1907 Grand Prix season

Major races

Sources:

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. 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.

Great Britain had a universal speed limit of 20 mph on the open road and did not allow motor-racing on public roads, as on the continent (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 long and 100 feet wide. It opened on 28 June with Selwyn Edge setting a new 24-hour distance record of 1581 miles. The first full race meeting was on 6 July with six races.

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 L/100km. 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. Lancia had his Fiat run out of fuel on the last lap while in 3rd position. 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. 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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Citations

References

• Cimarosti, Adriano (1997) The Complete History of Grand Prix Motor Racing London: Aurum Press Ltd
• Georgano, Nick (1971) The Encyclopaedia of Motor Sport London: Ebury Press Ltd
• Higham, Peter (1995) The Guinness Guide to International Motor Racing London: Guinness Publishing
• Hodges, David (1967) The French Grand Prix London: Temple Press Books
• Legate, Trevor (2006) 100 years of Grand Prix Kent: Touchstone Books Ltd
• Ludwigsen, Karl (2008) Racing Colours - Italian Racing Red Surrey: Ian Allan Publishing Ltd
• 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
• Rendall, Ivan (1993) The Chequered Flag – 100 years of Motor Racing London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd
• Sheldon, Paul (1987) A Record of Grand Prix and Voiturette Racing Volume 1 Shipley, West Yorkshire: St Leonard's Press
• Venables, David (2009) Racing Colours - French Racing Blue Surrey: Ian Allan Publishing Ltd

References

1. Rendall 1993, p.51
2. Legate 2006, p.11
3. "Golden Era of Grand Prix Racing".
4. "GEL Motorsport Information Page".
5. Monkhouse 1953, pp.232-79
6. Hodges 1967, pp.20-24
7. Sheldon 1987, pp.48-58, 64-68
8. 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