1948 Zandvoort Grand Prix

The 1948 Zandvoort Grand Prix was a non-championship Formula One race held on 7 August 1948 at Circuit Zandvoort.

1948 Zandvoort Grand Prix
Race details
Date 7 August 1948
Official name I Grote Prijs van Zandvoort
Location Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort, Netherlands
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 4.193 km (2.605 miles)
Distance 40 laps, 167.720 km (104.216 miles)
Attendance 100,000
Pole position
Driver Maserati
Fastest lap
Driver Thailand Prince Bira Maserati
Time ?[lower-alpha 1]
Podium
First Maserati
Second Alfa Romeo-Aitken
Third Maserati

Report

Tony Rolt in the 3.2-litre Aitken-Alfa, made by Peter Aitken (1912–47) based on an Alfa Romeo 8C bimotore

The event consisted of two 24-lap heats and a 40-lap final. The cars were split based on their racing numbers, the lower numbers competing in Heat 1 and the higher numbers in Heat 2. A qualifying session determined the grid for each heat. Bob Gerard did not start the event; it is unclear whether he competed in his heat.

Cuth Harrison secured pole position for Heat 1 at 2:03.8, but retired with a broken half-shaft and the heat went to Reg Parnell from Tony Rolt and John Bolster, Bolster setting the fastest lap at 1:57.9. George Abecassis retired with valve trouble.

Prince Bira secured pole position for Heat 2 at 2:00.2. He won with the fastest lap at 1:53.6, the fastest time of the weekend, with David Hampshire second and Duncan Hamilton third. Peter Walker retired with gearbox issues, while Leslie Johnson was a non-starter due to shock absorber trouble and getting sand in his supercharger.

In the final, Rolt led into the first corner but Bira assumed the lead by lap 3. Bira's engine was not 100% fit, preventing him from pushing hard. Rolt applied intense pressure, closing the gap consistently throughout the race but lacking the pace advantage to make an overtake. The two were separated by a single car length at the chequered flag, Bira's engine screaming as he did not want to risk losing ground with a gear change. Leslie Brooke ran third before stopping for oil and going on to finish 6th. Kenneth Hutchinson was 10th despite only having top gear for most of the race. Michael Chorlton, whose car struggled with carburation issues all day, reached the finish albeit nine laps down.[1]

Entries

NoDriverEntrantConstructorChassis
1 United Kingdom George Abecassis George Abecassis Alta Alta GP
2 United Kingdom Geoff Ansell Geoff Ansell ERA ERA R9B
3 United Kingdom Archie Baring[lower-alpha 2] Archie Baring Maserati Maserati 6CM
4 United Kingdom Kenneth Bear Kenneth Bear Bugatti Bugatti 59
5 United Kingdom John Bolster John Bolster ERA ERA R5B
6 United Kingdom Bob Gerard Bob Gerard ERA ERA B
7 United Kingdom Cuth Harrison Cuth Harrison ERA ERA B
8 United Kingdom Kenneth Hutchinson Kenneth Hutchinson Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Tipo B
9 United Kingdom Reg Parnell Scuderia Ambrosiana Maserati Maserati 4CL
10 United Kingdom Tony Rolt Tony Rolt Alfa Romeo-Aitken Alfa Romeo 8C
11 United Kingdom Bob Ansell Bob Ansell Maserati Maserati 4CL
12 Thailand Prince Bira Princa Chula Maserati Maserati 4CL
14 United Kingdom Leslie Brooke ERA Ltd ERA ERA R7B
15 United Kingdom David Hampshire David Hampshire ERA ERA R1A
16 United Kingdom Leslie Johnson ERA Ltd ERA ERA GP2 E-Type
17 United Kingdom Duncan Hamilton Duncan Hamilton Maserati Maserati 6CM
18 United Kingdom Fred Ashmore Reg Parnell Racing ERA ERA R2A
19 United Kingdom Roy Salvadori Roy Salvadori Maserati Maserati 4CM[lower-alpha 3]
20 United Kingdom Gordon Watson Gordon Watson Alta Alta F2-2
21 United Kingdom Peter Walker Peter Walker ERA ERA R10B
22 United Kingdom Michael Chorlton Michael Chorlton Bugatti Bugatti 51A
Sources:[3][4][5][6][7]

Classification

Heat 1

PosNoDriverConstructorLapsTime/retired
1 9 United Kingdom Reg Parnell Maserati 24 50:17.8
2 10 United Kingdom Tony Rolt Alfa Romeo-Aitken 24 +3.6
3 5 United Kingdom John Bolster ERA 24 +5.4
4 8 United Kingdom Kenneth Hutchinson Alfa Romeo 24 +43.0
5 2 United Kingdom Geoff Ansell ERA 24 +2:00.4
6 3 United Kingdom Archie Baring Maserati  ?
7 4 United Kingdom Kenneth Bear Bugatti  ?
Ret 7 United Kingdom Cuth Harrison ERA  ? Half-shaft
Ret 1 United Kingdom George Abecassis Alta  ? Valves
DNS 6 United Kingdom Bob Gerard ERA  ?
Source:[8][4][7]

Heat 2

PosNoDriverConstructorLapsTime/retired
1 12 Thailand Prince Bira Maserati 24 50:24.3
2 15 United Kingdom David Hampshire ERA 24 +59.5
3 17 United Kingdom Duncan Hamilton Maserati 24 +1:07.5
4 18 United Kingdom Fred Ashmore ERA 24 +1:26.6
5 14 United Kingdom Leslie Brooke ERA 24 +1:53.2
6 20 United Kingdom Gordon Watson Alta  ?
7 22 United Kingdom Michael Chorlton Bugatti  ?
8 19 United Kingdom Roy Salvadori[lower-alpha 4] Maserati  ?
Ret 11 United Kingdom Bob Ansell Maserati  ? Gearbox
Ret 21 United Kingdom Peter Walker ERA  ? Gearbox
DNS 16 United Kingdom Leslie Johnson ERA Supercharger
Source:[8][4][7]

Final

PosNoDriverConstructorLapsTime/retiredGrid
1 12 Thailand Prince Bira Maserati 40 1:25:22.2 4
2 10 United Kingdom Tony Rolt Alfa Romeo-Aitken 40 +0.1 2
3 9 United Kingdom Reg Parnell Maserati 39 +1 lap[lower-alpha 5] 1
4 17 United Kingdom Duncan Hamilton Maserati 39 +1 lap 7
5 18 United Kingdom Fred Ashmore ERA 39 +1 lap 8
6 14 United Kingdom Leslie Brooke ERA 38 +2 laps 10
7 15 United Kingdom David Hampshire ERA 38 +2 laps 6
8 2 United Kingdom Geoff Ansell ERA 38 +2 laps 9
9 4 United Kingdom Kenneth Bear Bugatti 37 +3 laps 12
10 8 United Kingdom Kenneth Hutchinson Alfa Romeo 37 +3 laps 5
11 22 United Kingdom Michael Chorlton Bugatti 31 +9 laps 14
12 3 United Kingdom Archie Baring Maserati 28 +12 laps 11
Ret 20 United Kingdom Gordon Watson Alta  ? 13
Ret 5 United Kingdom John Bolster ERA  ? 3
DNS 19 United Kingdom Roy Salvadori ERA
DNQ 1 United Kingdom George Abecassis Alta Ret Heat 1
DNQ 7 United Kingdom Cuth Harrison ERA Ret Heat 1
DNQ 6 United Kingdom Bob Gerard ERA DNS Heat 1
DNQ 11 United Kingdom Bob Ansell Maserati Ret Heat 2
DNQ 21 United Kingdom Peter Walker ERA Ret Heat 2
DNQ 16 United Kingdom Leslie Johnson ERA DNS Heat 2
Sources:[3][4][1][6][7]

Footnotes

  1. Motor Sport reports that Bira's fastest lap in the feature race was 77.86 mph (2:00.4 at 2.605 mi) but Motor Sport Database reports 2:02.1. In the 1948 article, the average race speeds for both heats and the final, and the fastest lap of Heat 1, are accurate, but the fastest laps of Heat 2 and the final are not. It also states that the race distance was 108 mi, at odds with other sources.
  2. A. A. Baring, b. 6 January 1912. Although his forenames are disputed, it is agreed that he was known as Archie. The name Anthony Baring is a common misquotation that appears in the sources cited by this article.[2]
  3. Salvadori used his Maserati in his heat race although he also practiced his spare car, an Alfa Romeo Tipo B.
  4. Motor Sport states that Roy Salvadori qualified by finishing 8th in Heat 2. The rest of its Heat 2 finishing order is accurate. Other sources claim that he was eliminated in his heat.
  5. StatsF1, ChicaneF1, Silhouet and Motor Sport Database report that Parnell finished the race one lap down. Although Motor Sport states that he reached the flag 1.1 s after Rolt, he had probably just been lapped.

References

  1. "A GREAT RACE AT ZANDVOORT". Motor Sport. September 1948. p. 291. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  2. "A.A. Baring birthdate mess - The Nostalgia Forum - The Autosport Forums". forums.autosport.com. 14 January 2005. Archived from the original on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  3. "Grand Prix de Zandvoort • STATS F1". statsf1.com. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  4. "1948 Zandvoort GP - ChicaneF1.com". chicanef1.com. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  5. Diepraam, Mattijs (Summer 2001). "8W - Where? - Zandvoort". forix.autosport.com. Archived from the original on 14 June 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  6. "1948 Zandvoort Grand Prix | Motorsport Database". motorsportmagazine.com. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  7. Paul Sheldon With Duncan Rabagliati (1993). A Record of Grand Prix and Voiturette Racing : Volume 4 1937 - 1949. ISBN 0951243381.
  8. "I Zandvoort Grand Prix (1948 Formula One Races)". silhouet.com. Archived from the original on 14 February 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
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