Albert Derancourt, Speed Record?

[David Stepney]

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. ??

From the fact that he was 40 when he died, I would surmise his birthday would have been between Jan and July.

[Tony Press]

Thanks, my silly question.

[jansens]

I found this on Albert. It's in French: http://www.leparisien.fr/essonne/albert-...514889.php

I had trouble getting the page to translate and had to manually run it through Google but it came up with this, somewhat mangled, translation:

Albert Derancourt, the youngest pilot in the world
> Ile-de-France & Oise> Essonne | July 20, 2000, 0:00 | 0
WHILE AT THE AGE OF 6, children leave the sandboxes to take, in the tears and skirts of their mothers, the way to school, Albert Derancourt, he, spends his time in his car of race, a Salmson. Born in 1915, holder of the driving license in 1921 (there was no age restriction at the time), the young Albert is the youngest driver in the world. His notoriety quickly exceeds the setting of Etampes. At 7 years old, he is driving more than 130 km / h on the Autodrome de Montlhéry. At the age of 8, he won the Paris-La Baule Rally and learned to drive to Warrant Officer Bonnet, world record holder for speed on the plane. At 16, he won the Englishman Austin the world record with a peak at 210 km / h. Reconverted in aviation, monitor in Villacoublay (Yvelines), he died in an accident on August 21, 1955, at the age of 40, while giving a course he should never have given. Francoise, his widow, tells the beginnings of the early driver. "He learned on his own. His father discovered the pot with roses when he entered the garage one morning. The car had changed location and a stain of oil adorned the ground. Albert practiced secretly in the garage. "Driving in cars for adults, Albert Derancourt does not hesitate to use blocks under his feet to grow and reach the pedals. It disappears almost completely when it brakes.
He's shooting a movie in Hollywood
The foreign press seizes the phenomenon. The Americans invite him for a series of exhibitions. He even shot a film, not distributed in France, in Hollywood, with Jackie Coogan, a child star movie (he played in particular in "The Kid", Charlie Chaplin). Otherwise, his schedule is, outside the classes, to walk the "queens of beauty" of Etampes in the various official events. He also exercises his talents in exhibitions where he practices gymkhana. During one of these events, Albert Derancourt must, among other things, maintain the balance of his car on a wooden board, itself placed on a roll. Testimony of her celebrity, Françoise shows the correspondence of American boxer Jack Dempsey. On the eve of a match, Dempsey, world heavyweight champion in 1919, described, with admiration, his meeting with the "little Frenchman". Currently, the town hall of Etampes plans to give the name of the young driver to one of the streets of the town.

And according to this his mother was a driver too: https://speedqueens.blogspot.com/2016/12...court.html

This mentions another race she was in in 1927 (which also had W Williams driving): http://www.kolumbus.fi/leif.snellman/gp2705.htm

Simon

[David Stepney]

Jansens.

I'm clearly 'busted' as that article in Le Parisien is where I got my information from. Thanks for having taken the time and trouble ( and having the courage!) to translate it.

[jansens]

Hi David, there isn't much info on him at all that I could find. And the sources all seem to come from each other. I couldn't find any information about him being in any films except for a link in an old newspaper where it is mentioned apparently. I'll see if I can post the picture of that later. The paper was the Lethbridge Herald, from Alberta, Canada on the 6th Feb, 1925.

Simon

[GrahamRobbins]

Here he is with Maman in 1926, from the National Library of France (https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b5...k=150215;2).