Benutzer:Chief tin cloud/André Boillot

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André Boillot vor dem Grand Prix de l'ACF 1914

André Boillot (* 8. August 1891 in Valentigney, Département Doubs, Region Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Frankreich; † 5. Juni 1932) in La Châtre, Département Indre, Region Centre-Val de Loire, Frankreich war ein französischer Motorrad- und Automobilrennfahrer. Er war der jüngere Bruder von Georges Boillot (1884–1916), ebenfalls Autorennfahrer. André Boillot fuhr zeitweise unter dem Pseudonym Dribus.

Beschreibung

There have been several great drivers in grand prix history who have remained obscure and unacknowledged due to not having top-rate or race-winning cars. One of the most glaring is the French driver Andre Boillot, who competed in major class racing from 1919 to 1931.

Andre was the younger brother of the great Peugeot driver Georges Boillot, who was reckoned rightfully to have been one of the best drivers of the years 1912-1914. Andre is perceived in grand prix racing annals solely as the winner of the 1919 Targa Florio. After this great drive in atrocious conditions he is considered never to have performed as well again.

In the first of his masterly volumes “Power and Glory: a History of Grand Prix Motor Racing 1906-1951”, William Court says: “Like the proverbial 18th century Member of Parliament who won the nickname ‘ One Speech Hamilton’, Andre Boillot never again put up a similar performance, seemingly having burnt up his entire quota of fire and luck in eight dramatic hours over the Sicilian mountains.”

Going purely by race results, this would seem to have been the case.

However, while embarking on my rating system, which measures speed or time differentials rather than pure race results, a different picture emerged. Andre Boillot was clearly an outstanding driver throughout the twenties and into the early thirties. His problem? Like John Surtees for most of his career, Boillot seldom drove a competitive enough car.

Having suffered the deaths of his two older brothers in World War One, the 22 year old Andre, working for the famous Georges’ old firm, Peugeot, debuted at his first major race, the 1919 Indianapolis 500 in May. He drove a 1914 Peugeot of just 2.5 litres/152 cubic inches, created for the 1914 Coupe de l’Auto formula. He was up against the latest 4.9 litre/300 cubic inch formula Ballots, Duesenbergs, Packard, Frontenacs, Stutz and three of the dominant 4.5 litre 1914 GP Peugeots. Qualifying in 31st place of the 33 starters, and at 17% off-pace, confirmed the general opinion that Boillot’s little Peugeot stood no chance. Driving smoothly and accurately,and exploiting his car’s light tyre and fuel consumption in this 500 mile/805 kilometre event, Andre rose unobtrusively to 7th place at 100 of the 200 laps! Running amongst the top five from lap 105, he rose to third place by lap 160. Only by supreme effort did the official team Goux/Peugeot 4.5 GP car get past. Running fourth at lap195, Andre then ‘lost it’ and crashed out. In several exhaustive race reports at the time, Boillot and his little Peugeot get no mention. All focus was on the big-engined race leaders and US cars. Bear in mind that this race was over 500 miles or 805 kilometres, and lasted over five-and-a-half hours. And that among the drivers were such talented and experienced track racers as Ralph de Palma, Howard Wilcox, Louis and Gaston Chevrolet, Jules Goux, Ralph Mulford, Earl Cooper, Tommy Milton and Joe Boyer. This was quite some drive for the 22-year-old rookie Andre Boillot. In fact one of THE great debuts.

The 1914 Peugeot 2.5 litre Coupe de l'Auto car in which he campaigned so well in 1919

Boillot appeared for the next major race, the Targa Florio held in November 1919 after a night of storms and snow! Again driving the Peugeot 2.5, his opposition included the Indianapolis pole-setting Ballot 8C5L, two 4.8 litre Fiat S57s, three six litre Alfa Romeos, and two 8.3 litre,1913 GP Italas. He was facing drivers such as 1914 Indianapolis winner Rene Thomas, Antonio Ascari, Giulio Masetti, Campari, Sivocci and Moriondo. AS the times were posted after each of the four 108 kilometre/67 mile laps, everyone was amazed that the 2.5 litre Boillot Peugeot headed the field. Most of all Thomas in his powerful 4.9 litre Grand Prix Ballot.

Andre drove flat-out from the start, was reported to have left the road six times, and arrived well-ahead at the finish after 7 hours and 51 minutes driving. The small Peugeot was obviously suited to the tortuous circuit, but the driver skill, stamina and concentration required must have been considerable. Andre’s race savvy was shown when the sun came out and the road started drying after three laps: he stopped to change his non-skid tyres for smooth-treaded ones, knowing that Thomas’ Ballot would be faster in improved conditions. As it happened, Thomas never caught up enough, and left the road on the last lap.

In just these two races Andre Boillot showed he had as much talent, mechanical and road feel, racecraft and enthusiasm as his famous brother Georges. Examining the rest of his career shows that 1919 was no flash-in-the-pan...

As a member of the four-car Peugeot team for the 1920 Indianapolis 500, Andre, like his team-mates, must have been dismayed at their cars’ lack of pace. The all-new Peugeot, built to the 3.0 litre/183 cubic inch formula, featured three overhead camshafts to its 16-valve, four cylinder engine. The fastest of the Peugeots qualified 12th, driven by veteran Indianapolis expert and 1919 winner Howard Wilcox; Boillot was next in 17th, Howard 18th and Goux 19th. They rated at a way off-pace 111.6 to 117.6% compared with the pole-setting Ralph de Palma/Ballot 8C3L on 100.0! Tellingly Peugeot had lost their brilliant Swiss designer Ernest Henry to Ballot in 1918. All four Peugeots retired.

In 1921 Boillot again appeared in Indiana as part of the Sunbeam team, with the experienced Rene Thomas and American Ora Haib as team-mates. Significantly more competitive than the 1920 Peugeots, Andre qualified the Sunbeam far faster than his team-mates, in an impressive third place and within 3.2% of the pole-setting de Palma/Ballot. This was a very close margin for the times. Unfortunately the Sunbeams did not run well in the race and Andre retired on lap 41. In the French GP at Le Mans two months later, Andre was paired with Rene Thomas in the French Talbot-Darracqs, with Guinness and Segrave in the English Talbots. These were all the same cars as the Indianapolis Sunbeams, just entered under differing names within the Sunbeam-Talbot-Darracq combine. Hastily prepared and undeveloped, they were completely overshadowed by the Duesenberg and Ballot battle. Boillot was easily the fastest of the Talbot drivers but could only manage fifth place, over 11% behind the winning Murphy Duesenberg.

This was to be the last grand prix car drive for Andre Boillot. He returned to driving for Peugeot, but the company had ceased to design or build any more formula grand prix cars. Instead they promoted and raced their big, roadgoing, four cylinder sleeve-valve engines. First in a production sports car for 1923, then from 1924 to 1929 in a cobbled up1919 or 1920 chassis (according to various sources). Consequently these big Peugeots were ineligible for the 1922-1927 2.0 litre and 1.5 litre formula grand prix events. The only classic race for which they qualified and entered in those years was the Formula Libre Targa Florio, home of Andre’s first and only major win.

In the 1923 Targa Florio Boillot’s production sports, 6.0 litre Peugeot T156 was outclassed by the 3.0 litre Alfa Romeo RLTFs and a 2.0 litre Steyr. Andre retired on lap two.

From 1924 to 1929 Andre and team campaigned the T174 with its 3.8 and later 4.0 litre sleeve-valve four. In 1924 Andre managed sixth place in Sicily after all three Peugeots suffered tyre troubles. The Mercedes 2.0 litre TF model which won was 3.7% faster, with Alfa Romeo RLTFs in between. Continually improved in detail, the T174s faced the nimble Type 35 Bugattis in 1925. Boillot led for the first lap until but tyre problems hindered him. Teammate Wagner led until over halfway when he too was delayed by tyre trouble. This allowed Costantini’s Bugatti to win, Wagner and Boillot finishing second and third at 1.1 and 1.8 % adrift. In 1926 the Bugattis were far superior to the big Peugeots. Andre retired while Wagner placed sixth, but way down at 7.2% behind. For 1927 the Peugeots had to carry regulatory ballast to compensate for their large engine, a huge disadvantage on the slow and tortuous Sicilian road circuit. A heroic drive saw Boillot finish fourth, but 6.9% down on the winning Bugatti. The team skipped the 1928 Targa, for the writing was on the wall.

Andre Boillot’s next major race appearance was in the 1929 French GP at Le Mans. Although the P2 Alfa Romeos were absent, the Bugatti teamwas there and had as drivers the top class Divo, Conelli and first Monaco GP winner, Williams in 2.3 litre, supercharged Type 35Bs. Senechal drove a private Bugatti. All were proven race winners. Andre was paired with Guy Bouriat in the big, cumbersome Peugeot T174s. As David Hodges wrote in his excellent book “The French Grand Prix” (Temple Press Books, 1967): “Only Boillot intruded on the Bugatti procession... at half time Boillot and Conelli raced about ten seconds apart until the end, thus tantalising the crowd...” In fact Andre drove his heart out to finish second, just 0.5% behind the winner, the Williams/Bugatti 35B.

Quelle: grandprixratings: ANDRE BOILLOT: Talent obscured by uncompetitive cars

Autorennen

  • Indianapolis 1919-1921
  • Targa Florio (Sieg 1919)
  • GP
  • Rally Monte Carlo
  • Peugeot
  • Sunbeam
  • Talbot-Darracq baugleich mit English Talbot (ex Sunbeam)
  • Peugeot

http://www.champcarstats.com/drivers/VanRanstCornelius.htm

Literatur

  • Griffith Borgeson: The Golden Age of the American Racing Car, 2. Auflage (1998), Herausgeber SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers), Warrendale PA, ISBN 0-7680-0023-8
  • Bill, Jon M.: Duesenberg Racecars & Passenger Cars Photo Archive; Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum (Hrsg.), Iconografix, Hudson WI, Photo Archive Series, ISBN 1-58388-145-X
  • Butler, Don: Auburn Cord Duesenberg Crestline Publishing Co., Crestline Series, (Nov. 1992), ISBN-10: 0879387017; ISBN-13: 978-0879387013
  • Beverly Rae Kimes: Pioneers, Engineers, and Scoundrels: The Dawn of the Automobile in America. Herausgeber SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) Permissions, Warrendale PA 2005, ISBN 0-7680-1431-X

Weblinks

Kategorie:Person (Motorsport) Kategorie:Franzose Kategorie:Geboren 1891 Kategorie:Gestorben 1932 Kategorie:Mann

Personendaten
NAME Boillot, André
ALTERNATIVNAMEN Dribus
KURZBESCHREIBUNG Französischer Motorrad- und Autorennfahrer
GEBURTSDATUM 8. August 1891
STERBEDATUM 5. Juni 1932
STERBEORT Ars bei La Châtre
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