1911 Grand Prix season
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The 1911 Grand Prix season consisted of
Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...
races in the
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and
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
. It was a significant year as European racing gradually came out of the doldrums. A ''Grand Prix'' was held in France again. The first
Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...
was held at
Indianapolis Motor Speedway The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an automobile racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Verizon 200, and and formerly the home of the United State ...
, joining the
American Grand Prize American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
(held in
Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...
) as a leading race. The Automobile Club de la Sarthe et de l’Ouest organized the ''Grand Prix de France'' of 1911. This race is not considered to be part of the lineage of French Grand Prix, as it was a separate event from the official
French Grand Prix The French Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix de France), formerly known as the Grand Prix de l'ACF (Automobile Club de France), is an auto race held as part of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One World Championsh ...
, the ''Grand Prix de l'ACF'', organized by the
Automobile Club de France The Automobile Club of France (french: Automobile Club de France, links=no) (ACF) is a men's club founded on November 12, 1895 by Albert de Dion, Paul Meyan, and its first president, the Dutch-born Baron Etienne van Zuylen van Nijevelt. The Aut ...
from 1906 onwards.


Major races

Sources: Rendall 1993, p.358Monkhouse 1953, p.232-79


Season review

The season started with the
Targa Florio The Targa Florio was a public road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near the island's capital of Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 ...
with fifteen cars entered. It included cars from new Italian companies ALFA and SCAT (another company from the Ceirano family). Heavy rain beforehand had made the roads treacherous and they quickly turn to mud. Franchini, in the ALFA, led until he had to retire after the second lap from exhaustion of manhandling the big machine for six hours. In the end only five cars finished the three laps, headed by
Ernesto Ceirano Ernesto Ceirano (1875–1953) was an Italian entrepreneur, racing driver and motoring pioneer. Born in Cuneo in 1875, Ceirano was the youngest of four brothers who were pioneers of the Italian car industry. In 1908 he finished third in the Targa ...
in his SCAT. Rendall 1993, p.62-3 The Indianapolis speedway had hosted a number of races in 1910 after being repaved with bricks. But the organisers wanted something greater and had the idea of holding a single 500-mile race offering the biggest prize-money in the country. The whole month of May was allocated to testing and qualifying for the entrants. The regulations were adapted from the current
AAA AAA, Triple A, or Triple-A is a three-letter initialism or abbreviation which may refer to: Airports * Anaa Airport in French Polynesia (IATA airport code AAA) * Logan County Airport (Illinois) (FAA airport code AAA) Arts, entertainment, and me ...
rules: a maximum of 600 ci (9.8-litres) and a minimum weight of 2300 lb (1044 kg). Popely & Riggs 1998, p.10-11 Cimarosti 1997, p.40-1 Forty qualifiers lined up at the start. Almost all the drivers ran with a riding mechanic. The only exception was
Ray Harroun Ray Harroun (January 12, 1879 – January 19, 1968) was an American racecar driver and pioneering constructor most famous for winning the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911. He is the inventer of the open-wheel car. Biography He was born on Janua ...
, who was enticed out of retirement after winning the championship the previous year. He instead fitted a rear-view mirror to his Marmon, the first driver to do such. Cimarosti 1997, p.38 Georgano 1971, p.230 The race started with another first – a rolling start - and was close and full of incident. On lap 13,
Arthur Greiner Arthur Greiner (April 28, 1884 – May 24, 1917) was an American racecar driver, and historically the first to finish last in the Indianapolis 500. Greiner crashed on the backstretch after completing twelve laps in the inaugural race. His rid ...
’s
Simplex In geometry, a simplex (plural: simplexes or simplices) is a generalization of the notion of a triangle or tetrahedron to arbitrary dimensions. The simplex is so-named because it represents the simplest possible polytope in any given dimension. ...
lost a wheel, spun and slammed into the wall on the back straight. Greiner was thrown out and his mechanic,
Sam Dickson Samuel Parker Dickson (May 21, 1887 in Chicago – May 30, 1911) was a race car riding mechanic, and the first person to be killed in the Indianapolis 500. He was the son of writer Maxwell E. Dickson and Martha E. Dickson. Dickson was buried at ...
, hit the wall and was killed. Soon after half-way, the steering on
Joe Jagersberger Joseph W. Jagersberger (14 February 1884 in Wiener Neustadt, Austria – 5 October 1952 in Racine, Wisconsin) was an Austrian-American racecar driver. Background Jagersberger immigrated to the United States in 1902, and settled in Racine, Wi ...
's
Case Case or CASE may refer to: Containers * Case (goods), a package of related merchandise * Cartridge case or casing, a firearm cartridge component * Bookcase, a piece of furniture used to store books * Briefcase or attaché case, a narrow box to c ...
broke. As it slowed on the front straight, his mechanic got out to try and manually steer the wheels, but was knocked over by his own car. Harry Knight just avoided him, swerving into the pitlane and crashing into Herbert Lytle’s stationary car. Amazingly, despite the mayhem, no-one was killed in the accident. Meanwhile, Harroun had been leading since the 200-mile mark, and with the assistance of a 35-lap relief drive by Cyrus Patschke, went on to win the race.
Ralph Mulford Ralph Kirkman Mulford (December 28, 1884 – October 23, 1973) was an American racecar driver who participated in the 1911 Indianapolis 500. In 1911 he won the Vanderbilt Cup in Savannah, Georgia. Biography He was born on December 28, 1884, ...
in a
Lozier The Lozier Motor Company was a brass era producer of luxury automobiles in the United States. The company produced automobiles from 1900 to 1918, in Plattsburgh, New York and from 1910, at Detroit, Michigan. History Lozier Motor Company was fou ...
was second, although he protested that he had not been scored a lap in the confusion during the big accident and was in fact ahead of Harroun. However this was rejected by the stewards. Third was David Bruce-Brown in one of the few European cars in the field – a 10-litre FIAT S61. Rendall 1993, p.64-5 However, the race had been a great success with 77000 spectators filling the stands. Initial enthusiasm to revive the Grand Prix was high, but as manufacturers cancelled their entries, the
French Automobile Club The Automobile Club of France (french: Automobile Club de France, links=no) (ACF) is a men's club founded on November 12, 1895 by Albert de Dion, Paul Meyan, and its first president, the Dutch-born Baron Etienne van Zuylen van Nijevelt. The Aut ...
(ACF) had to cancel its plans. It did, however, support the AC de la Sarthe et de l’OuestSpurring 2015, p.21 (forerunner of the
Automobile Club de l'Ouest The Automobile Club de l'Ouest (English: Automobile Club of the West), sometimes abbreviated to ACO, is the largest automotive group in France. It was founded in 1906 by car building and racing enthusiasts, and is most famous for being the organ ...
) who offered to hold an event in its stead. They had organised the original Grand Prix in 1906, outside of
Le Mans Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Man ...
. This alternative “Grand Prix de France” used a new 55km triangular circuit to the south of Le Mans. But after this race too was postponed a fortnight more entries drifted away leaving only fourteen starters, the media cynically tagged it as ''Grand Prix des Vieux Tacots'' (The Old Crocks’ Grand Prix). Only FIAT (
Victor Hémery Victor Hémery (18 November 1876 – 9 September 1950) was a champion French racecar driver of the early Grand Prix motor racing era. Life and career He was born in Sillé-le-Guillaume, Sarthe, France. In 1904 he joined Automobiles Darracq Fran ...
) and
Rolland-Pilain Rolland-Pilain was a French car maker formally established on 4 November 1905 at 95, rue Victor-Hugo in Tours by François Rolland and Émile Pilain. The partners Rolland was already a successful businessman locally who had made a fortune in t ...
(3 cars, led by Fernand Gabriel) brought works cars. Run over twelve laps (650km) Maurice Fournier (
Corre La Licorne Corre La Licorne was a French car maker founded 1901 in Levallois-Perret, at the north-western edge of central Paris, by Jean-Marie Corre. Cars were produced until 1947. The names The first cars were named Corre, but racing successes by a driv ...
) led initially from
Arthur Duray Arthur Duray (9 February 1882 – 11 February 1954) was born in New York City of Belgian parents and later became a French citizen. An early aviator, he held Belgian license #3. He is probably best known today for breaking the land speed record on ...
(1906
Lorraine-Dietrich Lorraine-Dietrich was a French automobile and aircraft engine manufacturer from 1896 until 1935, created when railway locomotive manufacturer ''Société Lorraine des Anciens Etablissements de Dietrich et Cie de Lunéville'' (known as ''De Dietri ...
) until he had to pit with over-heating to add water. He had just been overtaken by Hémery, back to third, when his front suspension collapsed when approaching
Mulsanne Mulsanne () is a commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays de la Loire in north-western France. Population Motor racing The Circuit de la Sarthe, which is used in the sports car endurance race 24 Hours of Le Mans, features the lon ...
village. The car rolled, crashed and burst into flames. Fournier was thrown out and killed instantly while Louvel, his riding mechanic, had burns and broken bones. When Duray then had gearbox problems and retired, it left Hémery an easy drive to victory (despite being stuck in top gear) after seven hours. Ernest Friderich driving the first racing Bugatti (the small 1.3-litre Type 13) finished second two laps behind and Gabriel was third, a further lap back. Venables 2009, p.29 The voiturette class was shaken up by divergent fortunes of the two main teams:
Lion-Peugeot Lion-Peugeot is a formerly independent French auto-maker. It is the name under which in 1906 Robert Peugeot and his two brothers, independently of the established Peugeot car business, began to produce automobiles at Beaulieu near Valentigney. ...
and
Hispano-Suiza Hispano-Suiza () is a Spanish automotive–engineering company. It was founded in 1904 by Marc Birkigt and Damian Mateu as an automobile manufacturer and eventually had several factories in Spain and France that produced luxury cars, aircraft en ...
. Strikes at the Barcelona factory caused friction between the Hispano-Suiza designers and the drivers. The managers decided to shut down the racing department. This left Paolo Zuccarelli without a job, until he was soon hired by Lion-Peugeot, joining
Georges Boillot Georges Louis Frederic Boillot (August 3, 1884 – May 19, 1916) was a French Grand Prix motor racing driver and World War I fighter pilot. Biography Born in Valentigney, Doubs, Boillot was a mechanic by training who began automobile racing in ...
and
Jules Goux Jules Goux (6 April 1885 - 6 March 1965) was a French racing driver and Grand Prix motor racing champion. He was also notable for being the first Frenchman, and the first European driver, to win the Indianapolis 500. Biography Influenced by the G ...
. He filled a gap left following the death of
Giosue Giuppone Giosuè Giuppone (Calco, 29 September 1878 – Wirwignes, 16 September 1910) was an Italian track cyclist, motorcycle racer and race car driver in the early 1900s. He was racing Peugeot motorcycle and automobiles until his death in 1910.Auto Racin ...
at the end of the last season. The squat 4-cylinder engine of the Hispano-Suiza provided far better stability than the tall 2-cylinder in the faster Peugeots, and the team to tap into Zuccarelli's ideas. Rendall 1991, p.69 The rift between
Lion-Peugeot Lion-Peugeot is a formerly independent French auto-maker. It is the name under which in 1906 Robert Peugeot and his two brothers, independently of the established Peugeot car business, began to produce automobiles at Beaulieu near Valentigney. ...
and their parent company had been mended. The three drivers were all also engineers and Goux's family had worked in Peugeot for several generations. Although the other managers called them “The Charlatans”, Robert Peugeot recognised the innovative ideas and skill the drivers could bring to racing design. He also hired Swiss Ernest Henry (formerly at Hispano-Suiza) and Italian
Ettore Bugatti Ettore Arco Isidoro Bugatti (15 September 1881 – 21 August 1947) was an Italian-born French automobile designer and manufacturer. He is remembered as the founder and proprietor of the automobile manufacturing company Automobiles E. Bugatti, wh ...
(just starting his own firm). At the Coupe des Voiturettes (also called the Coupe de l’Auto, as it was promoted by L’Auto newspaper) the Lion-Peugeot team arrived in force with its new V4 VX5; the three regular drivers joined by René
Hanriot Aéroplanes Hanriot et Cie. or simply 'Hanriot' was a French aircraft manufacturer with roots going back to the beginning of aviation. Founded by René Hanriot in 1910 as ''The Monoplans Hanriot Company Ltd.'' the company survived in different ...
. With a maximum engine size of 3-litre, ranged against the Peugeots now was a variety of manufacturers that included new models from
Delage Delage was a French luxury automobile and racecar company founded in 1905 by Louis Delâge in Levallois-Perret near Paris; it was acquired by Delahaye in 1935 and ceased operation in 1953. On 7 November 2019, the association "Les Amis de Dela ...
and
Grégoire Grégoire is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: Surname / Family name *Alexandre Grégoire (1922–2001), Haitian painter * Augustus Gregoire (1936–1972), Dominican cricketer *Christine Gregoire (born 1947), ...
from France, Arrol-Johnston and Calthorpe from Great Britain. From the start, Boillot took the lead with Burgess's Calthorpe second, Goux third and then the three Delages. But when all four Peugeots had issues with engines, tyres or, in Zuccarelli's case, crashing, it allowed the Delages of
Paul Bablot Paul Bablot (20 November 1873 Boulogne-sur-Seine – 23 December 1932 Marseille) was a French racecar driver. He also owned an early French-built Wright-model airplane. He later became a track builder and designed the Circuit of Miramas whi ...
and René Thomas to establish a gap. Although Boillot was able to make up time and pass Thomas, it was Bablot who won giving Delage a surprise victory at first attempt over the Lion-Peugeot team. Once again, the
Vanderbilt Cup The Vanderbilt Cup was the first major trophy in American auto racing. History An international event, it was founded by William Kissam Vanderbilt II in 1904 and first held on October 8 on a course set out in Nassau County, New York, Nassa ...
and
American Grand Prize American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
were to be held together. For the first time, the Vanderbilt Cup left New York and joined the Grand Prize at Savannah, Georgia. FIAT and
Daimler Daimler is a German surname. It may refer to: People * Gottlieb Daimler (1834–1900), German inventor, industrialist and namesake of a series of automobile companies * Adolf Daimler (1871–1913), engineer and son of Gottlieb Daimler * Paul Da ...
sent cars across the Atlantic for the end-of-season races. The
Vanderbilt Cup The Vanderbilt Cup was the first major trophy in American auto racing. History An international event, it was founded by William Kissam Vanderbilt II in 1904 and first held on October 8 on a course set out in Nassau County, New York, Nassa ...
was an all-American affair as part of the
AAA AAA, Triple A, or Triple-A is a three-letter initialism or abbreviation which may refer to: Airports * Anaa Airport in French Polynesia (IATA airport code AAA) * Logan County Airport (Illinois) (FAA airport code AAA) Arts, entertainment, and me ...
championship.
Ralph DePalma Raffaele "Ralph" De Palma (December 19, 1882 – March 31, 1956) was an Italian-American racecar driving champion who won the 1915 Indianapolis 500. His entry at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame estimates that he won about 2,0 ...
and
Spencer Wishart Spencer E. Wishart (December 3, 1889 – August 22, 1914) was an American racecar driver. He was active during the early years of the Indianapolis 500. Biography He was born on December 3, 1889, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Wishart was ki ...
drove the Mercedes, and 21-year old David Bruce-Brown led the team of three 14-litre FIAT S74s. Harry Grant had won the previous two Vanderbilts with ALCO but this year drove a new
Lozier The Lozier Motor Company was a brass era producer of luxury automobiles in the United States. The company produced automobiles from 1900 to 1918, in Plattsburgh, New York and from 1910, at Detroit, Michigan. History Lozier Motor Company was fou ...
, joining Ralph Mulford. Cyrus Patschke and
Bob Burman Robert R. Burman (April 23, 1884 – April 8, 1916) was an American race car driver, he was an open-wheel pioneer, setting numerous speed records in the early 1900s. He participated in many historic races and was one of the drivers to compe ...
drove for Marmon. In front of a crowd of around 100,000, DePalma took the initial lead. Just like Indianapolis, tyre-wear on the American rubber at high speed was a problem and many drivers had to pit. But learning from Harroun's tactics at the 500, Mulford maintained a more even pace to protect his tyres and was able to take over the lead. DePalma and Wishart were charging hard but that meant more pit-stops for tyres, negating any gains. In the end, with fewer stops and slick pit-work from his crew, Mulford won in just under four hours, two minutes ahead of DePalma, with Wishart a further ten minutes back and Grant's Lozier in fourth. The spectators were delighted an American car had taken on and beaten the premier European cars. The FIATs were never a threat, crippled by tyre issues. Three days later, the Grand Prize was run. A number of entrants from the earlier race returned for the longer, 400-mile, race. Several European drivers also arrived. Louis Wagner joined David Bruce-Brown and
Caleb Bragg Caleb Smith Bragg (23 November 1885 – 24 October 1943) was an American racecar driver, speedboat racer, aviation pioneer, and automotive inventor. He participated in the 1911, 1913 and 1914 Indianapolis 500. In speedboat racing, Caleb won ...
with FIAT. Benz brought three cars, for Victor Hémery,
Eddie Hearne Edward Ames Hearne (March 1, 1887 – February 9, 1955) was an American racecar driver from Kansas City, Kansas who was active in the formative years of auto racing. Biography He was born on March 1, 1887. He participated in the inaugural Ind ...
and Erwin Bergdoll. At the beginning, Bragg led the sixteen starters but a close race saw this contested as Bruce-Brown, Hémery and Patschke's Marmon also vied for the lead. This time round, the FIATs tyres were far better and David Bruce-Brown claimed the victory with the Benz of Hearne in second, two minutes back, with DePalma's Mercedes just a minute behind. At the end of the year Ralph Mulford was acclaimed as the AAA national driving champion. Georgano 1971, p.266 In January, the first
Monte Carlo Rally The Monte Carlo Rally or Rallye Monte-Carlo (officially ''Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo'') is a rallying event organised each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco. The rally now takes place along the French Riviera in Monaco and southeast ...
was held. Entrants started from various European capitals all driving through rough winter weather to meet in the mountains by Monaco. Georgano 1971, p.117 In response to the 21-litre
Blitzen Benz The Blitzen Benz is a race car built by Benz & Cie in Mannheim, Germany, in 1909. In 1910 an enhanced model broke the world land speed record. It was one of six cars based on the Grand Prix car, but it had an enlarged engine, , inline-four, and ...
, Fiat built the enormous S76, with a 28.4-litre engine generating 290 bhp.
Pietro Bordino Pietro Bordino (22 November 1887 – 15 April 1928) was an Italian racecar driver. A native of Turin, he was one of Italy's top racing drivers of the 1920s. Bordino won the 1922 Italian Grand Prix and also raced in the 1925 Indianapolis 500 ...
took the second prototype to do a
Land Speed Record The land speed record (or absolute land speed record) is the highest speed achieved by a person using a vehicle on land. There is no single body for validation and regulation; in practice the Category C ("Special Vehicles") flying start regula ...
attempt at
Brooklands Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England, United Kingdom. It opened in 1907 and was the world's first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing circuit as well as one of Britain's first airfields, ...
, but it proved too unstable for the circuit. Taking it to the Saltburn Sands he broke . Later, in December 1913,
Arthur Duray Arthur Duray (9 February 1882 – 11 February 1954) was born in New York City of Belgian parents and later became a French citizen. An early aviator, he held Belgian license #3. He is probably best known today for breaking the land speed record on ...
reached at
Ostend Ostend ( nl, Oostende, ; french: link=no, Ostende ; german: link=no, Ostende ; vls, Ostende) is a coastal city and municipality, located in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerk ...
in the same vehicle. ;Citations


References

* Cimarosti, Adriano (1997) The Complete History of Grand Prix Motor Racing London: Aurum Press Ltd * Georgano, Nick (1971) The Encyclopaedia of Motor Sport London: Ebury Press Ltd * Higham, Peter (1995) The Guinness Guide to International Motor Racing London: Guinness Publishing * Legate, Trevor (2006) 100 years of Grand Prix Kent: Touchstone Books Ltd * Ludvigsen, Karl (2008) Racing Colours - Italian Racing Red Surrey: Ian Allan Publishing Ltd * Monkhouse, George (1953) Grand Prix Racing Facts and Figures London: G.T. Foulis & Co Ltd * Popely, Rick; Riggs, L. Spencer (1998) Indianapolis 500 Chronicle Publications International * Rendall, Ivan (1991) The Power and The Glory – A Century of Motor Racing London: BBC Books * Rendall, Ivan (1993) The Chequered Flag – 100 years of Motor Racing London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd * Venables, David (2009) Racing Colours - French Racing Blue Surrey: Ian Allan Publishing Ltd


External links


Grand Prix Winners 1895–1949 : Part 1 (1895–1916)
nbsp;– list of the races and winners. Retrieved 7 Jun 2019

nbsp;– Hans Etzrodt's description of the annual regulations, and changes. Retrieved 7 Jun 2019

nbsp; - Darren Galpan's list of the races, entrants and winners. Retrieved 8 Jul 2019
Motorsport Memorial
nbsp;– motor-racing deaths by year. Retrieved 5 Jul 2019

nbsp;– race report of the Targa Florio race. Retrieved 8 Jul 2019

nbsp;– history of the Targa Florio race. Retrieved 7 Jul 2019
Vanderbilt Cup Races
nbsp;– race reports and photos of the 1911 American races. Retrieved 16 Jul 2019
YouTube
nbsp;– rebuild and engine start of the Fiat S76 (3mins). Retrieved 16 Jul 2019 {{DEFAULTSORT:1911 Grand Prix Season Grand Prix seasons