1908 Monaco Regatta
Aftermath of Monaco
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Under the title of "Reflections of Monaco," The Motor Boat, of London, has the following to say:
"Officially the Monaco meeting was by no means a record-breaking one, for last year the times of Panhard-Tellier in the big racer class and in the Championship of the Sea were respectively 54 m. 27 s. and 3 h. 33 m. 4 s., as compared with Wolseley-Siddeley's 56 m. 17 s. and Panhard-Levassor's 3 h. 49 m. 2 s. this season. On paper, therefore, last year's champion was about one knot faster than Panhard-Levassor or Wolseley-Siddeley. Now, Panhard-Tellier, it will be remembered, had two engines of exactly the same type as the four motors installed in this year's winner, and her total displacement was about three tons, so that it does not seem at all probable that she could have been as fast as this year's boat. Admittedly, last year's courses were short, but even so according to official times the speeds of 1907 were at least as good as those of 1908.
"As a matter of fact we do not think that any boat yet built can really be considered to have approached the standard of either Panhard-Levassor or the Wolseley-Siddeley.
"Between the two boats it is extremely difficult to draw a comparison, for, admitting the French boat's magneto trouble in the 50-kilometers race, the two champions have never raced on equal terms for sprints over the mile and kilometer, Wolseley being a non-starter in the championship race, while Panhard was hors de combat in the racer's handicap.
"Therefore, though the French boat probably has the advantage of half a knot or so on a short burst--that, at least, is what the flying kilometer times seem to show--it still remains to be decided which is the better boat in a long race."
Wolseley-Siddeley, the English challenger for the International trophy, won the pearl of the Mediterranean race at Palermo on April 19. The course was 100 kilometers, and Wolseley-Siddeley's time was 1 h. 53 m., or at a speed of 28.6 knots. The second boat to finish was Jeannette, a boat equipped with a 170-hp. Itala motor.
(Transcribed from MotorBoat, May 10, 1908, p. 22. )
[Thanks to Greg Calkins for help in preparing this page. —LF]
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