1920 Ballot 3LR

The first Indianapolis 500 race had a spectacular purse of $25,000, earning it the privileged status of automobile races. The following year, the purse was raised to $50,000. Along with the accolades that go along with winning, the prize money was appealing. It attracted entrants from all over the world, with the third year (1913) and sixth year being won by a Peugeot, a Delage in 1914, and Mercedes in 1915.

Gabriel Ernest Maurice and his brother Edouard Ballot were French engine builders who originally produced engines for ships and cars. They provided the engines to automobile manufacturers, including Delage. The company flourished during World War I as it produced aero engines for the French government. When peacetime resumed, the brothers expanded their business with the development of complete automobiles. As was common practice, racing was the preferred marketing tool to demonstrate the capabilities of their product. To ensure success, they enlisted the services of engineer Ernest Henry, who had worked at Peugeot and helped with the design and development of the first four-valve per cylinder head.

Four cars were built in secrecy for the 1919 Indy 500. They were closely based on the 1914 Peugeot Voiturette and powered by a straight-eight dual-overhead-cam engine and equipped with bucket cam followers. Henry had joined Ballot in early 1919 and had less than four months to design and build a completely new racing car. He managed to complete the task, but there was little time for testing and further development. During practice runs at Indy, driver Rene Thomas quickly proved the Ballot was among the fastest on the track, with a qualifying time of 104.7 mph, breaking all previous qualifying records by five mph. Thomas was a veteran driver of the Indy 500. During his racing career, he would compete at Indy on four occasions, winning on his inaugural attempt while driving a Delage.

Although the car was fast, the final drive ratio they selected proved ill-suited for the Indy oval and had not brought along alternative drives. Smaller tires were fitted to compensate, but this only introduced new issues. A broken wheel brought an end to one of the Ballots on lap number 44 and another crashed for the same reason on lap number 63. The remaining two cars finished 4th and 11th (Thomas was 11th). A Ballot vehicle driven by Thomas also finished second in the 1919 Targa Florio.

The 1919 Indy 500 had been a valuable lesson for the Ballot team. For the 1920 race, Henry's engines continued to grow in sophistication. The valve-gear design was improved and no longer had the valve springs exposed. The enclosed valve spring design would be used in multi-camshaft engines for many years that followed. Henry had also decreased the displacement to 2,973cc, which had been necessary to comply with rule changes. The engine, producing nearly 110 horsepower at 3,800 RPM, was installed in a steel ladder frame, a lightweight aluminum body, and a suspension system comprised of semi-elliptic leaf springs and twin friction dampers. Drum brakes provided the stopping power, which the riding mechanic could adjust.

Thomas qualified in 18th place, after having crashed in practice, with a speed of 93.950 mph. When the checkered flag fell, he was in second place, followed by two other Ballots in fifth and seventh places.

At the 1921 French Grand Prix, the three-liter Ballots finished in second and third place. A few months later, at the inaugural Italian Grand Prix, Jules Goux earned Ballot this greatest success by winning the race. The Ballots would continue to race during the 1922 season, but the greatest accomplishments had already been achieved. They were ineligible to race during the 1923 season after rule changes limited the displacement size to two liters. Instead, they focused their attention on the production of road-going vehicles.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2019