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Motor racing at the 1936 Summer Olympics

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Motor racing was held as an unofficial exhibition event, the "Olympic Rally", alongside the 1936 Summer Olympics.

Event

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Little is known about the competition, though gold medals are known to have been awarded to Betty Haig of Great Britain (and her co-driver, either Joyce Lambert or Barbara Marshall[1][2]) in a Singer Le Mans,[3] as well as Paul Abt of Switzerland in a Riley Falcon.[4]

According to the official rules and regulations document, points were awarded for crossing certain checkpoints, with all racers who surpassed 2,000 points being awarded a gold medal, 1,000 points getting a silver, and all others who completed the course getting a bronze.[2]

Some sources claim that Fritz Huschke von Hanstein of Germany was awarded a silver trophy.[2][5]

References

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  1. ^ Walsh, Mick (1 August 2019). "A Life in Cars". Classic & Sports Car.
  2. ^ a b c "Paul Abt Olympic medal winner 1936". Riley cars. 2023-07-30. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  3. ^ Mair, George (2022-11-20). "Car driven by the Scot known as Britain's fastest lady sold at auction". The Scotsman. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  4. ^ Strohl, Daniel. "Yes, Auto Racing Was Once an Olympic Sport. It Was Absolute Bonkers". Hemmings. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  5. ^ "1936 Olympic Silver Trophy Given at the Sternfahrt Motorsports Rally". Nate D. Sanders Auctions. 2015-03-26. Retrieved 2024-01-30.