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1907 Grand Prix season

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The 1907 Grand Prix season was the second Grand Prix racing season. It saw a blossoming of circuit events, with the shift from the inter-city races. The popularity of the inaugural French Grand Prix and Targa Florio saw those events held again. The new Kaiserpreis was the first major motor-race held in Germany. This year also saw a number of voiturette races as the number of specialist small-engine cars grew which gave close, exciting racing very popular with spectators.

Felice Nazzaro, former chauffeur for Vincenzo Florio, was the pre-eminent driver of the year by winning the Targa Florio, Kaiserpreis and French Grand Prix in his FIAT.[1] With Alessandro Cagno (Itala) and Ferdinando Minoia (Isotta-Fraschini) winning the Brescia races it signalled the rise of Italy as the leading motorsport nation over France, that had dominated during the first decade.

This year also saw the opening of the first purpose-built racing circuit at Brooklands southwest of London, England on the estate of British entrepreneur Hugh F. Locke King.[2]

Major races

Sources:[3][4][5][6][7]

Date Name Circuit Race
Regulations 		Race
Distance 		Winning driver Winning
constructor 		Report
18 Apr Italy I Coppa delle Vetturette Madonie Voiturette 300 km (190 mi) France Louis Naudin Sizaire-Naudin Report
22 Apr Italy II Targa Florio Targa Florio 450 km (280 mi) Italy Felice Nazzaro Fiat Report
13–14 Jun Germany I Kaiser Preis Taunus Kaiserpreis 470 km (290 mi) Italy Felice Nazzaro Fiat Report
2 Jul France II French Grand Prix Dieppe ACF Grand Prix 760 km (470 mi) Italy Felice Nazzaro Fiat Report
France I Coupe de la Commission Sportive 450 km (280 mi) . de Langhe Darracq
25 Jul Belgium VI Ardennes Circuit Bastogne Kaiserpreis 600 km (370 mi) United Kingdom John Moore-Brabazon Minerva Report
27 Jul Belgium VI Ardennes Circuit ACF Grand Prix 600 km (370 mi) Belgium Pierre de Caters Mercedes
27 Jul Belgium Liederkerke Cup 425 km (264 mi) . Porlier Minerva Report
13 Aug Italy I Corsa Siciliano Vetturette Palermo Voiturette 240 km (150 mi) Italy Vincenzo Florio De Dion-Bouton Report
1 Sep Italy III Coppa Florio Brescia Kaiserpreis 300 km (190 mi) Italy Ferdinando Minoia Isotta Fraschini Report
2 Sep Italy I Coppa della Velocità ACF Grand Prix 300 km (190 mi) Italy Alessandro Cagno Itala Report
10 Oct Italy I Corsa Vetturette Madonie Madonie Voiturette 300 km (190 mi) Paolo Tasca De Dion-Bouton Report
28 Oct France II Coupe des Voiturettes Rambouillet Voiturette 300 km (190 mi) France Louis Naudin Sizaire-Naudin Report

Season review

The success of the first Targa Florio the previous year had been built up since, and 45 cars arrived in Sicily from Italy, France and Germany. Tens of thousands of spectators arrived for the race. In an exciting race, Louis Wagner in his Darracq pursued the FIATs and Italas. But when the Darracq broke its half-shaft on the rough mountain roads, the Italians took the victory. Felice Nazzaro (FIAT) won from his teammate, Vincenzo Lancia, with Maurice Fabry (Itala) in third and Arthur Duray (Lorraine de Dietrich) fourth.

The German Kaiserpreis Rennen was held on a 117 km circuit in the Taunus Mountains north of Frankfurt. It was part of the circuit used for the 1904 Gordon Bennett Cup. The ADAC regulations stipulated the race was cars of a maximum of 8-litres and 1165 kg in the hope of attracting cars which more closely resembled touring cars.[7] Such was the interest, with 92 entries, that two 2-laps heats were held to get a final 20 qualifiers for the 4-lap final. FIAT dominated the race with Lancia winning the first heat and Nazzaro the second, before he went on to win the final.[8]

Great Britain had a universal speed limit of 20 mph (32 km/h) on the open road and did not allow motor-racing on public roads, as on the continent[9] (however these laws did not apply in Ireland or the Isle of Man). Therefore, constructed at his own expense, Hugh F. Locke King established the first purpose-built racetrack in the world at Brooklands on his estate in Surrey. A pear-shaped course, with banking at each end, it was 2.75 miles (4.43 km) long and 100 ft (30 m) wide. It opened on 28 June with Selwyn Edge setting a new 24-hour distance record of 1,581 miles (2,544 km). The first full race meeting was on 6 July with six races.[10]

Although the inaugural Grand Prix had made an impact, it had not been a financial success for the Automobile Club de l'Ouest and they declined to host this year's event. Instead, it was held at Dieppe on the northern coast. The French Automobile Club (ACF) also modified the regulations and format. In an effort to limit the trend for ever-increasing engine size in pursuit of power, the ACF dictated a fuel-consumption formula allowing 30 litres per 100 kilometres (9.4 mpg‑imp; 7.8 mpg‑US).[11][3][2] The race was 10 laps of a roughly triangular circuit from Dieppe to Eu, Londinières and back. Though initially of better quality roads, the surface soon broke up.[12] Lancia had his Fiat run out of fuel on the last lap while in 3rd position.[13] But once again it was Nazzaro who claimed the victory. His 16.3-litre FIAT completed the 770 km in 6 hours and 47 minutes, at an average speed of 114 km/h. The 1906-winner, Ferenc Szisz, in a 12.8-litre Renault was second.[8] The Coup de la Commission Sportive was held at the same time as the Grand Prix, but over 6 laps rather than 10, starting three hours later, and with a slightly lower fuel allowance. This race was won by de Langhe in a Darracq.[6]

The Belgian Automobile Club presented its Circuit des Ardennes weekend in three formats: there were only 6 entrants in the race run to the ACF rules (won by the Belgian Baron Pierre de Caters in a Mercedes). The alternative race, using the Kaiserpreis regulations had 23 starters. Belgian car-company Minerva scored a 1-2-3 finish, headed by the British Baron John Moore-Brabazon. Finally there was the Liederkerke Cup. This time Moore-Brabazon finished second behind Porlier also in a Minerva.[8]

Similarly, the Italians ran the Coppa Florio to the two regulations. Ferdinando Minoia, in an Isotta Fraschini, won the third Coppa Florio, run to the Kaiserpreis rules, while the next day Alessandro Cagno in his 18-litre Itala won the ACF-based Coppa della Velocità di Brescia.[8]

Meanwhile, in the United States, with ongoing issues with crowd-control the Vanderbilt Cup was not run this year.[14]

There were still several inter-city races held: in June Arthur Duray in his Lorraine-Dietrich won the Moscow to St. Petersburg race in Russia. Perhaps the most epic though was the Peking to Paris race. Sponsored by French newspaper Le Matin, five cars started the 15000 km trial in June. The Italian Conde Scipione Borghese arrived in his Itala exactly two months later and two months ahead of the next finisher, a French De Dion-Bouton.[15][8]

Citations

  1. ^ Rendall 1993, p.51
  2. ^ a b Legate 2006, p.11
  3. ^ a b "Golden Era of Grand Prix Racing". Archived from the original on 2009-04-13. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
  4. ^ "GEL Motorsport Information Page". Archived from the original on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
  5. ^ Monkhouse 1953, pp.232-79
  6. ^ a b Hodges 1967, pp.20-24
  7. ^ a b Sheldon 1987, pp.48-58, 64-68
  8. ^ a b c d e Cimarosti 1997, pp.28-30
  9. ^ Rendall 1993, p.50
  10. ^ Georgano 1971, pp.70-1
  11. ^ Venables 2009, p.26
  12. ^ Georgano 1971, p.87
  13. ^ Ludvigsen 2008, p.27
  14. ^ Georgano 1971, p.151
  15. ^ Rendall 1993, p.52

References

  • Cimarosti, Adriano (1997) The Complete History of Grand Prix Motor Racing London: Aurum Press Ltd ISBN 1-85410-500-0
  • Georgano, Nick (1971) The Encyclopaedia of Motor Sport London: Ebury Press Ltd ISBN 0-7181-0955-4
  • Higham, Peter (1995) The Guinness Guide to International Motor Racing London: Guinness Publishing ISBN 0-85112-642-1
  • Hodges, David (1967) The French Grand Prix London: Temple Press Books
  • Legate, Trevor (2006) 100 years of Grand Prix Kent: Touchstone Books Ltd ISBN 0-9551-0201-4
  • Ludwigsen, Karl (2008) Racing Colours - Italian Racing Red Surrey: Ian Allan Publishing Ltd ISBN 0-7110-3331-5
  • Monkhouse, George (1953) Grand Prix Racing Facts and Figures London: G.T. Foulis & Co Ltd
  • Rendall, Ivan (1991) The Power and The Glory – A Century of Motor Racing London: BBC Books ISBN 0-563-36093-3
  • Rendall, Ivan (1993) The Chequered Flag – 100 years of Motor Racing London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd ISBN 0-297-83220-4
  • Sheldon, Paul (1987) A Record of Grand Prix and Voiturette Racing Volume 1 Shipley, West Yorkshire: St Leonard's Press ISBN 0951243306
  • Venables, David (2009) Racing Colours - French Racing Blue Surrey: Ian Allan Publishing Ltd ISBN 978-0-7110-3369-6
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