A virtual magazine for a true passion!

Editor: Jaap Horst

Volume 6, Issue 2

Bugattis at Bourgogne

Julien Dubrulle

1927


     

The 30 April 1927, in the « Bien Public » (the regional newspaper of Dijon), we can read that the A.C.B (Automobile Club of Bourgogne) has created an event entitled “6 hours of Bourgogne free form”. The vehicles can be racings cars, the motors could be supercharged and the coachworks will be selected by the racing driver.

The regulations:
1st class: the vehicles superior to 2 litres
2d class: the vehicles between 1.100 cm3 and 2 litres
3d class: the vehicles up to 1.100 cm3

Entries :

N°             Voiture                 Pilote             Immatriculation             Châssis

1                2 Litres             Leroy                 …                                  ( ?)

3                 1500                Danvin               …                                  ( ?)

5                 1500                X                       …                                  ( ?)

6                 1500                X                       …                                  ( ?)

9                 1500               Abit                     …                                 ( ?)

        Leroy is the winner with the average speed of 113 kil. 180.

The 26 May 1927, for the first time a new race will take place in Burgundy.

This new track which can be considered like a speed circuit as well as a circuit of resistance, will take place at the doors of Dijon on a rapid and very interesting road: great straight line, difficult bends, circuit guarded of course, that’s to say a great circuit to become probably classic.
According the “Bien Public” of 13 May 1927, man can expect a wonderful spectacle, a breakneck speed, and certainly a vast crowd which overrun the places.     

Man had dreaded the storm but the weather was wonderful and the sun shined.
M Gaston Gerard started the race at 10 O’clock. There were 15 cars on the start line. The vehicles rushed forward on the main road on the 17kil 500 of the track.

Leroy with Bugatti was the big favourite after the first lap with a time 9’39’’ and an average speed of 108 kil. 909. The Salmson of Verpault seem to be the challenger.

At the 4th lap; N°14 begin to burn and his driver is obliged to give up.

After the first hour, the rank is as follow : n°1, Leroy (Bugatti), 6 laps in 59’21’’ (106kil.200) ; the challenger: n°13, Verpault (Salmson), 5 laps in 52’56’’. The others have made four laps.

At the 9th lap, Leroy realize 9’17’’, that is to say an average speed of 113 kil. 190.

Colas, n°31, on D.F.P., run for the Yacco cup 8 laps; Raimond, on Messier, made 6 laps and Laly on Ariès, 7 laps.

Just after the second hour :

Formule libre.- 1. N°1, Leroy (Bugatti) 12 laps in 1h. 58’ 13’’ (106 kil. 580) ; 2. N°13, Lanciano (Amilcar), 9 laps in 1 h. 49’ 09’’ ; 3. N°16, Genevois (Amilcar) 9 laps in 1h. 49’ 18’’ ; 4. N°12, Verpault (Salmson), 9 laps in 1h. 49’ 42’’.

Coupe Yacco.- 1. N°33, Laly (Ariès), 12 laps in 1h. 58’ 42’’ (97 kil. 910) ; 2. N°31, Collas (D F.P.) ; 3. N°35 Raimond (Messier).

Laly in his Aries control undoubtedly the race, the car pass with an incredible noise, sometimes the driver accelerate and the car, after a bang, speed up. During more than five hours, the powerful car seems to have no competitors.

Laps after laps the placing don’t change… Verpault with the Salmson overtakes Brossier in his Amilcar; but the speaker tell us that the second has overtaken the leader…. What a revenge !

In the 4th hour, Leroy is leader with 24 laps; Lanciano and Verpault are ex-aequo with 19 laps; Brossier and Mangematin comes after with 18 laps. And the last minutes of the race happen. Applause becomes louder each times we see Laly or Leroy. But the flag is shaking, the race car spitting oil and fumes obey to their brakes and at last stop.

 

1928

 

     

This year (1928), it is written in the ‘Bien Public’: This very interesting event will be held on 17th May, once again this year on the same ‘Dijon track’ that was used in 1927. This event will be divided into two parts: 4 hours race for cars and 2 hours race for motorcycles. As far as cars are concerned two cups are at stake: – la coupe de Bourgogne for the ‘Racing Cars’ and – la coupe de l’ACB for the ‘Sport Libre Cars’. The classification will be made with the speed and anything else. Nevertheless a classification by categories and class is also forecasted.

Entries:

CATEGORIE SPORT

N°             Voiture                 Pilote             Immatriculation         Châssis

?                 1500                   Namin                    …                         ( ?)

24               2Litres ?              R.Cadet                 1693 LA               ( ?)

28               1500                   Blaque-Belair         …                         ( ?)

 

CATEGORIE COURSE

N°             Voiture                 Pilote             Immatriculation         Châssis

60               1500                    Mme Scheel         …                         ( ?)

?                 1500                    Foc-Matussière    …                          ( 37368 A)

62               1500                    D’Ahetze             …                          ( ?)

68               2 Litres                 Baboin                …                          ( ?)

70               2 Litres                 Simson                …                          ( ?)

72               2 Litres                 Mme Versigny     …                          ( ?)

74               2 Litres                 Mme Jennky        916 E 27                ( 4871)

76               2 Litres                 Gejean                 …                          ( ?)

78               2,3 Litres               Chiron                 8354 M 10            ( 4817?)

                                                                            5031 J 4                ( 4890?)

 

The straight before the start
  In 1928, 12 Bugattis are engaged in the race but only 6 end the race. Gejean turns over in the 19th lap at the Norges‘ bend. Chiron gives up in the 22th lap. Once again this year, Bugatti wins the race. The winner is Mme Jennky who drove her Bugatti with pride: 137 kil 555 on average ! Breaking the record of Leroy of the year before…

Le Récit du Grand Prix

Thirteen to five… On the speedway in front of Dijon, twenty-five cars are waiting for the signal in a vibrating atmosphere. Everyone is ready to go and beat a record. Fourteen cars will race for the morning trophy, reserved for cars sport category only.

The grand stand is filling up...
Divo, winner of the famous Targa Florio, who is ready to give the beginning signal, is talking to a timekeeper in fiddling nervously with his fingers on the pole of the traditional green flag; he seems to be more confident when he sits in a small bolide’s cockpit.

But it’s now time to start; the green flag is up; engines, which were puffing, sound crying for the delivery. Two seconds, the flag is down and the sport cars are taking their run up and leave like a bullet from a gun.

Five minutes after, it’s now time for the racing cars to take part to the show. The same flag is down entailing a real howling of machines, which lead off the dance.

The famous time table..
The masses listen with bated breath; everybody is giving part from his impressions, some are ever doing prognostications. The first car which goes round the first lap is a Licorne driven by Michel Doré, who run away in an appalling vrombing while spectators are clapping for him. Behind, Lamy, winner of the Yacco trophy last year, then Colas on D.F.P. and Mrs Scheel and Jennky on Bugatti; Chiron is following them with the intention to prove they are only charming laddies. Loud speakers inform the public to the coming of cars in Rendez-Vous des Chasseurs, in Savigny, and in Norges. Even though we know the ability of these crack drivers, we are still afraid of an accident in one of these three dangerous curves.

On the big board located in front of officials’ tribune each time of each lap of each pilot is written. The audience is always waiting for this piece of information, which are sources of most varied comments. Eventually serious prognostications are just going to be concluded between friends about results ever known.
A competitor on Bugatti
Michel Doré is clear leading the sport car category while he is going round the 6th lap and had ever 105 kilometres covered in 53 minutes and 51 seconds; behind him: Burie on Ira, 6 laps in 57’49’’; Laly on Ariès 6 laps in 58’28’’; then Dugat on Derby, Colas on D.F.P., Stoffel on Chrysler, Gabriel on Ariès are following with 5 laps.

In the racing car category, Mrs Jennky is calling the tune; she made 6 laps in 51’20’’ outside Géjean her colleague of the Bugatti team, who did the same travel in 51’21’’. After 1 hour, the placings of the leaders stay the same: Chiron, Foc, Baboin, on Bugatti and Lobre on B.N.C. have already a lap of late behind the two leaders.

Michel Doré, big favourite of his category followed to sweep by like a whirlwind: the crowed appointed him as the winner, when they announced
Just after the start!
before his twelfth laps that his car was broken down at Savigny le Sec. Indeed, very long minutes spent before his re-appearance, driving slowly when he was overtaken by Laly.

During the time he repaired his car, the Ariès made one more lap. Doré who drove his twelve first laps in 1h 49’ 13’’, is in the race again, and pulls back several minutes to finally give up at the thirteenth lap. After the second hour of competition Laly was the leader. In the same time Jennky and Géjean were just finishing their fourteenth laps; Chiron, Lobre, Foc et Baboin were at their twelfth laps.

Indeed, Chiron had to give up at the 22nd laps after 2 attempts to win back lost ground. On his role, Gejean overturned on Norges bend and he came within a hair’s breath.
The crowd is anxious not to miss the start!

Another accident at the end of the race was the one of Bouchez who after a successful competition had crashed into a tree at the road out of Savigny Le Sec. Bouchez stays alive after this terrible accident.

Mme Jennky & Laly went on the race without problems. Jennky finished the race of 17.5 km with great success and a driving average of 137 km/h, 25 km better than Leroy with his Bugatti the year before

 

 

 

Photo from the fanatique de l'Automobile
Photo from the fanatique de l'Automobile
Photo from Archives of a Passion d’Antoine Raffaëlli
4 Heures de Bourgogne, 1928 1st Jannine Jennky.
After the race, In front of Chiron´s N°78.

1929

               

For the last year in 1929, the A.CB organised the ‘Dijon event’ with a new name ‘Grand Prix de Bourgogne’, but the spirit didn’t change ! We can nevertheless notice a more and more closed link with the ‘Rally-Dijon’. (Bien Public of the 5th , 6th , 7th , 9th , and 10th of may 1929.)

Entries :

CATEGORIE SPORT

N°                 Voiture                  Pilote                         Immatriculation             Châssis

68                 2 Litres              Mme Derancourt            2608 U 2                     ( 4329)

?                   43....                 Mme Depret                   …                               ( ?)

 

CATEGORIE COURSE

N°                 Voiture                 Pilote                         Immatriculation             Châssis

?                   1500/ 2 Litres ?     Le Gall                      …                                     ( ?)

?                   1500/ 2 Litres ?     Lanciano                   …                                     ( ?)

?                   1500                     Foc-Matussière         …                                     ( 37368 A)

?                   1500                     Tedaldi                      …                                     ( 37A?)

?                   1500                     Tersen                       …                                     ( 37A?)

?                   1500                     G. Avon                    6799 PF                            ( 37369 A)

?                   2,3 Litres               Philippe                     …                                     ( ?)

?                   2,3 Litres               Bouriat                      …                                     ( ?)

?                   2,3 Litres               Gauthier                    …                                     ( ?)

 

 

This year, once again, Bugatti is the winner with Philippe. (moyenne horaire de 138 kil 854) In fact the six first cars are Bugatti.

Le Récit du Grand Prix

 

Now we are on the next day of the Grand Prix that was a very nice day for the automotive sport. The relaunching of this event shows that it was very much appreciated by the public.

As soon as 8 o’clock in the morning, the roads of Ruffey & Langres finished already to be prepared and the first spectators were arriving on a shining sun.

Around 11h30, engines were whirring on the running track. The last preparative are done on the cars. Sometimes we could hear a longer noise from the racing cars which seemed to come from monsters which are waiting for the start.

The flag slopes finally down and in only one second the racing cars are running with a tremendous noise. They are 27.

The track is composed of numerous corners and especially the “rendez -vous des Chasseurs” corner. Pilots have not only given a lesson to us but have also amazed us by driving on such a circuit at 150 or 200 km/h.

At Each Bend slowing down, gear changing and acceleration were followed by strident noises.

LA COURSE …

   

M. Repusseau
12 :29 … Preparation are finished, The 27 competitors are ready for the start.

17 will participate to the Repusseau cup, which is reserved for racing cars, the other 10 will work for the ”Matin Newspaper cup” which is attributed to the first sport cars. We can notice beyond the abstentions the cars of Drouet, who was hurt during the training, of Blaque Belair and of Mrs Jennky, the last year winner.

The start is tremendous, Bouriat takes at the beginning, the first place and finishes his first lap in 7 minutes and 20 seconds, that is to say with an average speed of 143 km per hour. He is followed at 1 minute by Gauthier. Then arrive Foc, Doré, Philippe, Mme Depret, Teboldi, Zehender, Lobre, De la Gall, Avon, Treunet, Dumond, Labric, Vinatier, and James at the last place.

At the end of the second lap Bouriet is still at the first place with an average of 142 km/h.

However, Philippe is just behind him at one minute and Gauthier takes the third place. Following them, we can find Foc, Doré, Tedaldi, Mrs Depret who arrived with 2’ 2’’ more than the leader for 15 km.

 

The battle is going on between Philippe & Bouriat, whereas Devaud has abandoned for mechanical concerns.

After the third lap, the position place gives first Bouriat followed by Philippe, Gauthier , Foc, Tedaldi, Mrs Depret and Doré who has lost 2 places.

4th lap : Bouriat has made its 70 km in 29’ and 24’’ , Philippe in 30’ 15’’, Gauthier in 31’ 7’’ and the latest competitors in 42’ 50’’.

 

Mrs Depret comes the leaders up and become the 5th at the 7 th lap.

At the end of the 9th lap, Philippe has taken the first place.

The rank at the end of the 10th lap is : Bouriat et Philippe, in 1h 14’31’’ , the leader is 10 meter before the challenger; 3rd Gauthier, in 1h 17’17’’ ; 4th Foc in 1h 17’39’’ ; 5th Tedaldi in 1h 20’32’’ ; 6th Lanciano, in 1h 22’32’’, all from the racing cars cup; 7th Mrs Depret, in 1h 23’36’’, then Zehender 8th, in 1h 24’27’’ both in the sport class. Then 9th Stoffel ; 10th Violet ; 11th Avon ; 12th Lobre ; 13th Perrot ; 14th Tersen ; 15th Michel Doré ; 16th De Vère ; 17th Bula ; 18th Treumet... Billiet and Devaud have given up. Some times later Labric, Perrot, de Vère and Le Gall.

At the 18th lap, Philippe is always the leader just followed by Bouriat with a time of 2 h16’25’ against 2h16’26’ : 350 km over the 525 have been done.

Bussienne and James give up.

At the arrival , the two blue cars of Philippe & Bouriet arrived almost at the same time ( 3h 47’35’) but Philippe kept his 1st place.

For these two champions , the homely average is 138 km that is to say that they improved the previous year record of Mrs Jennky.

The circuit

RN 74 : croisement RN 74 et G.C n°3 (rendez-vous des chasseurs) et du IC n°105 Norges la Ville. (entre les bornes kilométriques 53k 486 et 59 k 582)

GC n°3 : de l’origine à IC n°105 Savigny le Sec (entre 0k 000 et 8k 286)

IC n°105 : de l’origine à Norges la Ville jusque GC n°3 (entre 0k 008 et 2k 962)

The circuit is over a distance of 17km 500.

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