Kleiner’s Korner: Part 3 - The Race that Brought Willie K. “Racing” to America”
The final part of this series provides additional photographs of the race participants and their automobiles, including as Peter Helck notes, the "illustrious" Madam du Gast. Courtesy of the Helck Family Collection.
Art Kleiner
Madam Camille du Gast (1868 -1942) was one of a trio of pioneering French female motoring celebrities. Du Gast was known as "one of the richest and most accomplished widows in France," and as an accomplished sportswoman—a balloonist, parachute jumper, fencer, tobogganist, skier, rifle and pistol shot, horse trainer—as well as a concert pianist and singer. She was the second woman to compete in an international motor race. (Wikipedia)
Du Gast was enthused by watching the start of the 1900 Gordon Bennett Cup race from Paris to Lyon. By 1901 she owned both a Peugeot and a Panhard et Levassor motor-car, stimulating her interest in driving and racing. She was reported as one of the first women, after the Duchess of Uzès, to obtain a driving license. Such was her drive and pugnacity and daring, she managed to become the only woman official of the Automobile Club de France (A.C.F.) on December 1, 1904. (Wikipedia, Official Journal of the A.C.F)
For the 1903 Paris–Madrid race du Gast was engaged by Adrien de Turckheim to drive a 30 hp De Dietrichs. Although she was popular with the French public, the hostility to female drivers was exemplified by the comment about her in "The Autocar": "The gallant Frenchmen applauded and raised their hats, but for ourselves we must confess to a feeling of doubt as to whether fierce long-distance racing is quite the thing for ladies." (Wikipedia)
Du Gast started in 29th position and gained 9 places in the first 75 miles. She had risen to 8th before she stopped near Libourne just outside Bordeaux to give first aid to her fellow De Dietrich driver, Englishman Phil Stead, who was trapped under his car when it rolled into a ditch. She nursed him until an ambulance arrived and was credited by doctors with probably saving his life. She restarted and finished in 77th place. (Wikipedia)
Moteurs Gobron-Brillié. The caption on the rear notes the person the arrow pointing to is again the only one posing for the camera.
32 hp Ader (Quinzeaut). Finished 91st.
45 hp Turcat-Mery (Rougier). Finished 11th.
70 hp Mors (Salleron). Finished 3rd at 59.1 mph.
Panard (Teste). Finsihed 22nd.
40 hp Charron-Girardot-Voigt (CGV) (Voigt). Finished 7th.
60 hp Mercedes (Warden). Placed 6th. Helck caption: "What wonderful characters turned up at these weighing-in ceremonies."
90 hp Mercedes (Werner). Did not finish.
Click here for a full list of entries and how they finished.
Comments
Again a nice set of photos, of which several are unknown to me. No real corrections this time, only a few additions. The postcard with Mme. du Gast shows her in her Panhard car during the Paris-Berlin race of 1901, where she would end on a respectable 33rd place. On the photo with Salleron and his Mors he is passing the Mercedes of Jenatzy with no.86, who would end on 14th place. On the photo with Warden’s Mercedes the car with no.78 on the right is the Panhard driven by the Belgian gentleman-driver De Crawhez. Interesting is the photo with Mme. du Gast passing a car which must be Storero’s Fiat with no.44. Fiat photos of this event are rare and this is the first one I’ve seen of a Fiat during the race. Storero was a man closely associated with Fiat from the early years, until he started his own make in 1912.