the first five laps, retired on the sixth lap with timing gear trouble with the field down to nine cars.
| | DRIVERS / CARS | Lap time | Total time | 327.66 km |
| 1. | Bablot (Delage) | 28m02s | 2h32m07s |
| 2. | Guyot (Delage) | 25m18s | 2h34m09s |
| 3. | Pilette (Mercedes) | 26m34s | 2h38m43s |
| 4. | Lautenschlager (Mercedes) | 26m57s | 2h41m54s |
| 5. | Salzer (Mercedes) | 26m57s | 2h45m34s |
| 6. | Duray (Delage) | 40m26s | 2h48m38s |
| 7. | Thomas (Schneider) | 30m07s | 2h55m16s |
| 8. | Elskamp (Mercedes) | 37m09s | 3h17m52s |
| 9. | Porporato (3-L Gregoire) | 34m06s | 3h56m17s |
| 10. | Crespelle (3-L Crespelle) | DNF |
Lap 7 -
After seven laps Bablot (Delage) was still in the lead. When Guyot (Delage) had to stop to change one tire, Pilette (Mercedes) advanced into second position but was over nine minutes behind the leader.
Guyot (Delage) was third ahead of Lautenschlager (Mercedes) who was 13 minutes back. Thomas (Schneider) had been lapped while Elskamp (Mercedes) was two laps behind.
| | DRIVERS / CARS | Lap time | Total time | 361.27 km |
| 1. | Bablot (Delage) | 24m36s | 2h56m43s |
| 2. | Pilette (Mercedes) | 27m25s | 3h06m08s |
| 3. | Guyot (Delage) | 33m13s | 3h07m22s |
| 4. | Lautenschlager (Mercedes) | 27m26s | 3h09m20s |
| 5. | Duray (Delage) | 26m04s | 3h14m42s |
| 6. | Salzer (Mercedes) | 29m30s | 3h15m04s |
| 7. | Thomas (Schneider) | 27m06s | 3h22m22s |
| 8. | Elskamp (Mercedes) | 30m20s | 3h48m12s |
| 9. | Porporato (3-L Gregoire) | 34m56s | 4h01m13s | -- Total time must be 4h31m13s |
Lap 8 -
After eight laps the order of the 9-car field had not changed but Pilette in second place had now fallen over 11 minutes behind. Guyot followed Pilette after a gap of over three minutes, with a similar
gap to Lautenschlager who had lost his cap when he passed the stands.
| | DRIVERS / CARS | Lap time | Total time | 436.88 km |
| 1. | Bablot (Delage) | 24m36s | 3h21m19s |
| 2. | Pilette (Mercedes) | 26m19s | 3h32m27s |
| 3. | Guyot (Delage) | 27m32s | 3h35m54s |
| 4. | Lautenschlager (Mercedes) | 29m58s | 3h39m18s |
| 5. | Duray (Delage) | 25m30s | 3h40m12s |
| 6. | Salzer (Mercedes) | 26m39s | 3h41m43s |
| 7. | Thomas (Schneider) | 25m55s | 3h48m17s |
| 8. | Elskamp (Mercedes) | 31m08s | 4h19m20s |
| 9. | Porporato (3-L Gregoire) | 32m24s | 4h33m37s | -- Total time is still too short |
Lap 9 -
At the end of the ninth lap Bablot, who just ended his slowest lap of the race, stopped to top up with oil, fuel and fit new front wheels. At that time Pilette had closed with Bablot and was only 6m34s
behind. Bablot's stop took the same time. Could Bablot still win or possibly Pilette with Mercedes? The very uncertain outcome was causing great excitement. Apparently by mistake Bablot had turned off
the ignition. When the mechanic jumped to the crank, he was now very tired and could no longer start the motor. The Delage representatives became very concerned after further attempts by other mechanics
kept the engine silent. The situation had become critical with Delage engineers and representatives now surrounded the car with fearful and helpless facial expressions. Six minutes had already been lost,
when athletic Léon Molon, who had retired in the Coupe de la Sarthe, now was spectator at the grandstand, rushed to the car and turned the crank several times. The engine ran, Molon jumped onto the mechanic's
seat, as was allowed by the regulations, but without goggles. Surrounded by the crowd's enthusiastic cheerful yelling, Bablot left like lightning and drove a record lap.
| | DRIVERS / CARS | Lap time | Total time | 491.49 km |
| 1. | Bablot (Delage) | 31m13s | 3h52m32s |
| 2. | Pilette (Mercedes) | 26m39s | 3h59m06s |
| 3. | Guyot (Delage) | 25m25s | 4h01m19s |
| 4. | Lautenschlager (Mercedes) | 29m39s | 4h07m57s |
| 5. | Duray (Delage) | 29m49s | 4h10m01s |
| 6. | Salzer (Mercedes) | 26m34s | 4h08m17s |
| 7. | Thomas (Schneider) | 30m23s | 4h18m40s |
| 8. | Elskamp (Mercedes) | 30m07s | 4h49m27s | - corrected lap time |
| 9. | Porporato (3-L Gregoire) | 32m18s | 5h05m55s |
Lap 10 - Bablot completed the last lap in 23 minutes, or 22m44s in fact; a new record
| | DRIVERS / CARS | Lap time | Total time | 546.10 km |
| 1. | Bablot (Delage) | 29m18s | 4h21m50s |
| 2. | Guyot (Delage) | 25m11s | 4h26m30s |
| | 3. | Pilette (Mercedes) | 28m47s | 4h27m53s |
| | 4. | Salzer (Mercedes) | 26m35s | 4h34m52s |
| 5. | Duray (Delage) | 25m02s | 4h35m03s |
| 6. | Lautenschlager (Mercedes) | 28m54s | 4h36m51s |
| 7. | Elskamp (Mercedes) | 29m18s | 5h18m45s | >
| 8. | Thomas (Schneider) | 1h07m15s | 5h25m55s | - added missing lap time |
| 9. | Porporato (3-L Gregoire) | 41m53s | 5h47m48s |
After 546.1 km, Bablot finished first in 4h21m50s at 123.750 km/h, the speed qualified as a new World Record. Guyot finished second while Pilette lost over two minutes with a tire failure which caused him to
lose second place.
After the race Bablot declared that he had never been hindered by Elskamp, so that the fine of 500 Franks was declared invalid.
|
Results
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Entrant | Car | Engine | Laps | Time | Diff/Status |
|
| 1. | 11 | Paul Bablot | Automobiles Delage | Delage | Y | 6.2 | S-4 | 10 | 4h21m50s |
| 2. | 19 | Albert Guyot | Automobiles Delage | Delage | Y | 6.2 | S-4 | 10 | 4h26m30s | + 4m40s |
| 3. | 25 | Theodore Pilette | Theodore Pilette | Mercedes | 100 hp | 9.5 | S-4 | 10 | 4h27m53s | + 6m03s |
| 4. | 12 | Otto Salzer | Theodore Pilette | Mercedes | 90 hp | 7.2 | S-6 | 10 | 4h34m52s | + 13m02s |
| 5. | 24 | Arthur Duray | Automobiles Delage | Delage | Y | 6.2 | S-4 | 10 | 4h35m03s | + 13m13s |
| 6. | 20 | Christian Lautenschlager | Theodore Pilette | Mercedes | 90 hp | 7.2 | S-6 | 10 | 4h36m51s | + 15m01s |
| 7. | 27 | Leon Elskamp | Theodore Pilette | Mercedes | 37/90hp | 9.5 | S-4 | 10 | 5h18m45s | + 56m55s |
| 8. | 26 | René Thomas | Automobiles Th. Schneider | Schneider | | 5.4 | S-4 | 10 | 5h25m55s | + 1h04m05s |
| 9. | 3 | Jean Porporato | Gregoire et Cie | Gregoire | | 3.0 | S-4 | 10 | 5h47m48s | + 1h25m58s |
| DNF | 2 | Fernand Crespelle | Fernand Crespelle | Crespelle | | 3.0 | S-4 | 5 | timing gear |
| DNF | 10 | René Champoiseau | Automobiles Th. Schneider | Schneider | | 5.4 | S-4 | 4 |
| DNF | 23 | Fernand Gabriel | Automobiles Th. Schneider | Schneider | | 5.4 | S-4 | 3 |
| DNF | 22 | Lydston G. Hornstead | SA des Auto Excelsior | Excelsior | | 6.1 | S-6 | 3 |
| DNF | 4 | Léon Molon | Vinot et Deguignand | Vinot-Deguignand | | 3.0 | S-4 | 2 |
| DNF | 18 | Maurice Croquet | Automobiles Th. Schneider | Schneider | | 5.4 | S-4 | 2 | conrod |
| DNF | 17 | Vasily Soldatenkov | Vasily Vasilyevich Soldatenkov | Brasier | | 13.6 | S-4 | 2 | fire |
| DNF | 16 | José de Moraès | José de Moraès | Benz | | 15.1 | S-4 | 2 | driver gave up |
| DNF | 1 | Lucièn Molon | Vinot et Deguignand | Vinot-Deguignand | | 3.0 | S-4 | 1 | bearing |
| DNF | 14 | Joseph Christiaens | SA des Auto Excelsior | Excelsior | | 6.1 | S-6 | 1 | timing gear |
|
Fastest lap: Albert Guyot (Delage) on lap 4 in 24m24 at 132.9 km/h (82.6 mph).
Grand Prix de France winner's average speed (Bablot) : 123.9 km/h (77.0 mph).
Coupe de la Sarthe winner's average speed (Porporato) 93.3 km/h (58.0 mph).
Weather: : cloudy and fresh weather
|
|
|
In retrospect:
Intermediate times provided by L'Auto (the most accurate) did not add up correctly in 11 instances, requiring corrections which are shown by remark. In two other instances remarks
indicated that the Total Times were too short. All errors within the L'Auto times have been corrected for this report.
|
Primary sources researched for this article:
Allgemeine Automobil-Zeitung, Berlin
Allgemeine Automobil-Zeitung, Wien
AUTOMOBIL-REVUE, Bern
Automobilwelt - Flugwelt, Berlin
Der Motorwagen, Berlin
La Stampa Sportiva, Torino
La Vie Automobile, Paris
L'Auto, Paris
L'Ouest-Eclair, Rennes
MOTOR, Berlin
Motor Age, Chicago
Omnia, Paris
Special thanks to:
Reinhard Windeler
Marc Ceulemans
Robert Dick
|
|
|