The Circuit des Nations ("Circuit of the Nations") was a street circuit between Lake Geneva and the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. It hosted the Grand Prix de Nations, similar to a Formula One race; the Grand Prix de Genève, similar to a Formula Two race; and various championship events. The first Grand Prix de Genève was held in Meyrin in 1931 and won by Marcel Lehoux, racing for Bugatti.
Geneva race track (Switzerland) The Geneva race track Map was established in the 1930s between the lake (Geneva) and the Nations square following the closure of the nearby Circuit de Meyrin.
The circuit hosted some local motorcycling events before holding its first international event, the 1938 Swiss motorcycle Grand Prix. Racing at the track was suspended during World War II and international competition resumed in 1946 when a number of Grand-Prix races on both two and four wheels were held on this track. In total, five major car races and four major motorcycle races happened on this track between 1938 and 1950.
The original length of the track for the 1938 event was stated as . Over the years small changes were made to the track layout until the track was significantly lengthened for the 1950 event by cutting out the hairpin on Avenue de France and replacing it by two long straits on both sides of Route de Lausanne, connected by a 180-degree hairpin.
Key pilots came here to compete, among them Giuseppe Farina, Raymond Sommer, Maurice Trintignant, Juan Manuel Fangio, Prince Bira (who had established residency, in Geneva).
The closest race tracks were Aix-les-Bains – France (Circuit du Lac) and Lausanne (Circuit du Léman or Blécherette). All were temporary urban race tracks that disappeared shortly after the Le Mans accident in 1955, or before.
Date Race Race track Category Lap length July 17, 1938 15th Swiss motorcycle Grand Prix Circuit des Nations 250cc, 350cc, 500cc, sidecar (600cc) July 14, 1946 16th Swiss motorcycle Grand Prix Circuit des Nations 250cc, 350cc, 500cc, sidecar July 21, 1946 1st Grand Prix des Nations Circuit des Nations Grand Prix FIA May 2, 1948 2nd Grand Prix de Genève Circuit des Nations Formula 2 FIA, non-championship May 2, 1948 2nd Grand Prix des Nations Circuit des Nations Formula 1 FIA, non-championship May 16, 1948 18th Swiss motorcycle Grand Prix Circuit des Nations 250cc, 350cc, 500cc, sidecar July 23, 1950 20th Swiss motorcycle Grand Prix Circuit des Nations 250cc, 350cc, 500cc, sidecar July 30, 1950 3rd Grand Prix de Genève Circuit des Nations Formula 2 FIA, non-championship July 30, 1950 3rd Grand Prix des Nations Circuit des Nations Formula 1 FIA, non-championship
1st Grand Prix des Nations FIA Grand Prix, Circuit des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland – July 21, 1946
44 laps of the urban race track (short version) of , or , at an average speed of .
Position Pilot Car1 Giuseppe Farina Alfa Romeo 1582 Carlo Felice Trossi Alfa Romeo 1583 Jean-Pierre Wimille Alfa Romeo 1584 Tazio Nuvolari Maserati 4CL5 Emmanuel de Graffenried Maserati 4CL6 Prince Bira ERA B7 Achille Varzi Alfa Romeo 1588 Raymond Sommer Maserati 4CLDNF George Abecassis AltaDNF Reg Parnell Maserati 4CLDNF Luigi Villoresi Maserati 4CL
2nd Grand Prix de Genève FIA Formula 2, non-championship race, Circuit des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland – May 2, 1948
70 laps of the urban race track (short version) , or , at an average speed of .
Position Pilot TeamCar1 Raymond Sommer Équipe Gordini Simca-Gordini T112 Prince Bira Équipe Gordini Simca-Gordini T113 Robert Manzon Équipe Gordini Simca-Gordini T114 Harry Schell Écurie Bleue Cisitalia D46-Fiat5 "Robert" Écurie Pano Cisitalia D46-Fiat6 Claude Bernheim Écurie Autosport Cisitalia D46-FiatDNF Raymond de Saugé Raymond de Saugé Destrez Cisitalia D46-FiatDNF Carlo Pesci Carlo Pesci Cisitalia D46-FiatDNF Roger Loyer Écurie de Paris Cisitalia D46-FiatDNF Maurice Trintignant Équipe Gordini Simca-Gordini T11DNF Hans Stuck Hans Stuck Cisitalia D46-FiatDNF Rudolf Fischer Écurie Espadon (en) présentation Simca-Gordini T11DQ Walter Triverio Écurie Pano Cisitalia D46-Fiat
2nd Grand Prix des Nations FIA Formula 1, non-championship race, Circuit des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland – May 2, 1948
80 laps of the urban race track (short version) or , at an average speed of .
Position Pilot Car1 Giuseppe Farina Maserati 4CLT2 Emmanuel de Graffenried Maserati 4CL3 Raymond Sommer Ferrari 166SC4 Eugène Chaboud Delahaye 135S5 Henri Louveau Delage D6.706 Clemar Bucci Maserati 4CLDNF Jean-Pierre Wimille Simca-Gordini T15DNF Charles Pozzi Talbot-Lago T150CDNF Louis Rosier Talbot-Lago 150SSDNF Yves Giraud-Cabantous Talbot-Lago 150CDNF Nello Pagani Maserati 4CLDNF Luigi Villoresi Maserati 4CLDNF Luigi Fagioli Maserati 4CLDNF Maurice Trintignant Simca-Gordini T15DNF Prince Bira Maserati 4CLDNF Richard Ramseyer Maserati 4CLDNF Louis Chiron Talbot-Lago T26 SS
3rd Grand Prix de Genève FIA Formula 2, non-championship race, Circuit des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland – July 30, 1950
45 laps of the urban race track or , at an average speed of .
Position Pilot Team Car1 Maurice Trintignant Équipe Gordini Simca-Gordini T152 André Simon Equipe Gordini Simca-Gordini T153 Dorino Serafini Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 166F24 Roberto Mieres Automovil Club Argentina Maserati 4CLT/485 André Canonica André Canonica Simca-Gordini T116 Lance Macklin HW Motors Ltd. HWM/Alta7 Alfred Dattner Alfred Dattner Simca-Gordini T118 Luigi Villoresi Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 166F29 Toni Branca Mme. Walckiers Simca-Gordini T1510 "Robert" Écurie Paris Cisitalia D46/FiatDNF Mario Tadini Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 166F2DNF Aldo Gordini Équipe Gordini Simca-Gordini T15DNF Roger Loyer Écurie Paris Simca-Gordini T16DNF Paul Glauser Écurie Suisse Veritas MeteorDNF Alexander Orley Alexander Orley Veritas MeteorDNF George Abecassis HW Motors Ltd. HWM/AltaDNF Ernesto Tornqvist Équipe Gordini Simca-Gordini T11DNF Harry Schell Horschell Racing Corporation Cooper T12/JAP
3rd Grand Prix des Nations FIA Formula 1, non-championship race, Circuit des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland – July 30, 1950
68 laps of the urban race track or , at an average speed of .
Position Pilot Car1 Juan Manuel Fangio Alfa Romeo 1582 Emmanuel de Graffenried Alfa Romeo 1583 Piero Taruffi Alfa Romeo 1584 Alberto Ascari Ferrari 1255 Yves Giraud-Cabantous Talbot-Lago T26C6 Giuseppe Farina Alfa Romeo 1587 Robert Manzon Simca-Gordini T158 Louis Chiron Maserati 4CLT-489 Luigi Villoresi Ferrari 12510 Johnny Claes Talbot-Lago T26C11 Felice Bonetto Maserati Milano 4CLT-5012 Franco Rol Maserati 4CLT-4813 Toni Branca Maserati 4CLDNF Raymond Sommer Talbot-Lago T26CDNF Reg Parnell Maserati 4CLT-48DNF Prince Bira Maserati 4CLT-48DNF David Murray Maserati 4CLT-48DNF Gianfranco Comotti Maserati Milano 4CLT-50DNF Harry Schell Maserati 4CLT-48DNF José Froilán González Maserati 4CLT-48
Swiss motorcycle Grand Prix winners by year
Year 250cc 350cc 500cc Sidecar ReportRiderManufacturerRiderManufacturerRiderManufacturerRiderManufacturer 1950 Dario Ambrosini Benelli Leslie Graham AJS Leslie Graham AJS Eric Oliver/Lorenzo Dobelli Norton Report 1948 Dario Ambrosini Benelli Artie Bell Norton Harold Daniell Norton Hans Haldemann/ Herbert Läderach Norton Report 1946 Celeste Cavaciuti Moto Guzzi Walther Hess Velocette Nello Pagani Gilera Ferdinand Aubert/ Rudi Grob Norton Report 1938 Ewald Kluge DKW Harold Daniell Norton Harold Daniell Norton Arthur Horton/ Les Seals Norton Report Source:
Cancellation Towards the end of the third Grand Prix des Nations (1950), the engine of Alberto Ascari's Ferrari 340 blew up, pouring oil onto the corner at the end of the Avenue de la Paix. Behind him Luigi Villoresi, in a Ferrari 275, could not avoid the oil, his car skidded, went over the security barrier and ploughed into the crowd. Three spectators were killed; (en) Circuit des Nations – détails of the accident another twenty were injured. Villoresi survived with a severely fractured leg.
After this tragedy, stemming like others from the use of street circuits ill-adapted to increasingly high-speed motor racing, the organisers cancelled the following year's event. Geneva would never again host a Grand Prix race.
In 1958 motor racing was banned altogether by the Swiss government as an unsafe spectator sport following the death of 80 people at the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans race.
References
Ultimate Racing History 8W Forix.com (es) 3ème Grand Prix des Nations 1950