MONTE CARLO RALLY ALTERATIONS.
MONTE CARLO RALLY ALTERATIONS.
While remaining the same in broad outline, there will be one or two alterations to the rules for the next Monte Carlo Rally. The average speed required will be 40 k.p.h. for all stages, except for the last 1,000 kilometres of all itineries, which will have to be covered at 50 k.p.h. Two modifications have been made to itineries. First, competitors from Umea and Stavanger will join those coming from Tallinn at Hanover. Second, the English competitors starting at John o’Groats will have to travel via Bayonne. The points in the Rally are gauged not only on distance but on the severity of the route to be traversed. In this connection it is interesting to note that Tallinn, which last year provided the first ten finishers, is now put on a par with Umea and Stavanger. The list is as follows : Athens, 1,000 points ; Bucarest, 935 points ; Tallinn, Umea and Stavanger, 910 points ; Kovno and John o’Groats, 850 points ; Valencia, 810 points ; Pal
ermo, 768 points ; Gibraltar, 740 points.
Concerning the acceleration test on arrival at Monte Carlo, the speed at the end of the acceleration test will be taken into account, in addition to the braking distance after the line has been crossed. This will prevent people with weakened brakes from being able to hold back in their acceleration.
The complete regulations will be available to the public on September 15th.
An Abortive Attempt on the 24 Hours Record.
That elusive record, the World’s 24 Hours, was the objective attempted on the 9th August by Earl Howe, G. E. T. Eyston and A. Denly, driving in turns the 8 cylinder Delage which already has a number of records to its credit. It will be remembered that present figure of 113.50 m.p.h. for 24 hours was made in 1927 by Messrs. Marchand, Morel and Kiriloff at the wheel of a 12 cylinder Voisin.
The Delage set off at 07.15 hrs., and quickly beat its own 200 miles record in Class C with a speed of 118.277, the previous figure being 117.47 m.p.h. Then, when the car was not giving a hint of mechanical trouble, the petrol tank sprung a large leak, and the record attempt had to be abandoned after 7 hrs. 57 mins. running.
Preparing Miramas for the G.P.
After a lengthy period of disuse the Miramas track has now established itself as the annual venue for the Marseilles Grand Prix. Last year the race was run for the first time, and an enormous crowd assembled to witness the sport. Unfortunately the organisers had not realised the attraction the race would have, and omitted to erect sufficient barriers to keep spectators at a safe distance from the track. The result was that the banked turns were rimmed with a solid mass of spectators, who would have been killed in large quantities if a mishap had occurred to one of the cars. Luckily nothing of the sort occurred.
This year the problem has been taken seriously in hand, and for the past few weeks the track has been the scene of much preparation for the race on August 27th. Nuvolari has promised to take part.
The 1934 French G.P.
In spite of the fact that the Montlhery road circuit was primarily intended as the site of the French Grand Prix, each year there is a lot of discussion as to the ad
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visability of holding the race elsewhere.
This year a scheme was put forward to hold the race over ordinary roads through the Forest of Fontainbleau, but was finally abandoned. Now, already, this same scheme is being mooted for next year’s French G.P., but the general opinion seems to be in favour of holding to the Montlhery circuit. It certainly has a great deal in its favour, being near Paris, sand having permanent grandstands and a wonderful ‘ promenoir ” from which spectators can witness almost all of the road section.
Bugatti Records at Tat.
The Hungarian driver Hartmann, has broken two records in Class D (2,001 c.c. to 3,000 c.c.) on the straight road at Tat, near Budapest. Driving a twin-camshaft 2.3 litre Bugatti, he covered a standing kilometre at an average speed of 82.472 m.p.h. and a standing mile at 92.179 m.p.h. Both these figures are, of course, subject to official confirmation. The first was held by the Frenchman Trebuh, who secured the record from W. V. Craig at Montlhery in May this year with a speed of 80.83 m.p.h., while the mile record was held by Hartmann himself at 90.77 m.p.h.
500 c.c. Records at Montlhery.
DURING July Messrs. Von Fuchsenfeld and Meyer took out a little German car known as a Standard, and made some very excellent records on the Montlhery autodrorne. The 2 cylinder engine had a capacity of 495 c.c. and the car accordingly ran in Class I. The following records were taken, all of which have now been confirmed by the I. A. R . A. C.
50 kilometres, 79.88 m.p.h.
50 miles, 80.27 m.p.h.
100 kilometres, 78.82 m.p.h.
500 kilometres, 68.30 m.p.h.
6 hours, 406 miles 339 yards at 67.70 m.p.h.
The previous records were held by the de Rovin, the Voran, and the D.K.W.
The German 2,000 kilometres Trial.
For the reliability trial of 2,000 kilometres across Germany, the tremendous average speed of 50 m.p.h. was stipulated -over roads open to the public. In these circumstances the trial was a trial in name only, and as there were 480 starters the stage seemed set for another ParisMadrid episode in motoring history.
But nothing terrible happened. 95 cars found the pace too hot for them, and there were a few minor accidents, but no hair-raising massacre of pedestrians and drivers. At the start there was a terrific scrap between the , German “national hero” Von Brauchitsch and Hans Stuck von Villiez, both driving 381250 h.p. Mercedes-Benz. Both were eliminated, however, by accidents, but without personal injury. The final order of arrival did not give a true placing in the race, of course, but the following is the actual order of those who succeeded in averaging 50 m.p.h. for the whole 2,000 kilometres was as follows :
Winkelmann (Adler), followed by Bau (Wanderer), Borcheim (Wanderer), Porsche (Wanderer), Prince Leiningen (Horch), Momberger (Wanderer), Baron Michel (Mercedes), Guilleaume (Adler) Kappler (Mercedes).
Lehoux buys an Alfa Romeo.
It seems that Bugatti is to lose one of his most prominent ” independants,” for Marcel Lehoux has just purchased a 2,350 litre Alfa Romeo from the Milanese factory. For years Lehoux has always piloted a Bugatti, and this year he had won the two Grand Prix races of Pau and Dieppe. Just lately, however, he seems to have had a certain amount of trouble with his mount, which has let him down just when a good position had been sec tred. This may have influenced his decision to go over to the Alfa flag, added to the fact that his one-time protege, Guy Moll, has for this season raced an Alfa.