Searching in stories... |
Timeline |
Options
|
|
||
|
||
|
||
Show the latest entries |
||
Searching in stories... |
Timeline |
The Deutsch de la Meurthe Cup was an international aeronautical speed competition created August 25, 1909 by Henry Deutsch de la Meurthe. It was put back into play three times at the initiative of the Aero Club of France and Suzanne Deutsch de la Meurthe.
In its original version it came as a competition for "any automobile aircraft" capable of covering 190 km of a circuit starting from the terrace of the Saint-Germain-en-Laye castle (France) and passing through Senlis, Meaux and Melun. If the direction taken was not important, the event had to happen annually between March 1 and October 31. A performance would not be recorded if the previous one was not beaten by at least 10%. A bonus of 20,000 francs was awarded annually to the best performance remained unbeaten for eight months and the Cup, an art object worth 10,000 francs, would be definitely returned to the first manufacturer having won three consecutive races.
The 1912 edition
Despite the importance of the price, it took six years for the first candidates to appear. On April 27, 1912, Maurice Tabuteau, flying a 50 hp Gnome engine Morane-Saulnier monoplane flew the circuit in 1 hour 47 min and 48 secs, despite a tenacious fog. On May 1st, the Parisian Emmanuel Hélen, on a 70 hp Gnome engine Nieuport monoplane, brought the record to 119.532 km/h. No other pilot could beat this performance by more than 10% before October 31, 1912, and Hélen thus became the first holder of the Cup.
The 1913 edition
On October 27, 1913, Eugene Gilbert won the second edition, covering the circuit at 154.380 km/h on a 160 hp Gnome engine Deperdussin Corsa.
The 1919/1920 edition
Interrupted by the First World War, the competition resumes on October 13, 1919 as an unchanged race but with a slightly amended rule: The competition is open all year and the Cup will be definitely won by the first participant whose record is held for eight consecutive months.
Four aircraft are engaged, a 180 hp Hispano-Suiza Gourdou Leseurre monoplane piloted by Rost, a 300 hp Hispano-Suiza SPAD-Herbemont biplane piloted by Sadi-Lecointe, a 300 hp Hispano-Suiza Nieuport biplane piloted by Bernard Barny de Romanet and a 180 hp Le Rhône Nieuport monoplane (designed by the engineer Mary), which is entrusted to a Danish pilot, Leth Jensen. Taking off on October 13, Jensen covers the circuit at an average 200.001 km/h (57 minutes). The next day Rost makes an average of 210 km/h and Romanet fails. On October 15, Sadi-Lecointe makes a first 223 km/h loop and then a second one at 246.900 km/h, becoming the title holder. On October 21, Romanet flew at an insufficient average of 268.600 km/h, since the speed increase was less than 10% superior to Sadi-Lecointe's performance. Bad weather interrupted the competition for three months and on January 3, 1920, Sadi-Lecointe, who in the meantime had left Blériot-SPAD for Nieuwpoort, reached 266.310 km/h on a Nieuport NiD.29V. On 3 August 1920, he became the holder of the cup, as his performance stayed unbeaten.
As 1920 saw the final allocation of the Gordon Bennett Cup, the Aero Club de France decided to organize a new competition to replace it. It was christened again the Deutsch de la Meurthe Cup, both to honor the memory of Henry Deutsch de la Meurthe, who had died on 24 November 1919, and because of the financial support provided by his family to the competition.
It was again a pure speed race, but run at a fixed date. Pilots had to compete on a 100 km circuit that was covered three times since the start at Etampes, with a turn at the Marmogne farm, at Gidy. Opened for three years, the race was international and the participating countries were allowed to bring a maximum of three competitors. A prize of 60,000 francs was to be awarded annually to the best performance and a cup with a value of 20,000 francs given to the last winner.
The 1921 edition
Seven competitors were registered for the first edition, held on 1 October 1921, but it was not necessary to decide the playoffs for the five French drivers entered: Barny de Romanet was killed on September 27, the wing of his Lumière-De Monge monoplane disintegrating at high speed during the preliminary tests and Hanriot withdrew at the last moment an all-metal monoplane with retractable undercarriage specially built for the competition which was to be piloted by Rost. Nieuport brought two NiD.29V piloted by Sadi-Lecointe and Fernand Lasne, and a sesquiplane flown by George Kirsch. A Fiat biplane with a 700 hp Fiat engine defended the Italian colors with pilot Francesco Brach Papa, and the British James Herbert came with a Gloucestershire Bamel March Napier plane powered by a 450 hp Lion engine.
Victim of a propeller rupture, Sadi-Lecointe had to land in a beet field at Cernonville, injuring himself in one eye and legs. James abandoned, victim of wing fabrics separation which forced him to turn to land in the countryside. Brach Papa set a new Italian speed record with 299 km/h but his engine blew up before arrival. So only two Nieuport pilots ended the race, George Kirsch winning at 282.750 km/h (New world speed record on 300 km) in front of Fernand Lasne, credited with 259.030 km/h.
The 1922 edition
A new race was organized in 1922 and Nieuport-Astra came with a Nieuport NiD.29V piloted by Lasne, and a sesquiplane piloted by Sadi-Lecointe. Jean Casale aligned himself with the Blériot-SPAD S.58, derived from the Fiat S.41 fighter and Gloucestershire aligned the same equipment and the same pilots as previous year. A newcomer in the competition, the NiD.41 flown by factory pilot Berthelin was withdrawn at the last moment, as the tailless Simplex that Georges Madon had to fly just crashed while testing.
On his Nieuport sesquiplane named Eugene Gilbert (racer No. 5), Sadi-Lecointe covered the first 100 km at an average 325 km/h (New speed record in closed circuit), but a spark plug broke from its cylinder and pierced the bonnet while Sadi-Lecointe performed his turn around the airfield located pylon. There followed an emergency landing in which the aircraft crossed a ditch and finished on its back without injuring the pilot. The SPAD S.58 Louis Blériot (racer No. 3) of Jean Casale suffered a radiator leak and had to land at Etampes, not finishing the race, just like the Fiat R.700 of Brach Papa (racer No. 2) that suffered a fuel pump failure. The Italian had flown a first 288 km/h loop which was not recorded, as his plane had passed behind the timekeepers at the start. Fernand Lasne (racer No. 4) won the race held on September 30, with an average speed of only 289.90 km/h.
In 1931, Suzanne Deutsch de La Meurthe organized the competition again, and the new edition started on May 29th 1933. The event was to happen in two 1,000 km stages separated by a refueling stop of 90 minutes and was reserved to aircraft with less than eight liter engine. The start was always given in Etampes. Suzanne Deutsch de la Meurthe offered a one million Francs prize, and the Air Ministry brought an additional three million.
The 1933 edition
On 23 May, Captain Ludovic Arrachart crashed at Maisons, near Chartres, with his Caudron C.360 (No 11) as he prepared for the competition. The race was won by Georges Détré at 322.81 km/h with a Potez 53 powered by a Potez 9B radial engine developing 310 hp at full power, before Raymond Delmotte on a Caudron C.362 (No. 6) at 291.12 km/h and the only foreign competitor, Nick Comper on his Comper Swift at 239.58 km/h. Flown by test pilot Lemoine, the last French competitor, also on a Potez 53, did not finish.
The 1934 edition
The May 27 edition came down to a duel between pilots of the Caudron factory that came with four racers designed by Marcel Riffard. Maurice Arnoux won at 388.97 km/h on the C.450 before Louis Masotte (360,72 km/h) on a C.366 and Albert Monville (341.04 km / h) on the C.460.
The 1935 edition
This was probably the most thrilling edition and devoted the Caudron-Renault racers. Eight pilots were involved but the Nennig C3 (No. 4) of Guy Bart was not ready, and (No.2) Regnier Martinet, (in fact a Caudron C.366) was damaged during trials. Two Caudron C.560 were also engaged (No. 1 and 3), but were not ready, so they were replaced by a C.430 and a C.450 with the same race numbers.
First to take-off, Charles Franco (Caudron C.430 No. 1) gave up on the fourth loop. He was followed by the Caudron C.460 of Yves Lacombe (No. 5), Raymond Delmotte (No. 8) and Maurice Arnoux (No. 6), who left in the sixth loop. The Caudron C.450 of Albert Monville (No. 3) was the last to take off. Only three aircraft participated to the second round, held under rain showers. Raymond Delmotte won before Yves Lacombe and Maurice Arnoux, to whom Albert Monville had given his equipment.
The last competition was held on 13 September 1936 in which two Caudron C.461, a Caudron C.450 and two Caudron C.560 were engaged. Yves Lacombe won this event at 389.462 km/h just before Maurice Arnoux clocked at 369.59 km/h. Those performances were barely superior to the 1934 results, probably due to the poor development of engines without a real competition issue for the manufacturers.
— — — = = — — —
You choosed to show only the famous things! (Via the Options menu)