1953 French GP

## Track Facts

* Name – Reims
* Location – France
* Corners – 7
* Laps – 60
* Base (Worst) Lap Time – 4:00.000
* Lap Record (Real Life) – 2:41.000 (Juan Manuel Fangio)
* Lap Record (F1R) – 2:28.100 (Bob Gerrard)
* Pit Lane Length – 45 seconds
* Fuel Consumption – Low
* Tyre Wear – Medium

## Qualifying 1

It's a Maserati 1-2 as it stands, with a very similar weather forecast in store for Q2 so some of these times could well be pertinent for the overall grid itself. And that will please Maglioli and Landi up front, who have started the race weekend very strongly indeed.

More Maserati's manage to get in front of the Ferrari clan, as Whitehead is 3rd, Gerard is 6th, Pietsch can only manage 10th and the less said about Salvadori's huge crash that knocked him down to 29th overall the better.

Surprisingly Bayol is not present for this race, after his difficulties last time out, and as such rumours are flying around that he is considering retirement…watch this space for further developments…

**Qualifying 1 Results**

* 1st – Umberto Maglioli [M] – 2:37.028 (4)
* 2nd – Chico Landi [M] – 2:37.774 (5)
* 3rd – Peter Whitehead [F] – 2:37.964 (5)
* 4th – Giuseppe Farina [M] – 2:38.385 (6)
* 5th – Alberto Ascari [M] – 2:38.518 (11)
* 6th – Bob Gerard [F] – 2:38.565 (6)
* 7th – Erwin Bauer [CP] – 2:38.707 (3)
* 8th – Toulo de Graffenried [M] – 2:39.033 (8)
* 9th – Albert Scherrer [H] – 2:39.175 (7)
* 10th – Paul Pietsch [F] – 2:39.312 (7)
* 11th – Jose Froilan Gonzalez [CP] – 2:39.512 (2)
* 12th – Stirling Moss [M] – 2:39.652 (3)
* 13th – Sergio Mantovani [H] – 2:39.661 (6)
* 14th – Hans Hermann [V] – 2:40.507 (7)
* 15th – Peter Collins [H] – 2:40.701 (4)
* 16th – Carlos Menditeguy [H] – 2:41.234 (2)
* 17th – Louis Chiron [CP] – 2:41.325 (3)
* 18th – Johnny Claes [CN] – 2:41.652 (5)
* 19th – Prince Bira [CN] – 2:42.551 (2)
* 20th – Hans Stuck [CP] – 2:42.928 (2)
* 21st – Hermann Lang [H] – 2:43.867 (4)
* 22nd – Mike Hawthorn [CN] – 2:44.663 (3)
* 23rd – Maurice Trintignant [G] – 2:46.013 (2)
* 24th – Charles de Tornaco [G] – 2:47.498 (5)
* 25th – Felice Bonetto [ B ] – 2:48.905 (1)
* 26th – Luigi Musso [ B ] – 2:50.183 (1)
* 27th – Jimmy Stewart [CN] – 2:50.474 (1)
* 28th – Fred Wacker [O] – 2:51.785 (2)
* 29th – Roy Salvadori [F] – 2:52.285 (1)
* 30th – Luigi Villoresi [O] – 2:52.598 (1)
* 31st – Jean Behra [G] – 2:54.298 (1)
* 32nd – Elie Bayol [M] – No Time Set (0)
* 33rd – Louis Rosier [G] – No Time Set (0)
* 34th – John Barber [V] – No Time Set (0)
* 35th – Alan Brown [CN] – No Time Set (0)
* 36th – Juan Manuel Fangio [CP] – No Time Set (0)

## Qualifying 2

Q2 comes to an end with a stunning last-ditch effort from Maglioli to secure pole position for Maserati!!! The Ferrari drivers look stunned, and particularly glum is Salvadori who loses what was his 3rd position to Farina as well as he is demoted to 5th on the grid ahead of the last Ferrari of Gerard.

Landi and Moss claim 7th and 8th for Maserati, from the rejuvenated Bauer in 9th for Cooper and Ascari in 10th for Maserati as well.

The HWM clan are up next, from Hermann of Veritas with de Graffenried a lowly 16th in a session he'd much rather forget! Failing to set a lap-time and thus qualify for the race are Menditeguy, Trintignant and Bonetto, who will all be disappointed to have not made the grid for tomorrow.

**Qualifying 2 Results**

* 1st – Umberto Maglioli [M] – 2:36.788 (2)
* 2nd – Paul Pietsch [F] – 2:36.841 (10)
* 3rd – Peter Whitehead [F] – 2:36.855 (9)
* 4th – Giuseppe Farina [M] – 2:36.866 (6)
* 5th – Roy Salvadori [F] – 2:36.938 (10)
* 6th – Bob Gerard [F] – 2:37.013 (10)
* 7th – Chico Landi [M] – 2:37.116 (13)
* 8th – Stirling Moss [M] – 2:37.163 (10)
* 9th – Erwin Bauer [CP] – 2:37.233 (9)
* 10th – Alberto Ascari [M] – 2:37.320 (6)
* 11th – Albert Scherrer [H] – 2:37.489 (11)
* 12th – Hermann Lang [H] – 2:37.688 (13)
* 13th – Peter Collins [H] – 2:37.981 (8)
* 14th – Hans Hermann [V] – 2:37.996 (5)
* 15th – Sergio Mantovani [H] – 2:38.001 (11)
* 16th – Toulo de Graffenried [M] – 2:38.153 (12)
* 17th – Fred Wacker [O] – 2:38.203 (9)
* 18th – Louis Chiron [CP] – 2:38.263 (8)
* 19th – Hans Stuck [CP] – 2:38.412 (3)
* 20th – Johnny Claes [CN] – 2:38.529 (4)
* 21st – Jose Froilan Gonzalez [CP] – 2:38.767 (3)
* 22nd – Luigi Villoresi [O] – 2:40.149 (3)
* 23rd – Prince Bira [CN] – 2:40.204 (4)
* 24th – Mike Hawthorn [CN] – 2:41.853 (1)
* 25th – Jean Behra [G] – 2:43.098 (2)
* 26th – Charles de Tornaco [G] – 2:45.222 (4)
* 27th – Luigi Musso [ B ] – 2:46.101 (9)
* 28th – Jimmy Stewart [CN] – 2:47.271 (1)
* 29th – Carlos Menditeguy [H] – No Time Set (0)
* 30th – Maurice Trintignant [G] – No Time Set (0)
* 31st – Felice Bonetto [ B ] – No Time Set (0)

## Overall Qualifying Results

A fantastic performance for Maglioli sees him take pole position, and for the 1st time since the start of the 1952 season we have back-to-back races without a Ferrari on pole position! Piestch will be eager to make amends in the race, with Whitehead also champing at the bit to defend his championship lead.

He can at least be pleased to be ahead of his nearest challengers though, with Gerard down in 6th and de Graffenried a shocking 16th place, only one position ahead of débutante Wacker for the tiny O.S.C.A team!

## Race Commentary

*Lap 1* - Maglioli stalls!!! Horrendous start for the pole-sitter, who causes both Bauer and Ascari to take evasive action as a result. He drops outside the top 10 behind the fast-starting Claes and the rather lacklustre Moss too.

Inside the top 10 Scherrer moves up a place, but can do nothing to prevent the incredible Bira moving into 9th position by the end of the 1st lap as he claims 14 positions inside one lap! Farina has dropped back to 8th, behind Whitehead in 7th, Gerard in 6th (as the two battling for the title are line-astern with just 0.2 seconds between them or so) and none other than Hermann in the Veritas who carves out a beautiful niche at the start to avoid trouble and move into the points!

De Graffenried makes up for his nightmare in qualifying to find himself 4th at the end of the lap, behind Landi in 3rd for Maserati and then up front are, of course, a pair of Ferrari's. Although maybe not the two you would expect this season as Pietsch leads young Salvadori. The crowd are excited about the start, but understandably muted given that Bayol has not qualified and Behra has a crash at the 1st corner.

The Frenchman comes across the spinning Mantovani and is unable to do anything to get out of the way, which is the same situation that both Musso and Stewart find themselves in too as all 4 crash out on lap 1.

*Lap 2* - With the long straights here at Reims overtaking and slipstreaming in particular are remarkably easy to accomplish, meaning that the first few laps will be somewhat chaotic! Landi moves past both Salvadori and Pietsch, towing de Graffenried through to 2nd in the process.

Pietsch also loses out to Salvadori heading into Brettelle Sud, whilst Whitehead moves past Gerard, but both are powerless to prevent the incredible duo of Moss and Bira as they surge past down the long straight toward Thillois.

Lang is also moving up, whilst erstwhile pole-sitter Maglioli improves slightly as well, with the biggest losers on this lap being Farina and Claes. Both Wacker and Hawthorn get the better of several cars in front of them, with Stuck also doing his level best to move up as well.

*Lap 3* - Salvadori is now the man on the move, as both de Graffenried and Landi are swept aside (although the Swiss manages to move in front of the Brazilian at least) and Pietsch comes through to 2nd as well.

Bira passes Moss, but both are overtaken by Whitehead, whilst Lang also makes his presence felt for HWM. Hermann loses positions to both Maglioli and Farina, with Wacker really enjoying himself out there not far behind at all!

*Lap 4* - At last some stability in this race! Salvadori holds on to the lead, from Pietsch in 2nd, with both Landi and Whitehead overtaking de Graffenried for 3rd as some slip-streaming does still occur on this lap!

Moss is right on the back of this battle, from Lang and Bira…back in the battle for 10th Maglioli's day goes from bad to worse as he loses places to Gerard, Scherrer and even Claes on this lap! Both Ascari and Wacker pass Hermann who has dropped down significantly since his brilliant start. Hawthorn passes Villoresi and manages to set the fastest lap of the race in the process to the delight of the Connaught team, whilst Gonzalez takes the incredibly lacklustre Bauer who seems to be right off the pace as it stands!!!

*Lap 5* - Salvadori moves a long way clear of Pietsch, who cedes his 2nd place to Landi's Maserati and drops 3rd to Moss too. Bira passes Lang for 7th, with Farina dropping from 9th to Gerard, the resurgent Maglioli, the brilliant Wacker for O.S.C.A, Claes, Scherrer, Ascari and Hermann in a truly horrendous lap for the Italian who spins twice!

Even Collins sneaks ahead of Farina, with passes on both Hawthorn and Stuck beforehand.

*Lap 6* - Landi eases past Salvadori at Gueux, with de Graffenried the big mover behind as he breaks back into the points ahead of Pietsch though behind team-mate Moss. Whitehead loses a place to the irresistible Bira also on this lap, with Wacker through on Maglioli, along with Hermann in the Veritas too! Chiron takes both Farina and Collins, with Stuck losing positions to both Villoresi and Gonzalez here too.

*Lap 7* - De Graffenried moves into a podium position as he takes Moss at Brettelle Nord, with Hermann once again showing that the Veritas does have some straight-line speed as he muscles past Gerard initially, then Wacker, Lang, Whitehead and Bira. The former Ferrari driver also makes his way past Wacker and Lang to sit behind Whitehead as their battle continues, even with 0 points up for grabs for those positions.

Scherrer takes a few places here, with Collins and Gonzalez both moving up too as there is still less than 20 seconds separating the top 23 drivers!!!

*Lap 8* - Landi is streaking away from the field, with a good gap opened up now to Salvadori. Pietsch hasn't given up though, of course, as the defending champion moves past Moss at Hovette and then de Graffenried at Garenne, which will incite the Swiss no end!

Whitehead takes Bira too, with Claes passing Wacker, and Bauer at long last making a move to put Stuck, Villoresi and even Farina behind him in the space of one incredible lap!

*Lap 9* - Landi spins! He keeps the engine running, but it's all the incentive Salvadori needs to move into 1st position! Further back Hermann will not give up for Veritas, as he passes Moss to move into the points in 5th.

Lang passes both Gerard and Bira, but remains behind Whitehead, whilst behind him Scherrer loses positions to both Claes and Gonzalez. Maglioli and Collins improve as well, with Bauer's afternoon failing to inspire yet again as he goes wide and loses place to Farina and Villoresi.

*Lap 10* - De Graffenried passes Pietsch and Landi, as the Swiss - still smarting from Pietsch's earlier overtake - moves within 1.5 seconds of the leader now. Moss reclaims 5th place from Hermann on this lap, whilst the man setting some really hot sector times is Gonzalez in the Cooper who takes Claes here for 11th as well.

Ascari passes Maglioli, and both get the better of Scherrer, with Collins also capitalising to move past him and our former pole-sitter too! Right near the back Farina passes Villoresi, whilst Stuck demotes Bauer to 23rd once again.

*Lap 11* - De Graffenried cannot keep any sense of consistency this race, as he loses positions firstly to Landi (who is clearly relishing his opportunity to mix it with the big boys), then to the hard-charging Moss (who had taken Pietsch earlier in the lap) and then Pietsch himself as he drops to 5th. He can at least be thankful of the small gap that has now opened up to the rest of the field though.

Lang moves past both Whitehead and Hermann, with Bira and Gerard also demoting the Ferrari driver who is clearly struggling with something on board. Gonzalez slips behind Claes and Ascari, with Scherrer coming back at Maglioli and Collins losing positions to the pair of them here too. Wacker passes Chiron, and Hawthorn takes Farina as the Maserati driver continues to have day to forget.

*Lap 12* - Besides Salvadori the order at the front really gets shaken up, as de Graffenried challenges those in front to move into 2nd position from Pietsch in 3rd, Moss in 4th and Lang in 5th. Landi really loses out here, due to failing to keep the door shut at the hairpins!

As a discernible split now exists between 6th and 7th position, with 7th now Gerard, 8th now Bira and Hermann in 9th as it stands. Maglioli passes both Gonzalez and Scherrer, who also lose a position to Collins on this lap as well.

Wacker's fairy-tale story is starting to crumble, as first Hawthorn and then both Chiron and Farina move past the American. Bauer takes Villoresi on this lap too, as the O.S.C.A team are starting to struggle with the pace.

*Lap 13* - Pietsch passes de Graffenried for 2nd, as the battle between these two continues on and on! Maglioli passes Ascari, whilst Hathworn fights past Gonzalez and Scherrer too. Farina passes a whole host of cars as the Maserati driver finally gets his act together to move up no less than 4 positions in the space of a lap!

Stuck takes Wacker too, with Bauer now on his tail as well.

*Lap 14* - Lang is on fire!!! The German takes Moss, then de Graffenried and then Pietsch too to put his HWM into 2nd position on track! Whitehead is in similar determined form with passes on both Hermann and Bira on the run down to Muizon.

Ascari takes Maglioli, who loses positions to Collins and Hawthorn on this lap as well. Gonzalez moves past Scherrer and Farina, who seemed to have only come back to life for the space of a lap before he settles back into his previous pace. Stuck falls behind Wacker and Bauer here too.

*Lap 15* - Landi is yet to give up the chase, as he gets the better of de Graffenried and Moss…with the latter losing a place to Gerard as well. Bira will not let Whitehead alone, as he passes the Englishman for what feels like the 10th time in just 15 laps!

Maglioli has a flyer on this lap, as he passes Collins, Ascari and Claes and inherits another position from Hawthorn who pits. Also pitting is de Tornaco, who looks terribly off-colour amidst rumours that all is not well at Gordini as it stands. Bauer takes Wacker and Farina on this lap as well, with Stuck getting the better of the American to demote the two O.S.C.A's to the back of the field (bar the sole Gordini of de Tornaco of course).

*Lap 16* - LANG IS IN THE LEAD!!! The HWM team celebrate as the irrepressible German passes Salvadori with style around the outside at Hovette! De Graffenried moves past Landi for 4th here too.

Bira passes Moss, as the gap from 6th to 7th has now disappeared, as is evidenced by Gerard who is now into 6th position. Maglioli loses places to Claes and Ascari, with Gonzalez dropping behind Collins and Scherrer too. Farina also re-passes Bauer on this lap as well, as still less than 20 seconds covers 1st to 21st!

*Lap 17* - Lang's lead is short-lived, as a mistake at Brettelle Sud lets through Salvadori, then de Graffenried and finally Pietsch into the top 3 positions. Landi loses 5th to Gerard and Bira, with Moss passing Whitehead too on this lap.

Hermann's Veritas is struggling as he drops behind Ascari, Claes, Maglioli and Collins. Farina takes Chiron, and Villoresi stakes a claim for the #1 spot at O.S.C.A with a move on Wacker at Thillois too.

*Lap 18* - Salvadori becomes the latest driver to suffer from the poisoned chalice of taking the race lead, as he falls behind De Graffenried and Pietsch. Landi displays remarkable resilience to edge past Moss, Bira and Gerard to move back into 4th position.

Maglioli is at last coming to the fore with passes on Claes and Ascari this lap. Further back Farina takes Gonzalez and Scherrer with Bauer passing the former of the two as well. Chiron pits on this lap as well, coming out a good 10 seconds behind Hawthorn.

*Lap 19* - Salvadori passes Pietsch on the run up to Hovette, and manages to force past de Graffenried at Brettelle Nord too to lead as he comes to the end of the lap. Gerard also moves up past Landi and Lang, with Whitehead also gaining ground up to 6th too as the Ferrari's come good at last!

Ascari, Magliloi and Claes are all neck and neck as they cross the line, with Scherrer causing those in front no end of headaches, with passes on Farina, Hermann and Collins.

*Lap 20* - De Graffenried pits for Maserati, as it looks like a straight 2 stopper for both him and Scherrer, and that means it is now a Ferrari 1-2-3-4 with Whitehead's pass on Lang too; Gerard moves past Pietsch as part of this too.

Lang also loses a position to Bira, who is now into a points paying position again in 5th. Behind Lang is Landi, the resurgent Claes, Ascari, Maglioli, Moss and Hermann. Of those who have pitted de Graffenried is easily ahead of Hawthorn, with Chiron ahead of Scherrer who is now in 23rd position.

*Lap 21* - Pietsch passes Gerard for 2nd at Gueux, whilst Lang re-takes Bira for 5th position. Maglioli moves through on Claes and Ascari, Hermann passes Moss in a moment the Maserati driver would rather forget.

Bauer takes both Farina and Collins in a stunning double overtake at Thillois, whilst Stuck loses out to the O.S.C.A's to drop behind both Villoresi and Wacker.

*Lap 22* - Pietsch and Gerard move past Salvadori, as the young Brit has a moment at Muizon which loses him several seconds on those pursuing. Whitehead is struggling, as the Ferrari 1-2-3-4 is broken at last and he drops behind both Landi and Bira to 6th position, although he does at least keep Lang behind him.

Collins moves past Bauer and Moss, with Farina taking Bauer as well here.

*Lap 23* - Landi pits here, coming out just ahead of Hawthorn but some way down on de Graffenried in the battle between those who have already come in. Salvadori passes Gerard for 2nd position, whilst Maglioli takes Lang, who loses a position to Ascari as well as the HWM driver is struggling to keep on terms with the pace at the front.

Hans Hermann loses positions to both Collins, Bauer and Farina as the Veritas driver drops down the order.

*Lap 24* - Maglioli is the man on the move, as he passes both Whitehead and Bira to move into 4th position. Claes passes Lang and Ascari, in the Belgian's best race of the season so far, whilst Lang takes Ascari too.

Bauer passes Collins for 10th position, with Moss taking Hermann, who in turn demotes Farina too. Also Stuck re-takes the O.S.C.A of Wacker on this lap as well, while Landi behind manages to set the fastest lap of the race using his fresh new tyres.

*Lap 25* - Gerard refuses to let Salvadori get away, with Whitehead taking both Bira and Maglioli to restore the 1-2-3-4 for Ferrari. Bira also takes Maglioli to ensure he is still in 5th position.

Lang has a spin at Hovette, and falls behind Bauer and Ascari, with the former of the two also moving past Claes and in to a stunning 7th position. Farina passes Hermann and Stuck takes Villoresi here too.

*Lap 26* - Gerard is on a role! He overtakes Pietsch at Brettelle Sud, a move emulated later in the lap by Claes as he overtakes Bauer's Cooper. Lang also loses yet another position, this time to Collins.

*Lap 27* - The battle for the final points paying position intensifies, with Bauer passing both Claes, Maglioli and Bira in the space of one incredible lap to move into 5th position. Collins loses positions to Ascari and Lang, with Lang at last stopping his downard spiral to overtake the Maserati.

*Lap 28* - Salvadori passes Pietsch, as the Ferrari 1-2-3 continues apace. However there is not such good news for 4th place Whitehead, who loses his place to Maglioli in the Maserati as the erstwhile pole sitter.

Bauer loses places to Bira and Claes on this lap, with Moss taking Collins too. Villoresi also moves past Stuck too.

*Lap 29* - Gerard pits from the lead, with Claes now moving past Bira for what has become 5th position. Ascari passes Lang as well, whilst Gerard comes out of the pits behind de Graffenried and ahead of Landi, albeit only just.

*Lap 30* - And the drivers on track pour into the pits, with Farina the quickest in the stops, ahead of Moss, Pietsch, Maglioli and Whitehead. Not coming in to the pits are Claes, Bira, Collins, Villoresi and Wacker and of course those who have pitted already - with the exception of Hawthorn and de Tornaco who pit for a 2nd time.

And that means that Claes now leads the race in a Connaught 1-2 with Bira following him up!!! Collins is 3rd for HWM and in a stunning change Villoresi and Wacker are 4th and 5th for O.S.C.A!!! Behind this bizarre set of points scorers de Graffenried is 6th, ahead of Gerard, Salvadori, Pietsch, Maglioli, Landi, Whitehead, Farina, Moss, Bauer and Hermann.

*Lap 31* - Prince Bira comes into the pits and emerges behind Chiron in 18th place, Whitehead also passes both Landi and Maglioli for what is likely to become 4th position once those in front pit.

*Lap 32* - De Graffenried finally bridges the gap to the leading pack, as he moves past Wacker into 4th overall. Meanwhile Maglioli re-passes Whitehead and Bira takes Chiron as he uses his new tyres to best effect.

*Lap 33* - Wacker pits on this lap to swap his degrading tyres, emerging behind all the other 1 stoppers but ahead of both Hawthorn and Gonzalez. De Graffenried continues his march through the field as he takes Villoresi's podium position away, Salvadori passes Gerard too and Maglioli moves past Pietsch too. Scherrer also goes past Hermann as well.

*Lap 34* - Whitehead passes Pietsch and Maglioli as the erstwhile leading group continue to fight for position on track. Hermann re-passes Scherrer too on this lap.

*Lap 35* - Collins pits from 2nd position to leave just Claes in 1st and Villoresi now in 5th as the sole drivers yet to pit, with de Graffenried now 2nd from Salvadori. Maglioli passes Whitehead and Landi takes Pietsch, with the defending champion struggling to keep his head in the hurly burly of the mid-pack.

Scherrer and Hermann's battle continues with the German losing out on this lap at Muizon.

*Lap 36* - Finally Claes pits, along with Chiron who comes in for the 2nd time. The Belgian comes out behind the recently pitted Collins in 16th position. Gerard takes Villoresi for 3rd position, as the Italians tyres really start to give up on him.

Whitehead passes Maglioli and Pietsch moves through on Landi too. Hermann of course re-takes Scherrer as neither seems to be able to tear themselves away from this to and fro! Lang takes Ascari on this lap, and Chiron comes out behind Hawthorn but ahead of de Tornaco.

*Lap 37* - Whitehead passes the ailing Villoresi for 4th, as Pietsch takes Maglioli and Bira sails past the trio of Scherrer, Bauer and Hermann. Ascari overtakes the duo of Claes and Lang, whilst Gonzalez takes Stuck also.

*Lap 38* - Gerard takes Salvadori for 2nd place, whilst Pietsch moves into 5th as Villoresi finally gets knocked out of the points paying positions. Collins takes Hermann on this lap as well.

*Lap 39* - Whitehead passes Salvadori for 3rd, as de Graffenried is being hauled in very quickly by the chasing group now. Maglioli passes Pietsch, as the 4th Ferrari driver struggles to bridge the gap to those ahead. Farina takes Landi on this lap, as does Bauer on Scherrer and Claes on Ascari as well.

*Lap 40* - De Graffenried pits for the final time here, along with Villoresi and Scherrer as well (though the latter may well have to pit again given how quickly he finished fuelling), the former emerges in 16th position behind Lang, with Villoresi out in 19th and Scherrer 22nd too.

*Lap 41* - Moss passes Landi for 7th and Hermann takes Collins for 11th position too in an otherwise dull lap.

*Lap 42* - Pietsch takes Maglioli for 4th, with Farina also capitalising as the Italian's fortunes finally turn around! De Graffenried takes Lang as the Swiss takes his 1st steps towards what would be an unbelievable comeback!

*Lap 43* - Maglioli is really on fire here! He overtakes both Farina and Pietsch on this lap to move into 4th place, whilst further back Bauer passes Bira for 9th and Collins takes 11th from Hermann too.

*Lap 44* - Moss passes Farina for 6th place, and de Graffenried claims another scalp in the form of Ascari…as he is now in 14th place and will be relying on his fresher tyres toward the end.

*Lap 45* - Both Hawthorn and de Tornaco pit for the 3rd time, as otherwise Villoresi is the only one to make a move, as he moves past Stuckf for 18th.

*Lap 46* - Landi pits on this lap, dropping behind everyone but Scherrer, Chiron, Hawthorn and de Tornaco. Hermann takes Claes, as de Graffenried gains on them both.

*Lap 47* - Bira re-takes Bauer, as the battle for 8th place continues. Claes takes Hermann again, with de Graffenried now lurking in the background.

*Lap 48* - Scherrer pits for the 3rd time and loses positions to Chiron and Hawthorn as a result. Farina passes both Moss and Pietsch to return to the top 5, though this battle has clearly far from run its course! Collins takes Bauer here, and de Graffenried also moves past Hermann as well.

*Lap 49* - Moss passes Pietsch and Farina to be the man in 5th, however briefly. Gonzalez takes Lang as well on this lap, and de Graffenried is now just 2 seconds behind 11th place.

*Lap 50* - Farina does not less this last for long, as he puts a move on Moss at Hovette to re-claim 5th. Collins passes Bira for 8th position, whilst de Graffenried uses the speed in his cleaner tyres to good effect as he takes Claes at Brettelle Nord and Bauer at Garenne.

*Lap 51* - Salvadori is not done yet, as he passes Whitehead for 2nd with Gerard beginning to move away from the pair of them. De Graffenried's latest conquests are Bira and Collins as he moves into 8th position, whilst Bauer passes Bira this time around too. Lang passes Gonzalez here too.

*Lap 52* - Whitehead is back into 2nd place, and de Graffenried is now just 10 seconds behind Pietsch and gaining fast! Claes passes Bira and Bauer too, whilst Landi gets the better of Wacker for 19th also.

*Lap 53* - Salvadori moves back into 2nd position, with this battle still far from over! Farina passes Maglioli for 4th, and Bauer takes Claes for 10th too. De Graffenried is now just 6 seconds behind Pietsch in what could be a stunning showdown to the race! Hermann passes Ascari too on this lap.

*Lap 54* - Ascari takes Hermann, as de Graffenried has a big moment at Muizon that loses quite a few seconds. Landi passes Stuck, with Wacker also following him through on the German.

*Lap 55* - Whitehead passes Salvadori as their 2nd place battle intensifies further, and Gerard can now enjoy more than 5 seconds advantage up front. The gap to Pietsch from de Graffenried is about 10 seconds now, and it seems unlikely he will be able to bridge the gap. Bauer passes Collins though, as several drivers aim to end the race on a real high!

*Lap 56* - Salvadori gets back ahead of Whitehead, with Farina only 5 seconds behind the pair of them now thanks to their combined squabbling. Pietsch passes Moss here, and Collins takes Bauer too.

*Lap 57* - Maglioli passes Farina for 4th, with Whitehead still just ahead in 3rd place. Pietsch is a couple of seconds behind the others as he fights to move into the points paying positions.

*Lap 58* - Whitehead passes Salvadori, who are now just 2 seconds ahead of Maglioli, then comes Farina 2 seconds later and Pietsch another 2 seconds further back. Collins passes Bauer on this lap too.

*Lap 59* - Pietsch passes Farina for 5th position, whilst Lang takes Hermann for 14th place too.

*Lap 60* - On a calmer final lap it is disappointment for Farina in 6th, from Moss and de Graffenried in 8th. Collins is a commendable 9th for HWM with Bauer securing an impressive top 10 position on the final lap with a pass on Claes at Muizon. The Belgian also loses out to Bira on the run down to Thillois as well.

That means the race victory goes to Gerard, from Whitehead, Salvadori, Maglioli and Pietsch who rounds out the points scorers.