monaco gp library THE HISTORY OF THE GRANDS PRIX OF MONACO

1931 poster

3rd GrandPrix - 1931
April 19th - 100 laps of 3.180 km - 318 km

Practice: This is the race between the Italians and the French and is fuelled by their rivalry. Alfa Romeo against Bugatti. Divo, Chiron, Conelli, Varzi and Williams line up and Boillot driving a ten year old 4 litre, Peugeot 174.

The duration of the race remains 100 laps even through the A.I.A.C.R. has stipulated that a GP should last for ten hours and drivers can relay, this is obviously impossible on Monaco’s ‘thousand corner circuit’.

The road in the tunnel was painted white for better visibility. Another advantage; the tram rails have been taken away. The race was radio transmitted by the French PTT. Prize money is the same as before 100.000F or the winner, 40.000F for the second.

The actual start is given when cars are positioned 100 m before the starting line, so it is a pre-launched starting sequence.

                                                           voice: Richard Barnes

Starting Grid

56 Stuber

 

50 Dreyfus

Bugatti 35C

 

Maserati 8C

8 Caracciola

34 Williams

Ackerl

Mercedes SSKL

Bugatti 35B

Bugatti 37A

38 “Dribus”

32 Lehoux

24 Divo

Peugeot 174S

Bugatti 35B

Bugatti 51

22 Chiron

26 Varzi

48 Biondetti

Bugatti 51

Bugatti 51

Maserati 8C

52 Fagioli

Zehender

6 Von Morgen

Maserati 8C

Alfa Romeo 1750

Bugatti 35C

10 Howe

28 Etancelin

12 Penn Hughes

Bugatti 51

Bugatti 35C

Bugatti 35

18 Zanelli

2 Burggaller

 

Bugatti 35B

Bugatti 35C

 

4 Leiningen

30 Czaikowski

20 Bouriat

Bugatti 35C

Bugatti 35

Bugatti 51

 

 

Pedrazzini

 

 

Maserati 26B


VIDEO IN HI RESOLUTION HERE

Race Result

1 Louis Chiron (MC)

Bugatti 51

3h39’9.2”  87.062 km/h

2 Fagioli (I)

Maserati 8C

+3’55.4”

3 Varzi (I)

Bugatti 51

+ 4’4”

4 Bouriat (F)

Bugatti 51

+ 2 laps

5 Zehender (F)

Alfa Romeo 1750

+ 3 laps

6 “Dribus”  Boillot (F)

Peugeot 4 l - 174S

+ 4 laps

7 Biondetti (I)

Maserati 8C

+ 9 laps

8 Penn Hughes (GB)

Bugatti 35

+ 11 laps

9 Czaikowski (POL)

Bugatti 35

+ 15 laps

Fastest lap: Chiron,Fagioli,Varzi - 2’07” - 90.141 km/h

 

Retired:

'Williams'

lap 5

valves

Etancelin

lap 6

piston

Pedrazzini

lap 13

ignition

Lehoux

lap 15

gearbox

Burggaller

lap 26

engine

Von Morgen

lap 28

gearbox

Leiningen

lap 31

gearbox

Zanelli

lap 47

piston

Caracciola

lap 53

clutch

Ackerl

lap 55

transmission

Stuber

lap 59

transmission

Howe

lap 62

engine

Divo

lap 66

engine

Dreyfus

lap 91

engine


Starting lineup


Caracciola retired with clutch problems

Race
Dreyfus wins the pole position lottery and is first off leading for three laps, followed by Williams, Stuber, Lehoux, Caracciola, Varzi, Chiron. Fuel pump problems direct Dreyfus to fourth place and later to abandon.
Williams takes the lead, but in lap 6, he stops with a broken valve spring and Dreyfus back in the lead. Varzi takes the lead. In lap 12 Lehoux takes second with Fagioli third, passing Dreyfus with fuel problems. In lap 15 Lehoux potters into the pit lane and abandons. Louis Chiron takes the second place.
In lap 20 Varzi equals the 2’07” record while Fagioli and Bouriat fight for 3rd place.
In lap 29 Varzi hits the curb in the train station curve and stumbles slowly to the pit lane for a new wheel. He manages to join the race before Chiron passes. However Chiron still takes the lead away.
Lap 50 Chiron in the lead followed by Fagioli, Bouriat, Caracciola, Varzi, Lord owe, Divo, Dribus, Stuber, Biondetti. Chiron stays up front and even does 101 laps instead of 100, better safe than sorry.

Cause for giving later in the year big parties with the presence of Vanderbilt, Maurice Chevalier, the Prince de Polignac, Charles Boyer, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, the Dolly Sisters and and a small italian by the name of Léon Garibaldi.


Chiron taking the 4 chequed flag


Pitlane


Chiron the winner