PART 2
XI ADAC EIFELRENNEN NÜRBURGRING (D), 13 JUNE 1937 10 laps * 22.810 km = 228.1 km 18 starters: 1 Rosemeyer Auto Union C 6.0L Auto Union 2 von Delius Auto Union C 6.0L Auto Union 3 Fagioli Auto Union C 6.0L Auto Union DNS rheumatism 4 Hasse Auto Union C 6.0L Auto Union 5 Müller Auto Union C 6.0L Auto Union 6 Caracciola Mercedes-Benz W125 5.6L Daimler Benz 7 Lang Mercedes-Benz W125 5.6L Daimler Benz 8 von Brauchitsch Mercedes-Benz W125 5.6L Daimler Benz 9 Seaman Mercedes-Benz W125 5.6L Daimler Benz 10 Kautz Mercedes-Benz W125 5.6L Daimler Benz 11 Nuvolari Alfa Romeo C Scuderia Ferrari 12 Farina Alfa Romeo C Scuderia Ferrari 15 Soffietti Maserati 6C-34? private entry 16 L Hartmann Maserati private entry 18 Rüesch Alfa Romeo C private entry 19 Balestrero Alfa Romeo Tipo B private entry 21 Mandirola Maserati Ecurie Genevoise 23 Festetics Maserati private entry 24 Carraroli Alfa Romeo 2900A 2.9L private entry ? Simonet Alfa Romeo Tipo B? private entry DNABoth German teams had of course a full five car entry for the Eifelrennen. Fagioli was suffering from rheumatism and had to miss several races. He would not race again until Coppa Acerbo two months later. Von Delius was hit by a bird in the face during practice. The driver lost control and crashed at Bergwerk, totally destroying the car. The Mercedes-Benz team was not without trouble either. There were problems with von Brauchitsch's car and he had to take over Seaman's. A new car was sent from Stuttgart during the night. Junior driver Kautz made his racing debut with a Mercedes car fitted with the new experimental suction carburettor supercharger system. Grid:The Eifelrennen was raced on the 13th of June. Guess who won? After the motorcycle and sports car races it was time for the GP cars. On the grid Nuvolari's car kept moving forward and when the amber light turned to green the Alfa had almost reached the front line. Rosemeyer took the start, only to be passed at the Südkehre by Caracciola's Mercedes. After the first lap there were seven German cars at the front in order: Caracciola, Rosemeyer, von Brauchitsch, Lang, von Delius, Seaman and Hasse. Nuvolari was the first Alfa in eighth place. On the second lap Seaman had to retire with fuel feed problems. Rosemeyer was now challenging Caracciola and after a tremendous duel between the Mercedes-Benz and the Auto Union drivers, Rosemeyer took the lead on lap three. After five laps the pit stops started with Caracciola going in as did von Brauchitsch. On the next lap it was Rosemeyer's and Lang's turn. The Auto Union mechanics did a record job sending Rosemeyer back after 25 seconds, Lang's pitstop taking 45 seconds. Rosemeyer now had a 45 seconds lead over Caracciola. On the next lap Lang was back in the pit for new plugs and lost two places. All the Mercedes cars had plug problems because of the fuel pump, which either gave too much fuel or did not work at all. Caracciola tried his best but on this track he could do nothing against Rosemeyer, who went on to take his third consecutive Nürburgring victory. Results: 1 Rosemeyer (Auto Union) 1:42.11.2 ?11.1 133.92 km/h 2 Caracciola (Mercedes-Benz) 1:43.01.8 01.4? 3 von Brauchitsch (Mercedes-Benz) 1:43.56.8 56.4? 4 Hasse (Auto Union) 1:45.46.0 45.35? 5 Nuvolari (Alfa Romeo) 1:46.25.0 45.46.6? 6 Lang (Mercedes-Benz) 1:48.06.0 06.1? 7 Müller (Auto Union) 1:48.35.1 8 Rüesch (Alfa Romeo) 1:48.44.1 9 Kautz (Mercedes-Benz) 1:49.38.4 10 von Delius (Auto Union) 1:50.43.3 11 Soffietti (Maserati) - 1 lap 12 L Hartmann (Maserati) - 1 lap DNF Farina (Alfa Romeo) DNF Balestrero (Alfa Romeo) DNF Mandirola (Maserati) DNF Festetics (Maserati) DNF Carraroli (Alfa Romeo) DNF Seaman (Mercedes-Benz) 1 lap fuel feed Fastest lap: Rosemeyer (Auto Union) 9.58.8 137.13 km/h |
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19 JUNE 1937: Rudolf Caracciola married Alice "Baby" Hoffman-Trobeck, who worked as Mercedes timekeeper.
When Chiron, who had been dating "Baby" for years, heared the news he was furious, but had only himself to blame as
he several times had refused her suggestions to get married.
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19-20 JUNE 1937: Wimille/Benoist (Bugatti) wins the
"LES 24 HEURES DU MANS" race on the Circuit de la Sarthe in France.
Early in the race seven cars were involved in a chain collision.
Both Kippeurt (Bugatti) and ERA's works driver Fairfield (BMW) received fatal wounds and "Raph" (BMW) was badly injured. (Results) | |
II° CIRCUITO DI MILANO SEMPIONE PARK - Milano (I), 20 JUNE 1937 70 laps * 2.57 km = 179.9 km, 14 starters. There could hardly have been any race track that suited worse for the high speed Auto Union cars than the twisty little Milan circuit in the Sempione Park with its two tight hairpins. Varzi had had a humiliating defeat there in 1936 but for some reason Auto Union still decided to enter Hasse for the 1937 race. The results were expected, with a double victory for Scuderia Ferrari with Rüesch's private Alfa third. Hasse finished in fourth place a lap behind Nuvolari. Trossi and Minozzi (both in Alfas) finished fifth and sixth. 1 Nuvolari (Alfa Romeo 12C-36 - Ferrari) 1:37:15 2 Farina (Alfa Romeo 12C-36 - Ferrari) + 2:04 3 Rüesch (Alfa Romeo 8C-35) - 1 lap 4 Hasse (Auto Union) - 1 lap 5 Trossi (Alfa Romeo) - 3 laps 6 Minozzi (Alfa Romeo) - 4 laps II° CIRCUITO DI MILANO SEMPIONE PARK - Milano (I), 20 JUNE 1937 VOITURETTE 1500cc 50 laps * 2.57 km = 128.5 km ?, 20 starters Once again it was 3 private ERAs against a field of Maseratis. This time the Maseratis took command from the start with Severi leading from Rovere and Siena. However, both Severi and Rovene were soon in trouble leaving Siena to win. Marazza once again did a fine job in his old 4CS car. 1 Siena (Maserati 6CM) (4CM?) 1:13:02.9 2 Marazza (Maserati 4C) 4CS? + 32.5 3 Cortese (Maserati 6CM) + 41.4 4 Tongue (ERA) + 1:47.4 5 Belmondo (Maserati) + 2:36.4 6 L Villoresi (Maserati) + 4:05.6 |
XIII GRAND PRIX DE PICARDIE Peronne (F), 27 JUNE 1937 VOITURETTE 1500CC 2*10 laps + 15 laps final Both Maserati and ERA works teams entered cars for the Peronne race and Bira was racing his ex. Seaman Delage as both of his ERAs were out of action. In the first heat Bira led but had to retire leaving Dreyfus to win from Hanson and Du Puy (both Maserati 6CM). Bira's misfortune created a serious internal conflict in the "White Mouse Stable" ending with the chief mechanic resigning. In the second heat Mays was in a class of his own lapping almost the entire field. Second was de Graffenried (4CM) and third Wakefield (6CM). In the final Mays was once again in command, the Maserati drivers having no real chance against the ERA works car. 1 Mays (ERA-C) 59:47.6 2 Dreyfus (Maserati 6CM) + 1:43.0 3 Wakefield (Maserati 6CM) + 4:04.4 4 de Graffenried (Maserati) 5 Gollin (Maserati) 6 Hanson (Maserati) |
| 4 JULY 1937: Chiron (Talbot T150C) wins the GRAND PRIX DE l´AUTOMOBILE CLUB DE FRANCE sports cars race at Montlhéry, Paris. (Results) |
II GEORGE VANDERBILT CUP RACE ROOSEVELT RACEWAY - New York (USA), 5 JULY 1937 (Monday) (delayed two days due to rain) 90 laps * 5.34 km or 5.63 km = 480.6 km or 506.7 km 30 starters: 1 Mauri Rose Maserati Townsend B Martin 2 Jimmy Snyder Boyle H C Henning Miller? 3 Ted Horn Miller Harry Hartz 4 Bernd Rosemeyer Auto Union C 6.0L Auto Union 5 Tazio Nuvolari Alfa Romeo 12C-36 4.1L Scuderia Ferrari 7 Billy Winn Miller-Offy 4.2L B Winn 9 Ernst von Delius Auto Union C 6.0L Auto Union 10 Giuseppe Farina Alfa Romeo 12C-36 4.1L Scuderia Ferrari 12 Rudi Caracciola Mercedes-Benz W125 5.6L Daimler Benz 14 Rex Mays Alfa Romeo 8C-35 3.8L Bill White (rebuilt ex. works) 15 Dick Seaman Mercedes-Benz W125 5.6L Daimler Benz 16 Eugen Björnstad Alfa Romeo Monza 2.3L Balmacaan Team 17 George Connor Miller Joseph Marks 18 Bill Cummings Miller Lou Moore 19 Harry Lewis Debaets Kelly Petillo Studebaker? 21 Babe Stapp Maserati H J Topping 22 Joel Thorne Alfa Romeo Tipo B 2.9L Joel Thorne 24 Frank Brisko Miller Elgin PP Co 25 Kelly Petillo Offenhauser Kelly Petillo 27 Albert Cusick Schumacher Gustav-Schumacher Ford? 31 Chester Gardner Miller C Gardner Duesenberg-Offy 33 Frank Wearne Miller Paul Wierick 44 Ronnie Householder Miller R Householder 45 Enzo Fiermonte Maserati V8-R1 Fiermonte-Rand DNS lack of experience. 45 Wilbur Shaw Maserati V8-R1 Fiermonte-Rand qualified by Enzo Fiermonte 49 Henry Banks Jumire Louis Kimmel 54 Herb Ardinger Ford-Miller? 4.2L Lewis Welch Welch-Offy? 65 Milt Marion Miller M Marion 66 Gus Zarka Ambler William Watts 67 Ora Bean Ambler R B Lynch 72 Russ Snowberger Miller 4.2L Fanny M GardnerBoth German teams and Scuderia Ferrari decided to go to New York for the 1937 Vanderbilt cup, after the organizers had promised to move the race from July 4th to July 3rd so that there were ample time for the teams to catch the ship home even in case of a race delay due to rain. As the race clashed with the Belgian GP it meant that the teams were split up, with two drivers from each team entering each race. The German teams entered SS. Bremen (Note 1) in Bremerhaven 22 June, while the Ferrari team went to Le Havre and entered SS Normandie (Note 2). On Normandie Nuvolari who recently had lost his father learned the terrible news that his oldest son Giorgio had died (Note 3). The track had been changed since last year and made more faster. The European drivers did not particularly like the track, however, the hidden curves making it hard to find the brake points. For some curious reason the American organizers had asked the Germans to paint swastikas on their cars. (Note 4) Caracciola was fastest in practice from Rosemeyer and Californian driver Rex Mays, who raced in the Alfa Romeo 8 cylinder car that had been used as a spare car for the Ferrari team during the 1936 race. The car was heavily modified and with a new larger supercharger Mays proved to be faster than the works 12 cylinder cars to the disgust of the Ferrari team. Before the race the Mercedes-Benz team decided to change to the new suction carburettor supercharger system on all their cars to better the supercharger response at medium revs. Mercedes would retain the new system; gone forever was now the typical Mercedes-Benz scream of the blower supercharger that had filled the GP races since Eifelrennen 1934. Grid:At Saturday 1.30 PM when the cars were already lined up for the start it began to rain. The race was immediately postponed until Monday. At 2 PM Monday 5th 80,000 spectators finally saw Ralph de Palma wave the flag. Rosemeyer pulled his Auto Union hard to the left and took the first corner in front of Caracciola and Mays. Then followed Nuvolari, Seaman and Farina. On lap two Seaman moved into fourth position and on the next lap Caracciola took over the lead and opened up a 6 seconds gap. American Billy Winn was doing a great job having passed Farina and Nuvolari and was fighting with Seaman for fourth place before having to fall back with mechanical problems. On lap 11 it was Rosemeyer's turn to take the lead, he and Caracciola having a tough fight and pulling away from the others. Mays was still third now followed by Nuvolari, who had decided to start after all. Nuvolari was driving flat out as usual, having already passed Seaman. Nuvolari's efforts ended on lap 16 when the engine could not stand the pace anymore and threw a rod. Caracciola was the next to retire with supercharger failure on lap 22. Caracciola was however not particularly disappointed as the America trip doubled as his and "Baby's" honeymoon trip. Seaman had started to advance and the order was now Rosemeyer, Seaman, Mays, von Delius and Farina. On lap 38 Rosemeyer made a 35 seconds pitstop for fuel and tyres, Seaman now being the new leader by 30 seconds. Mays was also in for a 78 seconds stop and at lap 40 Farina came in and gave over his car to Nuvolari. Rosemeyer pulled in Seaman's lead and caught the Mercedes just as Seaman pulled into the pits for his stop on lap 46. The order after the pitstops were: Rosemeyer, Seaman, Mays, von Delius, Nuvolari, Winn and Horn. Nuvolari was in great form, passing von Delius and then challenging and passing Mays. But on lap 50 the Flying Mantuan was back in the pits having destroyed his second engine of the day and gave back the Alfa to Farina, who limped on to finish fifth after having to do an extra pitstop on lap 70. Near the end Seaman was rapidly closing in on Rosemeyer but then the Mercedes run out of fuel and Seaman had to make an unscheduled stop one lap from the finish, leaving Rosemeyer to win by 50 seconds. After having been promoted to SS-Obersturmführer for his victory at Eifelrennen 1936, Rosemeyer was now promoted to SS-Hauptsturmführer (Captain). For him it probably just meant another photo-session in uniform. Results: 1 Rosemeyer (Auto Union) 3:38:00.75 2 Seaman (Mercedes-Benz) + 51.03 3 Mays (Alfa Romeo) + 6:35.07 4 von Delius (Auto Union) + 10:08.75 5 Farina (Alfa Romeo) + 13:29.00 6 Thorne (Alfa Romeo) + 21:55.35 7 Cummings (Miller) + 24.53.55 9th ? 8 Snowberger/Fowler (Packard) + 25.46.65 9 Shaw (Maserati) + 26.02.67 10 Ardinger (Rawhide) + 39.17.68 11 Wearne (Miller) + 41.18.67 12 Gardner (Miller) + 43.59.62 13 Brisko (Miller) - 3 laps DNF Rose (Maserati) 85 laps universal joint 14 Marion (Miller) - 12 laps DNF Rudi Caracciola (Mercedes-Benz) 17 laps supercharger DNF Björnstad (Alfa Romeo) 60 laps transmission DNF Horn (Miller) 59 laps transmission DNF Connor (Miller) 55 laps transmission DNF Bean (Ambler) 42 laps flywheel DNF Snyder (Boyle) 39 laps gearlever DNF Petillo (Offenhauser) 39 laps pinion bearing DNF Lewis (Debaets) 25 laps magneto DNF Banks (Jumire) 24 laps rear axle DNF Nuvolari (Alfa Romeo) 16 laps connecting rod DNF Cusick (Schumacher) 11 laps rear hub DNF Winn (Miller) 8 laps transmission DNF Householder (Miller) 8 laps oil pipe DNF Stapp (Maserati) 8 laps engine DNF Zarka (Ambler) 2 laps connecting rod Fastest lap: Caracciola (Mercedes-Benz) |
VII GRAND PRIX DE BELGIQUE SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS (B), 11 JULY 1937 34 laps * 14.95 km = 508.3 km ? 8 starters: 2 Lang Mercedes-Benz W125 5.6L Daimler Benz 4 von Brauchitsch Mercedes-Benz W125 5.6L Daimler Benz 6 Kautz Mercedes-Benz W125 5.6L Daimler Benz 8 Stuck Auto Union C 6.0L Auto Union 12 Hasse Auto Union C 6.0L Auto Union 14 Müller Auto Union C 6.0L Auto Union 16 Sommer Alfa Romeo 12C-36 4.1L Scuderia Ferrari 18 Trossi Alfa Romeo 12C-36 4.1L Scuderia Ferrari Gouvion Maserati private entry (Team Lancia?) (DNS blown engine) Mercedes-Benz reserve: H HartmannDue to the Vanderbilt cup the grid was down to seven cars. The Mercedes plans had been to send Lang and Caracciola to America but the Belgian organizers complained and wanted one of the Mercedes star drivers to start in Belgium so finally Mercedes decided to send Lang and von Brauchitsch to Spa. Von Brauchitsch had a bad crash during practice as he missed the braking point for the Ancienne Douanne (a hairpin next to L'Eau Rouge corner) and the car somersaulted into the woods. Von Brauchitsch survived with only minor bruises. Grid, positions decided by ballot:20 minuttes before the start the radiator on von Brauchitsch car started to leak. The Mercedes mechanics managed to mad the repairs on the grid but then the cool engine refused to start. The race was started by King Leopold himself. The mechanics were still trying to start the front row Mercedes when the flag dropped and cars passed to left and right. Finally the engine started and the Mercedes was able to follow the other cars down to L'Eau Rouge with Stuck leading the field followed by Sommer, Hasse Lang and Müller. For seven laps Stuck led with Lang and von Brauchitsch hanging on, the trio driving at a tremendous speed, leaving the rest behind. On lap three Trossi had to retire with engine failure. Stuck broke the lap record on the third lap, von Brauchitsch on the fourth, and then Stuck again on the seventh. But the engines and the tyres could not stand such a speed and soon von Brauchitsch fell back with engine troubles and on the ninth lap Stuck was in the pits, leaving Lang to lead the race followed by Hasse and Kautz. Lang led for four laps, then he also had to make a pitstop. Stuck was back to fourth position which became third when von Brauchitsch retired. Hasse on a one pit stop strategy broke the lap record and succeeded in opening up the gap to 45 seconds before making his pitstop on lap 17. Lang was up at the front again, immediately braking Hasse's new lap record as he tried to open up a gap before the inevitable second pit stop. On lap 22? he came in for new tyres and Hasse was back in the lead, followed closely by Stuck. Stuck took over the lead from Hasse, Lang now being 1 minute behind. The Mercedes driver really made a great effort and managed in the next few laps to catch the leading Auto Union duo. As Lang approached, Hasse retook the lead from Stuck, who soon also was passed by Lang's Mercedes. Then Lang struck trouble as the rear of the car began to behave strangely. Lang nearly run into a tree as the car was going all over the track. Stuck could retake the second place and even make a pitstop without Lang being able to do anything about it. As the last lap started Hasse, who was cruising, led by one minute from Stuck. Lang followed another minute behind, desperately trying to finish the race. On new tyres Stuck closed up half a minute to the leader but Hasse had the situation in control and took his first and only GP victory, after having done a superb race. Kautz managed to come home fourth after having been outside the track twice. Results: 1 Hasse (Auto Union) 3:01.22 2 Stuck (Auto Union) 3:02.04 3 Lang (Mercedes-Benz) 3:04.07 4 Kautz (Mercedes-Benz) 3:04:25 5 Sommer (Alfa Romeo) 3:05:40 / -2 laps? DNF von Brauchitsch (Mercedes-Benz) 31 laps supercharger DNF Müller (Auto Union) 13 laps oil pipe DNF Trossi (Alfa Romeo) 5 laps engine Fastest lap: Lang (Mercedes-Benz) |
GRAND PRIX d´ALBIGEOIS LES PLANQUES - Albi (F), 11 JULY 1937 VOITURETTE 1500CC 2*20 laps The race was run in 2 heats with the times added for the final result. Cook, co-founder of ERA, was back as works driver replacing the deceased Fairfield. Mays took the lead in the first heat and opened up the gap to Emilio Villoresi but the ERA retired on lap 17 leaving Villoresi to win from Tongue and Cook. Mays took over Cook's car for heat two and once again he was in a class of his own. Villoresi, who had a 2 minute bonus over Mays from heat one, followed the ERA but then made a mistake and destroyed his car leaving Mays to win heat two from Martin and Righetti (Maserati). 1 Mays/Cook (ERA-C) 2:26:42 2 Martin (ERA-B) 3 Tongue (ERA-B?) 4 Righetti (Maserati) 5 L Villoresi (Maserati) 6 Gollin (Maserati) |
| 17 JULY 1937: "B Bira" (ERA) wins the London Grand Prix at the Crystal Palace track in England. |
| 18 JULY 1937: Wimille (Bugatti) wins the GRAND PRIX DE LA MARNE sports car race at the Reims-Gueux track in France. (Results) |
X GROßER PREIS VON DEUTSCHLAND NÜRBURGRING (D), 25 JULY 1937 22 laps * 22.810 km = 501.82 km Weather: Clowdy, cold, windy, later clearing up. 26 starters: 2 von Delius Auto Union C 6.0L Auto Union 4 Rosemeyer Auto Union C 6.0L Auto Union 6 Müller Auto Union C 6.0L Auto Union 8 Hasse Auto Union C 6.0L Auto Union 10 Stuck Auto union C 6.0L Auto Union 12 Caracciola Mercedes-Benz W125 5.6L Daimler Benz 14 von Brauchitsch Mercedes-Benz W125 5.6L Daimler Benz 16 Lang Mercedes-Benz W125 5.6L Daimler Benz 17?Bäumer Mercedes-Benz W125 5.6L Daimler Benz (DNS practice only) 17?Brendel Mercedes-Benz W125 5.6L Daimler Benz (DNS practice only) 18 Seaman Mercedes-Benz W125 5.6L Daimler Benz 20 Kautz Mercedes-Benz W125 5.6L Daimler Benz 22 Nuvolari Alfa Romeo 12C-36 4.1L Scuderia Ferrari 24 Farina Alfa Romeo 12C-36 4.1L Scuderia Ferrari 28 Belmondo Alfa Romeo C Graf Salvi del Pero 30 Minozzi Maserati 8CM 3.0L private entry 32 Balestrero Alfa Romeo Tipo B private entry 34 Soffietti Maserati 6C-34 private entry 36 Teagno Maserati 8CM 3.0L Scuderia Subauda 38 Cortese Maserati 6CM Scuderia Maremanna 40 Pietsch Maserati 6C-34 private entry 42 Evans Alfa Romeo Tipo B private entry 44 Rüesch Alfa Romeo 8C-35 3.8L private entry 46 Festetics Maserati 8CM 3.0L private entry 48 L Hartmann Maserati 8CM 3.0L private entry 50 Sommer Alfa Romeo C private entry 52 Severi Maserati 6C-34 private entry 54 Marinoni Alfa Romeo 12C-36 4.1L Scuderia Ferrari (Raced instead of Trossi) Auto Union Reserve: Fagioli Mercedes-Benz reserve: H HartmannAs usual the German teams came in force to the main event of the year, Mercedes using no less than 7 drivers during practice. Final practice started with a typical Rosemeyer trick. He surprised everyone by landing his own airplane on the track in front of the pits and jumping straight from the airplane into the car! Rosemeyer was in great form during the weekend, being 11 seconds under his former record and 6 seconds faster than anyone else. Then he squeezed his wife into the car and together they made a 12 minute lap on the ring. The Auto Unions were in trouble with the carburettors during the practice, Stuck coming out the worst, was only able to do a 10:35.3, 49 seconds slower than his teammate! While everyone had expected Rosemeyer to take the pole, Lang's second place was more of a sensation. Especially Nürburgring expert von Brauchitsch blew his fuses and had to be calmed down by Neubauer. It was probably about this time that Caracciola and von Brauchitsch made an anti-Lang alliance. Grid:At the pre-race briefing Korpsführer Hühnlein explained to the drivers that public displaying of affection, i.e. kissing your wife or girlfriend on the pitlane was to be considered as non-Aryan behavior, and had to be stopped. After hearing brass bands and seeing endless motorcycle parades the spectators finally saw the cars lining up on the grid for the 11 AM start. Just before the start all the drivers led by Rosemeyer climbed out their cars and run to the pits to give their wives and girlfriends a long kiss to the delight of the spectators. The Mercedes-Benz strategy was that Lang should do a one-stop race, the others two stops. As usual the Mercedes cars had the edge in the start, Lang leading from Caracciola. Once away Rosemeyer was soon up at speed, passing the two Mercedes cars to take the lead, but on the long straight Lang re-passed to lead after one lap followed by Rosemeyer, Caracciola and von Brauchitsch. Then there was a 10 second gap to the next group with Müller, von Delius, Hasse, Nuvolari and Seaman. On the second lap Rosemeyer was back at the front, having done the fastest lap of the race, Lang following 9 seconds behind. Now Caracciola passed Lang and took up the chase on Rosemeyer. Rosemeyer passed the line for the third time with a 11 seconds lead but in the Südkehre the hub cap of the right rear wheel disintegrated. The pit crew had an anxious time before Rosemeyer reappeared in fourth place with his tyres in shreds, half a minute behind the Mercedes trio led by Caracciola. Rosemeyer's pitstop took 3:33 as the rests of the hub cap had to be removed with chisel and hammer. Rosemeyer returned to the track in tenth place. It was a catastrophic race for Auto Union as Stuck was far back with engine problems and as Müller went off the track while trying to avoid crashing into von Delius. Müller was unhurt but the car was destroyed. Seaman passed von Delius and the Mercedes cars were now in positions 1-2-3-4. Stuck retired and von Delius, who was the only Auto Union driver left to challenge the Mercedes team, was given orders from the pit to go faster. On lap 6 when von Delius tried to pass Seaman on the long straight the Auto Union touched the hedge and then hit the Mercedes at 250 km/h. The Mercedes crashed into a kilometer post, Seaman getting several wounds in his face and braking his nose. Von Delius' Auto Union went through the left side hedge and over a field before ending up as a wreck on the main road outside the race track, von Delius breaking a leg and receiving several other injuries. Order: Caracciola, von Brauchitsch, Lang (trying to save his tyres), Kautz, Hasse and Nuvolari. On lap 7 Caracciola and von Brauchitsch made their pitstops. Caracciola's stop took 36 seconds and he came out 8 seconds behind leading Lang. Kautz, who was in shock after having been behind von Delius and seen the crash, went off the track but was able to return in 7th place. Rosemeyer, who had risked everything on the last laps throwing the Auto Union sideways through the turns, went also off the track but he was able to rejoin the race in 8th place with hay hanging out behind the car . Lang's one stop strategy failed. He entered the pits on lap 9 with a puncture and as he had been coasting he had destroyed the plugs so the pitstop became a long one. Rosemeyer, still trying hard, had advanced to fifth, in front of Hasse, Kautz and Farina. He fell back to sixth for a while after a pitstop on lap 13 but was soon back up to fourth place, 30 seconds behind Nuvolari. On lap 14 Caracciola made his second pitstop. Von Brauchitsch led for one lap but then it was his turn to enter the pit. Rosemeyer had closed the gap to Nuvolari to 7 seconds and on the next lap he had passed the Alfa. Order: Caracciola, von Brauchitsch, Rosemeyer, Nuvolari, Farina and Lang. Lang was back to the pits on lap 17, again with a puncture and destroyed plugs. Rosemeyer and Nuvolari made their second stops and Caracciola was in for the third time on lap 19 to change a rear wheel but was able to retain his lead. Rosemeyer, who was 80 seconds behind von Brauchitsch, was doing the race of his life, every second being close to disaster, closing the gap down to 15 seconds during the last laps. Rosemeyer's slowest lap during the race (except for pitstops) had been 10:03! Caracciola took the flag to give Mercedes-Benz their first victory at the German GP since 1931. After the race there were worrying news about von Delius condition with thrombosis and complications. Still it came as a shock to the racing world when they woke up the next morning to hear that von Delius had died in a similar case to Ronnie Peterson 41 years later. Results: 1 Caracciola (Mercedes-Benz) 3:46:00.1 2 von Brauchitsch (Mercedes-Benz) + 46.2 3 Rosemeyer (Auto Union) + 1:01.3 4 Nuvolari (Alfa Romeo) + 4:03.9 5 Hasse (Auto Union) + 5:25.0 6 Kautz (Mercedes-Benz) + 6:10.2 7 Lang (Mercedes-Benz) - 1 lap 8 Rüesch (Alfa Romeo) - 1 lap 9 Evans (Alfa Romeo) - 3 laps DNF Soffietti (Maserati) 19 laps 10?Festetics (Maserati) - 4 laps 11?Marinoni (Alfa Romeo) - 4 laps 12 Belmondo (Alfa Romeo) - 4 laps DNF L Hartmann (Maserati) 18 laps DNF Farina (Alfa Romeo) 18 laps ignition DNF Cortese (Maserati) 7 laps chassis DNF von Delius (Auto Union) 6 laps fatal crash with Seaman DNF Seaman (Mercedes-Benz) 6 laps crash with von Delius DNF Stuck (Auto Union) 6 laps engine DNF Pietsch (Maserati) 5 laps fuel tank DNF Minozzi (Maserati) 4 laps crash DNF Severi (Maserati) 4 laps crash DNF Balestrero (Alfa Romeo) 3 laps fuel pipe DNF Teagno (Maserati) 2 laps rear axle DNF Sommer (Alfa Romeo) 2 laps rear axle DNF Müller (Auto Union) 2 laps crash Fastest lap: Rosemeyer (Auto Union) 9:53.4 on lap 2 |
CIRCUITO DI SAN REMO CIRCUIT OF SAN REMO (I), 25 JULY 1937 VOITURETTE 1500cc 3*25 laps + 30 laps final, 17 starters The sensation of the race was the return of Achille Varzi, who had borrowed a works Maserati 4CM. The race was run in 3 heats the 2 best in each heat going to the final. Heat one was won by Dusio from E Villoresi (6CM). Varzi easily won heat 2 from Ermini, as his main rivals got trouble. Rocco won heat 3, Lurani finishing second despite an 1 minute penalty for jumping the start. In the final Dusio managed to keep in front of Varzi for four laps. Then the former Grand Prix star just went by and vanished from Dusio's sight. 1 Varzi (Maserati 4CM) 2 Dusio (Maserati 6CM) 3 Rocco (Maserati 6CM) 4 Ermini (Maserati) -1 lap No other finishers |
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1? 2? AUGUST 1937: Stuck (Auto Union) wins the "Großer Bergpreis von Deutschland"
mountainclimb race in Freiburg, Germany.
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2 AUGUST 1937: Mays (ERA 1.5L) wins the JCC International Trophy handicap race at
Brooklands, England.
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5 AUGUST 1937: Stuck (Auto Union) wins the La Turbie mountainclimb race in France.
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IX GRAND PRIX DE MONACO CIRCUIT DE MONACO (MC), 8 AUGUST 1937 100 laps * 3.180 km = 318.0 km
15 starters:
2 Rosemeyer Auto Union C 6.0L Auto Union
4 Stuck Auto Union C 6.0L Auto Union
6 Hasse Auto Union C 6.0L Auto Union
8 Caracciola Mercedes-Benz W125 5.6L Daimler Benz
10 von Brauchitsch Mercedes-Benz W125 5.6L Daimler Benz
12 Kautz Mercedes-Benz W125 5.6L Daimler Benz
14 Zehender Mercedes-Benz W125 5.6L Daimler Benz
18 Sommer Alfa Romeo 8C-35 3.8L private entry
20 L Hartmann Maserati 8CM 3.0L private entry
22 Brivio Alfa Romeo 12C-36 4.1L Scuderia Ferrari
24 Farina Alfa Romeo 12C-36 4.1L Scuderia Ferrari
26 Pintacuda Alfa Romeo 8C-35 3.8L Scuderia Ferrari
28 Biondetti Maserati 6C-34 Scuderia Maremanna
30 Soffietti Maserati 6C-34 private entry
32 Rüesch Alfa Romeo 8C-35 3.8L private entry
Pietsch Maserati DNS
Lang was out with influenza and 40 degrees fever and Seaman was still suffering from a broken nose and thumb after
his Nürburgring crash. Nuvolari was also a non starter, testing the new Alfa Romeo 12C/37 at Monza.Pietsch's Maserati was again leaking oil and he was not allowed to start in the race. Kautz crashed the Mercedes in the Casino curve on the Saturday practice session. Grid:Charles Faroux dropped the flag and off they went, Caracciola leading from von Brauchitsch, Rosemeyer and Stuck. Behind them there was a gap as Hasse crashed in the tunnel, the Auto Union coming out backwards at full speed. In fifth place was Kautz followed by Zehender and Farina. Hasse was taken away by the boat ambulance, fortunately he was not badly injured. After ten laps Kautz was up to fourth, Pintacuda was in the pit with brake problems and Farina had succeeded in passing Zehender. After 13 laps Pintacuda and Hartmann had already been lapped twice. The Mercedes duo had at one time opened up a 15 second gap to Rosemeyer, but the latter soon started to close the gap again and was right up with von Brauchitsch when the steering failed on lap 19. Rosemeyer went into the sandbags at the Gasometre destroying the front of the car. Kautz was now third, one minute behind von Brauchitsch, who was throwing the car around Monaco in huge power slides setting a new lap record on lap 21 and catching up on Caracciola. Brivio had to retire his Ferrari entered Alfa with a burst radiator while Stuck in 5th place was in the pits for brake adjustments on lap 21, falling back to 8th. Then Stuck got stuck (sic!) behind Pintacuda, who refused to let him pass. The fight between Caracciola and von Brauchitsch continued at the top, Zehender was third as Kautz had pitted for new plugs at lap 36. On the next lap Stuck also stopped for new plugs and Rosemeyer took over Stuck's car. Rosemeyer soon passed Sommer and started to catch Kautz. A few laps before half distance Caracciola came rolling into the pit with an enormous noise from the engine. The engine was cured after a 3:15 pitstop but von Brauchitsch now had a secure lead. On lap 51 Kautz passed Farina, who had done a tremendous job in the Alfa, and now there were four Mercedes cars in the top positions. Rosemeyer made a pitstop and handled the car back to Stuck. On lap 55 Caracciola unlapped himself and went on to pull in von Brauchitsch's one lap advantage. On lap 68 Rosemeyer was back on the track again, and on the next lap von Brauchitsch made his stop for fuel and tyres. During the pitstop a front brake got stuck and von Brauchitsch lost much time, coming back to the track right in front of Caracciola. Now a new fight started between the two Mercedes drivers. Neubauer was furiously giving signals to von Brauchitsch to let Caracciola pass and the driver replied by sticking out his tongue to the team manager as he passed the pits. On lap 80 von Brauchitsch finally let Caracciola through as he knew the latter had destroyed his tyres and had to make a pitstop on the next lap. Then von Brauchitsch went on to a fine but controversial victory. Rosemeyer did a last charge, passing Farina on lap 86 and Zehender on lap 96 finishing fourth. Although von Brauchitsch had disobeyed the team orders, there were no complains from Caracciola and the drivers remained, if not friends, then at least allies in the internal Mercedes fight against Lang. Results: 1 von Brauchitsch (Mercedes-Benz) 3:07:23.9 2 Caracciola (Mercedes-Benz) + 1:24.3 3 Kautz (Mercedes-Benz) -2 laps 4 Stuck/Rosemeyer (Auto Union) -3 laps 5 Zehender (Mercedes-Benz) -3 laps 6 Farina (Alfa Romeo) -3 laps 7 Sommer (Alfa Romeo) -5 laps 8 Rüesch (Alfa Romeo) -8 laps 9 Pintacuda (Alfa Romeo) -13 laps DNF L Hartmann (Maserati) 69 laps engine DNF Biondetti (Maserati) 27 laps engine DNF Brivio (Alfa Romeo) 21 laps radiator DNF Rosemeyer (Auto Union) 19 laps steering problems after crasch DNF Soffietti (Maserati) 3 laps fuel feed problem DNF Hasse (Auto Union) 1 lap crash Fastest lap: Caracciola (Mercedes-Benz) 1:46.5 on lap 74 |
| 13 AUGUST 1937: Cortese (Alfa Romeo 2300B) wins the TARGA ABRUZZO sports car race at the Pescara track in Italy. (Results) |
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