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PART 1



INTRODUCTION:

1935 was the great year of Mercedes-Benz and Rudolf Caracciola, while Auto Union was struggling. It was also the first year of the AIACR European Championship.

Grand Prix racing was becoming more and more a thing for the great manufacturers, private drivers had no chance to compete on equal terms any more. In 1935 therefore the Independent Drivers Association was formed in Paris by the amateur drivers in an attempt to better the situation. But the race organizers were not any longer ready to spend start money on also-runners, and one after an other the privateers left Grand Prix racing and turned to sports car or Voiturette racing instead. Whitney Straight left the scene altogether after unsuccessfully having tried to buy an Auto Union car for his team. And Maserati and Bugatti also lost their interest in GP racing during the season, leaving the field to Alfa Romeo and the two German teams.

In the autumn AIACR and representatives for the teams met, trying to find a new racing formula, but the meeting was resultless and the existing 750 kg formula was extended to include also the 1937 season.

1935 was the year that Voiturette racing became an serious alternative for race organizers around Europe. More and more of the continental races were changed from the 1100cc to the 1500cc class. The reason for the change in attitude towards the class was the new British ERA, which during the season took over the honor from Maserati of being the leading Voiturette car manufacturer. And Maserati was willing to take up the challenge, realizing that the future for them lay in Voiturette, not in GP racing.



SEASON LINEUP:

GRAND PRIX:
    Mercedes-Benz
    Mercedes continued to race their W25 cars with 3.7 litres engines, upgraded later to 4.0 litres and finally 4.3 litres. The driver lineup for 1935 was the same as in 1934 with
    Rudolf Caracciola, Manfred von Brauchitsch and Luigi Fagioli as drivers and Hanns Geier as reserve. Second reserve was Hermann Lang, who at the start of the season still worked as Fagioli's chief mechanic.

    Auto Union
    Auto Union entered the season with Auto Union B, a variant of Auto Union A upgraded on 56 different points including increasing the engine capacity to 4.9 litre. Later in the season a 5.6 litre variant appeared. The team retained the services of Hans Stuck and Hermann zu Leiningen and signed on Italian Achille Varzi. As reserves the team selected GP privateer Paul Pietsch and the young motorcycle racer Bernd Rosemeyer. Momberger, who had great difficulties in working together with team manager Willy Walb , and Sebastian, who admitted he did not have the speed for GP racing, had both moved to other duties at the Auto Union concern.

    Maserati
    During the season the Maserati works team was represented by Count Della Chiesa's Scuderia Subalpina, in a similar way that Scuderia Ferrari represented Alfa Romeo. Drivers Philippe Étancelin and Goffredo Zehender raced 6C-34 cars or upgraded 8CM cars while waiting for their new V8-RI.
    Another Maserati team was Gino Rovere with Giuseppe Farina as driver and early in the season Étancelin sold his old blue 8CM to Armand Girod. The new long expected 4.8 litre Maserati Tipo V-8RI finally made its debut in July at the Marne GP. The streamlined design was clearly influenced by the German cars. Sadly it never got its chance to prove itself, for suddenly Maserati lost interest in Grand Prix racing and the car never went through a proper development program. Private Maserati drivers continued to drive their 3 litre 8CM cars with little success, the car being inferior to both the latest Alfa Romeo and German cars.

    Alfa Romeo
    The Alfa Romeo P3 cars were bored out to 3.2 litres and were equipped with independent front suspension. In the middle of the season a final variant of the car had a 3.8 litre engine. Late in the season the new Tipo C 8 appeared with the 3.8 litre engine fitted into a streamlined body with a fully independent suspension.
    Tazio Nuvolari had approached Auto Union only to find out that Varzi had already signed on. Nuvolari then planned to continue as a Maserati privateer, but with Varzi gone it seemed that the Ferrari team would be led by French René Dreyfus and Monegasque Louis Chiron. Thus Benito Mussolini himself made it clear that he liked to see the "Flying Mantuan" leading the team, so after having left the team in the middle of the 1933 season, Nuvolari was now back at Ferrari. Other Ferrari drivers included Felice Trossi, who also worked as president for Scuderia Ferrari, Antonio Brivio, Gianfranco Comotti, Mario Tadini and Carlo Pintacuda. Scuderia Ferrari also built two new twin-engine 6.3 litre formula libre cars known as the "Bi-motore" with an intent to beat the Germans at AVUS and Tripoli.

    Bugatti
    Bugatti had increased their engine volume to 3.8 litres and at last found some reliability. The team retained four of their cars and managed to sell the other four to British amateur drivers. Driver lineup included Jean-Pierre Wimille, Piero Taruffi and veteran driver Robert Benoist. Earl Howe entered his private car in a some major races and several old Bugattis appeared in racing during the year.

VOITURETTE 1500cc:
    Maserati
    In 1935 Maserati continued with their 4C cars but were beaten by the new ERA cars. Luigi Della Chiesa's new Scuderia Subalpina represented the works. During the season Maserati worked on a new car to beat ERA in 1936.

    ERA
    This was a great year for ERA. A new bettered variant called ERA-B was built and raced by the works team. Works drivers were Raymond Mays and Humphrey Cook. Tim Rose-Richards and Prince Hermann zu Leiningen also did a start each for the works team. Pat Fairfield raced his 1100cc car and new ERA-B cars were sold to "B. Bira" and Richard Seaman. These few cars dominated the 1935 Voiturette season.

    Bugatti
    The Bugatti cars were also runners, the team had no plans for any new design and the old cars were no match for the Maseratis and ERAs. Pierre Veyron continued as the team's top driver.

    Other
    Earl Howe continued racing with his 1927 Delage. Old Salmsons and MGs also showed up here and there during the season.



AIACR EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP TABLE



LATE FEBRUARY 1935: Mercedes-Benz tested Lang, Soenius and Kohlrausch at Monza. Lang was selected as junior driver.
SPRING 1935: Varzi tested both streamlined and GP variants of the Auto Union at AVUS Berlin and was delighted.



    
II NORGES GRAND PRIX
BOGSTAD-Oslo (N), 10 FEBRUARY 1935
25 laps x 5 km = 125 km, 17 starters

The first race of the 1935 season was the Norwegian winter Grand Prix, moved away this year from Gjersjøn to a 5 km circuit laid out on Bogstadvannet, a frozen lake in the Sørkedalen valley 10 kilometers from Oslo. With some 25000 spectators turning up transports and crowd control in the snow filled valley proved a bit troublesome. The field included a decent number of GP cars and the racing class also included Finnish driver Alm who initially had entered his Flash Gordon inspired "tail Ford" in the sports car class.
      As expected the Nordic ice racing specialists dominated the race. Widengren immediately took the lead followed by Bjørnstad, Ebb, Rüesch and Isberg. After a few laps Ebb with his huge SSK passed Bjørnstad for second place. Soon afterwards Bjørnstad had a puncture and fell back. On lap 9 Sundstedt spun and crashed in a cloud of snow, luckily without recieving any major injuries. Widengren was in his own class and on lap 18 he lapped third placed Rüesch to put all except Ebb a lap behind. Bjørnstad had another puncture and was forced to do almost a full lap on the rim before being able to reaching the pit. After 25 laps Widengren took the flag to win the Norwegian GP second time in a row.


Grid:
Pole Position
1
Ebb

Mercedes-Benz

2
Isberg?

Bugatti

3
Bjřrnstad

Alfa Romeo

4
Sundstedt?

Bugatti

5
Rüesch

Maserati

6
P-W Widengren

Bugatti

7
Alm

Ford

The sports cars started on line 100 m behind the racing cars


Results:
   1 Widengren   (Alfa Romeo Monza 2.3L)    50:54.5 
   2 Ebb         (Mercedes-Benz SSK 7.1L) +  2:25.5 
   3 Rüesch      (Maserati 8CM 3.0L)      +  3:34.5 
   4 Isberg      (Bugatti)                +  4:33.5
   5 Bjørnstad   (Alfa Romeo Monza 2.3L)  +  5:53.5
   6 Alm         (Ford Special)           +  8:19.5
   7 Johansen    (Ford)                   + 10:02.5
   8 Bryde       (Singer)                 + 10:22.5
   9 Thorsell    (Chevrolet)              + 13:57.5 
 DNF Sundstedt   (Bugatti T51)               8 laps  crash  
   ? Andersen    (Ford)
   ? Lassen      (MG)
   ? Lühr        (Bugatti)
   ? Helling     (Fiat)
   ? Hammarstadt (Studebaker)
   ? Engelhart   (Locher-Ford)

 



      
II VALLENTUNALOPPET
Vallentunasjön (S), 17 FEBRUARY 1935
10 laps *4 km = 40 km, 13 starters

No grid available. Race numbers were:
   1 Ebb, 2 Lind 3 Myrberg, 4 Rolander, 5 Sundstedt, 6 Thorsell, 7 Wernström, 
   8 Widengren, 9 Rüesch, 10 Bjørnstad, 11 Carlsson 12 Sorri, 14 Alm

Results:
   1 Widengren (Alfa Romeo Monza 2.3L)   21:31.6 
   2 Bjørnstad (Alfa Romeo Monza 2.3L)  +   45.3  
   3 Ebb       (Mercedes-Benz SSK 7.1L) + 1:30.8
   4 Lindh     (Bugatti T37)            + 3:36.3
   5 Carlsson  (Amilcar)                + 5:55.2
   6 Thorsell  (Chevrolet)              + 7:19.5
 DNF Myrberg   (Frazer Nash)
 DNF Rolander  (Ford)
 DNF Wernström (Cont Special)
 DNF Sorri     (Chrysler)
 DNF Alm       (Ford)  
 DNF Rüesch    (Maserati 8CM 3.0L)        4 laps
 DNF Sundstedt (Bugatti T51)              1 lap

 



     
GRAND PRIX DE PAU
PAU (F), 24 FEBRUARY 1935
80 laps * 2.769 km = 221.52 km, 15 entries - 13 starters. Weather: Sunny.

It had been raining at Pau the night before the race but when the cars lined up the conditions were perfect. The Ferrari Alfa Romeo cars of Nuvolari and Dreyfus were the favourites and they faced Maseratis from Étancelin (in his old 8CM as the 6C-34 was not ready), Falchetto, Soffietti and Brunet. Rüesch had got stuck at the customs and was a non starter. Nuvolari's new Alfa with reveresed rear suspension proved to be fastest in practice with a time of 1:53
Just as expected the Ferrari cars took control over the race with Nuvolari leading from Dreyfus. The only driver being able to challenge them was Étancelin but he had to retire with a broken oil pump. At half distance Dreyfus led Nuvolari by 2 seconds with Falchetto third, one minute behind. Five laps from the finish Nuvolari passed Dreyfus and the Alfa Romeo drivers then cruised home to give Nuvolari a straight win in his comeback race for Ferrari. Four minutes behind them two Maseratis were fighting for third place and the cars actually collided once they had passed the line.

DNA/DNS: 8 Rüesch (Maserati), 30 Boucly (Bugatti) 

Grid:
Pole Position
16
Etancelin

Maserati
1m56s

14
Nuvolari

Alfa Romeo
1m55s

24
Soffietti

Maserati
1m58s

4
Lehoux

Bugatti
1m57s

20
Dreyfus

Alfa Romeo
1m56s

2
Brunet

Maserati
2m02s

26
Falchetto

Maserati
1m59s

6
Hellé-Nice

Alfa Romeo
2m06s

22
Cazaux

Bugatti
2m04s

28
G Léoz-Abad

Bugatti
2m06?s

10
Delorme

Bugatti
2m07s

12
Zanelli

Nacional Pescara
2m06s

18
Veyron

Bugatti
_


Results:
   1 Nuvolari         (Alfa Romeo Tipo B 2.9L *) 2:38:19.8 (2:38:12.8?)
   2 Dreyfus          (Alfa Romeo Tipo B 2.9L *)  +   26.2
   3 Soffietti        (Maserati 8CM 3.0L)         + 3:50.2
   4 Falchetto        (Maserati 8CM 3.0L *2)      + 3:52.2 
   5 Brunet           (Maserati 8CM 3.0L *2)      - 1 lap
   6 Cazaux           (Bugatti T51 *3)            - 3 laps
   7 Léoz-Abad        (Bugatti T51)               - 3 laps 
   8 Mlle. Hellé-Nice (Alfa Romeo Monza 2.3L)     - 5 laps
   9 Delorme          (Bugatti T51)               - 5 laps 
 DNF Lehoux           (Bugatti T51)                32 laps  mechanical
 DNF Étancelin        (Maserati 8CM 3.0L)          20 laps  oil pump
 DNF Veyron           (Bugatti T51)                13 laps  overheating
 DNF Zanelli          (Nacional Pescara) *4)       12 laps  brakes  
   
   *  Entered by Scuderia Ferrari
   *2 Entered by Ecurie Braillard
   *3 Entered by Ecurie Girod
   *4 Entered by Nacional Pescara
   
   Fastest lap: Nuvolari (Alfa Romeo) 1:52 on lap 76/78?

 

1 APRIL 1935: Murphy (MG) wins the Australian GP handicap race at Phillip Island.
4 APRIL 1935: Nuvolari tests the new Alfa Romeo Bi-motore on a closed road section.
14 APRIL 1935: Pintacuda / della Stufa (Alfa Romeo Tipo B 2.9L) wins the MILLE MIGLIA sports car race in Italy. (Results)



    
VII GRAND PRIX DE MONACO
CIRCUIT DE MONACO (MC), 22 APRIL 1935 (Monday!)
100 laps * 3.180 km = 318.0 km


No.DriverEntrantCarTypeEngine

2Rudolf CaracciolaDaimler-Benz AGMercedes-BenzW254.0S-8
4Luigi FagioliDaimler-Benz AGMercedes-BenzW254.0S-8
6Manfred von BrauchitschDaimler-Benz AGMercedes-BenzW254.0S-8
8Earl HoweEarl HoweBugattiT593.3S-8
10José de VillapadiernaComte de VillapadiernaMaserati8CM3.0S-8
12Marcel LehouxSEFACSEFAC2.82x4DNA
14Raymond SommerR. SommerAlfa RomeoTipo B/P32.9S-8
16Louis ChironScuderia FerrariAlfa RomeoTipo B/P32.9S-8
18René DreyfusScuderia FerrariAlfa RomeoTipo B/P33.2S-8
20Tazio NuvolariScuderia FerrariAlfa RomeoTipo B/P33.2S-8
22Antonio BrivioScuderia FerrariAlfa RomeoTipo B/P32.9S-8
24Philippe EtancelinScuderia SubalpinaMaserati6C-343.7S-6
26Goffredo ZehenderScuderia SubalpinaMaserati8CM3.0S-8
28Piero DusioScuderia SubalpinaMaserati8CM3.0S-8
30Giuseppe FarinaGino RovereMaserati6C-343.7S-6
32Luigi SoffiettiL. SoffiettiMaserati8CM2.9S-8


Mercedes-Benz reserve: Lang Alfa Romeo reserve: Trossi The Auto Union and Bugatti teams were absent from the Monaco Grand Prix.
      During practice Caracciola was in great form finishing on pole with a time of 1:56.6. Von Brauchitsch was also finally fully fit and was doing some fast laps around the for him unknown track, driving with his usual rugged style. Fagioli completed an all Mercedes front row.
      Scuderia Subalpina had just one 6C-34 ready so for a second entry they loaned the Rovere car for Farina. Zehender had a new 3.2L variant of the old 8CM.
      All the Ferrari cars featured the new rear suspension with quarter elliptic springs and hydraulic shock absorbers.


Grid:
Pole Position
4
Fagioli

Mercedes-Benz
1m57.3s

6
Brauchitsch

Mercedes-Benz
1m57.0s

2
Caracciola

Mercedes-Benz
1m56.6s

20
Nuvolari

Alfa Romeo
1m59.4s

18
Dreyfus

Alfa Romeo
1m59s

14
Sommer

Alfa Romeo
2m02s

16
Chiron

Alfa Romeo
2m01.8s

22
Brivio

Alfa Romeo
2m01s

26
Zehender

Maserati
2m04s

24
Etancelin

Maserati
2m02.2s

32
Soffietti

Maserati
2m05.1s

8
Howe

Bugatti
2m04s

30
Farina

Maserati
2m04s

10
Villapadeirna

Maserati
2m07.3s

28
Dusio

Maserati
2m06.0s



Race: The first major Grand Prix of the year was held at Monaco. At the start it was Fagioli who took the lead, followed by Caracciola, Dreyfus, Nuvolari, Étancelin, Chiron and Brivio. Von Brauchitsch did not get the chance to repeat his fine practice performance, he was out after only one lap with a broken gearbox. Farina's 6C-34 was an early retirement and Zehender struggled with brake troubles on his 8CM. Fagioli was going flat out and after five laps he had opened up a 1/2 minute gap to Caracciola, who had another gap to the rest of the field. The Alfa drivers were in trouble with their new hydraulic brakes.
      After 20 laps the two Mercedes cars were still leading from Dreyfus, who was 7 seconds in front of Étancelin in his 6C-34. By lap 30 Étancelin had moved up into third place behind the Mercedes duo and was opening up a gap to the Alfas of Dreyfus, Brivio and Nuvolari.
      Étancelin now started to take in on Caracciola and on lap 49 the Maserati driver pushed himself on the inside of the Mercedes-Benz in the Gasometre (now Rascasse) and up to second behind Fagioli. Caracciola answered the attack and succeeded to pass Étancelin on the uphill to the casino on lap 56. This furious driving proved fatal for both cars. Caracciola retired with a broken valve on lap 60 and Étancelin's Maserati lost both brakes and oil pressure and had to see the Alfas of Dreyfus and Brivio pass. Nuvolari had never been in the picture with serious brake problems and had given over his car to Trossi on lap 39.
      There was nothing the Ferrari drivers could do to Fagioli. The Mercedes driver took the flag after having led the race all the way from start to finish, the first driver to have done so in Monaco. Chiron, who had had trouble with the brakes during the whole race, had run out of fuel in front of the pits two laps from the end but was able to continue after some delay and finished fifth.



Results

Pos.No.DriverEntrantCarTypeEngineLapsTime/Status

1.4Luigi FagioliDaimler-Benz AGMercedes-BenzW254.0S-81003h23m49.8s =
2.18René DreyfusScuderia FerrariAlfa RomeoTipo B/P33.2S-8100+ 31.5 32.5?
3.22Antonio BrivioScuderia FerrariAlfa RomeoTipo B/P32.9S-8100+ 1:06.4/1:07.4?
4.24Philippe EtancelinScuderia SubalpinaMaserati6C-343.7S-699
5.16Louis ChironScuderia FerrariAlfa RomeoTipo B/P32.9S-897
6.14Raymond SommerR. SommerAlfa RomeoTipo B/P32.9S-894
7.26Goffredo ZehenderScuderia SubalpinaMaserati8CM3.0S-893
8.32Luigi SoffiettiL. SoffiettiMaserati8CM2.9S-891
DNF2Rudolf CaracciolaDaimler-Benz AGMercedes-BenzW254.0S-865broken valve
DNF10José de VillapadiernaComte de VillapadiernaMaserati8CM3.0S-865crash
DNF20T. Nuvolari / C. F. TrossiScuderia FerrariAlfa RomeoTipo B/P33.2S-853brakes
DNF8Earl HoweEarl HoweBugattiT593.3S-834brakes/crash
DNF30Giuseppe FarinaGino RovereMaserati6C-343.7S-621fuel feed/valve?
DNF28Piero DusioScuderia SubalpinaMaserati8CM3.0S-83crash
DNF6Manfred von BrauchitschDaimler-Benz AGMercedes-BenzW254.0S-81gearbox
Fastest lap: Luigi Fagioli (Mercedes-Benz) in 1m58.4s =
Weather:


 



   
XXVI° TARGA FLORIO
MADONIE - Sicily (I), 28 APRIL 1935, GP CLASS
6 laps * 72 km = 432 km, 21 starters

The Ferrari Alfa Romeos of Brivio and Chiron dominated the last "real" GP car Targa Florio race in Sicily. The race started at 11 a.m on Sunday. Chiron took an early lead followed by Pintacuda (Alfa Romeo 2.9L), Brivio and Barbieri. At the end of the first lap the order was Chiron, Brivio, Magistri and Pintacuda. On the second lap Brivio took over the lead and Chiron, who was clearly in trouble with his car, soon also had to let Magistri by. Later Chiron managed to take back his second position.
      Brivio was never challenged and took the flag nearly 7 minutes in front of his team mate Chiron. The third Ferrari of Pintacuda (Tipo B 2.9L biposto) was a non-finisher. A charging Nando Barbieri was a sensational third with his Maserati 4CM Voiturette after having managed to pass Magistri. Of the top nine finishers eight were Alfa Romeos!
      The small 1100cc voiturette class, raced over four laps, was won by Ferrara (Fiat) after a duel with Baruffi (Maserati)
No grid. Cars started in intervals. Race numbers:
   2 Ferrara, 4 di Pietro, 6 Casano, 8 Toia, 10 Baruffi, 12 Battilana, 14 Pintacuda,
   16 Sutera, 18 Barbieri, 20 Brivio, 22 Chiron, 24 Zeffiro, 28 Magistri, 30 Cortese, 
   32 Rüesch, 34 Ferrari, 36 Danese, 38 Antinori, 40 Belmondo, 42 Pages, 44 Geraci 
 
   1 Brivio      (Alfa Romeo Tipo B 2.9L *)  5:27:29.0 
   2 Chiron      (Alfa Romeo Tipo B 3.2L *) +   6:52.6         
   3 F Barbieri  (Maserati 4CM 1.5L )       +  18:28.6   
   4 Magistri    (Alfa Romeo Monza 2.6L)    +  23:54.0
   5 Balestrero  (Alfa Romeo)               +  31:32.0
   6 Danese      (Alfa Romeo Monza 2.3L)    +  35:58.2  
   7 Belmondo    (Alfa Romeo Monza 2.3L)    +  36:43.6
   8 Rüesch      (Alfa Romeo Monza 2.3L)    +  41:04.2
   9 Antinori    (Alfa Romeo 6C 1.8L)       +  41:54.6
  10 Toia        (Fiat 508)                 +1:09:10.0 
  11 Ferrara     (Fiat 508)                 +1:14:06.4 
 DNF Cortese     (Alfa Romeo 6C 1.8L)           5 laps   
 DNF Casano      (Fiat 508)                     4 laps
 DNF D Ferrari   (Alfa Romeo Monza 2.3L)        3 laps
 DNF Pintacuda   (Alfa Romeo Tipo B 2.9L *)     3 laps  differential
 DNF de Pietro   (Fiat 508)                     3 laps
 DNF Sutera      (OM)                           2 laps
 DNF Baruffi     (Maserati 4CM 1.1L)            2 laps  exhaust 
 DNF Geraci      (Alfa Romeo 6C 1.5L)           1 lap   clutch 
 DNF Pages       (Alfa Romeo Monza 2.3L)        1 lap   clutch 
 DNF Zeffiro     (Bugatti T37)                  0 laps  engine
 DNF Battilana   (Fiat 508)                     0 laps  engine  

   *  Entered by Scuderia Ferrari

   Fastest lap: Brivio (Alfa Romeo) 53:59.6 (80.010 km/h)
 



     
GRAND PRIX DE TUNISIE
CARTHAGE (F), 5 MAY 1935 FORMULA LIBRE
40 laps * 12.6 km = 504 km


No.DriverEntrantCarTypeEngine

2Marcel LehouxSEFACSEFAC2.82x4DNA
4Tazio NuvolariScuderia FerrariAlfa RomeoTipo B/P33.2S-8
6Gianfranco ComottiScuderia FerrariAlfa RomeoTipo B/P32.9S-8
8Philippe EtancelinScuderia SubalpinaMaserati6C-343.7S-6
10Eugenio SienaScuderia SubalpinaMaserati8CM3.0S-8
12Pietro GhersiScuderia SubalpinaAlfa RomeoTipo B/P32.9S-8
14Goffredo ZehenderScuderia SubalpinaMaserati6C-34S-6
16Raymond SommerR. SommerAlfa RomeoTipo B/P3S-8
18Renato BalestreroGruppo Genovese San GiorgioMaserati8CM3.0S-8
20Albert ChambostEcurie GirodMaserati8CM3.0S-8
22Robert BrunetEcurie BraillardMaserati8CM3.0S-8
24Luigi SoffiettiL. SoffiettiMaserati8CM3.0S-8
26Benoît FalchettoEcurie BraillardMaserati26M2.5S-8
28Maurice MablotM. MablotBugattiT512.3S-8
30Ferdinando BarbieriFerdinando BarbieriAlfa RomeoTipo B/P32.9S-8
32"Raph""Raph"Alfa RomeoTipo B/P32.9S-8
34Achille VarziAuto Union AGAuto UnionA4.4V-16
36Jean-Pierre WimilleAutomobiles E. BugattiBugattiT593.3S-8
38Emile DupontE. DupontBugattiT51S-8DNA
40Giuseppe FarinaGino Rovere/Subalpina?Maserati6C-343.7S-6
42Juan ZanelliJ. ZanelliAlfa RomeoMonza2.3S-8
44Pierre ReyP. ReyBugattiT512.3S-8
46Charles MartinC. MartinAlfa RomeoMonza2.3S-8DNA
48László HartmannL. HartmannMaserati8CM3.0S-8
50André FevrierA. FevrierBugattiT35C2.0S-8


Having won the Tunis GP twice before Varzi was keen to have his first start as an Auto Union driver there. The new Auto Union cars were not ready but Varzi persuaded the team to send an upgraded 1934 car to Tunis. Then there was unsuspected trouble when Varzi wanted his salary paid in Lire, the new Nazi economic policy having very hard restrictions on bringing cash out of Germany. It was decided that Varzi would start the race as an independent and collect the starting money and prizes for himself, but in the last moment the Germans changed their mind and Varzi was entered as a works driver. Auto Union's first driver Stuck was not amused when he found out in which way the team was going to start the season.
      The Scuderia Subalpina and Gino Rovere were there with their 6C-34s and Ferrari turned up with a bunch of Tipo-B:s. Nuvolari was meant to race the new Bi-motore but tyre trouble prevented this and instead Nuvolari raced a Tipo B car bored out to 3.2L.


Grid:
Pole Position
36
Wimille

Bugatti
4m29.2s

4
Nuvolari

Alfa Romeo
4m28.4s

34
Varzi

Auto Union
4m24.8s

16
Sommer

Alfa Romeo
4m49.0s

10
Siena

Maserati
4m56.0s?

8
Čtancelin

Maserati
4m30.8s

40
Farina

Maserati
5m01.0s

14
Zehender

Maserati
4m31.0s?

6
Comotti

Alfa Romeo
4m53.0s

20
Chambost

Maserati
5m08.0s

24
Soffietti

Maserati
5m04.0s

22
Brunet

Maserati
5m25.0s?

12
Ghersi

Alfa Romeo
5m16.0s

42
Zanelli

Alfa Romeo
5m15.0s

30
Barbieri

Alfa Romeo
5m12.0s

50
Fevrier

Bugatti
5m36.2s

18
Balestrero

Maserati
5m35.0s

48
L Hartmann

Maserati
5m25.0s

28
Mablot

Bugatti
6m14.0s

44
Rey

Bugatti
6m07.0s

32
"Raph"

Alfa Romeo
5m42.0s

26
Falchetto

Maserati

(Note 1)



Race: Once away Varzi was in a class of his own and took the flag almost four minutes ahead of Wimille's works Bugatti. The only thing that had troubled the Italian was a strong side wind on the fast parts of the track. Nuvolari held second place for a while before retiring with technical problems. Zehender crashed his 6C-34 after just 2 laps but the other 6C-34 cars of Étancelin and Farina did a good race to finish 3rd and 5th. The Ferrari team was in trouble with their old Tipo B cars clearly inferior to the new Maseratis.

Results

Pos.No.DriverEntrantCarTypeEngineLapsTime/Status

1.34Achille VarziAuto Union AGAuto UnionA4.4V-16403h05m40.2s =
2.36Jean-Pierre WimilleAutomobiles E. BugattiBugattiT593.3S-840+ 3:49.6
3.8Philippe EtancelinScuderia SubalpinaMaserati6C-343.7S-638
4.6Gianfranco ComottiScuderia FerrariAlfa RomeoTipo B/P32.9S-837
5.40Giuseppe FarinaGino Rovere/Subalpina?Maserati6C-343.7S-637
6.20Albert ChambostEcurie GirodMaserati8CM3.0S-835
7.48László HartmannL. HartmannMaserati8CM3.0S-834
8.32"Raph""Raph"Alfa RomeoTipo B/P32.9S-832
DNF10Eugenio SienaScuderia SubalpinaMaserati8CM3.0S-8
DNF12Pietro GhersiScuderia SubalpinaAlfa RomeoTipo B/P32.9S-8gearbox
DNF16Raymond SommerR. SommerAlfa RomeoTipo B/P3S-8connecting rod
DNF18Renato BalestreroGruppo Genovese San GiorgioMaserati8CM3.0S-8
DNF24Luigi SoffiettiL. SoffiettiMaserati8CM3.0S-8supercharger
DNF26Benoît FalchettoEcurie BraillardMaserati26M2.5S-8
DNF28Maurice MablotM. MablotBugattiT512.3S-8steering rod
DNF30Ferdinando BarbieriFerdinando BarbieriAlfa RomeoTipo B/P32.9S-8
DNF44Pierre ReyP. ReyBugattiT512.3S-8wheel
DNF50André FevrierA. FevrierBugattiT35C2.0S-8
DNF4Tazio NuvolariScuderia FerrariAlfa RomeoTipo B/P33.2S-85lubrication
DNF22Robert BrunetEcurie BraillardMaserati8CM3.0S-82mechanical
DNF42Juan ZanelliJ. ZanelliAlfa RomeoMonza2.3S-81engine
DNF14Goffredo ZehenderScuderia SubalpinaMaserati6C-34S-61crash
Fastest lap: Achille Varzi (Auto Union) in 4m28.4s =
Weather:



6 MAY 1935: Fontes (Alfa Romeo Monza 2.3L) wins the JCC INTERNATIONAL TROPHY handicap race at Brooklands, England.



  
IX° GRAN PREMIO DI TRIPOLI
AUTODROMO DI MELLAHA (I), 12 MAY 1935 FORMULA LIBRE
40 laps * 13.140 km = 525.60 km


No.DriverEntrantCarTypeEngine

2René DreyfusScuderia FerrariAlfa RomeoTipo B/P33.2S-8
4Luigi PremoliL. PremoliMaserati8CM3.0S-8
6Ferdinando BarbieriF. BarbieriAlfa RomeoMonza2.3S-8
8Contantin MagistriC. MagistriAlfa RomeoMonza2.3S-8
10Luigi FagioliDaimler-Benz AGMercedes-BenzW253.7S-8
12Eugenio SienaScuderia SubalpinaAlfa RomeoMonza2.3S-8
14Goffredo ZehenderScuderia SubalpinaMaserati6C-34S-6
16Philippe EtancelinScuderia SubalpinaMaserati6C-343.3S-6
18Antonio BrivioScuderia FerrariAlfa RomeoTipo B/P33.2S-8
20Raymond SommerR. SommerAlfa RomeoTipo B/P3S-8
22Mario TadiniScuderia FerrariAlfa RomeoTipo B/P32.9S-8
24Achille VarziAuto Union AGAuto UnionB4.4V-16
26Rudolf CaracciolaDaimler-Benz AGMercedes-BenzW253.7S-8
28Pietro GhersiScuderia SubalpinaAlfa RomeoMonza2.3S-8
30Giuseppe FarinaGino Rovere/Subalpina?Maserati6C-343.3S-6
32Luigi SoffiettiL. SoffiettiMaserati8CM3.0S-8
34Renato BalestreroGruppo Genovese San GiorgioAlfa RomeoMonza2.3S-8
36Archimede RosaA. RosaMaserati8CM3.0S-8
38Piero TaruffiP. TaruffiMaserati8CM3.0S-8
40Hans RüeschH. RüeschMaserati8CM3.0S-8
42Tazio NuvolariScuderia FerrariAlfa RomeoBi-motore6.32x8
44Per-Wiktor WidengrenP-W WidengrenMaserati8CM3.0S-8
46Carlo PintacudaScuderia FerrariAlfa RomeoTipo B/P32.9S-8
48Hans StuckAuto Union AGAuto UnionB4.4V-16streamliner? (Note 2)
50Guglielmo CarraroliG. CarraroliMaserati8CM3.0S-8
52Manfred von BrauchitschDaimler-Benz AGMercedes-BenzW253.7S-8
54Felice BonettoF. BonettoAlfa RomeoMonza2.3S-8
56Louis ChironScuderia FerrariAlfa RomeoBi-motore5.82x8
58Earl HoweEarl HoweMaserati8CM3.0S-8DNA
60Marcel LehouxSEFACSEFAC2.82x4DNA


The Tripoli Grand Prix, a Formula Libre event like the Tunis race the week before, was held on the Mellaha circuit, the fastest road circuit in the world at that time. As usual the state lottery demanded a large field of cars. The high prizes offered attracted the full GP elite with three Mercedes-Benz, two Auto Unions, Gino Rovere's and Scuderia Subalpina's Maseratis and a full Ferrari team with four Tipo B and two of the new "Bi-motore" cars.
      Varzi and Stuck obviously now raced Typ B cars in early 1935 configuration even if initial plans (as seen in Kirchberg's book) was to race the Tunis car and a streamliner (Note 2).
      The German cars showed their class during practice. Stuck's car was fastest with a speed of 220.4 km/h from Nuvolari's Bi-motore and Caracciola's Mercedes. The Maseratis and Alfa Tipo B's were nowhere near to that speed. Practice times did not count for places on the grid however.


Grid, positions decided by ballot :
Pole Position
10
Fagioli

Mercedes-Benz

8
Magistri

Alfa Romeo

6
Barbieri

Alfa Romeo

4
Premoli

Maserati

2
Dreyfus

Alfa Romeo

18
Brivio

Alfa Romeo

16
Etancelin

Maserati

14
Zehender

Maserati

12
Siena

Alfa Romeo

28
Ghersi

Alfa Romeo

26
Caracciola

Mercedes-Benz

24
Varzi

Auto Union

22
Tadini

Alfa Romeo

20
Sommer

Alfa Romeo

36
Rosa

Maserati

34
Balestrero

Alfa Romeo

32
Soffietti

Maserati

30
Farina

Maserati

46
Pintacuda

Alfa Romeo

44
Widengren

Maserati

42
Nuvolari

Alfa Romeo

40
Rüesch

Maserati

38
Taruffi

Maserati

54
Bonetto

Alfa Romeo

52
Brauchitsch

Mercedes-Benz

50
Carraroli

Maserati

48
Stuck

Auto Union

56
Chiron

Alfa Romeo




Race: There was some fear before the start that the tyres would not stand the combination of hot weather and fast track during the race. Continental was well prepared with 300 tyres for the German teams alone. The Mercedes team was planning for a three stop tactics, Auto Union for two stops.
      When the flag fell at 3 PM Caracciola's Mercedes took the lead followed by Nuvolari and Varzi. After three laps Varzi was up to second place as Nuvolari already was in the pits, the "Bi-motore" eating both fuel and tyres at an amazing speed. and two laps later Caracciola was also in the pits for a 20 second stop after a front wheel puncture. Auto Union cars took the command of the race with Varzi leading from Stuck, Fagioli and Caracciola. Von Brauchitsch was already out with engine trouble. Starting down in the sixth row he never really got into the race.
      Nuvolari made his second stop on lap 7 and on lap 8 Caracciola was also in again, the tread gone on the rear tyres. He rejoined the race in 10th position a lap behind the leader, but soon Caracciola unlapped himself.
      When Varzi and Stuck stopped at lap 11 and 12 Fagioli became the new leader. Brivio had a bad crash with his Alfa Romeo, finishing in the cactus woods. At lap 16 Caracciola was in the pits for the third time, but he was not the only one, the speed and the heat were putting tremendous pressure on the tyres.
      At half point Varzi was leading from Fagioli, Dreyfus and Caracciola. Suddenly Stuck's car caught fire. The driver in his closed cockpit was however unaware of it for quite a while driving on with huge flames coming out of the rear of the car. When Stuck finally realized the situation the brakes had already gone and the driver had great problems to stop the car. A shaken Stuck was helped out of the closed cockpit by nearby officials.
      Varzi continued in the lead chased by Nuvolari's Alfa and Caracciola's and Fagioli's Mercedes cars. At lap 27 Caracciola made his fourth and final pit stop and yet another pitstop dropped Nuvolari down to fourth.
      At 30 laps the order was Varzi, Caracciola, Fagioli, Nuvolari, Dreyfus and Chiron. Nuvolari was not the one to leave Varzi in the lead unchallenged and he started the chase, going flat out. With 320 km/h on the straight he left the Mercedes cars standing and started attacking Varzi. The two Italians where racing side by side, banging wheels but then Nuvolari had to do yet another pitstop and Varzi could continue unchallenged. Caracciola and Fagioli followed a minute behind the Auto Union, and behind the two Mercedes cars came Farina in the 6C-34 Maserati, Nuvolari's Alfa and Étancelin with the other 6C-34.
      But the duel had taking its toll on Varzi's tyres too and with 5 laps to go one of his rear tyres disintegrated just as he passed the pits and the Auto Union had to make almost a full lap on the rims to the reserve pit. The hub was jammed on the wheel and Caracciola took over the lead before the Auto Union team was ready with the change. Varzi came out of the pits and took up the chase. With one lap to go he had caught the Mercedes but then another tyre blew and the race was over. Caracciola took the flag for his first victory of a season that should become one of his greatest.


Results

Pos.No.DriverEntrantCarTypeEngineLapsTime/Status

1.26Rudolf CaracciolaDaimler-Benz AGMercedes-BenzW253.7S-8402h38m47.6s =
2.24Achille VarziAuto Union AGAuto UnionB4.4V-1640+ 1:06.6
3.10Luigi FagioliDaimler-Benz AGMercedes-BenzW253.7S-840+ 2:16.3?
4.42Tazio NuvolariScuderia FerrariAlfa RomeoBi-motore6.32x840+ 7:48.8
5.56Louis ChironScuderia FerrariAlfa RomeoBi-motore5.82x840+ 10:26.4
6.2René DreyfusScuderia FerrariAlfa RomeoTipo B/P33.2S-840+ 10:27.6
7.20Raymond SommerR. SommerAlfa RomeoTipo B/P3S-840+ 11:33.2
8.14Goffredo ZehenderScuderia SubalpinaMaserati6C-34S-638
9.50Guglielmo CarraroliG. CarraroliMaserati8CM3.0S-837
10.22Mario TadiniScuderia FerrariAlfa RomeoTipo B/P32.9S-837
DNF36Archimede RosaA. RosaMaserati8CM3.0S-837
DNF34Renato BalestreroGruppo Genovese San GiorgioAlfa RomeoMonza2.3S-835
DNF30Giuseppe FarinaGino Rovere/Subalpina?Maserati6C-343.3S-628carburettor
DNF16Philippe EtancelinScuderia SubalpinaMaserati6C-343.3S-624carburettor
DNF48Hans StuckAuto Union AGAuto UnionB4.4V-1620fire
DNF38Piero TaruffiP. TaruffiMaserati8CM3.0S-817
DNF8Contantin MagistriC. MagistriAlfa RomeoMonza2.3S-816
DNF46Carlo PintacudaScuderia FerrariAlfa RomeoTipo B/P32.9S-815
DNF18Antonio BrivioScuderia FerrariAlfa RomeoTipo B/P33.2S-813crash
DNF28Pietro GhersiScuderia SubalpinaAlfa RomeoMonza2.3S-811
DNF54Felice BonettoF. BonettoAlfa RomeoMonza2.3S-87
DNF4Luigi PremoliL. PremoliMaserati8CM3.0S-86oil pump
DNF40Hans RüeschH. RüeschMaserati8CM3.0S-86oil pump
DNF52Manfred von BrauchitschDaimler-Benz AGMercedes-BenzW253.7S-85engine
DNF6Ferdinando BarbieriF. BarbieriAlfa RomeoMonza2.3S-84
DNF32Luigi SoffiettiL. SoffiettiMaserati8CM3.0S-84valve
DNF44Per-Wiktor WidengrenP-W WidengrenMaserati8CM3.0S-83DSQ
DNF12Eugenio SienaScuderia SubalpinaAlfa RomeoMonza2.3S-82
Fastest lap: Rudi Caracciola (Mercedes-Benz) in 3m34.2s
Weather:


 



   
IV ELÄINTARHANAJOT/DJURGĹRDSLOPPET
ELÄINTARHARATA - Helsinki (FIN), 12 MAY 1935 FORMULA LIBRE + SPORTS CARS
50 laps * 2.000 km = 100 km, 14 starters.

Half of the field consisted of GP cars with an entry list including Ebb's Mercedes, Bjørnstad's Alfa Romeo Monza, three Bugattis and Carlsson's little Amilcar. Henken Widengren was racing his brother's Alfa Romeo Monza. The rest of the entries, racing in their own class, consisted of rebuilt Chryslers, Fords and a Chevrolet.
      Ebb took the start to lead the race followed by Widengren. On the very first lap Finnish driver Gunnar Anderson's Ford overturned, the driver ending up with a fractured thigh. Bjørnstad was also immediately in trouble and had to pit on the first lap with dirty plugs. Elo's Bugatti was also slowing so the only real challenger for Ebb was Widengren, but he lost the second place to Sundstedt due to engine trouble early in the race and then he had great problems to re-pass the blocking Bugatti driver. After some fistshaking Widengren finally went by but had lost half a minute to Ebb. On lap 15 engine troubles forced Widengren to retire leaving Ebb to dominate the rest of the race. After 20 laps Ebb already held a one minute lead over Sundstedt. Bjørnstad's troubles continued as the Alfa stopped on the track and the driver had to spend a considerable time trying to restart it with the handle, spoiling all chances for a good position.
      Ramsay was the winner of the stock car class where both Sorri (Chrysler) and Patama (Ford) were black flagged for reckless driving, the latter was subsequently disqualified.


Grid from secret 300m run:
Pole Position
3
Sundstedt

Bugatti
13.3s

5
Bjørnstad

Alfa Romeo
13.1s

4
Ebb

Mercedes-Benz
14.4s

15
H Widengren

Alfa Romeo
13.6s

14
Patama

Ford
14.9s

7
Ramsay

Chrysler
14.8s

1
Elo

Bugatti
15.3s

6
Lind

Bugatti
15.0s

12
Andersson

Ford
16.4s

9
Alm

Ford
15.9s

8
Thorsell

Chevrolet
18.0s

2
Carlsson

Amilcar
17.4s

11
Sorri

Chrysler
-

10
Wallenius

Ford
-



Results:
   1 Ebb         (Mercedes Benz SSK 7.1L) 59:34.2  
   2 Sundstedt   (Bugatti T 35B 2.3L)    + 2:56.8
   3 Ramsay      (Chrysler)              + 3:13.8
   4 Lindh       (Bugatti T37A 1.5L)     + 3:50.2  
   5 Carlsson    (Amilcar C6 1.1L)       + 4:06
   6 Wallenius   (Ford)                  + 5:32 
   7 Elo         (Bugatti)               + 8:04.4
   8 Sorri       (Chrysler)              + 8:46.2  
   9 Bjørnstad   (Alfa Romeo)            +11:01.8
  10 Thorsell    (Chevrolet)             +11:46.8    
   ? Alm         (Ford)
 DSQ Patama      (Ford)                            reckless driving
 DNF H Widengren (Alfa Romeo)             15 laps  gearbox 
 DNF G Andersson (Ford)                    0 laps  spun and crashed, broke a leg

      



   
I CIRCUITO DI BERGAMO/COPPA CITTA DI BERGAMO
Bergamo (I), 19 MAY 1935
70 laps * 2.92 km = 204.4 km, 12 starters

A huge crowd gathered to see this this rather minor Italian street race which was held inside the town walls of Bergamo. The grid was limited to 12 starters with Nuvolari (Alfa Romeo) being fastest during practice to take the pole from Alfa Romeo drivers Comotti and Mizotti. Soffietti was obviously racing a white/red Alfa Romeo Monza rather than the usual Maserati.
      When the flag dropped at 3.30 p.m. Nuvolari took an immediate lead followed by Farina, Comotti and Soffietti. Further down the field Siena and Barbieri started a fierce duel with their Maserati voiturettes. Nuvolari tried to shake off Farina by setting lap record after lap record but the Maserati driver followed closely, only losing 3 seconds to the leader during the first 10 laps. Comotti was already 20 seconds behind and would soon lose 3 laps in the pit with radiator problems, giving Soffietti the third position followed by Barbieri and Minozzi.
      Nuvolari continued at full speed and eventually Farina started to lose ground. Minozzi had to retire with a broken axle and Pintacuda managed to pass Soffietti for third position but by now Soffietti was already over two minutes behind Farina. The duel between Siena and Barbieri ended with the former retiring with plug problems and the latter crashing. By 50 laps Nuvolari held a 25 s lead from Farina with the rest over 3 minutes behind. Near the end Dusio managed to pass Cornaggia (Alfa Romeo) for sixth position.
      At the end Nuvolari took a dominant victory, 2 minutes from Farina, with the rest of the field several laps behind the top duo.
DNS: 26 Tadini (Alfa Romeo *)



Grid:
Pole Position
4
Farina

Maserati
2m02.0s

2
Nuvolari

Alfa Romeo
1m59.2s

10
Siena

Maserati
2m09.4s

8
Soffietti

Alfa Romeo
2m04.8s

6
Comotti

Alfa Romeo
2m04.4s

14
Romano

Bugatti
2m10.0s

12
Minozzi

Alfa Romeo
2m09.4s

20
Dusio

Maserati
2m11.2s

18
Pintacuda

Alfa Romeo
2m10.4s

16
Cornaggia

Alfa Romeo
2m10.4s

24
Barbieri

Maserati
2m13.4s

22
Clerici

Maserati
2m11.4s

(Note 3)



Results:
   1 Nuvolari   (Alfa Romeo Tipo B 2.9L? *) 2:23:38.2
   2 Farina     (Maserati 4CM 2.5L *2)      +  1:59.8 
   3 Pintacuda  (Alfa Romeo Tipo B 2.9L? *) -  2 laps 
   4 Soffietti  (Alfa Romeo Monza 2.3L *3)  -  3 laps 
   5 Comotti    (Alfa Romeo Tipo B 2.9L?*)  -  3 laps 
   6 Dusio      (Maserati 8CM 3.0L *2)      -  4 laps
   7 Cornaggia  (Alfa Romeo Monza 2.3L)     - 10 laps
 DNF F Barbieri (Maserati 4CM 1.5L)           57 laps  crash
   8 Romano     (Bugatti T51 2.3L)          - 14 laps
 DNF Siena      (Maserati 4CM 1.5L *2)        50 laps  engine
 DNF Minozzi    (Alfa Romeo Monza 2.6L)       21 laps  half shaft    
 DNF Clerici    (Maserati 4CM 1.5L)           13 laps  oil pipe  

  *  Entered by Scuderia Ferrari
  *2 Entered by Scuderia Subalpina
  *3 Entered by Ecurie Versoix 

   Fastest lap: Nuvolari   (Alfa Romeo)  2:00.4 
                          



FOOTNOTES:
    1 Grid positions from photo evidence (Venables - First among Champions). The source of the times is Sheldon with questionmarks added where times are inconsistent with grid positions.

    2. A picture from the start seems to indicate it was NOT a streamliner after all.
    3 Grid positions from photo evidence (Thanks Piotr Podhajski). Numbers are from Sheldon, which if should indicate that either race numbers were given AFTER qualifying or that grid was decided by ballot and that qualifying times shown should be disregarded.






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