At the end of december 1904, the French Autombile Club, as well as several manufacturers and drivers gathered to discuss organising a new event, next to the Gordon Bennet Cup. Their first ideas were discussed and a day later, a response of the committe of the ACF was expected. Here is a summary of this first meeting.
With permission of the Bibliothèque national francais gallica.bnf.fr
Text and photos compiled by motorracinghistory, translation by DeepL deepl.com
L’Auto — 5th Year, No. 1535, December 28, 1904
ALWAYS THE CUP
Yesterday’s meeting. — An interesting proposal. — Before the A.C.F. Committee.
At their last meeting, the car makers who are to take part in the Cup Qualifiers had decided to postpone the continuation of the conversation (not the discussion) until last night. As they had told our colleagues who saw them at this meeting, it was to be entirely friendly and informal, and was simply to be an exchange of ideas on the present situation and what should be done in the interests of our industry.
Several manufacturers were unable to attend Ledoyen’s house last night, so we were able to talk in a very small group. Those present were Messrs. Armand Peugeot, Girardot, Michelin, II. Fournier, Collot, Faroux, Cousin, Prade and yours truly.
There was no need to return to the Gordon Bennett Cup formula, which no longer has any raison d’être, and we immediately studied the means that should be taken to establish a more regular event, where our industry could compete with weapons proportionate to its size.
What could be the solution? Perhaps it can be found in the proposal that Mr. Armand Peugeot will make today to the committee of the Automobile Club de France, which must be the sole judge in this case.
Would it not be appropriate to ask the public authorities to establish an International Automobile Grand Prix, a major event open to all and to all countries? Then there would be no more regulations limiting the representatives of each industry, equality for all and, above all, the establishment of regulations more in line with the current state of the industry and the progress it has made.
The Gordon Bennett Cup now means too much when it should mean nothing. The fate of an industry, the considerable profits it can yield, must not be lightly jeopardized by trivialities such as a burst tire or a flywheel in a carburetor. A new event must regularly establish a criterium; this event could be the Grand Prix International de l’Automobile.
It is necessary, in the interest of France, to ask the government to do something for the automobile industry, and will it be possible for it to remain deaf to the appeal of twenty trade union chambers representing twenty industries that live off the automobile and feed thousands of workers whose fate must be considered?
What will become of the Gordon Bennett Cup? You may ask.
It will immediately regain its own value. The Cup only achieved its current importance when it left France after Edge’s fortunate victory in the Paris-Vienna race, when he passed through Innsbruck behind a dozen cars that easily beat him on the total course.
Let us now give the Gordon Bennett Cup back the value it deserves, the value it had before Ireland. Nothing is simpler than to run it concurrently with the International Automobile Grand Prix as it was run in the past in Paris-Vienna and Paris-Bordeaux.
As I said earlier, Mr. Armand Peugeot, on behalf of his colleagues, will propose to the A.C.F. committee this afternoon what was proposed yesterday between manufacturers. This is the way to reconcile everything and safeguard the interests of the world’s leading automobile industry, whose success must not be compromised by these stupid incidents whose consequences are worth millions lost.
This is how the opinions expressed yesterday can be summarized; we now await the decision that the Automobile Club de France will make.
J. Miral.
L’Auto, 5th Year, No. 1535, December 28, 1904, page 3.
The Gordon Bennett Cup and the International Grand Prix
SOME OPINIONS
The A.C.F. committee is meeting today to discuss the Gordon Bennett Cup and decide on the route of the famous event which, more than ever, is the talk of the sporting world, both in terms of the race itself and the side issues.
This year, the accessory seems to be taking precedence over the main event, in theory at least, as it seems difficult to obtain an amendment to the regulations in force for 1905, a change to the way in which the Cup will be run.
After the magnificent banquet offered yesterday by the A.C.F. to the exhibitors, we had the opportunity to gather the opinion of some of the most authoritative personalities on this issue.
All the manufacturers seem to agree that it is advisable to protect French industry, which is really too exposed at the moment, and whose assets in the international game to be played are more than insignificant and not in proportion to those of the adversaries.
We need equal weapons, that is to say “proportional” ones.
* * *
Mr. Girardot clearly explains his way of thinking:
“It is unacceptable,” he says, “that equestrian sports have grand prix events worth 100 or 200,000 francs, while motor racing has nothing.
“We must therefore insist that the public authorities grant us the necessary authorizations and even subsidies to create a major international event without qualifiers, during which the Gordon Bennett Cup can be fought for. Is this possible for 1905? I doubt it, and regret it.”
Mr. Mors, without appearing hostile to this project, reserved his opinion and believed that “to succeed, we mustn’t move too quickly”.
This is also the opinion of Mr. Fernand Renault, who considers that the Gordon Bennett Cup is “the American Cup of motor racing and that a truly ‘sensational’ event formula will have to be found in order to give this event a reputation equal to that of the Bennett Cup”.
Mr. Brasier, a convinced supporter of the Circuit des Ardennes, approves of the project for an international race on new bases, but does not believe the event is possible in 1905.
Mr. Michelin, while believing that nothing should be changed in the Bennett Cup, thought that it would be appropriate to organize, in the near future, a more important and more logical event, especially from the point of view of proportional representation.
What particularly concerns Mr. A. Clément is the question of the entry fee. The eminent manufacturer is all the more justified in talking about it as the financial side is not a problem for him. He therefore pleads the cause of the less fortunate manufacturers and regrets the size of the sum to be paid by each car entered. He also agrees with the majority opinion in favor, as we have explained, of the plan for a new event in line with the general interests of the various competing countries.
* * *
Let us not forget to conclude with the original opinion of Mr. Munroe:
“That the nation that has the challenge, be challenged by the nation that has triumphed in the world qualifiers. In this way, the defending nation will only ever have an equal number of challengers against it, regardless of the number of vehicles qualified for each of the two nations involved.”
Perhaps this is the real solution.
* * *
The fact remains that, although the general opinion seems to favor the organization of an International Grand Prix, it should be added that most manufacturers, although deploring it, believe that if the decision is to be made before the 1905 Cup is run, it should not have any retroactive effect and should only be applicable from 1906 onwards.
Pierre Souvestre.