STRAIGHT FINISHES SECOND IN SWEDISH
STRAIGHT FINISHES SECOND IN SWEDISH SUMMER G.P.
On August 6th the Swedish Summer Grand Prix was run over 12 laps of the difficult circuit of Vram, which measures 29 kilometres, giving a total distance of 348 kilometres for the race. The full list of entrants was at follows :
Carl I3orje Dahlin (Mercedes-Benz), 011e Bennstrom (Ford)„ Eugen Bjornstad (Alfa Romeo), Axel johnsson (Bugatti), Bo Lindh (Hudson), C. G. JohanssOn (Ford), Assar Wallenius (Ford), Helmer Carlsson (De Soto), Otto Wihlborg (Bugatti), Ake Johansson (Bugatti), John Forsberg (Ford), P. W. Wid.engren (Alfa Romeo), Karl A. Ebb (Mercedes-Benz), Louis Chiron (Alfa Romeo), K. G. Sundstedt (Bugatti), S. P. J. Keinanen (Chrysler), Martin Stromberg (Chevrolet), Walter Gortz (Ford), Gosta .Askergrin (Chevrolet), Whitney Straight (Alfa Romeo), Oscar Wickberg (Bugatti), Harry Larsson (Ford), Jore Wistedt (M.G.), Henning Hansen (Ford), Paul Tholstrup (Ford), Borzacehini (Alfa Romeo), J. Gaupillat (Bugatti). After a spectacular massed start Dahlin (Mercedes), who incidently had been Warned in the Polish Grand Prix for bad driving, took the very first corner in the race much too fast, skidding broadside across the road. 011e Bennstrom (Ford) following close behind was unable either to stop in time or to swerve, and crashed into him. As Dahlin skidded, his
mechanic, Erik Lafrenz, losing his nerve, jumped out and was killed instantly by the Ford, which leaped high in the air and landed upside down on top of him. The body of the Ford was torn clean off the chassis. A second Ford following could not avoid the wreckage and charged a telegraph pole. It reared up in the air on its back wheels, hung balanced for a few moments, and then crashed over, also upside down. P. W. Widengren (Alfa Romeo) was the next arrival. He slammed an his brakes and was almost safe, when Chiron on another Alfa struck him broadside on. Two more Fords coming into the battle could not escape. The first overturned and landed in a garden, while the second charged a house, burst into flames and finally set fire to the house itself, which was burnt to the ground. Whitney Straight (Maserati) arrived just in time to see a Ford shooting through the air about three feet off the ground to roll over and over in a field. Straight made no attempt to brake, but picking the only possible gap in the wreckage, accelerated safely through. He stated afterwards that his chief impression of the crash was the shoe Of the dead mechanic lying in the middle of the road. Straight’s car was a 2.3 litre Alfa Romeo, owned by B. Rubin, and he only finished two minutes behind the 2.6 litre Alfa Romeo driven hr Brivio, one of the
crack drivers of the Italian Ferrari stable. During the first practice, run in a heavy fog, Straight broke the record for the lap.
Throughout the practices Straight was accompanied by Berk Harris, who seemed most impressed with his handling of the car.
The circuit is a very dangerous one, with a poor surface, abounding in tricky bends.
After the race, Straight, with Harris as mechanic, flew off in his own aeroplane to Pescara in Italy, where he was to compete in the Coppa. Acerbo on August 15th. After that, he will fly back to this country, and go on to Ulster, where .he is running a Alaserati in the Tourist Trophy on September 2nd. A fortnight later, and he has both the Maserati and an M.G. Magnette entered for the British Racing Drivers Club’s 500 Mile race at Brooklands. And next year, he says, he is going to take up motor racing really seriously !
RESULTS.
1, Antonio Brivio (Alfa Romeo), 211. 51m. 55s. ; 2, Whitney Straight (Alfa Romeo), 2h. 54m. 43s.; 3, Eugen Biorn.stad (Alfa Romeo), 3h. 3m. 25s.; 4. Karl A. Ebb (Mercedes-Benz), 311. 6m. 51s. ; 5, Ake Johansson (Bugatti), 3h. 16m. 10s. ; 6, Harry Larsson (Ford). 3h. 22m. 51s. ; 7, Walter Gortz (Ford), 411. I2m. 27s.