Round the houses racing is not a new development, though there has been a resurgence in the last few years. For me, circuits around the houses offer little opportunity for cars to pass each other, and every opportunity to have a nasty meeting with a wall!
The first round the houses event for cars was in 1929, in the tiny principality of Monaco. History does not tell us whose idea it was to run the “F1” cars of the day, but it is still on the F1 calendar, even though it is now quite unsuitable for today’s F1 cars.
Monaco
Interestingly, the first Grand Prix Automobile de Monaco was an invitation only event, and was truly international, with Bugatti well represented, and Mercedes sent their leading driver, Rudolf Caracciola, to drive a Mercedes SSK. Another driver who competed using a pseudonym was “Georges Philippe”, the Baron Philippe de Rothschild (did he supply the champagne, I wonder). Louis Chiron, the Monegasque, was unable to compete, having a prior commitment to compete in the Indianapolis 500 on the same day, but Chiron did compete the following year, finishing second, and took victory in the 1931 race driving a Bugatti. For many years after he retired, he was to wave the checkered flag in Monaco.
Bang Saen
While Monaco continued, it was not until 1954 that we had another round the houses event, this time in Macau. A very difficult circuit known for its demanding nature, with walls around it to catch the unwary, or the overconfident. The organizers were aware of these dangers and the narrowness of the track in places and restricted the entries to F3 cars. Monaco should have paid attention, but did not.
Then in 2007, Thailand got its own round the houses event at Bang Saen. I have raced there (twice) and it remains a difficult and dangerous track, but nevertheless, great fun!
