1905 Gordon Bennett Cup
| Race details | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pre-1906 Grand Prix seasons | ||
| Date | 5 July 1905 | |
| Official name | VI Coupe Internationale | |
| Location | Auvergne, France | |
| Course | 137.354 km (85.35 mi) |
|
| Distance | 4 laps, 549.415 km (341.4 mi) | |
| Podium | ||
| First |  Léon Théry |
Brasier |
| Second |  Felice Nazzaro |
FIAT |
| Third | Alessandro Cagno |
FIAT |
The 1905 Gordon Bennett Cup, formally titled the VI Coupe Internationale, was a motor race held on 5 July 1905, on the Auvergne Circuit in France. The race consisted of four laps to make the total distance 549km (341 miles). A French entry driven by Léon Théry had won the previous edition of the race, which meant that the rights to host the race fell to the French Automobile Club. France were to attempt to defend the Gordon Bennett Cup against Germany, Great Britain, Austria, Italy and the USA, and each country was represented by three entries, with the car that finished the race in the shortest time winning the race on behalf of his country. This meant the largest field of any Gordon Bennett race with 18 entries competing on behalf of six countries.
1904 winner Léon Théry became the only person to win two Gordon Bennett Cup races, as he won the 1905 race in a time of seven hours and 2 minutes. His victory driving a French manufactured Richard-Brasier car was the fourth Gordon Bennett win by an entry representing France. Felice Nazzaro and Alessandro Cagno, both driving FIAT cars and representing Italy finished second and third respectively.
Race Report [edit]
In 1905, The Times reported on the last of the six Gordon-Bennett Cup Races, which took place in France on July 5th over a 137 km mountainous circuit in the Auvergne near to Clermont-Ferrand. After four circuits of the course, a total of 548 km, which he completed in 7hr 2min 42sec, an average speed of 77.78 km/h, the Frenchman Léon Théry on a 96 hp Richard-Brasier won for the second year in a row. Lancia on a FIAT for Italy was fastest over the first two laps, but broke down with radiator problems during his third lap. Théry eventually came in first ahead of Nazzari, also on a FIAT, who finished in 7hr 19min 9sec.[1]
Chronographs for timing for the event were again supplied by Stauffer Son & Co.[2]
The race took place on the doorstep of the Clermont-Ferrand headquarters of Michelin, and cars fitted with Michelin tyres took the first four places.[3]
Classification [edit]
| Pos | Driver | Constructor | Time/Retired | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Léon Théry (FRA) |
Richard-Brasier | 7:02:43 | ||||
| 2 | Felice Nazzaro (ITA) |
FIAT | 7:10:09 | ||||
| 3 | Alessandro Cagno (ITA) |
FIAT | 7:21:23 | ||||
| 4 | Gustave Caillois (FRA) |
Richard-Brasier | 7:27:06 | ||||
| 5 |  Christian Werner (GER) |
Mercedes | 8:03:30 | ||||
| 6 | Arthur Duray (FRA) |
De Dietrich | 8:05:00 | ||||
| 7 | Pierre de Caters (GER) |
Mercedes | 8:07:12 | ||||
| 8 |  Charles Rolls (GBR) |
Wolseley | 8:26:42 | ||||
| 9 | Clifford Earp (GBR) |
Napier | 8:27:30 | ||||
| 10 |  Edgar Braun (AUT) |
Mercedes | 8:33:06 | ||||
| 11 | Cecil Bianchi (GBR) |
Wolseley | 8:38:32 | ||||
| 12 |  Herbert Lyttle (USA) |
Pope-Toledo | 9:30:32 | ||||
| DNF | Vincenzo Lancia (ITA) |
FIAT | * | ||||
| DNF | Camille Jenatzy (GER) |
Mercedes | * | ||||
| DNF | Burton (AUT) |
Mercedes | * | ||||
| DNF | Joe Tracy (USA) |
Locomobile | * | ||||
| DNF | Otto Hieronymus (AUT) |
Mercedes | * | ||||
| DNF | Bert Dingley (USA) |
Pope-Toledo | * | ||||
|
Source:[4]
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- Footnotes
- Bibliography
- Douglas-Scott-Montagu, Edward John Barrington (1963), The Gordon Bennett Races, London: Cassell & Company Ltd.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: 1905 Gordon Bennett Trophy |
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