Tag: Neil Simmons

If you are passionate about a particular topic then it is only natural that you become interested in the history and pioneers of your chosen subject. Motor racing is full of these pioneers. It is also full of urban myths, legends, dramatic stories and personal opinion.

I was interested to know when the first ever motor race took place and being interested in history (across all manner of subjects) I decided to have a look. Even in this area of motor racing history there is divided opinion, of which the reader really has to make their own mind up. Some say the first ever motor race was the Paris-Rouen race on 27th July 1894. I’ve looked into this a little bit and in my own personal opinion I don’t regard this as a race. Yes, the competitors had a start line and a finish line, but even the official announcement stated that this was “not a race”, but more of a contest or exhibition for manufacturers to showcase their cars.

This brings me to 11th July 1895 and what I regard as The First Ever Motor Race – “The Paris-Bordeaux-Paris Trail”. It had a back-story fit for the silver screen.

In 1886 Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler, working independently of each other, invented the automobile. This particular story centres around Daimler.

It would be two years before Gottlieb Daimler would see a breakthrough with his revolutionary invention, with the help of a woman called Louise Sarazin. Sarazin herself was able to promote the Daimler car through Europe with the help of an engine manufacturer called Emile Levassor, who went on to marry Louise Sarazin and then win the first ever motor race. Just that introduction had me nodding my head and thinking, great story. So I did a bit of research….actually a lot of research….and if you’re sitting comfortably, then I shall begin.

Emile Levassor was born in Marolles-en-Hurepoix in the north of France. After graduating from Ecole Centrale Paris he began his career in manufacturing in 1872 with a company which produced wood-working machines and built gas engines. It was whilst working for this company he met and struck up a friendship with Rene Panhard. When the owner of the factory where they worked died, the two friends decided to set up their own company Panhard & Levassor, building engines.

Louise Sarazin was married to Belgian industrialist, Edouard Sarazin and when Daimler began sales in France, Monsieur Sarazin struck up a cordial relationship with Gottlieb Daimler. After some tests and experiments the two agreed, with nothing more than a handshake, that Sarazin would acquire the conditional rights to market all future inventions in the French territory.

In 1886, Panhard and Levassor were by now running one of the largest machine shops in Paris. Edouard Sarazin, who knew the pair from his studying days, visited them and persuaded them to build an engine for Daimler, under the licence that Sarazin had obtained in his agreement. Before the talks could be completed, Edouard Sarazin died from kidney disease later that year.

Louise Sarazin wrote to Gottlieb Daimler, “You will now be looking for a new representative for France,” she wrote in her first letter. “But since I am familiar with all the negotiations that have taken place up to now, and am fully informed about all the details up to the present day, I am completely at your service to help with your work until you find a suitable replacement for my husband.”

Daimler wrote back to Madam Sarazin, “As regards business matters, I am in no hurry to look for a new representative for Paris, and am glad to hear that you are fully acquainted with our business affairs and wish to assist me. I gratefully accept your offer. In addition, I perceive that you believe in my engine, just as Monsieur Sarazin did, and I can well understand that you would not like to see the fruits of your husband’s work pass into other hands. With these few lines, I wish to say that I hope to act as your husband would have wanted when I assure you that you will remain involved in the business, even if I am unable to say exactly how. At any rate, I shall not undertake anything in the near future without first seeking your advice.”

Shortly afterwards, Emile Levassor contacted the widow to ask if he should go ahead and build the engines under the Daimler patent as her husband had ordered. He received the answer to continue, and in February 1888 Louise Sarazin travelled to Cannstatt to take a closer look at Gottlieb Daimler’s invention. She was so impressed by the demonstrations that she concluded binding agreements with the German inventor on the sale of the Daimler automobile in France. She also brought a one-cylinder engine home with her.

One source was quoted as saying “Generally speaking, she travelled home with the conviction that Daimler’s attitude and the state of technology would provide the necessary basis of trust to ensure a successful future. The fact that Daimler clearly recognised the exceptional talents of this woman is an indication of how reliable his instincts were.”

Although Emile Levassor’s response to Louise Sarazin’s plans was initially somewhat guarded, she eventually managed to infect him with her enthusiasm. In October 1888, they travelled together to Cannstatt and the visit proved a great success. Emile Levassor and Gottlieb Daimler quickly hit it off and over time developed a close friendship based on mutual respect.

On 5 February 1889, Gottlieb Daimler and Louise Sarazin concluded an agreement that finally paved the way for the introduction of the automobile in France. According to this, Daimler would receive 12% of the purchase price for each engine produced under licence, or whose production was authorised, by Madame Sarazin. For her part, the Frenchwoman had assigned the rights to the Daimler patents to the company Panhard & Levassor 20%, leaving herself with 8%.

Daimler’s principal designs were shown at the World Exposition in Paris between May and October 1889 and attracted considerable interest. Subsequently, bicycle manufacturer Peugeot became involved in automotive design, using the Daimler engines from Panhard & Levassor. In the report on the World Exposition published in 1890, the high-speed Daimler vehicle engine was described as a “most remarkable design”.

Other businesspeople were of the same opinion. After the exhibition, other French engineering works offered to utilise the Daimler patents under licence. But Gottlieb Daimler kept his word. On 1st November 1889, he gave Louise Sarazin a written assurance that she alone had the rights to commercialise all French and Belgian patents, on condition that they featured the Daimler name.

After that, the relationship between the businesswoman and the French carmaker deepened. They would be seen out to dinner together often, always appearing at ease with one another. Friends would comment on how happy they were, not only with the business venture going so well. Rumours began to spread that through all the time they had spent together, deeper feelings had surfaced. It had been some time since Edouard Sarazin’s death and friends of Louise hoped that she would find happiness once more. And so on 4 May 1890 Louise Sarazin and Emile Levassor married.

It was a stroke of luck for Gottlieb Daimler that the manufacturers Panhard & Levassor, and Madame Sarazin-Levassor held the Daimler licence in France. The business partners met regularly to exchange ideas. It was actually Emile Levassor who wasted no time in producing the vehicles. He was convinced that the speed of the automobiles would be the best form of advertising for Daimler engines. These proved hugely successful at the contest held between Paris and Rouen in July 1894: of the 21 vehicles in the starting field, 15 successfully reached the finish line, and nine of these were equipped with Panhard-Levassor engines built under the Daimler licence – including a 3-hp Benz Vis-à-Vis.

The First Ever Motor Race

On 11th July 1895, 30 entrants were received for the Paris-Bordeaux-Paris Trail, which would cover a distance of 1,178km. Emile Levassor would be driving the Daimler powered by the engine he and Rene Panhard had built, the 1205cc Panhard & Levassor.

Emile began the race sensibly. He carefully weighed up the opposition and once he was sure of the machinery he had at his disposal he quickly overtook Marquis de Dion, who had stopped to take on water for his steam powered car.

Although he stopped at times to check the components of the car, Levassor arrived in Bordeaux, several hours before any driver had been expected. There was no welcoming committee or people on the streets cheering him on. The streets were quiet and everybody was in bed.

He tried in vain to find his co-driver who would be taking the car back to Paris, but he was asleep and nobody knew which hotel he was in. Levassor then woke the event organisers to prove that he had arrived and what time he had arrived at. Once these details had been recorded he sat down for a sandwich and champagne, as you would in the middle of a race, went for a walk and once refreshed he got back into his car to begin the journey back to Paris.

Whilst travelling back from Bordeaux he came across Baron Rene de Knyff, still driving to Bordeaux, who was so surprised at seeing Levassor and the time he had travelled that he nearly crashed.

After two days and two nights at the wheel, Levassor entered Paris to a much bigger reception. He averaged a speed of 24.5km/h on his journey. After the race he is quoted as saying “Some 50km before Paris I had a rather luxurious snack in a restaurant, which helped me. But I feel a bit tired.”

No podium celebration, no spraying of champagne. Levassor finished the race as calmly as he had began.

It was the engine’s speed, however, that finally also proved fatal for Louise Sarazin-Levassor’s husband. At the Paris–Marseille–Paris race in September 1896, Emile Levassor was thrown from his vehicle near Avignon and seriously injured. He died from his injuries barely six months later, on 14 April 1897, at the age of 54.

Today, Emile Levassor is known in France as the ‘father of the automobile’. However, the contribution made by his later wife to the success of the invention is often ignored. Yet this businesswoman was the first Daimler licensee in France, a woman who believed in the success of the automobile, who convinced sceptics of the value of the revolutionary German invention, and who introduced Emile Levassor to Gottlieb Daimler. Such were her achievements.

Race classifications:

1st – Emile Levassor (FRA) – Panhard & Levassor – 48hrs 48mins
2nd – Louis Rigoulot (FRA) – Peugeot – 54hrs 55mins
3rd – Paul Koechlin (FRA) – Peugeot – 59hrs 48 mins
4th – Auguste Doriot (FRA) – Peugeot – 54hrs 49mins
5th – Hans Thum (GER) – Benz/Roger – 64hrs 30mins
6th – Emile Mayade (FRA) – Panhard & Levassor – 72hrs 14mins
7th – Boulanger (BEL) – Panhard & Levassor – 78hrs 07mins
8th – Emile Roger (FRA) – Roger – 82hrs 48mins
9th – Amedee Bollee (FRA) – Bollee – 90hrs 03mins

Nice Grand Prix – 22nd April, 1946

Before the likes of Nino Farina, Juan Manuel Fangio and Alberto Ascari began dominating and winning Formula 1 World Championships, there were a breed of pre-war racing drivers who came before them.

According to some sources, the first official non-World Championship Formula 1 Grand Prix took place on 22nd April, 1946 in Nice. It was given the title “V Grand Prix de Nice” and would be competed over 65 laps, with each lap covering a distance of 3.218 miles along the promenade. A street circuit in every sense of the word.

Europe had been ravaged by World War Two, but prior to this between 1932-1935, there had been grand prix’s in Nice at the height of the Riviera summer. One participant in the 1946 race, Louis Chiron had won the race driving a Bugatti in 1932. He would also go on and win the first post-war French Grand Prix held at Lyon in 1947.

This Grand Prix was open to cars from 1500cc-2500cc, with or without superchargers. Most of the drivers participating were from either France or Italy. It was decided by organisers that no German drivers or teams were allowed to start. There was an eagerness for racing drivers, who had seen their careers stopped due to the war. to race again. Fuel was difficult to obtain, but somehow they managed to get twenty cars on the starting grid.

Crowds of people gathered in a very excited mood behind low walls and straw bales that lined the circuit. The drivers prepared themselves for the start of the 1946 Nice Grand Prix.

Because no official interviews were conducted prior to the race, it is not known what the drivers were thinking or what was said, but stepping into my imagination I can possibly conceive what may have happened.

I now hand you over to our fictional grid walk, with our man on the spot, Martin Brundle.

Martin

“It’s a lovely sunny day here on the grid, I can see the drivers just checking over their cars. I’m going to see if I can work my way through to speak to the main protagonists today. It is a bit chaotic on here, we have cars three abreast. I can see Louis Chiron, I’m going to see if I can have a word. He is the only Monaco born driver to win the Monaco Grand Prix back in 1931. Louis, Hi…Martin Brundle, Sky F1, any chance of a quick word.”

Louis

“Sure, Martin.”

Martin

“Now, you know this track you won this race in 1932. But you were driving a Bugatti then, pretty

much one of the top cars of its era. Today you’re in a Talbot-Lago, how is that going to compete with

the dominant Maserati’s?”

Louis

“Well I am close to the front of the grid. If I can keep tabs on Gigi going down to the first turn then I

think we have a good chance.”

Martin

“You mentioned Gigi, and for the fans at home that’s Luigi Villoresi in the Maserati, who is sitting on Pole for today’s race. You also have Raymond Sommer for company.”

Louis

Yes Raymond too, I hope to get a good start off the line, maybe in straight line speed the Maserati

and Alfa Romeo will be faster than us, but there are 65 turns on this circuit and I feel my car has an

advantage there.”

Martin

“And after a long time of not racing I can see by the smile on your face it’s good to be back on the

track?”

Louis

“For sure, it has been a tragic and different way of life due to the war but now we have peace and the

people can once again enjoy motor racing.”

Martin

Louis, thanks for taking the time to speak to us I’m going to let you get ready for the race. Now, I want to find the gentleman he just spoke about, Raymond Sommer. Interesting character. Won the French Grand Prix in 1936 and turned his attention to 24 hour sports car racing. Also a member of the French Resistance during World War Two. I’m just going to fight my way through these French journalists, he’s a bit of hero here as you can imagine. Raymond, Hi, Martin Brundle, Sky Sports F1. Quick Word?”

Raymond

“Sure, Martin. How are you?”

Martin

“I’m very well Raymond. Thanks for asking. You have Villoresi sitting on pole, but some are

saying you have the faster car in the Alfa Romeo.”

Raymond

“Yes, we had a few issues in qualifying which we have now resolved and I think that we will be very

competitive today.”

Martin

“If I look around the grid it’s mainly Maserati’s, two Bugatti’s, Talbot-Lago’s and Delahaye’s.

There’s only you and Maurice Varet, who is back down the grid, in Alfa’s today, do you know something everybody else doesn’t?”

Raymond

“It is a very good car. I think everybody on the grid knows it is a good car, I don’t know why there are only two on the grid, but we shall see what happens today.”

Martin

“Great stuff, Raymond, thanks. Right I want to try and find the man of the moment, Luigi Villoresi, or Gigi to his friends. Just there on my left is the 1938 24 hours of Le Mans winner Eugene Chabaud, he’s driving a Delahaye 135S about 120-145 brake horse power, it’s a competitive little car and could be up there challenging the Maserati’s. Here’s Luigi. Hi, Gigi, time for a quick chat?”

Luigi

“For you, Martin. Always.”

Martin

“That’s very kind of you. Gigi, you’re on Pole, you are the man to beat. But you have Raymond Sommer for company. Nervous?”

Luigi

“It is always good to be a little nervous, but Raymond is an excellent racer and I think that he will be

challenging me quite a bit during the race.”

Martin

“We’re probably looking at a little over two hours of racing here today, obviously Raymond is used to 24 hour racing so this should be a walk in the park for him, surely?”

Luigi

“Yes, but I feel that the Maserati is a better car. Since the war we have been experimenting with a tubular chassis and two-stage supercharging and I think the car is probably the best around at the moment.”

Martin

“Gigi, all the best. The race is due to start. I’m going to let you get prepared, thanks very much for talking to us. Now, as Gigi gets himself ready for this Grand Prix he, like all drivers had to deal with the onset of the war, but on a personal level he lost his brother and co-racing driver, Emilio, to a testing accident in Monza, so this guy has been through the mill. Winner of the 1939 South African Grand Prix just before the outbreak of war I think he could bring home the Maserati today. It’s time for the national anthem, hope you enjoyed today’s grid walk.”

Although in that era both the Maserati and Bugatti were touted for being among the best racing cars in the world, for this particular Grand Prix, no Bugatti’s finished in the top five. Maserati claimed the victory and a fifth place with the driver pairing of Arialdo Ruggieri and Franco Cortese. the victor was one Luigi ‘Gigi’ Villoresi, who won in a time of just over two hours.

His rival in the race, Raymond Sommer, came second, a whole lap behind Villoresi. However, Sommer did manage to post the fastest lap of the race. It is said that Villoresi was averaging around 65mph, whereas Sommer was averaging 70mph during the race.

Some of the names mentioned went on to have great racing careers, others sadly died doing what they loved to do. Race cars.

FINAL RACE POSITIONS:

1st – Luigi Villoresi (ITA) – Maserati – 2:00.04.5

2nd – Raymond Sommer (FRA) – Alfa Romeo – +1 lap

3rd – Eugene Chabaud (FRA) – Delahaye – +4 laps

4th – Georges Grignard (FRA) – Delahaye – +6 laps

5th – Arialso Ruggieri/Franco Cortese – Maserati – +7 laps

6th – Louis Chiron (MON) – Talbot-Lago – +7 laps

7th – Marice Varet (FRA) – Alfa Romeo – + 10 laps

8th – Charles Pozzi (FRA) – Delahaye – +14 laps

9th – Fernand Bianchi (FRA) – Bugatti – +17 laps

10th – Henri Louveau (FRA) – Maserati – +21 laps

*Villoresi took Pole with a time of 1:45.0 in qualifying

** Sommer posted the fastest lap with a time of 1:44.8

DID NOT FINISH

Franco Cortese (ITA) – Maserati – Supercharger – No lap completed, Ruggieri took over

Roger Deho (FRA) – Maserati – Problem Unknown – Lap 5

Phillipe Etancelin (FRA) – Maserati – Magneto – Lap 8

Marcel Balsa (FRA) – Talbot-Lago – Accident – Lap 15

Raph (FRA) – Maserati – Accident – Lap 15

Henry (Harry) Schell (USA) – Maserati – Accident – Lap 20

Henri Trillaud (FRA) – Delahaye – Connecting Rod – Lap 20

Robert Mazaud (FRA) – Maserati – Magneto – Lap 22

Maurice Trintignant (FRA) – Bugatti – Ignition – Lap 30

Pierre Levegh (FRA) – Talbot-Lago – Rear Axle – Lap 41

DID NOT START

Disconde Lanza (ITA) – Maserati

Paul Friderich (FRA) – Delahaye

See you at the chequered flag.

Neil Simmons

Twitter: @world_racing