Wikipedia

1948 Zandvoort Grand Prix

The 1948 Zandvoort Grand Prix was a non-championship Formula One race held on 7 August 1948 at Circuit Zandvoort.

1948 Zandvoort Grand Prix
Race details
Date 7 August 1948
Official name I Grote Prijs van Zandvoort
Location Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort, Netherlands
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 4.193 km (2.605 miles)
Distance 40 laps, 167.720 km (104.216 miles)
Attendance 100,000
Pole position
Driver
Maserati
Fastest lap
Driver Thailand Prince Bira Maserati
Time ?[a]
Podium
First
Maserati
Second
Alfa Romeo-Aitken
Third
Maserati

Report edit

 
Tony Rolt in the 3.2-litre Aitken-Alfa, made by Peter Aitken (1912–47) based on an Alfa Romeo 8C bimotore

The event consisted of two 24-lap heats and a 40-lap final. The cars were split based on their racing numbers, the lower numbers competing in Heat 1 and the higher numbers in Heat 2. A qualifying session determined the grid for each heat. Bob Gerard did not start the event; it is unclear whether he competed in his heat.

Cuth Harrison secured pole position for Heat 1 at 2:03.8, but retired with a broken half-shaft and the heat went to Reg Parnell from Tony Rolt and John Bolster, Bolster setting the fastest lap at 1:57.9. George Abecassis retired with valve trouble.

Prince Bira secured pole position for Heat 2 at 2:00.2. He won with the fastest lap at 1:53.6, the fastest time of the weekend, with David Hampshire second and Duncan Hamilton third. Peter Walker retired with gearbox issues, while Leslie Johnson was a non-starter due to shock absorber trouble and getting sand in his supercharger.

In the final, Rolt led into the first corner but Bira assumed the lead by lap 3. Bira's engine was not 100% fit, preventing him from pushing hard. Rolt applied intense pressure, closing the gap consistently throughout the race but lacking the pace advantage to make an overtake. The two were separated by a single car length at the chequered flag, Bira's engine screaming as he did not want to risk losing ground with a gear change. Leslie Brooke ran third before stopping for oil and going on to finish 6th. Kenneth Hutchinson was 10th despite only having top gear for most of the race. Michael Chorlton, whose car struggled with carburation issues all day, reached the finish albeit nine laps down.[1]

Entries edit

No Driver Entrant Constructor Chassis
1   George Abecassis George Abecassis Alta Alta GP
2   Geoff Ansell Geoff Ansell ERA ERA R9B
3   Archie Baring[b] Archie Baring Maserati Maserati 6CM
4   Kenneth Bear Kenneth Bear Bugatti Bugatti 59
5   John Bolster John Bolster ERA ERA R5B
6   Bob Gerard Bob Gerard ERA ERA B
7   Cuth Harrison Cuth Harrison ERA ERA B
8   Kenneth Hutchinson Kenneth Hutchinson Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Tipo B
9   Reg Parnell Scuderia Ambrosiana Maserati Maserati 4CL
10   Tony Rolt Tony Rolt Alfa Romeo-Aitken Alfa Romeo 8C
11   Bob Ansell Bob Ansell Maserati Maserati 4CL
12   Prince Bira Princa Chula Maserati Maserati 4CL
14   Leslie Brooke ERA Ltd ERA ERA R7B
15   David Hampshire David Hampshire ERA ERA R1A
16   Leslie Johnson ERA Ltd ERA ERA GP2 E-Type
17   Duncan Hamilton Duncan Hamilton Maserati Maserati 6CM
18   Fred Ashmore Reg Parnell Racing ERA ERA R2A
19   Roy Salvadori Roy Salvadori Maserati Maserati 4CM[c]
20   Gordon Watson Gordon Watson Alta Alta F2-2
21   Peter Walker Peter Walker ERA ERA R10B
22   Michael Chorlton Michael Chorlton Bugatti Bugatti 51A
Sources:[3][4][5][6][7]

Classification edit

Heat 1 edit

Pos No Driver Constructor Laps Time/retired
1 9   Reg Parnell Maserati 24 50:17.8
2 10   Tony Rolt Alfa Romeo-Aitken 24 +3.6
3 5   John Bolster ERA 24 +5.4
4 8   Kenneth Hutchinson Alfa Romeo 24 +43.0
5 2   Geoff Ansell ERA 24 +2:00.4
6 3   Archie Baring Maserati ?
7 4   Kenneth Bear Bugatti ?
Ret 7   Cuth Harrison ERA ? Half-shaft
Ret 1   George Abecassis Alta ? Valves
DNS 6   Bob Gerard ERA ?
Source:[8][4][7]

Heat 2 edit

Pos No Driver Constructor Laps Time/retired
1 12   Prince Bira Maserati 24 50:24.3
2 15   David Hampshire ERA 24 +59.5
3 17   Duncan Hamilton Maserati 24 +1:07.5
4 18   Fred Ashmore ERA 24 +1:26.6
5 14   Leslie Brooke ERA 24 +1:53.2
6 20   Gordon Watson Alta ?
7 22   Michael Chorlton Bugatti ?
8 19   Roy Salvadori[d] Maserati ?
Ret 11   Bob Ansell Maserati ? Gearbox
Ret 21   Peter Walker ERA ? Gearbox
DNS 16   Leslie Johnson ERA Supercharger
Source:[8][4][7]

Final edit

Pos No Driver Constructor Laps Time/retired Grid
1 12   Prince Bira Maserati 40 1:25:22.2 4
2 10   Tony Rolt Alfa Romeo-Aitken 40 +0.1 2
3 9   Reg Parnell Maserati 39 +1 lap[e] 1
4 17   Duncan Hamilton Maserati 39 +1 lap 7
5 18   Fred Ashmore ERA 39 +1 lap 8
6 14   Leslie Brooke ERA 38 +2 laps 10
7 15   David Hampshire ERA 38 +2 laps 6
8 2   Geoff Ansell ERA 38 +2 laps 9
9 4   Kenneth Bear Bugatti 37 +3 laps 12
10 8   Kenneth Hutchinson Alfa Romeo 37 +3 laps 5
11 22   Michael Chorlton Bugatti 31 +9 laps 14
12 3   Archie Baring Maserati 28 +12 laps 11
Ret 20   Gordon Watson Alta ? 13
Ret 5   John Bolster ERA ? 3
DNS 19   Roy Salvadori ERA
DNQ 1   George Abecassis Alta Ret Heat 1
DNQ 7   Cuth Harrison ERA Ret Heat 1
DNQ 6   Bob Gerard ERA DNS Heat 1
DNQ 11   Bob Ansell Maserati Ret Heat 2
DNQ 21   Peter Walker ERA Ret Heat 2
DNQ 16   Leslie Johnson ERA DNS Heat 2
Sources:[3][4][1][6][7]

Footnotes edit

  1. ^ Motor Sport reports that Bira's fastest lap in the feature race was 77.86 mph (2:00.4 at 2.605 mi) but Motor Sport Database reports 2:02.1. In the 1948 article, the average race speeds for both heats and the final, and the fastest lap of Heat 1, are accurate, but the fastest laps of Heat 2 and the final are not. It also states that the race distance was 108 mi, at odds with other sources.
  2. ^ A. A. Baring, b. 6 January 1912. Although his forenames are disputed, it is agreed that he was known as Archie. The name Anthony Baring is a common misquotation that appears in the sources cited by this article.[2]
  3. ^ Salvadori used his Maserati in his heat race although he also practiced his spare car, an Alfa Romeo Tipo B.
  4. ^ Motor Sport states that Roy Salvadori qualified by finishing 8th in Heat 2. The rest of its Heat 2 finishing order is accurate. Other sources claim that he was eliminated in his heat.
  5. ^ StatsF1, ChicaneF1, Silhouet and Motor Sport Database report that Parnell finished the race one lap down. Although Motor Sport states that he reached the flag 1.1 s after Rolt, he had probably just been lapped.

References edit

  1. ^ a b "A GREAT RACE AT ZANDVOORT". Motor Sport. September 1948. p. 291. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  2. ^ "A.A. Baring birthdate mess - The Nostalgia Forum - The Autosport Forums". forums.autosport.com. 14 January 2005. Archived from the original on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Grand Prix de Zandvoort • STATS F1". statsf1.com. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d "1948 Zandvoort GP - ChicaneF1.com". chicanef1.com. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  5. ^ Diepraam, Mattijs (Summer 2001). "8W - Where? - Zandvoort". forix.autosport.com. Archived from the original on 14 June 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  6. ^ a b "1948 Zandvoort Grand Prix | Motorsport Database". motorsportmagazine.com. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d Paul Sheldon With Duncan Rabagliati (1993). A Record of Grand Prix and Voiturette Racing : Volume 4 1937 - 1949. ISBN 0951243381.
  8. ^ a b "I Zandvoort Grand Prix (1948 Formula One Races)". silhouet.com. Archived from the original on 14 February 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.


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1948 Comminges Grand Prix
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