Grand Prix du Comminges
Encyclopedia
The Grand Prix du Comminges was an automobile race held in France
.
The race was named after the Comminges
, one of the former Provinces of France
in ancient Gascony
in what is now the Haute-Garonne
department of the Midi-Pyrénées
region of France. The race began as part of a week-long festival organized by local officials in the town of Saint-Gaudens
designed to attract tourists.
Grand Prix motor racing
was at its zenith when the first race was first held in 1925 on a 27 km (16.8 mi) course from Saint-Gaudens to the town of Montréjeau
and back again via a different route. The hilly terrain allowed for excellent viewing close to the beginning and end of the race from atop a hill at the outskirts of Saint-Gaudens. In 1926, the French Grand Prix
was held here over a slightly altered course and in the 1930s, the course layout was modified a few times beginning with changes made to accommodate holding the official French Grand Prix
in 1928.
At the 1932 race, a stroke of luck saved several spectators from death. René Dreyfus
was leading in his Bugatti
going into the final lap. Rain fell and on the wet road he spun out on a sharp curve. Dreyfus was thrown from the vehicle as it somersaulted through the air but was fortunate to have suffered only minor injuries. However, his car hurtled directly towards a large group of spectators gathered off to the side of the road but miraculously hit a small tree and smashed to the ground without injuring anyone.
Due to a controversy over vehicle regulations, both the 1937 and 1938 races had to be cancelled when major factory teams boycotted the event. After World War II
, the creation of Formula One
saw the Grand Prix du Comminges modified to a Formula Two
event but, with the top drivers no longer competing, economics dictated cancellation after the 1952 race.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
The race was named after the Comminges
Comminges
The Comminges is an ancient region of southern France in the foothills of the Pyrenees, corresponding closely to the arrondissement of Saint-Gaudens in the department of Haute-Garonne...
, one of the former Provinces of France
Provinces of France
The Kingdom of France was organised into provinces until March 4, 1790, when the establishment of the département system superseded provinces. The provinces of France were roughly equivalent to the historic counties of England...
in ancient Gascony
Gascony
Gascony is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a...
in what is now the Haute-Garonne
Haute-Garonne
Haute-Garonne is a department in the southwest of France named after the Garonne river. Its main city is Toulouse.-History:Haute-Garonne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Languedoc.The...
department of the Midi-Pyrénées
Midi-Pyrénées
Midi-Pyrénées is the largest region of metropolitan France by area, larger than the Netherlands or Denmark.Midi-Pyrénées has no historical or geographical unity...
region of France. The race began as part of a week-long festival organized by local officials in the town of Saint-Gaudens
Saint-Gaudens
Saint-Gaudens is a commune and a sub-prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France.Saint-Gaudens lies at an altitude of 405 m on a ledge overlooking the valley of the Garonne...
designed to attract tourists.
Grand Prix motor racing
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...
was at its zenith when the first race was first held in 1925 on a 27 km (16.8 mi) course from Saint-Gaudens to the town of Montréjeau
Montréjeau
Montréjeau is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France.-History:Montréjeau was the site of one of the French Revolution's last pitched battles between republicans and royalists. In the summer of 1799, anti-revolutionary insurrection broke out in the Haute-Garonne. For a...
and back again via a different route. The hilly terrain allowed for excellent viewing close to the beginning and end of the race from atop a hill at the outskirts of Saint-Gaudens. In 1926, the French Grand Prix
French Grand Prix
The French Grand Prix was a race held as part of Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One automobile racing championships....
was held here over a slightly altered course and in the 1930s, the course layout was modified a few times beginning with changes made to accommodate holding the official French Grand Prix
French Grand Prix
The French Grand Prix was a race held as part of Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One automobile racing championships....
in 1928.
At the 1932 race, a stroke of luck saved several spectators from death. René Dreyfus
René Dreyfus
René Dreyfus was a French driver who raced automobiles for 14 years in the 1920s and 1930s, the Golden Era of Grand Prix motor racing.-Early life:...
was leading in his Bugatti
Bugatti
Automobiles E. Bugatti was a French car manufacturer founded in 1909 in Molsheim, Alsace, as a manufacturer of high-performance automobiles by Italian-born Ettore Bugatti....
going into the final lap. Rain fell and on the wet road he spun out on a sharp curve. Dreyfus was thrown from the vehicle as it somersaulted through the air but was fortunate to have suffered only minor injuries. However, his car hurtled directly towards a large group of spectators gathered off to the side of the road but miraculously hit a small tree and smashed to the ground without injuring anyone.
Due to a controversy over vehicle regulations, both the 1937 and 1938 races had to be cancelled when major factory teams boycotted the event. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the creation of Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
saw the Grand Prix du Comminges modified to a Formula Two
Formula Two
Formula Two, abbreviated to F2, is a type of open wheel formula racing. It was replaced by Formula 3000 in 1985, but the FIA announced in 2008 that Formula Two would return for 2009 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship...
event but, with the top drivers no longer competing, economics dictated cancellation after the 1952 race.
Winners
- 1952 -
France André Simon / 
Italy Alberto AscariAlberto AscariAlberto Ascari was an Italian racing driver and twice Formula One World Champion. He is one of only two Italian Formula One World Champions in the history of the sport, and the only one winning his two championships in a Ferrari....
(Ferrari 500) - 1949 - France Charles PozziCharles PozziCharles Pozzi was a French racing driver who participated in one World Championship Formula One race in 1950, the year of its inception....
(Delahaye 145) - 1948 - Italy Luigi VilloresiLuigi VilloresiLuigi Villoresi was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing driver who continued racing on the Formula One circuit at the time of its inception.-Biography:...
(Maserati 4CLT/48) - 1947 -
Monaco Louis ChironLouis ChironLouis Alexandre Chiron was a Grand Prix driver.-Career:As a teenager, Louis Chiron fell in love with cars and racing. He learned to drive at a young age and joined the Grand Prix circuit after World War I where he had been requisitioned from the artillery section to serve as a chauffeur...
(Talbot Monoplace C39) - 1939 - France René Le BègueRené Le Bègue----René Le Bègue was a Parisian-born French race car driver in Rally and Grand Prix motor racing. In his first year of top level racing, his best showing came at the 1936 Spa 24 Hours endurance race when he drove a Delahaye to a 2nd place finish. In 1937 he and his co-pilot Julio Quinlin won the...
(Talbot MD90) - 1936 - France Jean-Pierre WimilleJean-Pierre WimilleJean-Pierre Wimille was a Grand Prix motor racing driver and a member of the French Resistance during World War II.-Biography:...
(Bugatti T59/57Bugatti Type 57The Bugatti Type 57 and later variants was an entirely new design by Jean Bugatti, son of founder Ettore. Type 57s were built from 1934 through 1940, with a total of 710 examples produced....
) - 1935 - France Raymond SommerRaymond SommerRaymond Sommer was a Grand Prix motor racing driver....
(Alfa Romeo Tipo-B 'P3') - 1934 -
Italy Franco Comotti (Alfa Romeo Tipo-B 'P3') - 1933 - Italy Luigi FagioliLuigi FagioliLuigi Fagioli , nicknamed "the Abruzzi robber", was an Italian motor racing driver.-Career:Born in the small city of Osimo, Ancona Province in the Marche region of central Italy, as a boy Luigi Fagioli was fascinated by the relatively new invention of the automobile and the ensuing racing...
(Alfa Romeo Tipo-B 'P3'Alfa Romeo P3The Alfa Romeo P3, P3 monoposto or Tipo B was a classic Grand Prix car designed by Vittorio Jano, one of the Alfa Romeo 8C models. The P3 was first genuine single-seat Grand Prix racing car and Alfa Romeo's second monoposto after Tipo A monoposto . It was based on the earlier successful Alfa Romeo P2...
) - 1932 - Italy Goffredo ZehenderGoffredo ZehenderGoffredo 'Freddie' Zehender was an Italian racing driver.He started his driving career with Chrysler, then Bugatti and most of his career with Alfa Romeo as works or privatee driver. He won the 1932...
(Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 'Monza') - 1931 - France Philippe ÉtancelinPhilippe ÉtancelinPhilippe Étancelin was a French Grand Prix motor racing driver who joined the new Formula One circuit at its inception.-Biography:...
(Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 'Monza'Alfa Romeo 8C-1935 Monoposto 8C 35 Type C:Eight 3.8 litre versions, sharing no castings with the earlier blocks, were individually built for racing in five months, most being used in the Alfa Romeo Monoposto 8C 35 Type C, as raced by Scuderia Ferrari. The 3.8 produced at 5500 rpm, and had from...
) - 1930 - France François Miquel (Bugatti T37A)
- 1929 - France Philippe Étancelin (Bugatti T35C)
- 1928 -
United Kingdom William Grover-WilliamsWilliam Grover-WilliamsWilliam Charles Frederick Grover-Williams , also known as "W Williams", was a Grand Prix motor racing driver and special agent who worked for the Special Operations Executive inside France. He organized and coordinated the Chestnut network...
(Bugatti T35C) - 1927 - France François Eysermann (Bugatti T37)
- 1926 - Monaco Louis ChironLouis ChironLouis Alexandre Chiron was a Grand Prix driver.-Career:As a teenager, Louis Chiron fell in love with cars and racing. He learned to drive at a young age and joined the Grand Prix circuit after World War I where he had been requisitioned from the artillery section to serve as a chauffeur...
(Bugatti T35) - 1925 - France M Goury (Bignan B)