Aix-les-Bains Aix-les-Bains (, ; frp, Èx-los-Bens; la, Aquae Gratianae), locally simply Aix, is a commune in the southeastern French department of Savoie.

Savoie Savoie (; Arpitan: ''Savouè'' or ''Savouè-d'Avâl''; English: ''Savoy'' ) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Southeastern France. Located in the French Alps, its prefecture is Chambéry. In 2019, Savoie had a population ...

, France had a race track, called Circuit du Lac, which hosted Formula 2, Formula Junior, and Motorcycle Grand Prix races between 1949 and 1960.

Introduction

The Circuit du Lac d'Aix-les-Bains (the lake race track) was in and nearby the

Lac du Bourget Lac du Bourget (; English Lake Bourget), also locally known as Lac Gris (; en, Grey Lake) or Lac d'Aix (), is a lake at the southernmost end of the Jura Mountains in the department of Savoie, France. It is the deepest lake located entirely wit ...

next to the French

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

Aix-les-Bains Aix-les-Bains (, ; frp, Èx-los-Bens; la, Aquae Gratianae), locally simply Aix, is a commune in the southeastern French department of Savoie.

. Its length, , was typical of city race tracks. A slightly different track was reported to be in use in 1953. It was the sole race track in Savoie - the nearest others were Geneva's Circuit des Nations, Lausanne's Circuit du Léman, and at

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...

. Many drivers and spectators attended from neighboring Switzerland and Italy, and even from the UK.

Racing events

Automobile

1949 1st Grand Prix du Lac (Formula 2)

* winner

Eugène Martin Eugène Martin (March 24, 1915 in Suresnes – October 12, 2006 in Aytre) was a racing driver from France. He participated in two Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on May 13, 1950. He scored no championship points. Ma ...

with a Jicey-BMW, * followed by Ernesto Tomqvist with a Simca Gordini T11 * and René Bonnet with a DB Citroën * best lap:

Maurice Trintignant Maurice Bienvenu Jean Paul Trintignant (30 October 1917 – 13 February 2005) was a motor racing driver and vintner from France. He competed in the Formula One World Championship for fourteen years, between 1950 and 1964, one of the longest care ...

, 1min 19sec

1950 2nd Grand Prix du Lac (Formula 2)

* winner

Raymond Sommer Raymond Sommer (31 August 1906 – 10 September 1950) was a French motor racing driver. He raced both before and after WWII with some success, particularly in endurance racing. He won the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race in both and , and altho ...

with a

Ferrari 166 F2 The Ferrari 166 F2 is an open-wheel formula racing single-seater car, designed, developed and built by Italian manufacturer and team Scuderia Ferrari, for Formula 2 Formula Two (F2 or Formula 2) is a type of open-wheel formula racing category ...

, * followed by André Simon with a Simca Gordini T16 * and

with a Simca Gordini T16 * best lap:

Harry Schell Henry O'Reilly "Harry" Schell (June 29, 1921 – May 13, 1960) was an American Grand Prix motor racing driver. He was the first American driver to start a Formula One Grand Prix. Early life Schell was born in Paris, France, the son of expatri ...

, 1min 20sec .4"

1951 3rd Grand Prix du Lac (Formula 2)

* winner Rudolf Fisher (CH) with a

Ferrari 212 Ferrari used its 2.6 L (2562.51 cc) ''Colombo'' V12 engine in a number of models, all called 212 for the displacement of a single cylinder. The following models used the 212 name: * 1951 Ferrari 212 F1 — Formula 1 and Formula 2 racer * 195 ...

/166, * followed by Stirling Moss (GB) with an HWM Alta * and André Simon with a Simca Gordini T16 * best lap: Rudolf Fischer, 1min 17sec .3"

1952 4th Grand Prix du Lac (Formula 2)

* winner Jean Behra with a Gordini T16, * followed by

Lance Macklin Lance Noel Macklin (2 September 1919 – 29 August 2002) was a British racing driver from England. He participated in 15 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 18 May 1952. He was infamously involved in the 1955 Le Mans disaste ...

with an HWM Alta F2 * and

Emmanuel de Graffenried Immanuel ( he, עִמָּנוּאֵל, 'Īmmānū'ēl, meaning, "God is with us"; also romanized: , ; and or in Koine Greek of the New Testament) is a Hebrew name that appears in the Book of Isaiah (7:14) as a sign that God will protect the ...

with Maserati-Plate 4CLT/48 * best lap:

Robert Manzon Robert Manzon (12 April 1917 – 19 January 2015) was a French racing driver. He participated in 29 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 21 May 1950. He achieved two podiums, and scored a total of 16 championship points. At the ...

, 1min 36sec .4"

1953 5th Grand Prix du Lac (Formula 2)

* winner

Élie Bayol Élie Marcel Bayol (28 February 1914 in Marseille – 25 May 1995 in La Ciotat) was a French racing driver who raced in Formula One for the O.S.C.A. and Gordini teams. Bayol also raced sports cars, mostly driving DB-Panhards for the Deutsch Bonne ...

with an Osca 20, * followed by

Louis Rosier Louis Rosier (5 November 1905 in Chapdes-Beaufort – 29 October 1956 in Neuilly-sur-Seine) was a racing driver from France. Career highlights He participated in 38 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 13 May 1950. He ach ...

with a Ferrari 500 * and

with an HWM 53 Alta. * best lap: Jean Behra, 1min 20sec

1960 Circuit Prix du Lac (Formula junior)

* The race had to be stopped after the collapse, on the race track, of a bridgeway built for the media and the organizing committee. This led to the crash of the

ELVA Elva may refer to: Places *Elva, Estonia, town in Tartu County, Estonia *Elva Parish, municipality in Estonia *Elva (river), a river in Estonia *Elva, Illinois, unincorporated community in DeKalb County, Illinois, United States *Elva, Manitoba, u ...

of Chris Threlfall in the remains of the structure, killing him on the spot as well as 4 other spectators. The race was cancelled without results being published.
Details of the accident This will be the last event on this race track....

Motorcycle

* In 1950: winner in 125cc : Jacques Vaque with MV Agusta, in 350cc : Georges Monneret with AJS, in 500cc : Nello Pagani, (Italy) with

Gilera Gilera is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer founded in Arcore in 1909 by Giuseppe Gilera (1887–1971). In 1969, the company was purchased by Piaggio. History In 1935, Gilera acquired rights to the Rondine four-cylinder engine. It was, at th ...

and in sidecar : Hans Haldemann / Josef Albisser, (Switzerland) with

Norton Norton may refer to: Places Norton, meaning 'north settlement' in Old English, is a common place name. Places named Norton include: Canada * Rural Municipality of Norton No. 69, Saskatchewan *Norton Parish, New Brunswick **Norton, New Brunswick, a ...

. * In 1951: winner in 350cc : Werner Gerber (Switzerland) on AJS, in 500cc : Werner Gerber (Switzerland) on

and in sidecar : Eric Oliver / Lorenzo Dobelli, (UK/Italy) on

. * In 1952 : winner in 350cc : Werner Gerber (Switzerland) on AJS, in 500cc : Werner Gerber (Switzerland) on AJS and in sidecar : Jacques Drion / Bob Onslow, (UK) on

. * In 1953 : winner in 175cc : Gaston Gaury on

Morini The Morini (Gaulish: "sea folk, sailors") were a Belgic coastal tribe dwelling in the modern Pas de Calais region, around present-day Boulogne-sur-Mer, during the Iron Age and the Roman period. Name They are mentioned as ''Morini'' by Caesar ( ...

, in 350cc : Pierre Monneret on AJS, in 500cc : Giuseppe Colnago, (Italy) on

and in sidecar : Eric Oliver / Stan Dibben, (UK) on

. * In 1954 : winner in 175cc : René Bétemps on MV Agusta, in 350cc : Luigi Taveri, (Switzerland) on

, in 500cc : Werner Gerber, (Switzerland) on

, and in sidecar : Hans Haldemann / Luigi Taveri, (Switzerland) on

. * In 1955 : the accident in Le Mans will cause many event cancellations. * In 1956 : new safety rules prevent old tracks being used without major safety modifications. * In 1960 : the race is canceled because of a Formula Junior accident which happened four days earlier. * In 1961 : the event is canceled.

References

External links

Aix les Bains and motorsports

* ttp://racingmemo.free.fr/M%20FRANCE/MOTO%20FRANCE%201961.htm GP moto in France {{DEFAULTSORT:Aix Les Bains Circuit Du Lac Auto races in France Aix-les-Bains Sports venues in Savoie Defunct motorsport venues in France