Phoenix Park Motor Races

Two important Phoenix Park Trophies to be Auctioned on July 14th 2026.

English auction house Woolley & Wallis will be auctioning off two trophies that were awarded at the first Irish International Grand Prix races in July 1929. Both trophies were class awards won by the Alfa Romeo team driven by overall Grand Prix winner Boris Ivanovsky.

The trophies are two of six class trophies presented in total and were known as The Athy Cups. The design of the three-handled trophies was inspired by Celtic motifs from the Book of Kells are are solid silver.

Both are engraved as presented to F.W. Stiles who was a UK importer of Alfa Romeos between the two World Wars and entered many cars for races, including the first Alfa Romeo that raced at Le Mans.

The links to both trophies are below. Auctioneer's estimate
1,500 GBP - 2,000 GBP. Happy bidding!!

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Boris Ivanovsky was born in 1893 in Ashgabat (now Turkmenistan) into a middle-class family in a provincial city of the Russian Empire. As a young man he trained as an engineer, developing an early fascination with internal combustion engines that flourished during and after World War I. The social upheavals of the 1917 revolutions redirected many technical professionals, and Ivanovsky who was by then was an officer of the Russian Imperial Guard, found opportunities in the emergent Soviet automotive workshops and transport departments, where skilled mechanics and engineers were in demand.

By the early 1920s, as motorsport in Europe resumed after wartime interruption, Ivanovsky’s mechanical skill and competitive temperament drew him toward organized racing. Travel and international competition were complicated for Soviet citizens, so his early career took a distinctive path—racing in domestic endurance trials, reliability runs, and government-sponsored speed tests intended to demonstrate the robustness of Soviet vehicles and training cadres. He became known for his ability to coax performance from modest machines, combining mechanical ingenuity with bold, steady driving.

Ivanovsky’s reputation grew through regional events: cross-country rallies across the Russian steppe, hill climbs around the Urals, and long-distance relay runs that tested both driver and machine. He favored modified touring cars and light sports models, often personally tuning engines, carburetors, and suspension to eke out advantages. Contemporary press—localized newspapers and trade bulletins—praised his calm behind the wheel and knack for improvisation when faced with breakdowns on remote routes.
Delegations and technical exchanges allowed a handful of Soviet drivers and engineers to observe Western racing culture. Ivanovsky participated in a few invitational events in Eastern Europe, where his technique—economical yet fast—won respect among rivals. He was not a flamboyant showman but a meticulous competitor whose true talent lay in endurance and vehicle preparation. In the mid-to-late 1920s, a window opened for limited international exposure and Ivanowsky essentially became an exile from Soviet Russia in order to compete abroad.

He won the 1926 24-hour "Bol d'Or" race in St. Germain, with an average speed of 66.9 km/h (41.6 mph), at the wheel of an 1,100 cc E.H.P. Driving Alfa Romeo, he won the Spa 24 Hours in 1928 together with Italian Attilio Marinoni and the Irish Grand Prix in 1929.

The Irish International Grand Prix was an non-championship round of the open-wheel racing car race series which was only held three times, from 1929 to 1931. In 1929 Ivanowsky raced in an Alfa Romeo 6C and was the overall winner as well the class winner for Class E (up to 1500cc) and F (up to 2000cc cars as well as being awarded both the Saorstát Cup and the Éireann Cup overall awards.

Mystery surrounds the fate of the Irish International Grand Prix trophy (a replica of the Phoenix Monument on a base of Connemara marble) he was presented for winning in 1929. Some reports say it was lost during World War II in Paris during an air raid. Only one of the three trophies survive, that won by Rudolf Caracciola in 1930 in a supercharged Mercedes SSK which is now in the museum of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Ivanowsky died in 1967 in Venezuela in an automobile accident.

Auction Description:
Campana form with bands of cinous Celtic decoration, the three scroll handles capped with mythical beast heads, inscribed 'Irish International Grand Prix Race for Motor Cars Phoenix Park, Dublin 1929', 'Class Prize Presented by The Royal Irish Automobile Club', 'Class F For Cars up to 1500 C.C Won by F.W. Stiles', on a raised circular foot with a wooden plinth, height 25.3cm, approx. weight 53.3oz.

https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/woolley-and-wallis/catalogue-id-srwo10486/lot-30ca67a4-3c36-48f2-ab09-b46a01014ccd

https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/woolley-and-wallis/catalogue-id-srwo10486/lot-479ef829-38c3-4850-af60-b46a01014c72

Very rare 1903 Phoenix Park Gordon Bennet Speed Trials Programme sold at auction for €1,300 including buyers premium.

I've only ever seen one copy of this programme previously, in the archives of the RIAC so this is a true rarity. This booklet was provided to competitors of the 'Automobile Fortnight" held in Ireland over the first two weeks of July in 1903. The Phoenix Park Speed Trials were held on July 4th and won by Sir Charles Rolls, of Rolls Royce fame.

The estimate for the booklet was €150-300 but once bidding opened, it was clear that that estimate was going to be dwarfed and was going to be much too rich for my pocket. The original price of the booklet was 6d (sixpence) roughly equivalent to €12 in today's money.

The booklet was sold without a back cover and also missing the maps and other accessories that the booklet came with in 1903, but this did not dissuade the bidders.

Congratulations to the winning bidder and if they would like to get in touch at [email protected] I'd be very interested in getting in touch.