Albert Derancourt, Speed Record?

[Duncan Grimmond]

Another lady driver, fro the ATF site in a very nice Salmson

[stuartu]

Duncan, the lady driver in the Salmson would seem to be called Albert. Just thought I'd say.

Regards,
Stuart

[Duncan Grimmond]

Oops, must get round to booking that eye test!

[JonE]

8 years old too. Is that suggesting he has a record for speed, or just for driving?

[Nick Salmon]

Re - Duncan Grimmond's earlier post of a picture of the Salmson and the 'lady' driver.

Duncan - There's something very interesting about this...

A bit of digging reveals that Albert Derancourt was the son of 'Albertine' Derancourt, a pre-war lady racing driver and contemporary of Helle Nice 'The Bugatti Queen'. 

His mother was born in 1886 as Marie Leonie Ponchon and married M. Derancourt who owned a garage at Etampes, 50kms south of Paris. Whether Albertine was a nickname or whether she actually changed her name is unclear but her son, Albert, born in 1915, was giving public driving demonstrations (in a Salmson) at the age of 6 and became extremely well known in France and in America - where Hollywood gave him a role in a Jackie Coogan film.

At 7 years of age he drove at 130kms/hr at Montlhery. Then, at 16, he apparently captured a world speed record (210kms/hr) in an Austin! Of this endeavour, I can find nothing. Does anyone know more?

Albert died in a flying accident in 1955.

[David Stepney]

Nick,

Albert Derancourt was born in 1915. His first driving demonstration was in 1921. I don't know his actual birth date, but he was 40 when he died in August 1955.

[Nick Salmon]

Corrected. Thanks David. Now we need to find out about that speed record in an Austin.

[MartinH]

All fascinating stuff. Whatever the speed record was for young Albert in an Austin it wasn't the World Speed Record. Albert would be 16 in 1931 and by that time Seagrave and Campbell had pushed the world record to just short of 400 kph.
Coincidentally 1931 saw Gwenda Stewart take an Austin 7 to 100mph at the Montlhery circuit. 109.06 mph over 5 miles, but the crank gave way when attempting a longer record.

[Nick Salmon]

Hi Martin. I am certain that the reference to the world speed record will be for a class rather than outright.

[Steve kay]

Mme Derancourt is mentioned in WB's history of Monthlery as racing in 1927, but of young Albert I can find no reference.  A.I.A.C.R do not record him as being the conducteur of any car holding any class records. I am sure that half the Seven owners not hard at work will already have found pictures of Albert, including this one in Maman's Salmson. Now, where have I put the workshop key, I really must get out more.