Charles Jarrott OBE (66), England’s first successful racing motorist died


Tuesday 4th January 1944

Charles Jarrott OBE (66), England’s first successful racing motorist died. Jarrott raced from 1900 to 1904, winning the 1902 Circuit des Ardennes race and competing in the 1903 and 1904 Gordon Bennett Cup races. In 1901 he finished 10th in the Paris–Berlin Trail, driving a Panhard et Levassor No 13, and completing the 1105 km in 19 hours and 59 seconds.The following year he finished 3rd in the Paris–Arras–Paris race, driving a Panhard et Levassor No 3, and completing the 864 km in 13 hours 4 minutes and 12 seconds. He later entered the Paris–Vienna Trail (sometimes described as the VII Grand Prix de l’A.C.F.) where he finished 23rd in the Panhard et Levassor number 8, completing the 990 km in 20 hours, 44 minutes and 12 seconds. Jarrott’s greatest success was winning the 1902 Circuit des Ardennes in the Panhard et Levassor against such notable opponents as Camille Jenatzy, Fernard Gabriel and Count Eliot Zborowski. the 6 lap, 512 km race at Bastogne in car number 8, taking 5 hours, 53 minutes 39 seconds. Jarrott had inherited the lead on lap 3 after Baron Pierre de Crawhez retired in his Mors Z.In 1903 he finished 3rd in the Paris–Madrid Trail race (The Race of Death), driving a De Dietrich car No 1, and completing the 1,014 km until the race was abandoned at Bordeaux in 5 hours 25 minutes and 55 seconds.[6] But he failed to finish in the Circuit des Ardennes at Bastogne after his de Dietrich No 4 suffered multiple tire failures. In 1904 Jarrott entered the Gordon Bennett Cup Eliminator, the (I Eliminatoires Françaises de la Coupe Internationale) that was held in the Forest of Argonne, but his de Dietrich 24/28 hp, Car No 21, retired after 5 laps with mechanical problems. He co-founded a car import firm in 1902 and was a founder member of the Automobile Association (the AA), serving as chairman in 1922.


Leave a Reply

365 Days Of Motoring

Recent Posts

Categories

Disclaimer

I We have no wish to abuse copyright regulations and we apologise unreservedly if this occurs. If you own any of the material published please get in touch.