Overblog
Suivre ce blog Administration + Créer mon blog

Présentation

  • : Montlhéry Autodrome Heritage Preservation
  • : Paris Linas Montlhéry Autodrome Heritage Preservation
  • Contact

Texte Libre

This blog is run by  Patrimoine Sportif et Mécanique, an association working to keep alive the memory of the Autodrome of Linas Montlhéry. It wishes to make more people aware of the historical importance of this famous track.
 
We are trying to rally all those, individuals and organizations alike, who feel that the Autodrome is really an historical place and that everything should be done to gather and preserve documents about its history. Our goal is to try to set up a spot where documents and other archives about the Autodrome could be preserved and shown.
 
This blog is open to all those who would like to contribute to this noble cause. We will publish here all information and news about the Autodrome, its founders and its many users over the years.
 
You can contribute by adding your documents, pictures, stories. It is vital that all those who would have original and unknown documents make them available.
 
Our dedicated team will guarantee the quality and the contents of this site
 
 PATRIMOINE SPORTIF ET MECANIQUE

Recherche

Archives

23 mars 2014 7 23 /03 /mars /2014 19:38

 

Who would have thought, 90 years later that, the dream of an ambitious industrialist and businessman, Alexandre Lamblin, would still be standing?


MONTHLERY_01_PLAN.JPG

 

Most likely Raymond Jamin, a young engineer who designed the plans, and allowed its achievement in just six months.

Construction-de-l-Autodrome.jpg

  And since then, 2 548,24 metres and 788 400 hours later, the banking of the plateau of Saint-Eutrope is still standing. It did not decide to give up or succumb to the wildest rumors that have surrounded its history; it overcame all its bankruptcies, defeated a war and survived all the other autodromes in Europe, being the last in its original state.

Daniel_bayle_Geo-Ham-couv-automobile-et-touristique-1952.jpg

 

 

Records were the Heyday of the Linas-Montlhéry Autodrome. Dozens, hundreds and even thousands of records, helped the Essonne track to set itself as a world reference, together with Brooklands and Monza which were built a few years earlier.

 

 

90-ANS-AUTODROME---SAISON-2014.jpg

 

 

This period was also an auspicious time to welcome renowned car races such as the ACF Grand Prix. But it must not be forgotten that the French (and later international) automotive industries have often made their very first runs on these tracks and in the world-known technical laboratories

Despite the many events, the costly maintenance of the infrastructure then the black period of WW II led the track into the painful path of bankruptcy, before it was taken over by the State and then run since 1946 by the UTAC. From this period, the UTAC has been modernizing and building new facilities, creating new laboratories and organizing races again.

As technical means develop, racing starts again and records continue to be confirmed . Races will take place until 2004.

 

Autodrome-Heritage-Festival-02.jpg


 

In 2008 at the request of the new management, the UTAC created a new event Department and organized leisure events. Today and 788 400 hours after its inauguration, the pioneers’ passion for cars is still there, rooted in history but also looking to the future.


That is why the UTAC continues to make it evolve in respect of its past.

 

Since 2008 therefore, leisure events cohabit with ease with trades linked with technical development and certification of all types of vehicles. It is one of the lines of development of the UTAC to better prepare for the years to come . And it is also in 2008 that the UTAC bought the CERAM Mortefontaine to be as well-prepared as possible for the years to come. Four years later, UTAC and CERAM Mortefontaine built a stronger and coherent group. In 2012, the construction of a legal structure integrating the two sites took form, to give birth to the UTAC CERAM Group. Born in 2012, the Paris Auto Events brand therefore naturally fitted in a subsidiary society of the group dedicated to events and driver training : Event & Formation. Since then, event activities of Linas-Montlhéry and Mortefontaine sites have been grouped, and supplemented by driver training, with the EFCAM that previously existed independently on the site of Mortefontaine.

History goes on...

 

The team puts the emphasis on the continuity of actions which have been undertaken since 2008, with the ambition to keep these mythical places alive with a passion and common expertise for mobility. Driving, riding, but also cycling and running have their place in a packed program, as well as marque events, shows or driver training. A sign of this strong and ambitious long run will, the construction of a reception building in the heart of the ring of the Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry ring began mid-2012. Named "1924" and inaugurated in 2014, "1924" perpetuates the unique atmosphere that radiates from the heart of the banking of the Autodrome, thanks to a strong architectural gesture which respects the existing buildings

 


1924-01.jpg

 

The event space of the Linas-Montlhéry Autodrome is located in the middle of of the ring . The "1924" pavilion is located at the center of gravity of the existing clearing. There's no particular landscaping . The existing forest creates the background for the building which is all it needs to fit in the landscape. Its 35.60 m diameter offers a continuous façade which permits the discovery of the site through a perforated aluminum mesh, in reference to its history. This outdoor promenade stands 8 m above the ground. Its height does not exceed that of the surrounding constructions.

 

1924-02.jpg


A wide attic terrace which provides views of the whole site will be the place for festive events linked to the Speedway. At night, beacons will lead from the access road to the courtyard. The Pavilion will thus appear as a luminous lantern.

 

130909-01.JPG

 

This space goes together with the managers’ desire to develop the event offer by welcoming guests into a place which is both full of history and modernity.

 

131107-01.JPG
131107-02.JPG
130712-04.JPG
More details for the Autodrome Heritage Festival
Partager cet article
Repost0
26 février 2014 3 26 /02 /février /2014 21:43

Motorsport Memoria

By Banni Dietrich

I am Italian journalist.  I've worked longtime for Italian magazines Autosprint, Rombo, Motorsprint and others. Actually I am one of the Motorsport Memorial researchers. 

A few words about the Motorsport Memorial:
http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/index.php?db=ct

The Motosport Memorial Foundation is a non-profit, non-commercial project, run by a team of twelve in North and South America and Europe, including me, and supported by a network of literally hundreds of regular contributors. The project is conducted on a complete voluntary basis, you will not find ads in the pages and in no way we will exploit commercially the site's content. We don't even retain the copyrights on the published material, all the copyrights are held by the original sources, always cited in every page.

http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/query.php?db=ct&q=circuit_a&n=180,1443,32,181,178,3590,1331,1387,34

Liste a number of fatalities which happened at Linas-Montlhéry (Ascari, Breton, De Courcelles... Et d'autres camarades : Cozetti, Jean de Latour, R. Dupré, Ruggieri, Marchal, Assatour, Berthelon...

We have already entered pages on Antonio Ascari, Marius Breton, Gérard De Courcelles and Amedeo Ruggeri and jean de Latour
http://motorsportmemorial.org/focus.php?db=a&n=11326
but we havo no information about the fatal accidents of Cozetti, Dupré, Marchal, Assatour and Berthelon that happened at Monthléry. 


Can you help us? Do you know anything more about these sad facts? Any date? What did really happen? Do you know some bio notes on these deceased racers? 
If you want to send us any other informations, details, pictures etc. about these accidents, we will be proud to enter your works in the Motorsport Memorial. The sources used for the compilation of the records are listed at the bottom of any page.


Please reply me:
nanni.dietrich@tiscali.it
or
research@motorsportmemorial.org


Best regards and thanks for the attention you would dedicate to the Motorsport Memorial (your candid comments and suggestions are most welcome). 

Partager cet article
Repost0
13 avril 2008 7 13 /04 /avril /2008 21:26

Translated by William Hunter

The Great War with its death toll in the millions permanently changed our society.  During that conflict women were recruited in trades that until then had been the exclusive domain of men.  Women were recruited as ambulance drivers, mechanics, and similar jobs. And these occupations opened new perspectives for women and offered new challenges. With the change of circumstances, new attitudes and modes of behaviour followed.

 
The motor industry offered opportunities and challengs iin plenty.

 

When the war was over, only a vestige of the market for automobiles remained. The market had been limited to the well-off middle-classes.  But now a new class of working women wee seen as a powerful influences in the market. And manufacturers were at great rivalry to woo this new potential.

Car racing, rallies and concours d'élégance from that time on were to become the most favoured spot for the privileged class to be seen at the wheel of the most beautiful racing cars.

 

From 1923 women were participating in great motoring events like the Bol D'Or.

 

It was in 1925 that women for the first time put their names down for the Monte Carlo Rally.  Mme Mertens in a Lancia, having left from Tunis, had best time in the third Monte Carlo Rally, but was only placed second, having had only one passenger, her husband.  In fact judging was on eight points basis, with six points attributed for each passenger in the car.

 

The first feminine automobile club was created in 1926 and by the 83 year old Duchesse d'Uzès, who had also been the first woman to have obtained a drivers permit as far back as 1898.  It was she who signalled the start of the first women's automobile championship in 1927; an event organised by her club, and run on the Autodrome.

Many competition events were created specifically for women at that time; the best-known being the Paris-La Baule event for women, the Paris St Raphael Rally for women, the women's Automobile Championship organised by the women's automobile club of Paris and which was made up of a series of events for women which were held every year from 1927 on the Autodrome.

The Autodrome, which opened in 1924, was naturally destined to become one of the high points of motor racing for these new female idols.

 

Several such women drivers were highly competitive in races that were reserved for women.  But record books for all categories show that some women set standards that were a challenge to many of the best men drivers.

 

In 1936 the Autodrome featured a series known as "critérium féminin" which was a series of elimination races involving 10 Simca 5s distributed by lottery.

 

Here are some of these famous women who completed on the Autodrome.

 

The English driver Glenda Stewart was well-known for the records she set at the Autodrome.  She also rode motorcycles, for example a Rudge 350 cc.  In 1930 at theLinas-Montlhery Oval, Miss Glenda Stewart reached 185 km/h, and beat the speed record for one hour driving a three wheeled Morgan.  In a straight line at Arpajon she set records for the flying mile and kilometre at 117 mph (160 km/h).  In 1932, she set records for the mile, the hour, and 200 km driving a Derby-Miller 1500 cc.  In 1934, she set a record of 234 km an hour for the oval, which stood for many years.

 

Elisabeth Junek, the Czech driver won the 50 km handicap on the Autodrome in 1927.

 

The most celebrated French driver was Mariette-Hélène Delangle, better known as "Hellé-Nice".  In 1920 she passed her driving licence and bought her first car which was a Citroen.  A famous dancer, she she was often seen in motor racing circles.

 

On 2 June 1929, she entered the third Women's Motoring Day at Montlhéry, where she drove an Omega 623 her by the racing driver Daubecq. She was immediately successful, taking out the Women's Championship  run over 50 km, the Women's Grand Prix over 50 km, and the Concours d'élégance.  She soon became the idol of the news media, and it was her face that the company Lucky Strike, used in its publicity, calling their product: "The cigarette the champion smokes. "

 

Sometime later, Ettore Bugatti offered her a new challenge of joining the select 200 km/h crowd in a 2 l Bugatti 35C as a promotion exercise aimed at attracting women customers.  On the 18th December 1929 at Montlhéry during an officially-conducted test at high-speed run over 10 laps of the oval, she unleashed a lap at the average speed of 197.7 km/h, and in so doing established a new women's record for the circuit, which now stood at 194.3 km/h over 16 km.  The media made her the most famous woman in France.

 

In May 1937 she participated, along with four other women, in a record attempt organised by Yacco on the Montlhéry circuit.  Taking it in turns, they drove for 10 days without stopping, the first Matford 3 .621 litre V8 produced in France. After the withdrawal of Claire Descollas, the attempt took place on the 19th to the 28th of May with Odette Siko team captain, Simone des Forest et Hellé Nice.  The team established 10 world records and 15 international class C. records at average speeds of 140 to 144 km/h.  They covered no less than 32,000 km, gaining, for example, the record for 10 days at an average speed of 139.99 km/h.  The Matford, fitted with special bodywork, was baptised Claire, perhaps in honour of the driver who had to withdraw.

 

Mmme Schell took part in several events at the Autodrome.  In 1928 she won the Paris -- La Baule automobile event for women.

 

Mme Anne-Rose ITIER, in 1928, won the second Grand Prix for women at Montlhéry.  She competed five times in the 24 hour Le Mans race between 1934 and 1939

 

Mme Charlotte Versigny beat the gentleman drivers to win the 1927 Grand Prix de la Baule, driving a Talbot.  She took out the women's championship at the Autodrome in 1928 driving at the Getty ahead of Blanche Meignan in a Sizaire and Mme Lejeune in a BNC.  It was she who inspired Helle Nice to take up motor racing.

 

MmeViolette Morris was an accomplished sportswoman, performing at the highest levels in a number of disciplines.  She was winner of the Bol d'or Automobile in 1927 driving a Benjamin 1100 cc, third in 1926, fourth in 1922 and 1923, in each case driving a Benjamin cycle car.  From 19281932, she managed a motor accessories shop in Paris, Porte de Champerret.  She was known to be quite a wicked lady. http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violette_Morris.

 

Mme Odette SIKO was a competitor for times in the Le Mans 24-hour car race from 1930 to 1933.  She finished fourth in 1932.  In 1937 she was a participant in the Yacco record-breaking team on the Autodrome, driving the Matford.

 

Mme Annet Badel was president of the Georges Boillot racing drivers club created in 1935 at the Autodrome.


Books : 
 

The Bugatti Queen: In search of a motor racing legend
by Miranda Seymour
Editor : Random House (décembre 2004)
ISBN-10: 1400061687
ISBN-13: 978-1400061686  
 



Femmes pilotes de course auto 1888-1970
by J.-F. BOUZANQUET
Editions ETAI
ISBN : 978 2 7268 8749 3  
 




BUGATTI - ELISKA JUNEK - MA VZPOMINKA JE BUGATTI   
OLYMPIA - JUNKOVA Eliska ( JUNEK Elisabeth) 
by Eliska Junek and her husband





Violette Morris, la Gestapiste
by Jean-Emile Neaumet
Editor Fleuve Noir: Crime Story   
 





Violette Morris, la Hyène de la gestap
by Raymond Ruffin
Editions Cherche-Midi (2004)
ISBN : 2 74910 224 3   
 




La Diablesse - La Véritable Histoire De Violette Morris
by Raymond Ruffin
Editor Pygmalion (1989)  
 






Look also this URL :
 
http://speed-queens.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/driver_list.html


In this article, Géo Ham's Drawing com from R&B collection

Partager cet article
Repost0