THE BOL D'OR RACE

OTHER RACING NEWS.

THE BOL D’OR RACE.

After being won four years in succession by M. Robert Senechal, the Bol d’ Or 24-hour race for small cars was this year won by a lady driver, Madame Violette Morriss on an 1100 c.c. supercharged B.N.C., who covered 1,006.27 miles in the twenty-four hours. Second and third places were also occupied by two other B.N.C.’s of the same type. This racing B.N.C. is a standard production, and has a 4-cylinder S.C.A.P. engine with a bore and stroke of 63 x 88 min. (1096 c.c.) and push-rod operated overhead valves. The supercharger is a Cozette. The race which this year was held in the forest of Fontainebleue instead of that of St. Germain, attracted twenty-nine starters, of which eighteen were running at the end. The competitors were divided into racing and sports cars and there was a class for 3-wheelers. The largest racing class was that for 1100 c.c. cars, which was won by Madame Morriss at an average speed of 42 m.p.h., the three victorious B.N.C.’s being followed by a G.A.R., a Marguerite, another B.N.C., an S.P.A.G. and a Sell& chal. The winner in the 750 c.c. racing class was Violet on one of his flat-twin Sima-Violets two strokes, which covered 872.7 miles and averaged 36.3 m.p.h., and was

followed home by Ivanouski on a Ratier. This car has a 4-cylinder engine of 60 x 66 mms. (747 c.c.) with overhead valves and camshaft. The 500 c.c. class was won by Freunet on another flat twin Sima.-Violet two-stroke with bore and stroke of 65 x 75 rams. (496 c.c.) which covered 970.4 miles, and thus set up a new record for its class at 40.4 m.p.h. A second Sima-Violet was the only other car to finish in this class. The smallest machines of all were the 350 c.c, racers, the winner being Viratelle on a car of his own make with Rovin (Rovin) second, the Viratelle covering 547 miles (average 22.8 m.p.h.).

The winner in the sporting car class was Bouriat on an 1100 c.c. E.H.P., who covered 994.4 miles and averaged 39.3 m.p.h., a Marguerite was second and an S.A.S. third. The only car to finish in the 750 c.c. class was a Ratier, driven by Comminier, which was of the same type as the one which ran in the racing division and which averaged 32 m.p.h., covering 768.5 miles.

The fastest three-wheeler was an 1100 c.c. 4-cylinder d’ Yrsau which did 749.6 miles in the hands of Monet, and which beat a French Morgan. Another d’ Yrsan was the only finisher in the 750 c.c. three-wheeler class.

THE INDIANAPOLIS 500.

Win by unknown college student features 500 mile auto race classic.

RESULT.

1. G. Souders (Duesenberg) 5h. 7m. 33s. 97.45 m.p.h. 2. E. de Vore (Nickel

Plate-Miller) 5h. 19m. 35s. 93.86 m.p.h.

3. A. Gullota (Miller) 5h. 22m. 5s. 93.13 m.p.h.

The annual 500 Miles International sweepstakes at Indianapolis on May 30th was won by George Souders driving a straight-eight 11-litre Duesenberg. By his five hours work Souders, who was driving in his first race on a speedway, and who has hitherto been only known as a star in dirt-track races in Texas, collected $30,000 dollars with which to continue his college studies.

His average of 97.45 m.p.h. is better than that put up by Frank Lockhart last year in the rain, but does not beat the record set up by Peter de Paolo at 101.13 m.p.h. in 1925.

A crowd of 150,000 people forced its way into the speedway grounds to watch the race, for which fortytwo cars were entered. These consisted of 17 Millers, of which five had .f rout drive, 6 Duesenbergs, 4 frontdriven Coopers, 2 front-driven Junior Eights, 3 Boyle Valves, 1 Elgin Piston Pin, 1 Green, 1 Meat, 1 Burt, 1 K. & M., 1 Thompson Valve, 1 Nickle Plate, 1 Rausenberger and 1 Bugatti. As only thirty-three cars are allowed to start in the race, eliminating trials were held a week before the event. At the start of the race Lockhart took the lead on one of the back-wheel-driven Millers, closely followed by Bauman on another car of the same make. He maintained his advantage for 200 miles, when he burst a tyre and lost the lead to Bauman; Souders at this point was sixth. At 205 miles Lockhart regained the lead and held it until at 275 miles he retired with a broken connecting rod. McDonogh on one of the front-wheel-drive Coopers then gained first place, while Bauman was put out of the race by a broken piston. Souders at this point was running fifth, but he gradually overhauled the leaders, and finally wrested the lead from McDonogh after 350 miles, and thereafter never lost it. Earle De Vore finished second on his Nickel Plate, with Gulatta (Miller) third. Of the thirty-three starters only twelve finished. Ellingboe on one of the front-driven Coopers hit the inside retaining wall and crashed, while J. Kohlert on the Elgin Piston Pin Special, which is really a Miller, was side-swiped by another car and overturned. [We understand that ” piston pill” is synonymous for “wrist pin,” English ” gudgeon pin.” Norman Batten’s Miller caught fire and the driver steering the car first with one hand, then with the other, finally with his foot while sitting on the scuttle, managed to drive it to the pits, being badly burned in the process. A relief

fund for Batten realised $4,600, while the judges presented him with a gold stop-watch for his courage.

Owing to the very fast pace set by Lockhart at the outset, many of the fastest cars went out with mechanical trouble. The well-known drivers, Peter de Paolo, Harry Hartz, Dave Lewis and Leon Duray on frontwheel-drive Millers all went out before the 100 mile mark. The superchargers used during the race were run at about 35,000 r.p.m., and their failure put four cars out of the running. Three cars were eliminated with leaky fuel tanks, two broke propellor shafts, two springs and one a front axle. Four cars were put out of the race by engine trouble, and one by a defective gearbox. The race seems to have proved that while the Millers are supreme on the comparatively smooth board tracks, they are not strongly built enough to stand up to the hammering which is received on the rough brick track at Indianapolis, where the Duesenbergs are seen to better advantage. The winning car had an eight cylinder en

gine, in common with all the other competitors, with a bore and stroke of 58.8 x 70.4 mms., two overhead camshafts operating two valves per cylinder, a Bosch magneto, and rear-wheel brakes only.