Deauville

The one-off race for Grand prix cars on the streets of the fashionable seaside resort of Deauville on 19 July 1936 was described by Motor Sport as “a disastrous affair. A circuit badly suited to fast cars was chosen, and criticism of it was forthcoming from both drivers and spectators before the race.” The layout featured two long straights with the start on Boulevard Eugène Comuché and a return leg on the narrow promenade by the beach and in front of the town’s major hotels and casino. The race was a disaster for two drivers were killed in separate incidents. First, Albert Chambost fractured his skull when he overturned his Maserati 8CM and died in hospital three days later. Giuseppe Farina (Scuderia Ferrari Alfa Romeo C) then clipped Marcel Lehoux’s ERA R3B as he lapped the Algerian veteran which sent both cars rolling down the road. The ERA caught fire with Lehoux killed instantly. Only three cars finished with Jean-Pierre Wimille a sombre winner for Bugatti. The Grand Prix de Deauville was not repeated.