1904 Gordon Bennett Elimination Trials, France

Posted May 9, 2025

By 1904 there were a lot of French car companies, which wanted a piece of the action. After some internal debacle, the Sporting Committee of the French Automobile Club (ACF) decided to hold a pre-race trial in order to select the three French contestants.

1904 saw a number of major international competitions: the Circuit des Ardennes in Belgium, the Florio Cup in Sicily, the Vanderbilt Cup in the United States. But the most popular, the most eagerly awaited and the most coveted was without doubt the Gordon Bennett Cup. Ever since the Cup began, the brands destined to represent France have always been nominated by the sporting committee. With Mors and Panhard the only candidates, it had been relatively easy. But in 1904 the situation was very different. Bayard Clement, Darracq, de Dietrich, Gobron Brillié, Renault, Hotchkiss, Richard Bariser, Turcat Méry and Serpollet were added to the aforementioned two brands. It was initially proposed to give Panhard a place, Mors a place, and to send out eliminatory letters to select the 3rd competitor who would appear in the Cup. The new arrivals cried out loud. Why these privileges? Panhard and Mors had lost the Cup in 1902 and had not been able to win it back in 1903. The Committee then proposed reserving just one place, for Panhard. Immediately, the director of Mors, made a violent protest. The result of such a debate could not be doubted; the Sports Committee was forced to give in. Panhard and Mors had to qualify like the other competitors. However, this did not solve the problem. Where would the play-offs take place? Since the government had severely rejected road speed events since the disastrous 1903 Paris-Madrid race, it could only be a guarded circuit that would require rigorous organisation. Time was wasted on more or less feasible projects. The date of the Cup was approaching. The press was already accusing the A.C.O. of not showing up to the challenge. It was Marquis De Dion who saved the day. First of all he got the Chambre Syndicale de l’Automobile, of which he was President, to act energetically. Then he got the deputies and senators of the Ardeness department to intervene with the government. The Minister of Interior finally gave his approval to a circuit that would pass through Vouziers, Le Chesne, Neuvizy, Rethel and Mazagran. It was called the Circuit des Ardennes Francaises or Circuit de l’Argonne. It measured 89 kilometres in length and was to be completed six times, giving a total distance of 534 kilometres. And after a lot of preparations the Eliminatrion Trials took place on 20 May 1904.

The circuit

Back in 1902 a new track, called the Circuit des Ardennes debuted in Belgium. For the 1904 Elimination Trials France did its own version of the Circuit des Ardeness. Both routes survive until today.

“The triangular course on which the trials took place is a dangerous one and it is located near the famous town of Sedan that figured so disastrously to the French in the Franco-German war. The course is tortuous in many regards, and the narrow roads as well as numerous turns necessitated careful driving. The road surface was as perfect as could be desired, and was cleaned off and moistened daily for several weeks preceding the race.
From the starting point at Mazagran until Vouziers is reached, the roads are as good as can be desired. Several villages are passed through, but the policing precautions were so admirable that not an accident occurred. At Vouziers the Aisne stream is crossed and the road after turning abruptly to the left rises by hilly grades and curves, through several villages and finally after a turn towards the west passes through beautifully wooded country.
The Ardeness canal is crossed at Le Chesnes, and a second time at de Bar, after which there is a steady stiff grade until Tannay is reached. From this place as far as Chemery the road abounds in stiff hills and ugly curves, both of which severely tested many of the cars and operators. At the entrance to Chemery iss an exceptionall bad corner…
After Sedan there is a roadway 30 ft wide and along which four cars could rush abreast.
As far as Flize this superb roadway runs, and from there the cars continued along until Boulzcourt was reached. After this the poorest road on the circuit is encountered. From Neuvizy to Rethel, the most westerly point in the whole circuit, the course is good…

The participants

01 Baron de Forest – DeDietrich (Gallica)

The race

Many thousands of people lined the roads on both sides, and in the grandsstand which had been set up by the A.C.F. well-known sportsment from the four corners of France, and even from abroad, met together in great thongs to witness the start… The weather was intensely cold, and a chill wind was blowing from the west…
Those who witnessed the race could see soon as Théry came round for the first time that he was a formidable competitor, and was fast drawing away from the others, and at the second turn round he became a probable winner.
Of the twenty-nine starters only ten finished the test. The disparity between the number of starters and number of those in at the finish was due to the great difficulty of the course as a test of the endurance and adaptability of drivers. Furthermore many of the drivers when they saw they had no chance abandoned the contest.

The results