The 1908 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix

Grand Prix motor racing

Grand Prix motor racing has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as far back as 1894. It quickly evolved from a simple road race from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car and driver...

 motor race held at Dieppe

Dieppe, Seine-Maritime

Dieppe is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in France. In 1999, the population of the whole Dieppe urban area was 81,419.A port on the English Channel, famous for its scallops, and with a regular ferry service from the Gare Maritime to Newhaven in England, Dieppe also has a popular pebbled...

 on 7 July 1908.

Formula Changes

The race was run under a new formula agreed in Ostend in 1907. There was no fuel consumption limit, but the cars had a minimum weight of 1100 kilograms, and a maximum cylinder bore of 155 millimetres.
This formula differed from the regulations in place for the American Vanderbilt Cup

Vanderbilt Cup

The Vanderbilt Cup was the first major trophy in American auto racing.-History:An international event, it was founded by William Kissam Vanderbilt II in 1904 and first held at a course set out in Nassau County on Long Island, New York. The announcement that the race was to be held caused...

 series, which discouraged American manufacturers from entering the race. Lewis Strang drove the single American entrant, the Thomas

Thomas Motor Company

E. R. Thomas Motor Company was a manufacturer of motorized bicycles, motorized tricycles, motorcycles, and automobiles in Buffalo, New York between 1900 and 1919.-Motorized Bicycles, Tricycles, and Motorcycles:...

 Flyer.

The Race

Christian Lautenschlager

Christian Lautenschlager

Christian Friedrich Lautenschlager was a German Grand Prix motor racing champion.Born in the village of Magstadt, Baden-Württemberg, Germany near Stuttgart, Christian Lautenschlager was 14 years old when he began training for a career as a machinist at a company in Stuttgart...

 won the race in his Mercedes

Mercedes (car)

Mercedes was a brand of the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft . DMG which began to develop in 1900, after the death of its co-founder, Gottlieb Daimler...

 finishing nearly nine minutes ahead of Victor Hémery

Victor Hémery

Victor Hémery was a champion driver of early Grand Prix motor racing who was born in Sillé-le-Guillaume, France, Sarthe, France. In 1904 he joined Automobiles Darracq S.A. as their chief tester and helped prepare cars to compete in that year's Gordon Bennett Cup...

's Benz. Lautenschlager's average speed for the race was 69.045 mi/h. Otto Salzer

Otto Salzer

Otto Salzer was a German racing car driver, famous for his contributions to the success of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft in Untertürkheim near Stuttgart, where he became team leader in 1903, previously having worked as an engineer since 1896.He had some good results, and was one of the first German...

 set fastest lap in his Mercedes, with an average speed of over 78 mi/h. The race was notable for tragic reasons. Henri Cissac's car lost a tyre and rolled, killing Cissac and Schaube, his riding mechanic.
This was the first fatal accident in Grand Prix history.

Classification

Pos	No	Driver	Car	Laps	Time/Retired
1	35	Christian Lautenschlager Christian Lautenschlager Christian Friedrich Lautenschlager was a German Grand Prix motor racing champion.Born in the village of Magstadt, Baden-Württemberg, Germany near Stuttgart, Christian Lautenschlager was 14 years old when he began training for a career as a machinist at a company in Stuttgart...	Mercedes Mercedes (car) Mercedes was a brand of the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft . DMG which began to develop in 1900, after the death of its co-founder, Gottlieb Daimler...	10	6:55:43.8
2	6	Victor Hémery Victor Hémery Victor Hémery was a champion driver of early Grand Prix motor racing who was born in Sillé-le-Guillaume, France, Sarthe, France. In 1904 he joined Automobiles Darracq S.A. as their chief tester and helped prepare cars to compete in that year's Gordon Bennett Cup...	Benz 150 hp		+8:40.2
3	23	René Hanriot	Benz 150 hp		+9:29.2
4	11	Victor Rigal	Clément-Bayard Clément-Bayard Clément-Bayard was a French manufacturer of automobiles, aeroplanes and airships founded in 1903 by the entrepreneur Adolphe Clément-Bayard . The name celebrated the Chevalier Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard who saved the town of Mézières in 1521...		+34:52.8
5	2	Willy Pöge Willy Pöge Willy Pöge was a German engineer and racing car driver.He was born in Chemnitz, son of Hermann Pöge who encouraged him to study electrical engineering at the Chemnitz University of Technology in 1890...	Mercedes Mercedes (car) Mercedes was a brand of the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft . DMG which began to develop in 1900, after the death of its co-founder, Gottlieb Daimler...		+36:47.2
6	27	Carl Jörns	Opel Opel Adam Opel AG, generally shortened to Opel, is a German automobile company founded by Adam Opel in 1862. Opel has been building automobiles since 1899, and became an Aktiengesellschaft in 1929...		+43.56.2
7	39	Fritz Erle	Benz		+56:48.0
8	37	Sergey Dimitriewich	Renault Renault Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...		+1:07:39.0
9	16	George Heath George Heath George Heath was an early American racing driver. A native Long Islander who spent much of his time in France, he won the first Vanderbilt Cup race in 1904 driving a Panhard and was retroactively awarded the 1904 National Championship in 1951. Heath returned to the Vanderbilt Cup in 1905 and...	Panhard-Levassor Panhard Panhard is currently a French manufacturer of light tactical and military vehicles. Its current incarnation was formed by the acquisition of Panhard by Auverland in 2005. Panhard had been under Citroën ownership, then PSA , for 40 years...		+1:09:03.0
10	49	Perpère	Germain Germain Germain, the French variant of the name Germanus, may refer to:People*Sophie Germain, French mathematician*Paul Germain, American animation producer...		+1:12:34.4
11	12	Alessandro Cagno	Itala		+1:21:23.0
12	28	Fernand Gabriel	Clément-Bayard Clément-Bayard Clément-Bayard was a French manufacturer of automobiles, aeroplanes and airships founded in 1903 by the entrepreneur Adolphe Clément-Bayard . The name celebrated the Chevalier Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard who saved the town of Mézières in 1521...		+1:25:11.2
13	36	Courtade	Motobloc Motobloc Motobloc was a French automobile manufacturer, building vehicles from 1902 to 1931 in a factory in Bordeaux.-History:The company was a descendent of the earlier Schaudel marque, which was noted for the development of an innovative engine design which combined the engine, clutch and gearbox in a...		+1:26:10.0
14	20	Pierre Garcet	Motobloc Motobloc Motobloc was a French automobile manufacturer, building vehicles from 1902 to 1931 in a factory in Bordeaux.-History:The company was a descendent of the earlier Schaudel marque, which was noted for the development of an innovative engine design which combined the engine, clutch and gearbox in a...		+1:33:23.0
15	21	Gustave Caillois	Renault Renault Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...		+1:33:23.4
16	14	Camille Jenatzy Camille Jenatzy Camille Jenatzy was a Belgian race car driver. He is known for breaking the land speed record three times and being the first man to break the 100 km/h barrier....	Mors Mors (automobile) The Mors automobile factory was an early French car manufacturer. It was one of the first to take part in automobile racing, beginning in 1897, due to the belief of the company founder, Émile Mors, in racing's technical and promotional benefits...		+1:38:11.8
17	31	Landon	Mors Mors (automobile) The Mors automobile factory was an early French car manufacturer. It was one of the first to take part in automobile racing, beginning in 1897, due to the belief of the company founder, Émile Mors, in racing's technical and promotional benefits...		+1:52:47.4
18	18	JTC Moore-Brabazon	Austin Austin Motor Company The Austin Motor Company was a British manufacturer of automobiles. The company was founded in 1905 and merged in 1952 into the British Motor Corporation Ltd. The marque Austin was used until 1987...		+1:56:17.0
19	1	Dario Resta Dario Resta Dario Resta , nicknamed "Dolly", was an Italian Briton race car driver. Raised in England from the age of two, he began racing there starting in 1907. He took part in the Montagu Cup the very first race of the now historic Brooklands track. He set a record of in a half-mile run a few years later...	Austin Austin Motor Company The Austin Motor Company was a British manufacturer of automobiles. The company was founded in 1905 and merged in 1952 into the British Motor Corporation Ltd. The marque Austin was used until 1987...		+2:00:17.4
20	29	Henri Fournier	Itala		+2:00:47.4
21	10	Fritz von Opel Fritz von Opel Fritz Adam Hermann Opel, since 1918 von Opel , was the only child of Wilhelm von Opel, and a grandson of Adam Opel, founder of the Opel Company...	Opel Opel Adam Opel AG, generally shortened to Opel, is a German automobile company founded by Adam Opel in 1862. Opel has been building automobiles since 1899, and became an Aktiengesellschaft in 1929...		+2:21:38.6
22	17	François Degrais	Germain Germain Germain, the French variant of the name Germanus, may refer to:People*Sophie Germain, French mathematician*Paul Germain, American animation producer...		+2:27:01.0
23	32	Henry Farman Henry Farman Henri Farman Henri Farman Henri Farman (26 May 1874 – 17 July 1958 was a French pilot, aviator and aircraft designer and manufacturer with his brother Maurice Farman. His family was British and he took French nationality in 1937.-Biography:...	Panhard-Levassor Panhard Panhard is currently a French manufacturer of light tactical and military vehicles. Its current incarnation was formed by the acquisition of Panhard by Auverland in 2005. Panhard had been under Citroën ownership, then PSA , for 40 years...		+2:38:07.0
Ret	8	Leon Théry Léon Théry Léon Théry, , was a French racing driver who won the premier European race, the Gordon Bennett Cup, twice in 1904 and 1905.-Career:...	Brasier Brasier Brasier was the successor of the early French Richard-Brasier automobile maker that had been in business since 1902. The name of the make was simplified to Brasier when Georges Richard left in 1905 to found Unic. Before World War I, several twin, four and six-cylinder models were offered...	9	Wheel
Ret	41	Paul Bablot Paul Bablot Paul Bablot was a French racecar driver. He also owned an early French-built Wright-model airplane....	Brasier Brasier Brasier was the successor of the early French Richard-Brasier automobile maker that had been in business since 1902. The name of the make was simplified to Brasier when Georges Richard left in 1905 to found Unic. Before World War I, several twin, four and six-cylinder models were offered...	9	Magneto
Ret	9	Emile Stricker	Porthos Porthos Porthos, Baron du Vallon de Bracieux de Pierrefonds is a fictional character in the novels The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After and The Vicomte de Bragelonne by Alexandre Dumas, père. He and the other two musketeers Athos and Aramis are friends of the novel's protagonist, d'Artagnan...	9
Ret	43	Michel	Opel Opel Adam Opel AG, generally shortened to Opel, is a German automobile company founded by Adam Opel in 1862. Opel has been building automobiles since 1899, and became an Aktiengesellschaft in 1929...	9	Radiator
Ret	48	Henri Cissac	Panhard-Levassor Panhard Panhard is currently a French manufacturer of light tactical and military vehicles. Its current incarnation was formed by the acquisition of Panhard by Auverland in 2005. Panhard had been under Citroën ownership, then PSA , for 40 years...	8	Fatal crash
Ret	13	Pryce Harrison	Weigel Weigel -Weigel:*Andreas Weigel, German politician and member of the Bundestag*Christian Ehrenfried Weigel, German scientist*Christoph Weigel the Elder , German engraver, art dealer and publisher*David Weigel, American journalist and political commentator...	5	Crash
Ret	44	Lucien Hautvast	Clément-Bayard Clément-Bayard Clément-Bayard was a French manufacturer of automobiles, aeroplanes and airships founded in 1903 by the entrepreneur Adolphe Clément-Bayard . The name celebrated the Chevalier Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard who saved the town of Mézières in 1521...	5	Wheel
Ret	34	Warwick Wright	Austin Austin Motor Company The Austin Motor Company was a British manufacturer of automobiles. The company was founded in 1905 and merged in 1952 into the British Motor Corporation Ltd. The marque Austin was used until 1987...	4	Engine
Ret	33	François Marie Roch-Brault	Germain Germain Germain, the French variant of the name Germanus, may refer to:People*Sophie Germain, French mathematician*Paul Germain, American animation producer...	4
Ret	15	Lewis Strang Lewis Strang Lewis Strang was an American racecar driver. Strang was pole sitter for the inaugural Indianapolis 500. He was killed in a testing accident, becoming the first Indy 500 veteran to die....	Thomas Thomas Motor Company E. R. Thomas Motor Company was a manufacturer of motorized bicycles, motorized tricycles, motorcycles, and automobiles in Buffalo, New York between 1900 and 1919.-Motorized Bicycles, Tricycles, and Motorcycles:...	4	Clutch
Ret	40	Louis Wagner Louis Wagner Louis Wagner was a French race car driver who won the first ever United States and British Grands Prix. Wagner was also a pioneer aviator.Wagner was born in Le Pré-Saint-Gervais, Seine-Saint-Denis...	Fiat Fiat FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...	3	Gearbox
Ret	24	Felice Nazzaro Felice Nazzaro Felice Nazzaro was an Italian racecar driver, a native of Turin. He won the Kaiserpreis in 1907 as well as the French Grand Prix in 1907 and 1922 and Targa Florio in 1907 and 1913. His European wins in 1907 resulted in an invitation to compete in the 1908 American Grand Prize in Savannah, Georgia,...	Fiat Fiat FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...	3	Engine
Ret	3	Pierron	Motobloc Motobloc Motobloc was a French automobile manufacturer, building vehicles from 1902 to 1931 in a factory in Bordeaux.-History:The company was a descendent of the earlier Schaudel marque, which was noted for the development of an innovative engine design which combined the engine, clutch and gearbox in a...	3	Crash
Ret	30	Gregor Laxen	Weigel Weigel -Weigel:*Andreas Weigel, German politician and member of the Bundestag*Christian Ehrenfried Weigel, German scientist*Christoph Weigel the Elder , German engraver, art dealer and publisher*David Weigel, American journalist and political commentator...	3	Crash
Ret	25	Paul Baras Paul Baras Paul Baras was a road racing cyclist and racing driver from France. He competed in several early Grand Prix motor races, and held the world land speed record between November 1904 and January 1905....	Brasier Brasier Brasier was the successor of the early French Richard-Brasier automobile maker that had been in business since 1902. The name of the make was simplified to Brasier when Georges Richard left in 1905 to found Unic. Before World War I, several twin, four and six-cylinder models were offered...	3	Engine
Ret	38	Ferdinando Minoia Ferdinando Minoia Ferdinando "Nando" Minoia was an Italian racing driver with an exceptionally long, distinguished and varied career. In 1907, he won the Coppa Florio driving an Isotta-Fraschini. In 1923, he drove the world’s first mid-engine Grand Prix car, the Benz Tropfenwagen. In 1927, he won the inaugural...	Lorraine-Dietrich Lorraine-Dietrich Lorraine-Dietrich was a French automobile and aircraft engine manufacturer from 1896 until 1935, created when railway locomotive manufacturer Société Lorraine des Anciens Etablissments de Dietrich and Cie branched into the manufacture of automobiles...	3	Magneto
Ret	5	Arthur Duray Arthur Duray Arthur Duray was born in New York City of Belgian parents and later became a French citizen. An early aviator, he held Belgian license #3. He is probably best known today for breaking the land speed record on three separate occasions between July, 1903 and March, 1904...	Lorraine-Dietrich Lorraine-Dietrich Lorraine-Dietrich was a French automobile and aircraft engine manufacturer from 1896 until 1935, created when railway locomotive manufacturer Société Lorraine des Anciens Etablissments de Dietrich and Cie branched into the manufacture of automobiles...	2	Clutch
Ret	4	Ferenc Szisz Ferenc Szisz Ferenc Szisz , was a Hungarian race car driver and the winner of the first Grand Prix motor racing event on a Renault Grand Prix 90CV on 26 June, 1906....	Renault Renault Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...	2	Wheels
Ret	19	Otto Salzer	Mercedes Mercedes (car) Mercedes was a brand of the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft . DMG which began to develop in 1900, after the death of its co-founder, Gottlieb Daimler...	2	Wheel
Ret	42	Jules Simon	Porthos Porthos Porthos, Baron du Vallon de Bracieux de Pierrefonds is a fictional character in the novels The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After and The Vicomte de Bragelonne by Alexandre Dumas, père. He and the other two musketeers Athos and Aramis are friends of the novel's protagonist, d'Artagnan...	2	Water pump
Ret	7	Vincenzo Lancia Vincenzo Lancia Vincenzo Lancia was an Italian pilot, engineer and founder of Lancia.Vincenzo Lancia was born in the small village of Fobello on 24 August 1881, close to Turin...	Fiat Fiat FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...	1	Engine
Ret	22	Henri Rougier Henri Rougier Henri Louis Rougier, was a French sportsman, racing cyclist, pioneer aeroplane pilot and sporting motorist. He is best remembered for his victory in the inaugural Monte Carlo Rally when he drove his Turcat-Méry from Paris to Monte Carlo, but he was also a regular competitor in both 'City to City'...	Lorraine-Dietrich Lorraine-Dietrich Lorraine-Dietrich was a French automobile and aircraft engine manufacturer from 1896 until 1935, created when railway locomotive manufacturer Société Lorraine des Anciens Etablissments de Dietrich and Cie branched into the manufacture of automobiles...	1	Magneto
Ret	46	Shannon	Weigel Weigel -Weigel:*Andreas Weigel, German politician and member of the Bundestag*Christian Ehrenfried Weigel, German scientist*Christoph Weigel the Elder , German engraver, art dealer and publisher*David Weigel, American journalist and political commentator...	1	Steering
Ret	45	Giovanni Piacenza	Itala	1	Gearbox
Ret	26	J. Gaubert	Porthos Porthos Porthos, Baron du Vallon de Bracieux de Pierrefonds is a fictional character in the novels The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After and The Vicomte de Bragelonne by Alexandre Dumas, père. He and the other two musketeers Athos and Aramis are friends of the novel's protagonist, d'Artagnan...	0	Water pump