The early part of the last century saw the pioneering days of motor racing, with the great inter-city races being replaced by Grands Prix on shorter courses. The people who drove the cars were a breed apart, and many drivers paid the ultimate price. David Bruce-Brown, Frank Lockhart and Guy Moll were three exceptional talents of the pre-war era.
David Bruce-Brown (1887-1912)
The 1908 Daytona Speed Trials was the stage on which David Bruce-Brown announced his talent to an unsuspecting racing world. Initially attending as a mechanic, Bruce-Brown managed to arrange a drive for himself. His ability was immediately evident, as he broke the existing record on his way to winning the event.
By the following year the young man was regularly beating established stars, including Ralph DePalma. At the 1910 American Grand Prize, held in Savannah, he confirmed his superiority, winning in a Benz. 1911 brought the inaugural Indianapolis 500-mile race, and once again Bruce-Brown was to to the fore, eventually finishing third in a FIAT.
Bruce-Brown also proved that the was more than a match for Europe’s racing elite during 1911, when he competed in the ACF Grand Prix at Dieppe, France. In the prestigious two-day event he was leading comfortably after the first day. A stray dog ruined his chance of overall victory, however, and he was not classified due to a refuelling infringement.
1911 saw Bruce-Brown win his second American Grand Prize but it was at the same event in 1912 that his brief but brilliant career was to end, at the age of just 25.. During practice his FIAT went off the road and overturned in a ditch. Both Bruce-brown and his riding mechanic, Tony Scudalari, died later in hospital.
Frank Lockhart (1903-1928)
Like David Bruce-Brown before him, Frank Lockhart made an instant impact in a major event. The race was the 1926 Indianapolis 500. Although Lockhart had a successful history of dirt-track racing few could have predicted his brilliant performance on his first visit to the Brickyard.
Replacing Peter Krais in a Miller, Lockhart started the race from 20th on the grid. By lap 60 he was in the lead, only for the race to be stopped a short time later due to rain. At the restart Lockhart continued to lead before the rain returned and the race was halted for good. As a winner of America’s most prestigious race Lockhart was catapulted to stardom, but any added pressure did not show in his driving. Over the next two seasons he won a total of nine AA (American Automobile Association) races.
Lockhart was not only a talented driver. He was also a brilliant engineer, and in 1927 he started a relationship with the Stutz company with the aim of breaking the Land Speed Record. The partnership suceeded in breaking the record that year, recording an average of 164.28 mph.
In 1928 Lockhart aimed to raise the record further with the beautiful Stutz 'Blackhawk Special', much of which he designed himself. Despite a relatively small engine compared to other competitors the car was very qucik, although the team suffered a setback in February when Lockhart crashed on Daytona Beach.
With the car rebuilt hopes were high for a record-breaking run at Daytona on April 25th, 1928. Instead, disaster struck as the Stutz somersaulted to destruction, throwing the hapless Lockhart out. America had lost one of its best racing drivers and most innovative engineers. Stutz were so shocked that the company withdrew from racing.
Guy Moll (1910-1934)
Despite only being active in international racing for two seasons Guy Moll created enough of an impression to be compared by Enzo Ferrari to the great Mantuan, Tazio Nuvolari. In the 2002 book, 'Enzo Ferrari, A Life', by Richard Williams, published by Yellow Jersey Press, the author quotes Ferrari:
"In fact he resembled Nuvolari in certain singular mental traits, in his aggressive spirit, in the calm assurance with which he drove and in the equanimity with which he was prepared to face death."
Moll was Algerian, his mother and father having emigrated there. His first race was in 1932, driving a Lorraine-Dietrich. So impressed was fellow Algerian racer Marcel Lehoux that he took the young Moll under his wing. A Bugatti was acquired for Moll to race. He showed exceptional speed in the car but was blighted by reliability throughout the remainder of 1932.
For 1933 Moll found himself at the wheel of an Alfa-Romeo Monza. Once again, he showed great pace but an international victory eluded him. This would change in spectacular fashion the following year. Having signed for Scuderia Ferrari Moll won his first race for the team at Monaco, following it up with a victory at Avus. It is hard to imagine two more contrasting circuits.
At the daunting Pescara circuit on August 15th, 1934, Moll was running flat-out on a straight section when his Alfa encountered a cross-wind. The resulting accident claimed the life of perhaps the greatest lost talent of the pre-war era.
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