Monday 20 September 2010

"TEXI": Winner of the 24 Hour Race at Spa, Belgium

This is from El Mundo Deportivo on 13th July 1932 (my translation):

A Catalan has won in Belgium too!


"TEXI", winner of the 24 Hours race at Spa, Belgium, turns out to be Pepe Texidor, a Catalan motorist, from the heroic times.

When the GP classification was posted for the Belgium 24 hours, we did not think that one of the partners in the winning team in the 4-litre category was a Catalan sportsman, who made his first campaigns on motorbikes and Morgall sidecars, in the heroic times of our motoring history.

Texi, who teamed up with Narischkine, is none other than Pepe Texidor, intensely involved in motorcycling sport at the time of Armangué, Ferran, Arruga, Romano, Orus ... and the initial bursts of enthusiasm and initiative at the Moto Club and at Penya Rhin.

Then, Texidor went abroad and devoted himself there to another sport speciality, which he had cultivated here too: tennis.

He held several posts in France as coach, then moved to Belgium, where in Brussels, with Mr Narischkine, they have several "courts".

When the 24-hour race at Spa was announced, the two partners agreed to sign up with an old Alfa Romeo from 1926, 3.6 litres.

And with this old car the team Texi/Narischkine, took first place in the 4-litre category, after a tough race, in a way special for big cars given the characteristics of the circuit.

And so, it is like Pepe Texidor has made a brilliant re-entry into racing, winning one of the most important tests of speed and endurance.

Notes:

  1. Pepe Texidor is my great uncle, 'Jose Maria Texidor y Catasus'.  (In the race he is under Jean Marie Texidor).
  2. Vladimir Narichkine is his racing partner.
  3. It appears they came 10th overall.  But came 1st in the 4-litre category.
  4. The car number could be No. 22.
  5. The car was an Alfa Romeo RLTF L6 3600cc
  6. Martin Armangue is his brother-in-law, and was married to my great aunt, Maria Texidor Catasus.
  7. It is reported that he taught tennis to the Belgian Royal Family.

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