Grand Prix de la Marne explained

Race Title: Grand Prix de la Marne
Series Long:Grand Prix de la Marne
Series Short:Gueux
Venue:Circuit de Reims-Gueux
Location:Reims, France
Coordinates:49.2541°N 3.9306°W
Sponsor:A. C. de Champagne
First Race:1925 Circuit Beine-Nauroy
First Series Race:1926
Last Race:1952 Gueux
Distance:509.905 km
Laps:71
Duration:3 hours
Most Wins Driver: Philippe Étancelin (3)
Most Wins Team: Ettore Bugatti
Most Wins Manufacturer: Bugatti (9)
Surface:Asphalt
Length Km:7.826
Turns:8
Record Time:2'28.2
Record Driver: Jean Behra
Record Year:
1952
Record Class:Formula 2

The Grand Prix de la Marne (commonly known as the Marne Grand Prix) was a motor race organized by the Automobile Club de Champagne and staged at the circuit Reims-Gueux on public roads located 7.5sigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 west of the city of Reims in the Marne département of north-eastern France. It proved to be one of the fastest and most prestigious road races in Europe.

History

The origins of motor racing in the Marne district of the Champagne region date to 1912/1913 motorcycle competitions held on a 225sigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 road course referred to as the Circuit de la Champagne à Reims [1] near the town of Sarcy (about 20sigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 west-south-west of Reims).

The first race for automobiles was held on August 2, 1925 at the 20 km Circuit de Beine-Nauroy (approximately 10 km south-east of Reims near the Reims-Prunay airport on road D-931).[2] In 1926, the Grand Prix moved to the Reims-Gueux circuit, starting an annual series to run un-interrupted until 1931. By 1932, the popularity and success of the race prompted the French Automobile Club to host the French Grand Prix (billed as the XVIII Grand Prix de l'ACF) [3] at the then 7.826sigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 circuit. The French GP returned in 1938 / 1939 under grand prix regulations, two Formula 1 non-championship rounds in 1948 and 1949 and from the inaugural 1950 Formula 1 championship season for another eleven editions at various years until 1966.

Except for the 1926 Coupe d'Or (the first 12 hrs of Reims),[4] the 1932 Grand Prix de France at Reims was the first major race not billed as the Grand Prix de la Marne even though a few contemporary sources and regional interest continued to refer to the ACF sanctioned Grand Prix de France as "Grand Prix de la Marne". Various race name and numbering systems are still in use today. A typical example among the editions published under different race names and/or numbers is the 1952 Grand Prix: XIII Grand Prix de la Marne (F2 Register),[5] (Stats F1) [6] - XX Grand Prix de la Marne" (GEL Motorsport Information Page) [7] - Grand Prix de France - GP de Reims (sports car) 1952 (Amis de Circuit Gueux).[8]

The last Grand Prix de la Marne was held in 1937, effectively ending the series except for a final edition in 1952.

Grand Prix de la Marne time line

1925
1926-1927
1928-1935
1935-1937
1952
  <--spacer-column-->Grand Prix de la Marne - Circuit Beine-Nauroy
Grand Prix de la Marne - Circuit Reims-Gueux
Grand Prix de la Marne - Circuit Reims-Gueux
Grand Prix de la Marne - Circuit Reims-Gueux
Grand Prix de la Marne - Circuit Reims
  <--spacer-column-->Formula Libre
Formula Libre
Grand Prix
Sports car
Formula 2

The Grand Prix de la Marne by year

Legend:

Formula Libre = FL - Grand Prix = GP - Voiturette = VT - Sports car = SC - Formula 2 = F2
  Year     Date   EventReg.WinnerConstructor / CarCircuitLapsTimekm/h av.Report
1925Aug. 21° GP de la MarneFL Pierre ClauseBignan22 km102:08:56.4104.20 km/hReport
1926July 252° GP de la MarneFL François LescotBugatti T35B 2L C7.816 km402:50:15.6112.77 km/hReport
1927July 103° GP de la MarneFL Philippe ÉtancelinBugatti T35B7.816 km503:26:20.2116.32 km/hReport
1928July 84° GP de la MarneGP Louis ChironBugatti T357.816 km503:00:47.4132.75 km/hReport
1929July 75° GP de la MarneGP Philippe ÉtancelinBugatti 35C7.816 km502:54:14.6137.74 km/hReport
1930June 296° GP de la MarneGP René DreyfusBugatti T35B7.816 km502:49:27.6141.626 km/hReport
1931July 57° GP de la MarneGP Marcel LehouxBugatti T517.816 km502:47:37.4143.18 km/hReport
VT Philippe AuberBugatti T37A7.816 km503:19:00.4120.588 km/h
1932XVIII Grand Prix de l'ACF
1933July 28° GP de la MarneGP Philippe EtancelinAlfa Romeo Monza7.826 km512:45:12.4145.0 km/hReport
1934July 89° GP de la MarneGP Louis ChironAlfa Romeo Tipo B7.826 km643:25:51.8146.0 km/hReport
1935July 710° GP de la MarneGP René DreyfusAlfa Romeo Tipo B7.826 km642:57:52.8157.760 km/hReport
SC Albert PerrotDelahaye 18CV T-1387.826 km641:29:22.0131.340 km/hReport
1936July 511° GP de la MarneSC Jean-Pierre WimilleBugatti 57G Tank7.826 km512:50:45.3140.245 km/hReport
1937July 1812° GP de la MarneSC Jean-Pierre WimilleBugatti T597.826 km633:23:58.4145.030 km/hReport
1938-1951Grand Prix de l'ACF (1938-1939 - GP), (1948-1949 - F1 non-championship), (1950-1951 - F1)
1952June 2913° GP de la MarneF2 Jean BehraGordini T167.152 km713 hrs169.935 km/hReport
Sources: [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Les Courses Motos en France - 1912 à 1914 (french language) . racingmemo.free.fr . June 29, 2014.
  2. Web site: 1925 Le Circuit de Beine-Nauroy . racingmemo.free.fr . May 30, 2014.
  3. Web site: XVIII Grand Prix de l'ACF . Leif Snellman . June 29, 2014 . January 16, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200116093511/http://www.kolumbus.fi/leif.snellman/gp3210.htm . dead .
  4. Web site: 1926 Coupe d’Or: 1ères 12 Heures de Reims, Aug 22 . amis-du-circuit-de-gueux.fr . May 29, 2014.
  5. Web site: XIII Grand Prix de la Marne . formula2.net . June 29, 2014.
  6. Web site: XIII Grand Prix de la Marne . statsf1.com . June 29, 2014.
  7. Web site: XX Grand Prix de la Marne . silhouet.com . June 29, 2014.
  8. Web site: Palmares des GP du Circuit de Reims-Gueux . amis-du-circuit-de-gueux.fr . June 29, 2014.
  9. Web site: 1925 Grand Prix de la Marne . teamdan.com . April 6, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081030055351/http://www.teamdan.com/archive/gen/1925.html#marne . October 30, 2008 . dead .
  10. Web site: 1926 GP de la Marne. amis-du-circuit-de-gueux.fr . April 4, 2014.
  11. Web site: 1927 Grand Prix de la Marne . teamdan.com . April 6, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090801130810/http://www.teamdan.com/archive/gen/1927.html#mar . August 1, 2009 . dead .
  12. Web site: 1928 Grand Prix de la Marne . teamdan.com . April 6, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110928025712/http://www.teamdan.com/archive/gen/1928.html#marne . September 28, 2011 . dead .
  13. Web site: 1929 GP de la Marne . teamdan.com . May 29, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080630053356/http://www.teamdan.com/archive/gen/1929.html#marne . June 30, 2008 . dead .
  14. Web site: 1930 Marne Grand Prix . Leif Snellman . May 29, 2014 . September 15, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150915045703/http://www.kolumbus.fi/leif.snellman/gp3005.htm#36 . dead .
  15. Web site: 1931 Marne Grand Prix . Leif Snellman . May 29, 2014 . February 1, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140201232941/http://www.kolumbus.fi/leif.snellman/gp3108.htm . dead .
  16. Web site: 1933 Grand Prix de la Marne . Leif Snellman . May 29, 2014 . July 10, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210710121726/http://www.kolumbus.fi/leif.snellman/gp3309.htm#38 . dead .
  17. Web site: 1935 Grand Prix de la Marne . Leif Snellman . May 29, 2014 . March 3, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160303170016/http://www.kolumbus.fi/leif.snellman/gp353.htm#25 . dead .
  18. Web site: 1936 Grand Prix de la Marne - Sports Car . Leif Snellman . May 29, 2014 . September 10, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170910052042/http://www.kolumbus.fi/leif.snellman/spo.htm#10 . dead .
  19. Web site: 1947 Grand Prix de Reims (anciennement Grand Prix de la Marne) . 8w.forix.com . May 29, 2014.
  20. Web site: 1952 Grand Prix de la Marne Gueux . formula2.net . May 30, 2014.