Henri Cissac was a great hero of his age and yet is now sadly almost forgotten.
Champion Cyclist and World Champion Motorcyle racer and Grand Prix car racer.
Henri was a champion cyclist in the years around 1900 and raced in Europe and the USA and his success made him widely known.
In France he was considered to be the top cyclist in his country.
He was racing motorcycles soon after they were invented and was winning major races by 1901 - usually on a Peugeot.
He won many races and set many world speed records on motorcycles and this included the outright world speed record.
He set this in
July 1905 at Brighton Speed Trials - overlooking the sea on the south coast of
England.
The road had just been covered in some new experimental (at the time)
material called Tarcac - the first in England.
It cost the Council £3,000 to tarmac the road and the local's were outraged by
the spend!
Cissac was riding a special
racing Peugeot of 1,489cc with a 45 degree V twin engine.
The engine weighed
27kg and the whole bike weighed just 50kg - to comply with racing rules.
A week later a Blackpool Speed Trials he raised the world
record even higher.
The highest speed he recorded was over a flying kilo at 25.6 seconds which if
you do the maths is 87.38mph.
This was not his terminal speed over the kilo - but his average speed and he did
not have much of a run up before he entered the electronically measured kilo.
He had two people helping him push start it and it and it took 10-30 yards of
pushing before the engine took.
At speed he had to negotiate the bend by the pier, cross the ramp (that ran up
to the pier), cross the tram lines, avoid the stray dogs that were on the course
and stray "urchins".
He also had no brakes (nothing!) and did not have much distance to stop it in.
To then average the kilo at 87.38 is remarkable and he probably was doing around
100mph when he crossed the finish line.
His outright World record of 25.6 seconds = 87.38mph would remain until 1911.
At Brooklands on August 5th, Jake de Rosier on his noted Indian racer 7hp " No
21" set out to break Henri's record.
Aided by being able to build up speed by circling the track and on his record
run dropping down from the highest point of the track, finally Henri's record
was broken - just by fractions of a second.
Jake managed to shave off just 4/10th of a second from Henri's record - a speed
equal to 88.76mph.
Henri Cissac won the Brighton event the week before Blackpool and covered the
flying kilometre in just 26
seconds - equating to almost 86mph (138kph) and setting a World record.
The 2 pictures below are both taken in July 1905 at Brighton.
Below is a period article on the Peugeot
In July 1905 The AutoMotor Journal ran a multi page article about Brighton Speed Trials - the highlights are below.
The text below is from the same event and shows that the light weight of the Peugeots made them frail and difficult to get started without breaking a wheel!
1902 He won the NIce event -
From "Auromobile Topics Illustrated" April 26th 1902 Some interesting time tests were made at Nice, France, on April 8, of all classes of motor cycles and automobiles. Their straightaway times for the mile and the kilometer (.621 of a mile) were taken. In the mile trials the start was standing, and in the kilometer flying. The winners and times were: Motor tricycles—Mile, Cissac, 1 48 3-5 ; kilometer, Cissac, 0:50 1-5.
In May 1905 he won the Motorcyle Tour de France, a gruelling 2,134km long road race.
1905 July Ostend - He sets a world record and then is beaten
by his fellow Peugeot works racer. The papers say -
"A 50-kilogram machine, with a necessarily strong set of steel and tires, was
able to find an extra-light engine capable of taking him, in a crazy race, to
more than 120 kilo per hour. But in Ostend, where this record phenomenon has,
twice, been pulverized. For he was not beaten by a fifth of a second, but by a
second each time, Cissac reaching first at 127kph (28 seconds), then Giuppone,
three days later jumping to 27 s. 1/5, the staggering speed, for such a tiny
machine, of 132 kilometers. i3 52 per hour, or 37 meters per second.".
Below is Henri at Ostend. Source: La Vie au grand air : revue illustrée de tous
les sports Éditeur : P. Lafitte (Paris) Date d'édition 21st July 1905
1905 8th October he wins the Dourdan event - perhaps the
premier event in France.
Source: La Vie au grand air : revue illustrée de tous les sports Éditeur : P.
Lafitte (Paris) Date d'édition 1905-10-13)
The picture below is Cissac and said to be 1904 at Dourdan. Source bnf (Jules Beau)
L'Auto-velo 9th October 1905 pictures Henri below at Dourdan.
1906 Henri wins the famous 1km Gaillon Hill climb - it is a c10% gradient and he still manges almost 130kph
In 1905 he raced his Peugeot at
Blackpool in July 27/28 and increased his World record speed to 89.5mph (144kph) a
record that stood for many
years.
He started a standing mile and they timed the final 1,000m of the mile as a
flying kilo.
His time for the kilo was 89.5mph which is the average for the kilo so maybe he
was approaching 100 as he crosses the line in this picture.
No brakes, wooden wheel rims and whole bike weighs 50kg!
Below
is a view of the course and the winng car from the 1906 October 11/12 event.
Henri takes part but suffers a failure and Guippone wins on a 14hp Peugeot.
I think in 1906 more than one event ran at Blackpool so more to find.
Henri carried on winning motorcycle races and setting records and was again
considered to be the Champion Motorcylist of France.
His bike had absolutely no brakes and yet he rode it flat out at 90mph!
For most of the 1906 competitions the top car racer against
Henri is Algy Lee Guiness in his 200hp Darracq which was the fastest car in the
world at the time.
The Darracq is pictured below at the 1906 Dourdon event and the picture comes from Wikipedia
here
The two pcitures below are from La Vie au Grand air 3rd Nov 1906 and show the Darracq again and then Henri
This car still survives and its owner Mark Walker still uses it in a most spendid sporting fashion.
In 1907 Henri started racing cars. He was 4th in his first car race and 2nd in the next event - which is a spectacular result.
He was considered to be France's finest cyclist and France's best motorcycle racer and held the outright World motorcycle speed record and no doubt would soon become the finest car racer.
He entered his third car race - the 1908 French Grand Prix in a Panhard.
During practice for the race he was stopped by the French
police for speeding and imprisoned and only let out the day before the race!
After being let out of prison he said that he would either win the race or crash
out ... "Si Cissac ne gagne pas, Cissac claque!".
The
race was run on public roads that were gravel and dirt.
The team orders were that he should drive flat out and break
the competion and so he did for many laps having to pit to change tyres and
refuel.
On a fast part of the circuit near Sept-Meules at 1:25pm in the afternoon
and whilst travelling on a very fast downhill section of the course at around
140kph/90mph a tyre came off and he is killed instantly when his car left the
road and he hits a roadside tree.
There was much speculation that the crash was not his fault with blame being
focused upon the new type of tyre and wheels of the car.
This would seem to have been justified as a court case was brought by his widow,
ended with Panhard giving her substantial damages.
He was the first person to die in a Grand Prix and probably the only person to be arrested for speeding on a Grand Prix circuit whilst practicing for a Grand Prix!
Henri Cissac was a World Champion, French National Champion, the most noted cycle racer in France and the best Motorcycle racer in France and held the outright World Motorcycle speed record and a Grand Prix car racer - surely he should be more properly remembered?
Why my interest ... I "raced" a 1914 Triumph motorcycle at
Brighton Speed Trials in 2012 and set a world record on it and whilst doing
research saw mention of Henri - but almost nothing on the internet about him
when I started. I like restoring and riding ancient motorcycles.
I have started this page as he really should be properly remembered - as the
2018 French Grand Prix will be exactly 110 years since his death - maybe a good
time to do something?
I live in England and I am not French - so if a French person wishes to take on
this - then I think that would be fitting - I will of course help.
Henri was born in July 15th 1877 at Ivry-sur-Seine, Paris and died on July 7th 1908 at around 1:25pm near to Sept Mules.
This page is in development and being added to as we find more information. I am adding to it as I research and learn more, all information very welcome, my email is paulg@go-faster.com
If you know of any errors or would like to add to this page then please email me.
A period account of the 1905 Brighton Speed Trials is below.
I have been very kindly sent a souvenir of this 1905 event, The offcial Programme and Souvenir - below
Henri had a great love of speed that extended to four wheels and sadly that is where he expired.
He is pictured below on the fastest motorcycle in the world in its day.
1905 - 86mph. Henri Cissac - Peugeot. The worlds fastest motorcycle.
Henri is pictured below in the 1905 20th October edition of La
Vie au grand air at the Gaillon event.
They had to say "Cissac, on his 2-cylinder Peugeot.
Cissac has achieved this
extraordinary performance: the kilometer in 31 seconds, on his machine less than
50 kilos, the same time as Caters 90hp car"
The London Illustrated News of July 1905 had a photo feature on Brightons Speed Trials and used the picture below of Henri Cissac.
It is Henri, but I think it is not of him at Brighton (but him on another bike somewhere else) as it shows a wet day and the event was dry and dusty.
His Brighton performance was not a one off either, as he seemed to do very well at many speed events in 1905.
Prior to his run in the summer of 1905 at Brighton he had earlier (pre Feb 05) set the hour record for motorcycles at 54 miles and 1058 yards.
Henri Cissac was not new to setting world records, as the cutting below from The Sydney Morning Herald of December 26th 1901 shows.
Below is a medal that Henri Cissac was awarded for a 1st place in a 1901 race - almost certainly the one above. Image kindly proved by the medals owner Skip Lane.
In August 1903 the papers reported "THE MILE-A-MINUTE. MARIC. The astonishing speed of a mile a minute was actually attained by Cissac, the French rider, on the Buffalo track, Paris, recently,. under circumstances which are somewhat amusing. Marius the wonderful successful motor cyclist, was defeated by Cissac in a race for motor bicycles, but, feeling dissatisfied, straight away issued a challenge to all and sundry. On-the following day, while he was en joying an after-dinner siesta, Cissac burst into his apartment, and, throwing 200 fiancs on the table, exclaimed, "I'll take you on. Cover my money. We will run' the race now, within 10 minutes.", lie was not prepared just then, but Anzani, aniother rider, obtained permission. from :The-to use his motor bicycle, covered the deposits, and the combatants forthwith adjourned to 'the Buffalo track, followed by an excited throng, amongst whom was Major Taylor. Sixteen horse-power mo tors were used. A terrifice pace was set, the spectators, Major Taylor espe cially, becoming wildly excited. After a few laps had been run, Anzani, seeing hlis'opportunity, shot down in front of Cissae, who in turn was obliged to go up the banking; Then lie let his engine out, and covered three miles in 3min. 1 1-isee., eventually winning the match. After claiming the 400 francs, lie and his friends repaired to a cafe, where lie regaled them with champagne. The leg-driven bicycle continues to get faster and faster, so much so 'that in the light of to-day the attainment of a mile within the min ute does not seem to be without the realm of probability. As the best judges admit, it is almost entirely a matter of a good man and gilt edged pacing, and some day the right combination will be struck and the wonderful feat accomplished. It is interesting to recall that it is only a little more than 20 years since thel mile was ridden in 3min., and less than 10 years since J, S, Johnson put the record at 2min. Only last month Walthour rode the last mile of five in lmin 12sec. The present record for the mile 1 min 16sec., held by Coete" Clearly Cissac had a need for speed!
The Sydney Morning herald of 2nd February 1905 reported"Henri Cissac, the holder of the world's hour motor cycle record of 54 miles 1058 yards, intends making an onslaught on the 100 kilometre distance on the Parc des Princes track. He has had a special machine built for the purpose, and in a recent trial reeled off miles under 60s for each The French and English public are wondering when a limit will be put on the ever increasing numbers of monster engined motor bicycles."
I suspect that the "special machine" mentioned above is the "monster" pictured above and was so probably made just to take records.
The Sydney Morning Herald of 13th June 1906 reported "Faster speeds have been accomplished on straightaway tracks, for H. Cissac, of Paris, has covered on the Blackpool Esplanade (England) a flying kilometre (1093 yards) in 25 seconds, equal to 89½ miles an hour, and a standing start mile in 50 1-5s (71 17 miles an hour)".
In 1906 he won a Hill Climb at Gallion, France and was clocked at over 80mph on the 1 in 10 gradient.
Henri Cissacs final race was the 1908 Grand Prix, below in his monster Panhard car before the race.
The period reports refer to the accident as a tyre coming off and tangling in the chain drive and the picture below would seem to show him in the pits changing that wheel.
It may have been the new Michelin detachable rims that caused the issue, they were a relatively new idea although other reports blame a puncture for the crash.
Henri was friends with the noted racer Maurice Farman and they
had raced together on tandem cycles.
As Maurice had been racing Panhard cars since for many years it would seem
likely that it was an involvement of Maurice that led Henri away from Peugeot -
maybe and joined the Panhard three car team for this race - Maurice was driving
one of the other cars.
At the 1909 Florida speed event the fastest that a motorcycle managed was Walter Goerke riding an Indian at 86mph.
This would have only equalled Cissac's Brighton Speed and not bettered the 89.5 mph that Henri recorded at Blackpool, UK in 1906.
So Henri's World record was still standing at the start of
1910 as The MotorCycle, UK in its January 3rd 1910 edition had the
following list of all records.
You can see that many of Henri's and the 12/14hp Peugeot's are still standing
from 1905/6.
You can read my ramblings about "racing" my old motorcycles:
http://www.go-faster.com/BrightonSpeedTrials2012.html
