THE BELGIAN 10 HOURS RACE.

July 7th 2014

In place of the usual 24 hours race for sports cars the Belgian Automobile Club this year decided to hold a 10 hour event, starting and finishing on the same day, and eliminating the night section. A feature of the race was the elaborate precautions taken by the organisers that the entries should be strictly production models, anything in the nature of a supersports model being ruled out. Even cars with twin overhead camshafts were not allowed to compete. The Spa-Francorchamps Circuit is notorious for its never-ending corners, but this year some alterations had been made in this respect which made the course faster and a good deal safer. The Malm&ly

corner was reduced to a fast bend, and a similar operation had been carried out at Masta. Again, the road near Stavelot, which used to be uncomfortably narrow, has now been widened.

Altogether there were four British cars among the entries : two Aston Martins, entered by “A. Vincent,” with J. C. Elwes as co-driver, and T. S. Fothringham, an M.G. Midget entered by F. Humblet and Hilgers, and an old ft-litre Bentley driven by E. Hertzberger and Kuppens. The Belgian 10 hour race was run entirely by classes, there being no handicap placings at all. The following is a list of results, from which it will be seen that the British cars, considering their engine capacity, did extremely well :

1,100 c.c. Class.

I. Breyer and Pezzirnenti (Fiat), 972.66 kms. 2. Humblet and Hilgers (M.G.), 927 kms.

2,000 c.c. Class.

I. S. du Roy de Blicquey and de Here (Bugatti), 1,042.7 kins.

2. ” A. Vincent” and J. C. Elwes (Aston Martin), 1,033.48 kms.

3,000 c.c. Class.

1. J. Desvignes and N. Mahe (Bugatti), 1,166 kms.

2. Pintacuda and Stoffel (Lancia), 1,107 Inns.

4,000 c.c. Class.

1. J. Trevoux and M. Vasselle (Hotchkiss), 1,160.94 kms.

2. James and Paolino (Buick), 1,060 law.

Over 4,000 e.c. Class.