1908 French Grand Prix
The 1908 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Dieppe on 7 July 1908.
1908 French Grand Prix | |||
---|---|---|---|
Race details | |||
Date | July 7, 1908 | ||
Official name | Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France | ||
Location | Dieppe, France | ||
Course | Public roads | ||
Course length | 76.989 km (47.840 mi) | ||
Distance | 10 laps, 769.889 km (478.400 mi) | ||
Fastest lap | |||
Driver | Otto Salzer | Mercedes | |
Time | 36:31.0 | ||
Podium | |||
First | Mercedes | ||
Second | Benz | ||
Third | Benz |
Formula Changes
The race was run under a new formula agreed in Ostend in 1907. There was no fuel consumption limit, but the cars had a minimum weight of 1100 kilograms, and a maximum cylinder bore of 155 millimetres.[1]
This formula differed from the regulations in place for the American Vanderbilt Cup series, which discouraged American manufacturers from entering the race.[2] Lewis Strang drove the single American entrant, the Thomas Flyer.[3] D. Napier & Son cars were disqualified from the race due to their use of Rudge-Whitworth center locking hubs, which the organizers believed were unsafe.[4]
The Race
Christian Lautenschlager won the race in his Mercedes finishing nearly nine minutes ahead of Victor Hémery's Benz. Lautenschlager's average speed for the race was 69.045 mph (111.117 km/h). Otto Salzer set fastest lap in his Mercedes, with an average speed of over 78 mph (126 km/h).[5][6] The race was notable for tragic reasons. Henri Cissac's car lost a tyre and rolled, killing Cissac and Jules Schaube, his riding mechanic. This was the first fatal accident in Grand Prix history.[7]
Classification
Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/Retired |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 35 | Christian Lautenschlager | Mercedes | 10 | 6:55:43.8 |
2 | 6 | Victor Hémery | Benz 150 hp | +8:40.2 | |
3 | 23 | René Hanriot | Benz 150 hp | +9:29.2 | |
4 | 11 | Victor Rigal | Clément-Bayard | +34:52.8 | |
5 | 2 | Willy Pöge | Mercedes | +36:47.2 | |
6 | 27 | Carl Jörns | Opel | +43.56.2 | |
7 | 39 | Fritz Erle | Benz | +56:48.0 | |
8 | 37 | Sergey Dimitriewich[6] | Renault | +1:07:39.0 | |
9 | 16 | George Heath | Panhard-Levassor | +1:09:03.0 | |
10 | 49 | Perpère | Germain | +1:12:34.4 | |
11 | 12 | Alessandro Cagno | Itala | +1:21:23.0 | |
12 | 28 | Fernand Gabriel | Clément-Bayard | +1:25:11.2 | |
13 | 36 | Courtade | Motobloc | +1:26:10.0 | |
14 | 20 | Pierre Garcet | Motobloc | +1:33:23.0 | |
15 | 21 | Gustave Caillois | Renault | +1:33:23.4 | |
16 | 14 | Camille Jenatzy | Mors | +1:38:11.8 | |
17 | 31 | Landon | Mors | +1:52:47.4 | |
18 | 18 | JTC Moore-Brabazon | Austin | +1:56:17.0 | |
19 | 1 | Dario Resta | Austin | +2:00:17.4 | |
20 | 29 | Henri Fournier | Itala | +2:00:47.4 | |
21 | 10 | Friedrich Opel | Opel | +2:21:38.6 | |
22 | 17 | François Degrais | Germain | +2:27:01.0 | |
23 | 32 | Henry Farman | Panhard-Levassor | +2:38:07.0 | |
Ret | 8 | Léon Théry | Brasier | 9 | Wheel |
Ret | 41 | Paul Bablot | Brasier | 9 | Magneto |
Ret | 9 | Emile Stricker | Porthos | 9 | |
Ret | 43 | Michel | Opel | 9 | Radiator |
Ret | 48 | Henri Cissac | Panhard-Levassor | 8 | Fatal crash |
Ret | 13 | Pryce Harrison | Weigel | 5 | Crash |
Ret | 44 | Lucien Hautvast | Clément-Bayard | 5 | Wheel |
Ret | 34 | Warwick Wright | Austin | 4 | Engine |
Ret | 33 | François Marie Roch-Brault | Germain | 4 | |
Ret | 15 | Lewis Strang | Thomas | 4 | Clutch |
Ret | 40 | Louis Wagner | Fiat | 3 | Gearbox |
Ret | 24 | Felice Nazzaro | Fiat | 3 | Engine |
Ret | 3 | Pierron | Motobloc | 3 | Crash |
Ret | 30 | Gregor Laxen | Weigel | 3 | Crash |
Ret | 25 | Paul Baras | Brasier | 3 | Engine |
Ret | 38 | Ferdinando Minoia | Lorraine-Dietrich | 3 | Magneto |
Ret | 5 | Arthur Duray | Lorraine-Dietrich | 2 | Clutch |
Ret | 4 | Ferenc Szisz | Renault | 2 | Wheels |
Ret | 19 | Otto Salzer | Mercedes | 2 | Wheel |
Ret | 42 | Jules Simon | Porthos | 2 | Water pump |
Ret | 7 | Vincenzo Lancia | Fiat | 1 | Engine |
Ret | 22 | Henri Rougier | Lorraine-Dietrich | 1 | Magneto |
Ret | 46 | Shannon | Weigel | 1 | Steering |
Ret | 45 | Giovanni Piacenza | Itala | 1 | Gearbox |
Ret | 26 | J. Gaubert | Porthos | 0 | Water pump |
Grand Prix Race | ||
---|---|---|
Previous race: None |
1908 Grand Prix season Grandes Épreuves |
Next race: None |
Previous race: 1907 French Grand Prix |
French Grand Prix | Next race: 1912 French Grand Prix |
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1908 French Grand Prix. |
- Etzrodt, Hans (2007-06-19). "Grand Prix Winners 1895-1949. History and Formulae". Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-18.
- "Foreign Autoists Eager for Racing" (PDF). The New York Times. 1908-01-06. Retrieved 2007-10-18.
- "The American Car in Grand Prix Race" (PDF). The New York Times. 1908-05-03. Retrieved 2007-10-27.
- Matteucci, Marco (1976). History of the Motor Car. New York, NY: Crown Publishers, Inc. p. 250. ISBN 978-0706400007. OCLC 4168687.
- Higham, Peter (1995). The Guinness Guide to International Motor Racing. Guinness Publishing. pp. 194–195. ISBN 0-85112-642-1.
- "1908 Grands Prix". Archived from the original on 2008-08-21. Retrieved 2007-10-29.
- "Motorsport Memorial - Henri Cissac". Retrieved 2014-01-29.