COUPE DU MONDE

COUPE DU MONDE

The permanentBelgian Grand Prix ein.ttit. at Francorehanips on August Du It ‘ms. the Scene 14 the arriVal Of 1111151 people Wis. Were fort 1111111e eitolle.11 survive the arduous Liege-Rome-Lime endurance run, and a vcrY inutres,i.e to-rival it. was. The tribunes and pits were crowded to capacity as the first of tutripetitoN mole their way inUuss Belgium front Itheints, and the tension in the air MS the tIrst r11.1 arrived at the far end of the circuit, its arrival living announced over the piddle address

111.1,5 glow in mi,„1 that. Waa a tally and 1101. a 1/11`1, and Illat the first car 1,, arrive %Vas llot the whiner. 1111: whole atmosphere of the Mardi of it 4,000 kilometre nott-stop drive WAS W11111:18 tile car lOrept, down Ill the finishing line, for It, WaS an open pre-war S.S. Jaguar 100 in tow sporting trill, with 111,10-Sill’ellt 11114 Iflints all eovervil with rigel dust, 10111 ml,, driver and ,sislriver dishevelled foal weary after nearly four days open ”Sr motoring, StaltelloW. 11101 It been 11 modern saksai the etteet would oot have heen so pleasing. thie by one the linisilerS entered the eireillt and 1111•011e. 11101112 tile return leg from Stavelot, I’m 1,raiworelianaps to Ile greetisl with 101111 etio.14 :old 4 Isenowl. of flowers. Of the ST, starters only :to ismtpleted the course, whidi embriwed the mountain tafiSe,t of France, Italy anti S%vitzerland, and of those thirty many lswe (tents and scratches Otowing evidence of a hard drive. ‘Hie outright :11:1″:71ri7g:’ !Ili” ‘(■i’ special 7(2’rIti;i:rr11.ti■(t1 141 l’ota 1 gearbox and aluminium wheels as %Veil all pl.111401,1 for navigation 11114 passenger and driver eoinfort, l’ortitins one of the best, efforts Will by Sigrand and ItevIllon whit, finished eighth with a little Iry Iteriault, while tlw most nolueliy team were the Fretteli driven, of a Citroen Wil0 Were run into by SA MIC clown in a billowing Chevrolet, hut 10 kilometres front the hiuiishi, ‘111e Car Was wrcelosl 111111 the driver slightly injured. so that they Were linable to 1110141, whItli 11101 hard luck indeed. Whether the 11riVer Of the lheVrIllet, WWI :1110Well tO lilt! I 40 110t. The Jalrtlar 111,3111:1/ the arrivals was classified fifth. and a well-earned place, too, In these days of controlleildemperature

matte-drive saloons. AS an impel iser before the arrival of the LiegeItopic.l.lege 17ar5 t WI’ races were staged on the Grand Prix circuit for railart.,’R jell 81,iiek driven by Belgians, and they produced .sotne very interesting results. l’he first event for cars tip to 2,0110 Wild a walk :over for a Peugeot, 203 saloon, white a Volvo and a ‘notarial’ »MAMA 1414101111 :WO third, The winning speed Nras 7:1 m.p.h.. An outstanding performance %Vas pia up by Paul Frets:, whit finished fourth in a Ilynit-Patiltard at a speed of 64 and Isstring ill 111014 !hal it COVereli eight laps Of the 8) mile cireuit and on each lap the throttle WAS rinsed only 1lnee,11 says a geea I deal for the strength of the mechanism. On the fast-clinthing right, hand titre after the start whieli is ,pproached 11 &Milian left -halal bend, it was most interesting to study the ant les of the :various cam as, steering and sustwnsion were strained to the intixirmatt. ‘its’ little rear-engined Renaults were most impressive, cornering with perfeet preriSitar mid rock-steady, aline 1 regret I., have to say that the only British Continued ral lan/f; 147