British Entries for Alpine Trial.
British Entries for Alpine Trial.
LAST year showed that British cars could compete successfully in, this event, the Invicta and Talbot performances being particularly good. The Riley team also gained much valuable experience, and will probably enter in force, while the new small Crossley is stated to be a candidate. The value of such an event to British overseas trade, as well as the useful lessons learnt which cannot be provided in this country, make it particularly desirable that we should compete with as many makes as possible.
Death of Alfieri Maserati.
AGREAT loss to the Italian industry as well as to the sport of motor racing was occasioned by the recent death of Alfieri Maserati, the Bologna motor car manufacturer who in a few short seasons sprang into prominence
in direct competition with the leading racing cars of the day. Only forty-five years of age, he fell ill suddenly and died under an operation.
The marque which bore his name was the result of his individual efforts, and was steadily developed by him. He was a fine engineer, and the name of Maserati soon became one which increased the interest of all the classic races, and more than once seriously disturbed the Bugatti and Alfa-Romeo teams by their fine performance. In September 1929, attention was suddenly focussed on Maserati as a racing marque, when Borzacchini, on a 4-litre car of this make lowered the existing World’s record for 10 kilometres at a speed of 153 m.p.h. This was followed up in 1930 by Varzi’s victory in the San Sebastian Grand Prix on a 2,300 c.c. model, and in 1931 a team consisting of Ernesto
Maserati, the designer’s brother, Pagioli and Dreyfus met with considerable success. The first named won the 1500 c.c. class at Timis, and the Prix Royal of Rome, while Fagioli secured the Monza Grand Prix.
All followers of the sport will join us in offering his brother and those who have worked with him very sincere sympathy.
The Swedish Grand Prix.
THIS event was this year more hazardous than usual owing to the lack of the usual amount of snow on the course. This may sound somewhat contradictory, but the reason lies in the fact that the course, which is 8 laps of a 29 mile circuit, is chiefly bordered by ditches with large boulders therein, and in the absence of snow this means that a car leaving the road is likely to be written off.
The likeh.00d of a car leaving the road was much increased by the fact that the route was mainly covered with ice. This made cornering dangerous and hard braking suicidal, the only relief from the ice being in patches where the sun had melted it and formed young watersplashes instead.
A competitor with whom we discussed the event afterwards said he considered the conditions much harder than usual, especially as he was unable to use the special steel studded tyres which are made up for use on snow, but which naturally wear down immediately on the hard surface. These are not the normal steel studded tyres as once worn on taxicabs, but tyres with long points sticking right out of the tread.
The event was won by Bennstronini on a very hot Ford, at an average of 51.28 m p.h. He took the lead near the start and was never seriously challenged. Second place provided. a good race between Bake’s Buick and Keinanen’s Chrysler, the latter just getting away with it. P. W. Widengren (Mercedes) was fourth, while H. Widengren who is well known in this country, drove an Aston Martin into ninth place.
Eight Records for Bugatti.
MONTHLERY track is already busy with record-breaking activities and recently the firm of Bugatti, more usually associated with road work than with the track, effectively demonstrated the terrific speed of their 2,300
double bverhead camshaft car by bretiking a number of records. For the first time one mile and kilometre strips apprbved by the international body had been laid down, and Albert Divo took his Bugatti over these, and also attacked many other class D. records with the following results :— On Thursday, March 10th, he put’ up
mile at 131.22 m.p.h., 1 kilometre at 211.18 k.p.h., 5 kilometres at 131.03 m.p.h., 50 kilometres at 124.32 m.p.h., 50 miles at 124.48 m.p.h., 100 kioometres at 124.47 m.p.h., 100 miles at 124.15 m.p.h., 200 kilometres at 124.67 m.p.h., this being a World’s record as well as a class D record. The class D hours record also went at 124.68 m.p.h.
On Saturday, March 12th, Divo and Chiron both appeared, and set out for longer distances. After just over 4 hours running, 4 World’s records were beaten, as follows.
200 miles at 118.0 m.p.h. (previously held by Dunfee and Bamber, and set up in August of last year).
500 kilometres at 120 m.p.h. (previously held by Eyston, Kaye Don, Eldridge and Denby on the pelage and set up only February 21st last.
3 hours at 117.9 m.p.h., also taken from the Delage.
500 miles at 119.2 m.p.h. This record has stood since 1927, when it was set up by Marchand and Morel in the Voisin. It is certain enough that these and many other records will be attacked again
by the Delage, and the Bugatti has only just started, so that, to quote the B.B.C. parliamentary bulletins “the debate continues.”
Good Monaco Entry.
THE short town circuit of the Monaco Grand Prix provides one of the most thrilling spectacles, as well as one of the finest driving tests one could wish to see, and it has rapidly sprung to fame as a classic. Entries are by invitation only, and this year contain some formidable names. Louis Chiron, a native of Monaco will form a Bugatti team with Varzi, Bonnet and Albert Divo, so that a Bugatti victory in highly pobably, though Nuvolari, Borzacchini, and Campad on Alfas will make them hurry.
Fagioli, the Maserati ace; will be backed up by Dreyfus and Ruggieri, while private entries show prospects of a secondary Bugatti-Alf a-Romeo battle, as Earl Howe, Penn-Hughes, and Williams on Bugattis will come up against Etanceiln. Zehender, and Rudolph Caracciola on Alfas, while a lone entry is Zanelli on a Nacional Pescara, a complete description of which appeared in the last issue of MOTOR SPORT.
English entries in foreign events are strengthened by the decision of Fox and Nicholls to continue to enter Talbots, their programme including Brian Lewis in the Italian ” 1,000 miles” and a team at Le Mans. Lord de Clifford is driving a ” blown ” M.G. Midget in the former event.