1905 Gordon Bennett Cup

CUST Pre-1906 Grand Prix seasons Gordon Bennett Cup 5 July 1905 VI Coupe Internationale France Auvergne, France 85.35 137.354 4 341.4 549.415 Léon Théry Brasier France Felice Nazzaro FIAT Italy 1861 Alessandro Cagno FIAT Italy 1861 The 1905 Gordon Bennett Cup, formally titled the VI Coupe Internationale, was a motor race held on 5 July 1905 on the Auvergne Circuit in France. The race consisted of four laps of the mountainous 137.35-km (85.35-mile) circuit, to make the total distance 549.4 km (341.4 miles).1905 Gordon Bennett Cup https://gordonbennettcup.racing/1905-2/ 2025-07-29 Gordon Bennett Cup en-US A French entry driven by Léon Théry had won the previous year's edition of the race, which meant that the rights to host the race fell to the Automobile Club de France (ACF). France were to attempt to defend the Gordon Bennett Cup against Germany, Great Britain, Austria, Italy and the United States, and each country was represented by three entries, with the car that finished the race in the shortest time winning the race on behalf of his country. This meant the largest field of any Gordon Bennett race with 18 entries competing on behalf of six countries. Théry, driving a 96 hp Richard-Brasier,The Times (London, England), 6 July 1905, p. 11. won in a time of seven hours, 2 minutes and 42 seconds, an average speed of 77.98 km/h (48.45 mph), to become the only driver to win two Gordon Bennett Cup races. His victory was the fourth Gordon Bennett win by an entry representing France. Felice Nazzaro and Alessandro Cagno, both driving FIATs and representing Italy, finished second and third respectively, Nazzaro finishing nearly 17 minutes behind Théry with Cagno a further two minutes back. The third Italian representative, Vincenzo Lancia, was fastest over the first two laps in his FIAT, but broke down with radiator problems during his third lap. The race took place on the doorstep of the Clermont-Ferrand headquarters of Michelin, and the Richard-Brasiers and FIATs were fitted with Michelin tyres.Daily Telegraph (London, England), 9 July 2005, p. 5. Gustave Caillois finished fourth in the second Richard-Brasier, nearly six minutes behind Cagno but over 36 minutes ahead of Christian Lautenschlager, the best-placed German representative driving a Mercedes. Charles Rolls, driving a Wolseley, was the best-placed British representative, finishing eighth, while only one representative each from Austria and the United States finished, Edgar Braun coming home tenth in a Mercedes, and Herbert Lytle twelfth and last in a Pope-Toledo, nearly two and a half hours behind Théry. Chronographs for timing for the event were again supplied by the Anglo-Swiss firm of Stauffer, Son & Co.La Fédération Horlogère Suisse, 24 September 1905, p. 399. After the race, the ACF announced its intention of not staging the Gordon Bennett Cup the following year, instead organising a race in which no limit could be placed on the number of cars a country could enter: the Grand Prix. Classification PosDriverNumberstarting forConstructorTime/RetiredImage 1 France Léon Théry FRA 1 France Richard-Brasier 7:02:43 150px|right 2 Italy 1861 Felice Nazzaro ITA 16 Italy FIAT 7:19:09 3 Italy 1861 Alessandro Cagno ITA 10 Italy FIAT 7:21:23 4 France Gustave Caillois FRA 7 France Richard-Brasier 7:27:06 5 Germany empire Wilhelm Werner GER 15 Germany Mercedes 8:03:30 6 Belgium Arthur Duray BEL 13 France De Dietrich 8:05:00 150px|right 7 Belgium Pierre de Caters BEL 9 Germany Mercedes 8:07:12 8 United Kingdom Charles Rolls GBR 8 Great Britain Wolseley 8:26:42 9 United Kingdom Clifford Earp GBR 2 Great Britain Napier 8:27:30 10 Austria Edgar Braun AUT 5 Austria Mercedes 8:33:06 11 United Kingdom Cecil Bianchi GBR 14 Great Britain Wolseley 8:38:32 12 United States 1896 Herbert Lytle USA 6 USA Pope-Toledo 9:30:32 DNF Italy 1861 Vincenzo Lancia ITA 4 Italy FIAT * DNF Belgium Camille Jenatzy BEL 3 Germany Mercedes * DNF Austria Burton AUT 17 Austria Mercedes* DNF United States 1896 Joe Tracy USA 18 USA Locomobile * DNF Austria Otto Hieronimus AUT 11 Austria Mercedes *DNF United States 1896 Bert Dingley USA 12 USA Pope-Toledo *Source:Douglas-Scott-Montagu, Edward John Barrington The Gordon Bennett Races 1963 Cassell & Company Ltd. London 2081905 GORDON BENNETT CUP https://goldenera.fi/gb05.htm 2025-07-29 goldenera.fi References Category:Gordon Bennett Cup (auto racing) Gordon Bennett Cup Gordon Bennett Cup Category:July 1905 sports events in Europe