RACING AT THE NURBURG RING
ROSEMEYER’S MAGNIFICENT VICTORY
OVER THE MERCEDES-BENZ TEAM.
WINS BY 50 SECONDS OVER CARACCIOLA.
A. F. P. FANE MAKES NEW LAP SPEED RECORD FOR SPORTSCARS, IN FRAZER-NASH B.M.W.
RACING AT THE NURBURG RING
The Eifelrennen at Nurburg Ring in June was remarkable for three things. First of all it was a fine day, after the rain and fog of previous years. Then Berndt Rosemeyer drove probably the finest race of his career in beating, to all intents and purposes single-handed, the full might of the Mercddes7Benz team. Finally, A. F. P. Pane, the British driver, scored a great win in the sportscar race, setting up a new lap record with his Frazer-Nash-B.M.W. for sports-cars irrespective of size.
The village of Adenau presented its usual animated appearance before and after the race, all the important people staying at the Eifelerhof and the lesser lights at the Krone and wherever a bed could be found for them in private houses throughout the village. The usual estimate of a crowd of 300,000 was given out, and swarms of people camped out all night round the course and arrived by train-loads during the night.
After an inauspicious dawn, the weather gradually cleared up until the sun was shining cheerfully. The crowd did not have so long to wait for some excitement as it does at the German G.P. meeting, for at 8 o’clock the motor-cycle race was due to start. The combinations were particularly terrifying, many of them having ” banking ” sidecars and acrobatic passengers. Then came the sports-car race, and the prospect of a great duel between Henne, the German, and our own Mr. Pane, both on B.M.W.s. Actually there were six races all held at the same time, for various classes. The start was quite exciting,
with rows and rows of sports-cars of all types, sizes and ages. The Henn.e-Pane clash fizzled out early. Henne shot away into the lead, but Pane
soon got by and was leading at the end of the first lap. Then going down to the Hocheichen., the German overdid things in an effort to catch the flying Englander, with the result that he crashed, being removed with injured shoulders. This left Fane unchallenged in his class, and he sailed home at 07.31 m.p.h.faster than the winner of the blown 2-litre class.
M.G.s figured well in. the finishing lists, for Regies won the 1,100 c.c. unsupercharged class and Kohlrausch was a very fine second in the 2-litre blown class with his 750 c.c. Midget !
Pane’s victory was greeted with applause and he made a triumphant circuit of the course with the great Korpsfuhrer Huhnlein in the second seat.
And now it was the turn of the Grand. Prix cars, and the crowd cleared their throats to cheer their favourites. Another Merades-Benz victory, following on those at Tripoli and Avus, was predicted, especially as Stuck was in South America, Fagioli was ill, and Delius had slightly injured himself, when he crashed in practice. Thus Rosemeyer was left to bear the brunt of the attack, for he had only Hasse and Muller to support him, and the latter was driving in his first race. On the other hand Rosemeyer had made the fastest lap in practice, at the amazing speed of 85.4 m.p.h. (9 mins. 57 secs.). The race was to be a short one, only ten laps of the 14-mile circuit, but even
so it was anticipated that the rear tyres would last only half this distance. There would be no need to refuel. Traffic-lights were used for starting the race, and enabled all the drivers to edge forward in no half-hearted fashion. As everyone did the same thing, however, it was fair to all—although not in strict accord with the rules 1 Rosemeyer was just ahead of Caracciola as they roared past the Press Box in
the stand, with Lang, Seaman and von Brauchitsch immediately behind. Down to the long South Curve they swept, and then back behind the pits to the Tribtmenkurve, and along the straight between the two corners Caracciola nipped ahead of his young rival to lead by one second , from Rosemeyer, then Lang, Delius, Seaman, Hasse, von Brauchitsch, and the gallant Nuvolari.
Round the 133 bends and corners of the Ring they scurried, holding their immensely powerful machines in continual slides and driving, every man of them, with consummate skill.
At last the notice board near the stands signalled the news that the first man, Caracciola, was entering the two-mile straight leading back to the Startplatz. Then a silver projectile flung into sight and Caracciola was past and gone in a thunderous roar. Then came Rosemeyer, and —flash after flash !.—von Brauchitsch, ‘Aug, Delius, Seaman, Hasse and Nuvolari’s Alfa-Romeo, a splash of red after so many silver cars. But Rosemeyer was not finished yet, and on the second lap he passed Caracciola, who promptly got in front again at the
very next opportunity. This is what the crowd liked, and the excitement grew to an indescribable pitch.
Meanwhile all was not well with two other Mercedes drivers, for Seaman retired on lap 2 with ignition trouble and Kautz was in trouble with oil leaking everywhere but he kept going. Seaman’s car was brand new, straight from the works, and he had not even had time to practise for more than a few laps.
Rosemeyer covered the third lap in 9 mins. 59 secs. and closed in on Caracciola, who was easing up ,a few seconds per lap. Rosemeyer took advantage of this to slip by, and gradually forged ahead. Behind Caracciola came von Brauchitsch, and these three had outdistanced the rest of the field. Nuvolari and Farina were doing their best with the Alfas, while the independent Alfas and Maseratis might well not have been in the same race as the leaders! True to prediction, Caracciola’s rear tyres passed out after five laps, and he came into the pits trailing bits of rubber all over the place. No sooner had he come to rest than von Brauchitsch was in, too, and some high-speed wheel-changing
was seen. Caracciola took 38 seconds and von Brauchitsch 36 seconds-or rather their agile mechanics did.
Rosemeyer came in on the next lap, but since he had not been slowed by the tyres disintegrating, as Caracciola had been, he was leading by 45 seconds when he accelerated away after a 30 second tyre change.
There were still only three cars in it, for the field had by now settled down into a fairly steady order. Nuvolari, the maestro, was driving beautifully in fifth place, behind Hasse, and he was actually leading Lang, Kautz and Delius, who were having a private scrap all of their own. And so it went on to the end. Hasse nearly lost his fourth place when he pulled into the pits to examine his rear tyres, but he was frantically signalled on when Nuvolari roared past the pits. Mechanics had already placed the jack under the rear axle, but Hasse let in his clutch and jerked the car off the jack, spinning away in a cloud of black smoke from the ill-used tyres. So terrific was the acceleration of the Auto-Union that he caught
Nuvolari on the rim back past the pits, and the Italian sportingly waved him on.
An even 45 seconds separated Rosemeyer and Caracciola in the closing laps of the race, but on the very last lap Rosemeyer increased his speed from 10 ruins. 10 secs. to 10 ruins. 8 secs., giving him more than 50 seconds in hand at the finish. Thus Rosemeyer remains the uncrowned king of Nurburg Ring, having won the last three races there. And
Auto-Union had their revenge for Tripoli and Avus.
RESULTS Rifelrennen Grand Prix 1. Rosemeyer (Auto-Union) lh. 42m. 11.2s. 82.95 m.p.h.
2. Caracciola (Mercedes-Benz) lh. 43m. 1.8s.
3. Von Brauchitsch (Mercedes-Benz) lb. 43m. 56.88.
4. Hasse (Auto-Union) lb. 45m. 46s.
5. Nuvolari (Alfa-Romeo) lh. 46m. 25s.
6. Lang (Mercedes-Benz) 111. 48m. 6s.
7. Muller (Auto-Union).
8. Ruesch (Alfa-Romeo).
9. Kautz (Mercedes-Benz).
10. Delius (Auto-Union).
c.o.
1. Werneck (B.M.W.), 56m. 3318. (61.11 m.p.h.).
2. Roesc (B.M.W.), 57m. 38s.
3. lirIngs (B.M.W.), 57m. 381s.
I. Regies (M.O. Midget), 59n). 331s. (56.99 m.p.h.).
2. Haagner (Fiat), 59m. 361s.
3. Zinn (Fiat), 59m. 46Is.
2-litres Unsupercharged (5 laps) 1. Pane (Frazer-Nash-B.M.W.), lb. 3m. (67.31 m.p.h.).
‘2. Richter (B.51.W.), lh. 3m. 17/s. 3. Heinemann (B.M.W.), lb. 4m. 291s. (4), (5), (8), (7), (8), all B.M.W.s
1.100 c.o. Unsupercharged (4 lays)
1,600 c.o. Unsupercharged (4 laps)
1. Hartmann (Alfa), lb. 3m. 511s. (66.509 m.p.h.).
2. enstelbareo (Alfa), lh. 4m. 241s.
3. Winuner (Bugatti), lb. 10m. 301s.
1. Berg (Alfa), lb. 4m. 30i’s. (65.88 m.p.h.).
2. Xohlrausell (747 e.e. .M.G.), lb. 1(bn. 1918. 2-litres Unsupercharged
1. Teagno (Alfa), lb. 12m. 43/s. (58.49 m.p.h.).
Over 2-litres Unsupercharged
Under 2-litres Supercharged (5 lays)
Sports Cars Over 2-litres Supercharged (5 laps)
1. Softletti and Startmann (Maserati).
Fastest lap : Rosemeyer, 9m. 59e,, 85.13 m.p.h.