Race report – 1927 Nürburgring Eröffnungsrennen

RAIN, RUIN, AND REDEMPTION AT THE EIFFEL MOUNTAINS!

Syvertsen conquers the Green Hell in a ten-lap terrifier! Marshals decide the fate of high finishers after transportation scandal!

NÜRBURG RING, GERMANY – September 25th. The inaugural circuit of the Nürburgring, the colossal 28.3 kilometre Gesamtstrecke, yesterday witnessed not merely a motor race, but an epic struggle against the forces of nature and the crushing strain of relentless speed. In the eighth round of the Golden Era Championship, 1927 Nürburgring Eröffnungsrennen, the drivers faced two-and-a-half hours of torrential rain and chilling temperatures. The result was a contest of attrition that saw the presumed champions retire and a disgraced contender rise from the ashes of disaster!

The Tempestuous Opening Laps

The contest began under a deluge, the conditions immediately throwing challenges at the starting grid, which was determined by ballot. Daniel Withoeft, starting from pole position in his Alfa Romeo, stalled upon the fall of the lights, immediately losing the advantage. The opening corners were a scene of utter chaos, claiming multiple victims before the first kilometre was complete. Drick Crozet, Moises Pereira, and the hapless pole-sitter Withoeft all found themselves in immediate trouble. Early retirements included Moises Pereira and Tirano Salvaro, the latter retiring early due to serious issues with his machine. The Delage of Haley Smith, rumoured to be the machine to beat and quickest in pre-practice, suffered serious mechanical issues and was forced to park his car tragically early, ending his evening in the first lap.

The Delage driven by Tolonen, was struck by misfortune almost immediately. The brave Finn suffered a spark plug failure mere seconds after the start, necessitating maintenance immediately following the first arduous circuit.

However, amidst the melee, Eetu Nurmi snatched the lead, demonstrating incredible pace in the deluge. Nurmi, tied for the championship lead before the race, quickly established a dominant margin, leading the field by a massive twelve seconds before the first lap was even fully recorded.

A Course strewn with Wreckage

The brutality of the combined 28-kilometre course soon took its toll. Tomas Kuusela, driving a Delage, suffered a terrifying incident, rolling his car over before being forced to retire and seek medical attention at the hospital! Geir Akslen, the Norwegian Bugatti driver, entered the pits after just one lap and eventually broke his suspension, forcing him to abandon the fight entirely. The “underdog” Talbot of Yury Lobkov also suffered a lengthy excursion into the bushes on Lap 4, losing precious minutes.

The greatest drama of the mid-race belonged to Markus Peltonen. After climbing to third place, Peltonen slammed into the barrier on a bridge, suffering a hefty impact. In what was to be a decision hotly debated by the Marshals, Peltonen’s team drove him back to the pits and he continued with a new car. Though this manoeuvre allowed him to rejoin the race 19th and almost a lap down, spectators needed to wait for the ruling on this egregious violation of convention, which eventually lead to his disqualification despite his heroic performance behind the wheel!

Anssi Hyytiäinen also endured a nightmare scenario, having to pit multiple times due to tyre puncture that unfortunately enough happened early on the lap. His mechanics, in a display of true incompetence, twice affixed the wrong tyre compounds to his Delage, further hampering his recovery! Hyytiäinen was seen later cursing and drinking in the paddock like there was no tomorrow. One of his mechanics was rumoured to seek employement from rival teams – with a black eye.

Withoeft’s Woeful Start and Resolute Comeback

The crowd watched in dismay as Daniel Withoeft, after a devastating start saw the Alfa plummet to P15 after just one circuit of the fearsome Gesamtstrecke. Despite suffering continued setbacks, including hitting the fencing on Lap 2 and enduring contact with Tirano Salvaro, Withoeft demonstrated formidable grit, climbing back to P10 by the close of the third lap. However, misfortune remained his companion, as he suffered a major off on Lap 4, slamming his vehicle into a wall at 45 kilometres per hour, surely requiring a nervous inspection of the chassis. Yet, the Brazilian persisted, fighting Ledu Renaud deep into the final laps. He eventually executed a decisive overtake on Renaud on Lap 8, successfully piloting his resilient Alfa Romeo P2 to a commendable sixth position overall.

Ledu Renaud, driving the twin Alfa Romeo P2, also had a tenacious, yet testing, outing. Starting P4, he spent much of the middle section battling fiercely, notably holding off the recovering Alex Henry and Yury Lobkov. However, the final stages proved challenging for the Frenchman. After defending staunchly against the surging Daniel Withoeft, Renaud was ultimately passed by his fellow Alfa pilot on the brakes for P8 late in the race. Although the commentator suggested Renaud may have been out of the race entirely on Lap 8, the official scorekeeping confirms that he successfully completed the full ten laps, securing a respectable seventh place.

LeFredge’s Heartbreak and Lazaro’s Labour

The Canadian Bugatti driver, Kent LeFredge, had a race of early promise quickly followed by persistent difficulties. Starting P13, LeFredge initially showed blistering pace, climbing sharply to P3 in the opening stages. This promise quickly faded, however, as he struggled to maintain speed against the Delages, subsequently losing positions to Tomas Kuusela and Kai Syvertsen. LeFredge then suffered a spin, dropping him further back into the pack. By the middle of the race, he was struggling severely, ceding positions rapidly, including the loss of P5 to the charging Markus Peltonen, whose pace advantage was deemed “quite significant”. Despite his struggles, LeFredge remarkably held onto a position near the top five late in the race. But the final lap brought cruel fate; having held P4, LeFredge was overtaken by Tolonen, who was suffering his own mechanical maladies, thus forcing the Canadian to settle for fifth position on the flag. (Note: Although LeFredge was officially recorded in P11 with nine laps completed, the marshals adjusted his position to P4 following the review of a suspected timing error.)

Ruy Lázaro, driving the older Delage 2LCV, endured an extremely physical contest. Starting P22, he was immediately engulfed in the first-turn melee, sustaining multiple collisions early on, including contact with Henry and Withoeft. Lázaro continually wrestled with the conditions and his machine, yet showed his quality by driving up to P9 by Lap 4. He featured prominently in the middle of the pack, engaged in an incredible struggle with Tolonen on Lap 5, during which Tolonen made an audacious move resulting in a hefty contact which sent Lázaro wide. As the race wore on, the strain on Lázaro’s Delage proved too much, and he suffered engine trouble and even stalled on a steep uphill section on Lap 8. His race concluded after 9 laps, securing twelfth position.

Nurmi’s Agony and Syvertsen’s Triumph

As the race entered its concluding stages, Nurmi maintained a lead of nearly one minute and a half. His dominance seemed unassailable. But the treacherous conditions and the sheer strain of the 10-lap ordeal were building to a devastating climax.

On Lap 7, disaster struck Eetu Nurmi. First, he suffered a puncture to his right rear tyre, forcing a pit stop. Crucially, almost immediately thereafter, the leader’s race was over. Nurmi’s machine was parked silently on the edge of the track. We now know the cause of this tragedy: Eetu Nurmi suffered a devastating gearbox failure, which forced the undisputed pacesetter to retire.

This sudden reversal thrust Kai Syvertsen into the lead, a position he defended with skill and composure to take the chequered flag after 10 laps. True “last to first” victory for Syvertsen.

However, the real story of the final laps was the astonishing return of Markus Peltonen. Despite his earlier calamity, the Delage man demonstrated blistering pace, setting the fastest lap of the entire event by over thirty seconds. Peltonen mounted an incredible charge, closing a 40-second deficit on Kari Uotila to snatch the second position on the final lap.

Poor fortune continued to dog Mr. Tolonen, as his gearbox suffered catastrophic damage late in the race, forcing him to pilot his Delage largely relying upon the third gear for the entire final lap! Meanwhile, defying his early ailments and last-lap gearbox troubles, salvaged a magnificent P3 on the road, overtaking the Canadian Kent LeFredge in the last lap.

The Thrilling Dash for Honour: Lubomirski and lipi

As the chequered flag approached, the battle for the minor points positions developed into a breathtaking duel between Teofil Lubomirski in his Delage and lipi in his Bugatti. Lubomirski, the Polish driver who started P15, spent the final laps relentlessly chasing the Finn, lipi, who had opted for the heavy stud tires early on. Lubomirski managed to seize P8 from lipi on Lap 9. Despite Lubomirski experiencing further environment contact on the final lap, the two drivers roared onto the main straight in a dead heat. In a final burst of speed, lipi crossed the line just ahead of Lubomirski, securing eighth place. The official timings demonstrate the sheer intensity of the conclusion, with lipi completing the 10 laps in 02:51:05.587, narrowly edging out Lubomirski (02:51:05.857) by a minuscule margin of just 0.270 seconds.

Kai Syvertsen is confirmed as the victor, finishing the 10 laps in 02:36:01.147.

Marshall’s Review Necessary

The officials had to review the case of Markus Peltonen, who was eventually disqualified due to his egregious misuse of the forbidden means after his crash on Lap 2, a move finally invalidating his remarkable P2 finish.

Furthermore, Kent LeFredge, provisionally placed 11th after completing nine laps, but was later to be awarded fouth position following review, as his original finishing position was compromised by sloppy marshal confusing the timing system.

With these results, the championship standings were shaken remarkably, providing ample drama for the next round!

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