# 1948 Zandvoort Grand Prix

The 1948 Zandvoort Grand Prix was a non-championship Formula One race held on 7 August 1948 at Circuit Zandvoort.

## Report

The event consisted of two 24-lap heats and a 40-lap final. The cars were split based on their racing numbers, the lower numbers competing in Heat 1 and the higher numbers in Heat 2. A qualifying session determined the grid for each heat. Bob Gerard did not start the event; it is unclear whether he competed in his heat.
Cuth Harrison secured pole position for Heat 1 at 2:03.8, but retired with a broken half-shaft and the heat went to Reg Parnell from Tony Rolt and John Bolster, Bolster setting the fastest lap at 1:57.9. George Abecassis retired with valve trouble.
Prince Bira secured pole position for Heat 2 at 2:00.2. He won with the fastest lap at 1:53.6, the fastest time of the weekend, with David Hampshire second and Duncan Hamilton third. Peter Walker retired with gearbox issues, while Leslie Johnson was a non-starter due to shock absorber trouble and getting sand in his supercharger.
In the final, Rolt led into the first corner but Bira assumed the lead by lap 3. Bira's engine was not 100% fit, preventing him from pushing hard. Rolt applied intense pressure, closing the gap consistently throughout the race but lacking the pace advantage to make an overtake. The two were separated by a single car length at the chequered flag, Bira's engine screaming as he did not want to risk losing ground with a gear change. Leslie Brooke ran third before stopping for oil and going on to finish 6th. Kenneth Hutchinson was 10th despite only having top gear for most of the race. Michael Chorlton, whose car struggled with carburation issues all day, reached the finish albeit nine laps down.

## Entries

| No | Driver | Entrant | Constructor | Chassis |
| 1 | George Abecassis | George Abecassis | Alta | Alta GP |
| 2 | Geoff Ansell | Geoff Ansell | ERA | ERA R9B |
| 3 | Archie Baring | Archie Baring | Maserati | Maserati 6CM |
| 4 | Kenneth Bear | Kenneth Bear | Bugatti | Bugatti 59 |
| 5 | John Bolster | John Bolster | ERA | ERA R5B |
| 6 | Bob Gerard | Bob Gerard | ERA | ERA B |
| 7 | Cuth Harrison | Cuth Harrison | ERA | ERA B |
| 8 | Kenneth Hutchinson | Kenneth Hutchinson | Alfa Romeo | Alfa Romeo Tipo B |
| 9 | Reg Parnell | Scuderia Ambrosiana | Maserati | Maserati 4CL |
| 10 | Tony Rolt | Tony Rolt | Alfa Romeo-Aitken | Alfa Romeo 8C |
| 11 | Bob Ansell | Bob Ansell | Maserati | Maserati 4CL |
| 12 | Prince Bira | Princa Chula | Maserati | Maserati 4CL |
| 14 | Leslie Brooke | ERA Ltd | ERA | ERA R7B |
| 15 | David Hampshire | David Hampshire | ERA | ERA R1A |
| 16 | Leslie Johnson | ERA Ltd | ERA | ERA GP2 E-Type |
| 17 | Duncan Hamilton | Duncan Hamilton | Maserati | Maserati 6CM |
| 18 | Fred Ashmore | Reg Parnell Racing | ERA | ERA R2A |
| 19 | Roy Salvadori | Roy Salvadori | Maserati | Maserati 4CM |
| 20 | Gordon Watson | Gordon Watson | Alta | Alta F2-2 |
| 21 | Peter Walker | Peter Walker | ERA | ERA R10B |
| 22 | Michael Chorlton | Michael Chorlton | Bugatti | Bugatti 51A |
| Sources: |||||

## Classification
### Heat 1

| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/retired |
| 1 | 9 | Reg Parnell | Maserati | 24 | 50:17.8 |
| 2 | 10 | Tony Rolt | Alfa Romeo-Aitken | 24 | +3.6 |
| 3 | 5 | John Bolster | ERA | 24 | +5.4 |
| 4 | 8 | Kenneth Hutchinson | Alfa Romeo | 24 | +43.0 |
| 5 | 2 | Geoff Ansell | ERA | 24 | +2:00.4 |
| 6 | 3 | Archie Baring | Maserati | ? | |
| 7 | 4 | Kenneth Bear | Bugatti | ? | |
| Ret | 7 | Cuth Harrison | ERA | ? | Half-shaft |
| Ret | 1 | George Abecassis | Alta | ? | Valves |
| DNS | 6 | Bob Gerard | ERA | ? | |
| Source: ||||||

### Heat 2

| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/retired |
| 1 | 12 | Prince Bira | Maserati | 24 | 50:24.3 |
| 2 | 15 | David Hampshire | ERA | 24 | +59.5 |
| 3 | 17 | Duncan Hamilton | Maserati | 24 | +1:07.5 |
| 4 | 18 | Fred Ashmore | ERA | 24 | +1:26.6 |
| 5 | 14 | Leslie Brooke | ERA | 24 | +1:53.2 |
| 6 | 20 | Gordon Watson | Alta | ? | |
| 7 | 22 | Michael Chorlton | Bugatti | ? | |
| 8 | 19 | Roy Salvadori | Maserati | ? | |
| Ret | 11 | Bob Ansell | Maserati | ? | Gearbox |
| Ret | 21 | Peter Walker | ERA | ? | Gearbox |
| DNS | 16 | Leslie Johnson | ERA | | Supercharger |
| Source: ||||||

### Final

| Pos | No | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/retired | Grid |
| 1 | 12 | Prince Bira | Maserati | 40 | 1:25:22.2 | 4 |
| 2 | 10 | Tony Rolt | Alfa Romeo-Aitken | 40 | +0.1 | 2 |
| 3 | 9 | Reg Parnell | Maserati | 39 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 4 | 17 | Duncan Hamilton | Maserati | 39 | +1 lap | 7 |
| 5 | 18 | Fred Ashmore | ERA | 39 | +1 lap | 8 |
| 6 | 14 | Leslie Brooke | ERA | 38 | +2 laps | 10 |
| 7 | 15 | David Hampshire | ERA | 38 | +2 laps | 6 |
| 8 | 2 | Geoff Ansell | ERA | 38 | +2 laps | 9 |
| 9 | 4 | Kenneth Bear | Bugatti | 37 | +3 laps | 12 |
| 10 | 8 | Kenneth Hutchinson | Alfa Romeo | 37 | +3 laps | 5 |
| 11 | 22 | Michael Chorlton | Bugatti | 31 | +9 laps | 14 |
| 12 | 3 | Archie Baring | Maserati | 28 | +12 laps | 11 |
| Ret | 20 | Gordon Watson | Alta | ? | | 13 |
| Ret | 5 | John Bolster | ERA | ? | | 3 |
| DNS | 19 | Roy Salvadori | ERA | | | |
| DNQ | 1 | George Abecassis | Alta | | Ret Heat 1 | |
| DNQ | 7 | Cuth Harrison | ERA | | Ret Heat 1 | |
| DNQ | 6 | Bob Gerard | ERA | | DNS Heat 1 | |
| DNQ | 11 | Bob Ansell | Maserati | | Ret Heat 2 | |
| DNQ | 21 | Peter Walker | ERA | | Ret Heat 2 | |
| DNQ | 16 | Leslie Johnson | ERA | | DNS Heat 2 | |
| Sources: |||||||

## Footnotes

* ↑ Motor Sport reports that Bira's fastest lap in the feature race was 77.86 mph (2:00.4 at 2.605 mi) but Motor Sport Database reports 2:02.1. In the 1948 article, the average race speeds for both heats and the final, and the fastest lap of Heat 1, are accurate, but the fastest laps of Heat 2 and the final are not. It also states that the race distance was 108 mi, at odds with other sources.
* ↑ A. A. Baring, b. 6 January 1912. Although his forenames are disputed, it is agreed that he was known as Archie. The name Anthony Baring is a common misquotation that appears in the sources cited by this article.
* ↑ Salvadori used his Maserati in his heat race although he also practiced his spare car, an Alfa Romeo Tipo B.
* ↑ Motor Sport states that Roy Salvadori qualified by finishing 8th in Heat 2. The rest of its Heat 2 finishing order is accurate. Other sources claim that he was eliminated in his heat.
* ↑ StatsF1, ChicaneF1, Silhouet and Motor Sport Database report that Parnell finished the race one lap down. Although Motor Sport states that he reached the flag 1.1 s after Rolt, he had probably just been lapped.