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1937 Donington Grand Prix

1937 Donington Grand Prix
FieldValue
TypeGP
Grand PrixDonington
Date2 October
Year1937
Official nameIII Donington Grand Prix
CountryUnited Kingdom
ImageDonington Park 1937.svg
LocationDonington Park
Leicestershire, United Kingdom
Course_mi3.125
Course_km5.029
Distance_laps80
Distance_mi250.0
Distance_km402.3
WeatherSunny, slightly misty, dry.
Attendance50,000
Pole_DriverManfred von Brauchitsch
Pole_TeamMercedes-Benz
Pole_CountryGermany
Pole_flag_suffixNazi
Pole_Time2:10.4
Fast_DriverBernd Rosemeyer
Fast_TeamAuto Union
Fast_Time2:11.4
Fast_CountryGermany
Fast_flag_suffixNazi
Fast_Driver2Manfred von Brauchitsch
Fast_Team2Mercedes-Benz
Fast_Country2Germany
Fast_flag_suffix2Nazi
First_DriverBernd Rosemeyer
First_TeamAuto Union
First_CountryGermany
First_flag_suffixNazi
Second_DriverManfred von Brauchitsch
Second_TeamMercedes-Benz
Second_CountryGermany
Second_flag_suffixNazi
Third_DriverRudolf Caracciola
Third_TeamMercedes-Benz
Third_CountryGermany
Third_flag_suffixNazi

Leicestershire, United Kingdom

The 1937 Donington Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held on 2 October 1937 at the Donington Park circuit.

Race report

In the race, Hermann Lang led the first few laps but retired with a broken damper, and British driver Richard Seaman followed shortly after. The lead changed hands several times between Manfred von Brauchitsch, Bernd Rosemeyer and Rudolf Caracciola. Whilst in the lead for a second time, von Brauchitsch suffered a puncture, allowing Rosemeyer to pass him and lead the race while his Auto Union teammates could not keep up with the tricky mid-engined car. Rosemeyer stayed in the lead until the end and took the win after 80 laps, with four other German cars completing the full distance within the next minutes before the race was flagged off for good.

In "When the Germans came to Donington", Rodney Walkerley{{cite web describes the impression the German cars made on British journalists who had not yet witnessed them, being confident in the skills and machinery of British racers.

Away beyond the woods we heard the approaching scream of a well-tuned E.R.A. and down the winding slope towards us came Raymond Mays. He changed down, braked, skirted round the Hairpin and was gone. "There's the winner," remarked one of my friends. "Knows this course backwards." Half a minute later came the deeper note of a 2.9-litre Maserati, and "B. Bira" (Prince Birabongse of Siam, Mays’ nearest rival and a new star in the racing firmament) shot past us, cornering with that precision which marked him as the master he was. "Or him," said another. We waited again. Then they came. Far away in the distance we heard an angry, deep-throated roaring – as someone once remarked, like hungry lions impatient for the arena. A few moments later, Manfred von Brauchitsch, red helmeted, brought a great, silver projectile snaking down the hill, and close behind, his teammate Rudolf Caracciola, then at the height of his great career. The two cars took the hairpin, von Brauchitsch almost sideways, and rocketed away out of sight with long plumes of rubber smoke trailing from their huge rear tyres, in a deafening crash of sound. The startled Pressmen gazed at each other, awe-struck. "Strewth," gasped one of them, "so that's what they're like!" That was what they were like.
Manfred Von Brauchitsch, Mercedes-Benz
Percy Maclure, Riley
Rudolf Hasse, Auto Union
Robin Hanson, Maserati

Entries

NoDriverEntrantConstructorCar12234567891019111214151616171820
DEU Rudolf CaracciolaDaimler-Benz AGMercedes-BenzW125
DEU Hermann LangDaimler-Benz AGMercedes-BenzW125
CHE Christian KautzDaimler-Benz AGMercedes-BenzW125
DEU Manfred von BrauchitschDaimler-Benz AGMercedes-BenzW125
GBR Richard SeamanDaimler-Benz AGMercedes-BenzW125
DEU Bernd RosemeyerAuto UnionAuto UnionType C
DEU Rudolf HasseAuto UnionAuto UnionType C
DEU Hermann Paul MüllerAuto UnionAuto UnionType C
GBR Raymond MaysH. W. CookERA
GBR Earl HoweH. W. CookERA
GBR Arthur DobsonH. W. CookERAB
THA Prince BiraPrivateMaserati8CM
GBR Arthur HydePrivateMaserati8CM
GBR Antony Powys-LybbePrivateAlfa RomeoMonza
GBR Robin HansonMrs M. E. Hall-SmithMaserati
GBR Peter WhiteheadPrivateERA
GBR Peter WalkerPrivateERA
GBR Reginald TonguePrivateERA
GBR Charles MartinPrivateERA
Maserati6CM
GBR Percy MaclurePrivateRiley2000/6

Notes:

  • Arthur Dobson was entered with both number 10 and 19.
  • Christian Kautz was a reserve driver but took part in practice sessions.
  • Charles Martin used both an ERA and a Maserati during the practice sessions.

Classification

Starting grid positions

1st Row1 Pos.2 Pos.3 Pos.4 Pos.2nd Row1 Pos.2 Pos.3 Pos.3rd Row1 Pos.2 Pos.3 Pos.4 Pos.4th Row1 Pos.2 Pos.3 Pos.5th Row1 Pos.
DEU
von Brauchitsch
Mercedes-Benz
2:10.4DEU
Rosemeyer
Auto Union
2:11.4DEU
Lang
Mercedes-Benz
2:14.3GBR
Seaman
Mercedes-Benz
2:15.4
DEU
Müller
Auto Union
2:15.4DEU
Caracciola
Mercedes-Benz
2:15.8DEU
Hasse
Auto Union
2:19.0
THA
Bira
Maserati
2:25.0GBR
Mays
ERA
2:26.2GBR
Howe
ERA
2:26.2GBR
Hanson
Maserati
2:27.6
GBR
Dobson
ERA
2:28.4GBR
Martin
ERA
2:31.6GBR
Whitehead
ERA
2:32.0
GBR
Maclure
Riley
2:35.2

Notes:

  • Arthur Hyde withdrew before qualifying, thinking he was too slow.

Race

PosNoDriverConstructorLapsTime/RetiredGrid123456NCNCNCRetRetRetRetRetRetDNSDNSDNS
5DEU Bernd RosemeyerAuto Union803:01:02.52
3DEU Manfred von BrauchitschMercedes-Benz80+37.51
1DEU Rudolf CaracciolaMercedes-Benz80+ 1:16.36
7DEU Hermann Paul MüllerAuto Union80+3:47.56
6DEU Rudolf HasseAuto Union80+ 8:47.57
8THA Prince BiraMaserati78+ 2 Laps11
9GBR Earl HoweERA77+ 3 Laps10
19GBR Arthur DobsonERA74+ 6 Laps12
15GBR Robin HansonMaserati72+ 8 Laps11
20GBR Percy MaclureRiley67Rear axle15
8GBR Raymond MaysERA51Brakes9
4GBR Richard SeamanMercedes-Benz29title=Donington Grand Prixwork=Coventry Evening Telegraphdate=2 October 1937accessdate=14 July 2020url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000337/19371002/460/0020via=British Newspaper Archiveurl-access=subscription}}4
2DEU Hermann LangMercedes-Benz26Front shock absorber3
18GBR Charles MartinERA18Piston13
16GBR Peter WhiteheadERA11Engine14
16GBR Peter WalkerERA
12GBR Arthur HydeMaserati
2CHE Christian KautzMercedes-Benz

References

:Session results taken from:

  1. {{cite web |archive-date=2014-06-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140618183046/http://www.teamdan.com/archive/gen/1937/1937r.html#doni |url-status=dead
  2. {{cite web |archive-date=2007-06-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070610221940/http://www.kolumbus.fi/leif.snellman/gp376.htm#46 |url-status=dead

References

  1. (2 October 1937). "Donington Grand Prix". Nottingham Evening Post.
  2. (2 October 1937). "Donington Grand Prix". Coventry Evening Telegraph.
Info: Wikipedia Source

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