The 1934 Avusrennen was a non-championship Grand Prix held on 27 May 1934 at AVUS in Berlin, Germany. It was the 10th race of the 1934 Grand Prix season. The race, which was 15 laps, was won by Guy Moll driving an Alfa Romeo Tipo B/P3 after starting from 9th place.[1]
| 1934 Avusrennen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 Grand Prix season | |||
 August Momberger in his Auto Union car before the race. | |||
| Race details | |||
| Date | 27 May 1934 | ||
| Official name | IV Internationales AVUS-Rennen | ||
| Location | Berlin, Germany | ||
| Course | Road course | ||
| Course length | 19.573 km (12.162 miles) | ||
| Distance | 15 laps, 294.426 km (182.946 miles) | ||
| Weather | Wet, hail, overcast.[1] | ||
| Attendance | 200,000[2] | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |
 August Momberger | Auto Union AG | |
| Time | 5:12.0 on lap 9 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Scuderia Ferrari | ||
| Second | Scuderia Ferrari | ||
| Third | Auto Union AG | ||
Background edit
The race was highly anticipated due to the new Auto Union and Mercedes-Benz cars making their first public appearances. Although the Mercedes cars had to withdraw after Practice due to an issue that meant that the fuel pump did not deliver fuel sufficiently at high speed, the top Auto Union car finished 3rd, just 1 minute and 45 seconds behind 1st place.[1] The race saw record crowds of an estimated 200,000 spectators including top German ministers such as Adolf Hühnlein, the German Motorsport leader, who started the race.[1][2] It also marked the sudden return of Rudolf Caracciola who fractured his thigh in Practice for the 1933 Manx Grand Prix and announced his retirement from racing shortly after. Tazio Nuvolari also announced his intention to race despite his left leg still being in plaster after breaking it at the 1934 Alessandria Circuit on the 21st of April.[3]
"I only need my right leg"
"I came in second in the Montenero Race some years ago with a broken shoulder"
Tazio Nuvolari when asked about racing with a broken leg.[4]
Entries edit
Starting grid edit
The starting grid was determined by ballot and was reduced to 11 cars following the withdrawal of Daimler-Benz due to a fuel pump problem and Bugatti as the cars were not ready.[1]
| Pos. | Driver | Entrant | Car |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Louis Chiron (MCO)
|
Scuderia Ferrari | Alfa Romeo Tipo B/P3 |
| 2 |  Earl Howe (GBR)
|
Earl Howe | Maserati 8CM |
| 3 | Paul Pietsch (DEU)
|
P. Pietsch | Alfa Romeo Monza |
| 4 | Hans Stuck (DEU)
|
Auto Union AG | Auto Union A |
| 5 |  Pete DePaolo (USA)
|
Frank Scully | Miller 308 4WD |
| 6 |  Achille Varzi (ITA)
|
Scuderia Ferrari | Alfa Romeo Tipo B/P3 |
| 7 | Tazio Nuvolari (ITA)
|
T. Nuvolari | Maserati 8CM |
| 8 | Hermann zu Leiningen (DEU)
|
Auto Union AG | Auto Union A |
| 9 | August Momberger (DEU)
|
Auto Union AG | Auto Union A |
| 10 |  Guy Moll (FRA)
|
Scuderia Ferrari | Alfa Romeo Tipo B/P3 |
| 11 | Eugenio Siena (ITA)
|
Scuderia Siena | Maserati 8C-3000 |
| Source:[1] | |||
Race edit
The race was started in wet conditions by Adolf Hühnlein at 4:00PM.[1]
Hans Stuck had a strong start, having a lead of over 48 seconds by the end of the first lap, which increased to 73 seconds by the end of the second lap. Eugenio Siena retired on the third lap due to a mechanical issue. By lap 4 the rain had stopped and the track began drying out. Stuck's lead had dropped to 60 seconds. By the 7th lap the track was almost dry and Stuck was still in the lead, and would continue to do so until lap 11 when he stopped for a change of tyres and to refuel, the stop lasted 1 minute and 22 seconds. Moll passed Stuck during his pit stop and Stuck rejoined 2nd. On lap 12 Stuck retired due to a clutch issue. On the last lap, Achille Varzi had suffered a puncture before the finish line, he was able to finish slowly and retained 2nd position.[1]
Guy Moll won the race with an average speed of 205 km/h. Achille Varzi, who won the 1933 race came in second with an average speed of 201 km/h.[5]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "1934 GRAND PRIX SEASON - 1934 Avusrennen". www.kolumbus.fi. Archived from the original on 2013-06-20. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
- ^ a b "Earl Howe Fourth". Daily Herald. 28 May 1934. Retrieved 20 July 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Avus Grand Prix". Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail. 26 May 1934. Retrieved 20 July 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Nuvolari's Pluck". Belfast News-Letter. 11 May 1934. Retrieved 20 July 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Avus Grand Prix". Aberdeen Press and Journal. 28 May 1934. Retrieved 20 July 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.