HOTCHKISS AGAIN WIN THE MONTE CARLO RALLY

HOTCHKISS AGAIN WIN THE MONTE CARLO RALLY

GAS AND TREVOUX FIRST IN THE UNLIMITED CLASS WITH 1,013.73 POINTS. MAGNIFICENT PERFORMANCE OF 1,233 C.C. TRIUMPH DRIVEN BY DONALD HEALEY, IN WINNING TilE 1,500 C.C. CATEGORY AND FINISHING THIRD IN THE GENERAL CLASSIFICATION. 15 OUT OF 23 GET THROUGH FROM ATHENS.

FOR the third time in succession the famous French tnarque Hotchkiss has gained the highest possible award in the arduous and keenly contested Monte Carlo Rally. Gas and Trevoux started from Athens with their

3,485 c.c. model, and their total score of 1,013.73 points secured for them the coveted position of first place in the whole Rally. Their victory is the result of careful preparation and competent handling of a well designed and constructed motor-car. All praise to them !

Another French car was second, namely the 3.600 c.c. Chenard-Walcker driven by Chauvierre and Landau°. ‘I hey also started from Athens and scored•a total of 1,012;41 points.. ,British prestige was more than upheld by a really magnificent performance by that confirmed Rallyist, Donal 1 Healey, who drove his little 1,233 c.c. ‘friumph from Athens into third place, with a total of 1,011.57 marks. Here again careful preparation and experiencel driving counted for a lot, and the small engine capacity of the Triumph. in comparison to that of the Hotchkiss and Chenard-Waleker makes its gallant journey from the most difficult starting point in the Rally a feat of outstanding merit. Then followed three American cars, the 4,020 c.c. Railton-Terraplane driven by P. de Ribeiro Ferreira, J. W. ‘Whalley’s 3,622 c.c. Ford V-8, and J. Van der Heyden’s 3,620 c.c. Studebaker. Seventh was Rupert Riley, who has at last suc

ceeded in getting through from Athens, a trail he has blazed in previous years.

How they fared from Athens.

For the first time in the history of the Rally, competitors succeeded in getting to the finish from Athens within the scheduled time. Actually 15 out of the 23 starters arrived. Being the highest

marked starting point, this contingent naturally provided the leaders in the final placings.

Those who drove their cars by road experienced very bad to Athens conditions

en route, in fact a good deal worse than on the return journey towards Monte Carlo. For this reason the cars which were shipped direct to Athens by steamer were in a better condition at the start, although the drivers were liable to be handicapped by being unfamiliar with the route. Gas and Trevoux got over this difficulty by having a separate car for each journey.

The adventures of Lord de Clifford’s ft litre Lagonda in travelling to Athens are related in another part of this issue. Ice and snow on the road were encountered on most of the route from Strasbourg onwards, in addition to appalling surfaces in the later stages.

The two days before the start witnessed a torrential downpour of rain. which did not promise well for the Rally. ‘1 he weather report gave ice in Salonica, ice and fog at Belgrade and Vienna, and at various other places on the way. 540’ men were said to be working with 8. steam rollers on the Greek roads, which showed a great improvement even since Lord de CliGord’s survey trip in 1, ecetabet., The Greek Club organised guides and signposts at various douLtful spots. A company of 150 cavalrymen were said to be stationed at Sidero-Castron near the Bulgarian frontier to guide competitors round the mud-holes, gendarmerie were going to be placed in every village to keep the crowd back, and all arrangements were made to facilitate the progress of the competing cars through Greece. All the entrants except R. Carriere and H. Avril (Peugeot) and W. E. Belgrave and M. T. Lacroze (M.G.) arrived at Athens. The former stopped at Belgrade. A. Kegresse with his wonderful Citroen, complete with caterpillar trac tors at the rear and skis as well as wheels in front attracted great attention. He did not intend to start unless the roads were so bad that no other cars could

possibly get through. His maximum speed on the road was low, so that he would have great difficulty in maintaining the scheduled average speeds for the journey.

K. Bryde, the Norwegian driver of an Austin Sixteen was very despondent before the start because Sundersoun, his relief driver, fell ill. Fortunately the latter recovered in time for the Rally. Healey and Ridley, who arrived by steamer, took the precaution of driving about 50 miles up-country to inspect the roads. The wheels of their cars were exactly the same size as the brake drums, and were fitted with enormous low-pressure tyres in order to make sure of plenty of ground clearance. Charles Brackeubury arrived from London by train to take Browning’s place in Lord de ClitTrod’s Lagonda, as the latter was called back to London on business. After four days in the Orient Express Brackenbury was calling loudly for a bath

H. E. Symons and M. D. Scott had a good deal of trouble with their Essex Terraplane Eight. By the time they arrived at Athens the rubber bearings of the tie-rod had perished, the controllable shock absorbers had ceased to function, the front axle clips had broken, and the brakes were seizing.

‘1 he start was given from 7.22 a.m. onwards from a point in the outskirts of the city. Gas and Trevoux were first away with the Hotchkiss, while J. C. Ridley brought up the rear. Although the road conditions were easier, difficulty was experienced by some of the competitors. H. E. Symons ditched the Essex in trying to pass by Van der Heyden.’s Studebaker, which had skidded off the road. Soon after, Symons had to retire with a broken axle shaft. All but 4 cars got through to Salonica. Lord de Clifford’s Lagonda was showing signs of wear at this stage. A shock-absorber bolt had disappeared, the car nearly shed a rear wing and the sump had been cracked by contact with a rock. Mme. Schell had retired with radiator trouble and others to fall out were the Kegresse Citroen and the Austin 16.

Sofia was the next objective, and Be Clifford was forced to retire during this section, the crack in the sump growing worse and letting all the oil out. The rest of the British competitors arrived here safely.

Prom then to the finish much better weather conditions were encountered. There was little snow and ice, and no fog, and fifteen out of the 23 starters eventually arrived at Monte Carlo. They reported intense enthusiasm by villagers and townsfolk throughout the route, almost as keen as that shown during the Mille Miglia.

In the acceleration and braking test, in which competitors have to get off the mark and cover 110 metres, braking as heavily as possible as the end, the leading finishers all performed well with the exception of F. de Ribeiro-Ferreira (Raton Terraplane) who would have finished higher in the final placings if he had not applied his brakes prematurely.

The Other Starting Points.

Bucharest is the next highest marked starting point, and this year attracted 1E; competitors—in spite of the fact that in 1933 the road was impossible. Heavy snow was again encountered this year, but three cars got through on time. They were Ch. de Cortanze (Peugeot 1,465 c.c.), Mlles. Hustinx and des Forest (Peugeot 1,465 c.c.), and Cdt. A. Berlesco (Ford V-8, 3,622 c.c.). ‘i he latter used skis on the front of his Ford right the way from Bucharest through Roumania and Poland. Umea, Tallinn and Stavanger were all marked the same with 910 points. From Tallinn, drivers reported that the famous frozen ruts which were so disconcerting last year had lost their terror through a providential thaw. A fresh difficulty arose, however, for the faster cars found

great trouble in passing slower vehicles because their windscreens were deluged with mud as soon as they approached within striking distance. Vasselle (Hotchkiss), winner of the Rally in 1932 and 1933, was the leader of the Tallinn group, being 19th in the final results the next man was Malaret, who drove a Talbot 3,380 c.c. into 20th place in company with Lavillangonet. At no time were drivers in fear of being held up by snow.

There was a good deal of ice on the road from Umea, but on the whole a fairly comfortable ride was enjoyed by everyone, and there were no delays. Stavanger, too, was in good condition.

Five out of the 25 starters from John o’Groats had completely no trouble runs. The journey North before the Rally was very severe, high wind, rain and sleet all making it very unpleasant especially for the drivers of open cars. A certain amount of ice was encountered, and required watching. J. A. Lriskell was caught napping on one occasion, and ditched his Ford spectacularly. The two Mercedes-Benz, both 7 litre models, attracted the inevitable attention,

particularly that entered by a German, Capt. P. E. Nord, who was accompanied by a uniformed chauffeur. An obvious attempt at sabotage, either joking or serious, but in any case annoying. was found by D. E. Harris when he discovered a quantity of sugar in his petrol tank. Miss Pay Taylour was apprehensive of not being able to start owing to a temperature, but she returned to normal before the start. Mr. C. J. Joyce’s Talbot ” 95 ” saloon was greatly admired. No car was more thoroughly er tapped, for its entrant has been a regular driver in the Rally for many years. Every conceivable fitting and cubby hole has been fitted inside the body, there was a special roll-up route map holder, a warm-air heater for the windscreen and a radio set, while every possible mechanical accessory had been

duplicated in case of failure.

S. C. H. 1. avis (Railton Terraplane) led the field at the start. Beyond a little rain as far as Inverness, and some fog in Yorkshire, the journey to London was uneventful.

In France, however, misfortune overtook R. C. Porter and his passenger in the little Andre V-6. 1. he car bad performed with complete satisfaction when it was involved in an accident near Toulouse. Porter himself was not seriously hurt, and after treatment at a hospital was able to travel on to Monte Carlo. R. M. Stoneham, however, who was driving received concussion and a broken leg. We are happy to be able to state that his progress has been favourable. The last 1,000 kilometres of the Rally had to be traversed by everyone at an average speed of 50 k.p.h. (roughly 31 m.p.h.) and most of the competitors found that this left them no time in which to execute repairs and adjust brakes before entering Monte Carlo—which was what the organisers wanted, If the weather had been bad it is doubtful whether many would have got in in time. J. A. Lriskell

made the best performance of the John o’Groats brigade, finishing 62nd. in the whole Rally.

There was fine weather at Monte Carlo at the finish. Everyone was pleased at this except those who had made elaborate arrangements to deal with the worst possible weather.

The First 20 Places.

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION.

1. Gas-Trevoux (Hotchkiss 3,485 c.c.), Athens. 1,013.73 pts.

2. M. Chauvierre-1_,,anciano (ChenardWalcker, 3,600 c.c.), Athens. 1,012.41 pts.

3. D. M. Healey (Triumph, 1,232 c.c.), Athens. 1,011.57 pts.

4. F. de Ribeiro Ferreira (RailtonTemplane, 4,020 c.c.), Athens, 1,011.19 pts.

5. J. W. Whalley (Ford, 3,622 c.c.), Athens. 1,010.41 pts.

6. J. van der Heyden-F. Habrut (Studebaker, 3,620 c.c.), Athens. 1,010.15 pts.

7. R. S. G. Riley-H. Gardiner (Riley, 1,089 c.c.), Athens. 1,009.01 pts.

8. J. Bignan (Renault, 3,670 c.c.), Athens. 1,009 pts.

9. B. urek (Aero 998 c.c.), Athens. 1,008.38 pts.

10. G. de Lavalette-H. Naas (Peugeot, 1,465 c.c.), Athens. 1,008.01 pts.

11. H. Stoffel (Peugeot, 1,465 c.c.), Athens. 1,007.59 pts.

12. J. H. Van der Meulen (Ford, 3,622 c.c.), Athens. 1,006.96 pts.

13. J. C. Ridley (Triumph, 1,233 c.c.), Athens. 1,003.18 pts.

14. Dr. J. J. Sprenger van EijkA. A. J. Wielemann (Ford, 3,622 c.c.), Athens. 993.99 pts.

15. E. A. Chazel (Peugeot, 1,465 c.c.), Athens. 958.30 pts.

16. Ch. de Cortanze (Peugeot, 1,465 c.c.), Bucarest. 945 pts.

17. Mlles, Hustinx-des Forest (Peugeot, 1,465 c.c.), Bucharest. 934.40 pts.

18. Cdt. A. Berlesco (Ford, 3,622 c.c.) Bucarest. 19. M. Vasselle (Hotchkiss, 3,485 c.c.),

20. Malaret-Lavillaugonet (Talbot, 3,380 c.c.), Tallinn.

UNDER 1,500 c.c.

1. D. H. Healey (Triumph, 1,232 c.c.), Athens. 1,011.57 pts.

2. R. S. G. Riley-H. Gardiner (Riley, 1,089 c.c.), Athens. 1,009.01 pts. 3. B. ‘I urek (Aero, 998 c.c.), Athens. 1,008.38 pts,

4. G. de Lavalette-H. Naas (Peugeot, 1,465 c.c.), Athens. 1,008.01 pts.

5. H. Stofiel (Peugeot, 1,465 c.c.), Athens. 1,007.59 pts.

6. J. C. Ridley (Triumph, 1,232 c.c.), Athens. 1,003.18 pts.

7. E. A. Chazel (Peugeot, 1,465 c.c.), Athens. 958.30 pts.

8. Ch. de Cortanze (Peugeot, 1,465 c.c.), Bucarest. 945 pts.

9. Mlles. Hustinx-des Forest (Peugeot, 1,465 c.c.), Bucarest. 934.40 pts. COUPE DES L AMES.

1. Mlles. Hustinx-des Forest (Peugeot, 1,465 c.c.), Bucharest. 934.40 pts.

PLACINGS OF OTHER BRITISH COMPETITORS (in General Classification)

(`27) J. Beck, J unr., Triumph (T), 920.33; (28) M. T. Minshall, Singer (I:), 920.11 ; (29) J. Hobbs, Triumph (U), 919.136; (38) T. A. Sangster, Riley (T), 918.78; (45) T. C. Griffiths, Riley ), 917.94; (48) Mrs. M. NV. Stanton, Riley (U), 917.39; (52) Miss E. M. Riddell-Comtes.se H. May, A.C. Ace (T), 000.00; (58) Miss D. C. N. Champney, Riley

(U), 915.23; (60) Miss M. Allan, Triumph (u), 913.10; (62) J. A. Driskell, Ford (J.o’G.), 861.45; (63) C. Joyce, Talbot (J.o’G.), 860.51 ; (64) S. C.. H. Davis, Railton Terraplane 8130.20; (65) S. H. Light, 5.5. (J.o’G.), 859.75; (66) R. P. Gardner, Lagonda .o.C..), 859.51 ; (67) R. R. PelhamBurn, Riley (J .o’G.), 8.59.02 ; (68) R. E.G. Howard, (J.o’G.), 858.47; (69) D. H. Murray, Delage (J.o’G.), 858.02; (70) L. Martin, Talbot (J.o’G.), 858.01 ; (71) T. V. G. Selby, Chrysler (J.o’G.), 857.85; (72)1,V. P. Maidens, Riley (J.o’G.), 857.52; (73) Maj. and Mrs. Moritague-johnstone, Triumph (j.o’G.), 857.08; (74) A. C. Scott, Triumph (J.o’G.), 857.07 ; (75) J. Kingston-Whittaker, M.G. (1.0’G.), 857.01 ; (76) C. 13. E. Morgan, Vale Special (J.o’G.), 855.89; (77) J. Charters, Lagonda (J.o’G.), 855.22; (78) F. L. Winter, Alvis (J.o’t.;.), 852.83; (79) Miss Labouchere, t-inger (T), 851.68 ; (80) F. S. Barnes, Singer (5), 850.78; ($2) G. R. Brocklebank, M.G. (J .o’G.), 821.14; (83) C. J. Kingsley Scott, Triumph (5), 821.03; (87) G. Coulthurst-Holroyd, Ford

(V), 819.52; (89) Sq.-Ldr. J. Fullerton, Sunbeam (A), 804.47; (93) K. NV. B. Sanderson, Alvis (G), 782.43; (99) G. E. Stott, Alvis (W), 720.81 ; (100) Miss It. M. Harker, Sunbeam (L), 720.74; (105) H. ‘F. van Marken, Talbot (T), 703.92; (114) Maj. D. M. Douglas-Morris, Invicta (J.o’G.), 576.71.

KEY TO STARTING POINTS.

(A) Athens ; (13) Bucharest ; (U) Uraea; (‘r) Tallinn; (S) Stavanger ; (5.o’G.) John o’Groats); (A) Aberdeen ; (V) Valencia ; (G) Glasgow ; (14) London.