Very rare game from the amazing "Collection Pierre & Bilou". It represents a paced race where cyclists are paced by cars (instead of dernys, or even tandems, which was not unusual in the interwar period).

It seems that this race actually took place at least once, and that it was discontinued because a car driver (not a cyclist!) died in an accident. While the first part is probably true (Monthléry is an automobile racetrack outside Paris which held races since 1924 and which, by the way, was famous as a speed record-breaking centre), I would not be so sure aboout the second.

Unfortunately we do not have the rules of the game. All we know is that there are 5 teams composed of a car and a rider, one wooden counter per team, and that the game is played with a (single?) die.

The fifteen fields under "Affichage" on the left of the pelouse are most probably used to count the laps (thus the race would last three laps) while the 5 long rectangles on the right labelled "Dépannage" fit the cars too well not to be a garage where cars stay some after falling on one of the "panne de moteur" squares.

 

"Départ des Entraineurs", obviously, is the starting square for pacing cars (while cyclists probably start at the finishing line). So it is obvious that there must be a movement rule for non-paced riders and another for paced riders (and maybe even one for cars  if not followed by a cyclist).

"Chute" and "Crevaison" fields are quite usual in cycling games. I would bet they mean "Stay one turn" and "Stay two turns" (or vice versa).

"Reprise" fields, on the other hand, are not so clear to me. My guess isthat they are positive fields where cyclists regain contact with the pacing car in case they have lost it.

An oddity is the fact that there is a mark on every other field except in the curves, which do not have incidents, while there is no other indication that might lead us to think of a special rule in the curves.

 

 

The only game I know which features a motor paced race is the 1964 Campionati Mondiale di Ciclismo (by Corriere dei Piccoli). Though obviously the rules of this game cannot "imported" straight away to Monthléry Record, they can be a good starting point to build a playable set of rules for this game.

Suggestions welcome!

Unless you have a copy of the rules, of course. Then please contact me!!!

The first to send a picture or scan  of the rules of this game will receive a nice present... like the French say, a "pétillant" one.