1939 24 Hours of Le Mans

Last updated

1939 24 Hours of Le Mans
Previous: 1938 Next: 1949
Index: Races | Winners
Le Mans in 1939 Le Mans Circuit de la Sarthe 1932-1967.png
Le Mans in 1939

The 1939 24 Hours of Le Mans (French : 24 Heures du Mans 1939) was the 16th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place at Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France, on 17 and 18 June 1939. The 1939 programme cover depicted the raising of six nations' flags: France, Italy, Great Britain (its civil Red Ensign), Belgium, Germany, and the United States. [1]

Contents

By June 1939, the outbreak of World War II was less than three months away. The following year's 24 Hours of Le Mans was originally planned for June 1940, but due to the invasion of France in May the race was called off. Endurance racing would not return to Le Mans until 1949, four years after V-E day ended World War II in Europe.

Official results

Class winners are denoted with bold.

PosClassNo.TeamDriversChassisEngineTyreLapsDistance/Retired
18.01 Flag of France.svg Jean-Pierre Wimille Flag of France.svg Jean-Pierre Wimille
Flag of France.svg Pierre Veyron
Bugatti Type 57C Tank Bugatti 3.3L Supercharged I8 D 2493,346.106 km (2,079.174 mi)
23.021 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ecurie Walter Watney Flag of France.svg Louis Gérard
Flag of France.svg Georges Monneret
Delage D6-3L Delage 3.0L I6245+4 laps
35.05 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Lagonda Ltd. Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Arthur Dobson
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Charles Brackenbury
Lagonda V12 Lagonda 4.5L V12239+10 laps
45.06 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Lord Selsdon Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Lord Selsdon
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Lord William Waleran
Lagonda V12 Lagonda 4.5L V12239+10 laps
52.026 Flag of Germany (1935-1945).svg BMW Flag of Germany (1935-1945).svg Max zu Schaumburg-Lippe
Flag of Germany (1935-1945).svg Fritz Hans Wenscher
BMW 328 Touring Coupe BMW 2.0L I6236+13 laps
65.012 Flag of France.svg Louis Villeneuve Flag of France.svg Louis Villeneuve
Flag of France.svg René Biolay
Delahaye 135CS Delahaye 3.6L I6235+14 laps
72.027 Flag of Germany (1935-1945).svg BMW Flag of Germany (1935-1945).svg Ralph Röese
Flag of Germany (1935-1945).svg Paul Heinemann
BMW 328 BMW 2.0L I6230+19 laps
85.020 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Count Heyden Flag of the United Kingdom.svg R.R.C. Rob Walker
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ian Connell
Delahaye 135CS Delahaye 3.6L I6224+25 laps
92.028 Flag of Germany (1935-1945).svg BMW Flag of Germany (1935-1945).svg Willi Breim
Flag of Germany (1935-1945).svg Rudolf Scholtz
BMW 328 BMW 2.0L I6220+29 laps
101.139 Flag of France.svg Gordini Flag of France.svg Amédée Gordini
Flag of France.svg José Scaron
Simca Huit Fiat 1.1L I4213+36 laps
115.014 Flag of France.svg Joseph Chotard Flag of France.svg Joseph Chotard
Flag of France.svg Jacques Seylair
Delahaye 135CS Delahaye 3.6L I6202+47 laps
122.029 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Robert Peverell Hichens Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Robert P. Hichens
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Mortimer Morris-Goodall
Aston Martin Speed Model Aston Martin 2.0L I4199+50 laps
131.141 Flag of France.svg Gordini Flag of France.svg Guy Lapchin
Flag of France.svg Charles Plantivaux
Simca Huit Fiat 1.1L I4195+54 laps
141.532 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ecurie Lapin Blanc Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Peter Clark
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Marcus Chambers
HRG 1500 Singer 1.5L I4192+57 laps
151.137 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Mrs. Majorie Fawcett Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Geoffrey White
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg C.M. Anthony
Morgan 4/4 Coventry Climax 1.1L I4184+65 laps
161.534 Flag of France.svg Just-Emile Vernet Flag of France.svg Just-Emile Vernet
Flag of France.svg Carl de Bodard
Riley Sprite TT Pourtout Riley 1.5L I4180+69 laps
70% of winner's race distance: 175 laps
171.138 Flag of France.svg Victor Camerano Flag of France.svg Victor Camerano
Flag of France.svg Henri Louveau
Simca Huit Fiat 1.1L I4163
181.145 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Arthur W. Jones Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Arthur W. Jones
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Gordon Wilkins
Singer Le Mans Replica Singer 1.0L I4154
1975048 Flag of France.svg Gordini Flag of France.svg Adrien Alin
Flag of France.svg Albert Alin
Simca Cinq Fiat 0.6L I4148
2075049 Flag of France.svg Gordini Flag of France.svg Maurice Aimé
Flag of France.svg Albert Leduc
Simca Cinq Fiat 0.6L I4147
DNF3.025 Flag of France.svg Raymond Sommer Flag of France.svg Raymond Sommer
Flag of Thailand.svg Prince Bira
Alfa Romeo 6C 2500SS Alfa Romeo 2.4L I6173Engine
DNF5.018 Flag of France.svg Ecuria Francia Flag of France.svg Marcel Contet
Flag of France.svg Robert Brunet
Delahaye 135CS Delahaye 3.6L I6171Suspension
DNF1.531 Flag of France.svg Victor Polledry Flag of France.svg Victor Polledry
Flag of France.svg R. Robert
Aston Martin 1½ Ulster Aston Martin 1.5L I4155
DNF5.03 Flag of Italy (1861-1946).svg Luigi Chinetti Flag of Italy (1861-1946).svg Luigi Chinetti
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Donald Mathieson
Talbot T26 Talbot 4.5L I6154Contact
DNF3.022 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ecurie Walter Watney Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Armand Hug
Flag of France.svg Roger Loyer
Delage D6-3L Delage 3.0L I6152Contact
DNF5.015 Flag of France.svg Robert Mazaud Flag of France.svg Robert Mazaud
Flag of France.svg Marcel Mongin
Delahaye 135CS Delahaye 3.6L I6115Fire
DNF1.144 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Archie Scott Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Archie Scott
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Tommy Wisdom
Singer Nine Le Mans Replica Singer 1.0L I4105Dirty fuel
DNF5.09 Flag of Italy (1861-1946).svg Luigi Chinetti Flag of France.svg René Le Begue
Flag of France.svg Pierre Levegh
Talbot-Lago SS Talbot 4.0L I6102Ignition
DNF5.019 Flag of France.svg Ecurie Francia Flag of France.svg Eugène Chaboud
Flag of France.svg Yves Giraud-Cabantous
Delahaye 135CS Delahaye 3.6L I699
DNF5.08 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg T.A.S.O. Mathieson Flag of France.svg Philippe de Massa
Flag of France.svg Norbert Jean Mahé
Talbot 150SS Figoni Talbot 4.0L I688
DNF5.07 Flag of Italy (1861-1946).svg Luigi Chinetti Flag of France.svg André Morel
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jim Bradley
Talbot T26 Talbot 4.5L I688
DNF5.010 Flag of France.svg Jean Trémoulet Flag of France.svg Jean Trémoulet
Flag of France.svg Raoul Forestier
Talbot-Lago SS Talbot 4.0L i668
DNF1.136 Flag of the United States.svg Miles Collier Flag of the United States.svg Miles Collier
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Lewis Welch
MG PA Midget MG 0.8L I463
DNF5.016 Flag of France.svg Ecurie Francia Flag of France.svg Joseph Paul
Flag of France.svg Jean Trévoux
Delahaye 135CS Delahaye 3.6L I662
DNF5.011 Flag of France.svg André Bellecroix Flag of France.svg André Bellecroix
Flag of France.svg Gaston Serraud
Delahaye 135CS Delahaye 3.6L I650Contact
DNF1.143 Flag of France.svg Just-Emile Vernet Flag of France.svg Robert Cayeux
Flag of France.svg Gaston Tramar
Simca Huit Fiat 1.1L I450
DNF5.04 Flag of Italy (1861-1946).svg Luigi Chinetti Flag of France.svg Pierre Louis-Dreyfus
Flag of France.svg Antoine Schumann
Talbot T26 Talbot 4.5L I645
DNF1.147 Flag of France.svg Claude Bonneau Flag of France.svg Claude Bonneau
Flag of France.svg Max Mathieu
MG PB Midget MG 1.0L I440Carbuerator
DNF1.140 Flag of France.svg Gordini Flag of France.svg Jean Breillet
Flag of France.svg Albert Debille
Simca Huit Fiat 1.1L I429Contact
DNF1.142 Flag of France.svg Mme Anne-Cécile Rose-Itier Flag of France.svg Anne-Cécile Rose-Itier
Flag of France.svg Suzanne Largeot
Simca Huit Fiat 1.1L I426Contact
DNF1.530 Flag of Germany (1935-1945).svg Adler Flag of Germany (1935-1945).svg Otto Löhr
Flag of Germany (1935-1945).svg Paul von Guilleaume
Adler Trumpf Adler 1.5L I46Piston
DNF1.146 Flag of France.svg Jacques Savoye Flag of France.svg Jacques Savoye
Flag of France.svg Pierre Savoye
Singer Nine Le Mans Replica
"Savoye Special"
Singer 1.0L I44
DNS1.5 Flag of Germany (1935-1945).svg Adler Flag of Germany (1935-1945).svg Fritz Huschke von Hanstein
Flag of Germany (1935-1945).svg Karkmann
Adler Trumpf Adler 1.5L I4--
Sources: [2] [3]

Statistics

Trophy winners

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raymond Sommer</span> French racing driver (1906–1950)

Pierre Raymond Sommer was a French racing driver. He raced both before and after WWII with some success, particularly in endurance racing. He won the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race in both 1932 and 1933, and although he did not reach the finishing line in any subsequent appearance at the Le Mans, he did lead each event until 1938. Sommer was also competitive at the highest level in Grand Prix motor racing, but did not win a race. He won the French Grand Prix in 1936, but the event that year was run as a sports car race.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean-Pierre Wimille</span> French racing driver (1908–1949)

Jean-Pierre Wimille was a French racing driver and a member of the French Resistance during World War II. He was a two-time victor of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, winning in 1937 and 1939. He is generally regarded as one of the best French drivers of his era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maurice Trintignant</span> French racing driver (1917–2005)

Maurice Bienvenu Jean Paul Trintignant was a motor racing driver and vintner from France. He competed in the Formula One World Championship for fourteen years, between 1950 and 1964, one of the longest careers in the early years of Formula One. During this time he also competed in sports car racing, including winning the 1954 24 Hours of Le Mans race. Following his retirement from the track Trintignant concentrated on the wine trade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Endurance racing (motorsport)</span> Motorsport over long distances and time periods

Endurance racing is a form of motorsport racing which is meant to test the durability of equipment and endurance of participants. Teams of multiple drivers attempt to cover a large distance in a single event, with participants given a break with the ability to change during the race. Endurance races can be run either to cover a set distance in laps as quickly as possible, or to cover as much distance as possible over a preset amount of time.

Gordini is a division of Renault Sport Technologies. In the past, it was a sports car manufacturer and performance tuner, established in 1946 by Amédée Gordini (1899–1979), nicknamed "Le Sorcier". Gordini became a division of Renault in 1968 and of Renault Sport in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Claes</span> Belgian racing driver (1916–1956)

Octave John Claes was a British-born racing driver who competed for Belgium. Before his fame as a racing driver, Claes was also a jazz trumpeter and successful bandleader in Britain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">24 Hours of Le Mans</span> Annual sports car race held in France

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is an endurance-focused sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with the Monaco Grand Prix and Indianapolis 500—that form the Triple Crown of Motorsport, and is also one of the races alongside the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring that make up the informal Triple Crown of endurance racing. Run since 1923, it is the oldest active endurance racing event in the world.

Renault Sport or Renaultsport, was a motorsport, performance and special vehicles division for Renault-badged cars and later a sub-badge of Renault cars managed by Alpine. The first Renault Sport was officially established as a company in 1976 as a merger between the Alpine and Gordini competition departments. It was made a division and reorganised in 2002 and 2016. In December 2021, all Renault Sport operations were merged into an Alpine-led business unit. The Renault Sport car range under Alpine was completely phased out by the end of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Circuit de la Sarthe</span> Race course in Le Mans, France

The Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans, also known as Circuit de la Sarthe located in Le Mans, Sarthe, France, is a semi-permanent motorsport race course, chiefly known as the venue for the 24 Hours of Le Mans auto race. Comprising private, race-specific sections of track in addition to public roads which remain accessible most of the year, its present configuration is 13.626 km (8.467 mi) long, making it one of the longest circuits in the world. The capacity of the race stadium, where the short Bugatti Circuit is situated, is 100,000. The Musée des 24 Heures du Mans is a motorsport museum located at the main entrance of the venue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1955 24 Hours of Le Mans</span> 23rd 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race

The 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 23rd 24 Hours of Le Mans and took place on 11 and 12 June 1955 on Circuit de la Sarthe. It was also the fourth round of the F.I.A. World Sports Car Championship. During the race, a crash killed driver Pierre Levegh and 83 spectators while injuring 120 others in the deadliest accident in motor racing history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1950 24 Hours of Le Mans</span> 18th 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race

The 1950 24 Hours of Le Mans was a motor race for sports cars, staged at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France on 24 and 25 June 1950. It was the 18th Grand Prix of Endurance. The race was won by the French father-and-son pairing of Louis and Jean-Louis Rosier driving a privately entered Talbot-Lago.

The 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship was the inaugural running of the World Endurance Championship. It was co-organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The series replaced the former Intercontinental Le Mans Cup held by the ACO from 2010 to 2011. The series was open to Le Mans Prototypes and grand tourer-based racing cars meeting four ACO categories. Several championships, cups, and trophies were awarded in the series' four categories following an eight race season, with a World Championship available to the top scoring drivers and LMP1 category manufacturer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rebellion Racing</span> Sports car endurance racing team in the World Endurance Championship

Rebellion Racing was a Swiss racing team that competed in endurance racing. The team competed in the 2011 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup season and won the LMP1 teams' title in the 2011 Le Mans Series season. The team started as an association between Speedy Racing and Sebah Racing, which began in 2008. Rebellion Racing's last team principal was Alexandre Pesci and the team manager was Bart Hayden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mathias Beche</span> Swiss professional racing driver

Mathias Beche Aussel is a Swiss-French professional racing driver who currently competes in the European Le Mans Series for Richard Mille by TDS. He is a former ELMS champion in the LMP2 class, as well as an LMP1-L champion and overall race winner in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Rebellion Racing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 FIA World Endurance Championship</span>

The 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship season was the second season of the FIA World Endurance Championship auto racing series, co-organized by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The series was open to Le Mans Prototypes and grand tourer-style racing cars meeting four ACO categories. World Championships were awarded to drivers and to LMP1 category manufacturers, and several World Cups and Endurance Trophies were awarded for the series' other categories. The eight race championship began in April at the Silverstone Circuit and ended in November at the Bahrain International Circuit. The season was marred by the death of Allan Simonsen in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romain Dumas</span> French racing driver (born 1977)

Romain Dumas is a French racing driver and driver for Glickenhaus in the World Endurance Championship. He first started out in karting and single-seater before becoming an expert driver in endurance racing, GT and sport-prototype. He has won the greatest races of the discipline, such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 24 Hours of Spa, the Nürburgring 24 Hours, and the 12 Hours of Sebring. He has been one of Porsche's factory drivers since 2004. He's also been contracted to Audi from 2009 to 2012, Volkswagen from 2017 to 2019, and Ford Performance since 2022. Adding to this, Dumas is a Chopard ambassador.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lotus T128 (Le Mans Prototype)</span> Endurance racing car

The Lotus T128 is a Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) designed by former Sauber technical director James Key and built by Advanced Design and Engineering Systems Solutions (ADESS) and Kodewa. It was used by Kodewa in the 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship under the name Lotus. Stéphane Chosse, the founder of ADESS, first proposed building a Le Mans prototype car in March 2011. The vehicle's construction began in February 2013, eleven months after Kodewa acquired two chassis. The T128's aerodynamic study was carried out using a computer-aided software mesh tool from Altair Engineering, and aerodynamics was the main priority in its design, with Chosse taking a similar approach as when he was involved in Formula One. It uses a naturally aspirated V8 engine from the BMW S65, which is also used in the company's M3 model, and produces around 450 horsepower (340 kW).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alpine A210</span> Racing car model

The Alpine A210 was a sports car prototype manufactured by Alpine that competed in sports car racing from 1966 to 1969. The car is derived from the M series prototypes introduced by the company in the early 1960s and powered by Gordini-tuned Renault engines with small displacements. In 1967, a short-lived V8-powered version of the A210, named as A211, was introduced. A major redesign of the A211, the A220, was unveiled the following year. As a consequence of the bad results achieved by these last two cars, Alpine withdrew from sports car racing for various years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viktor Shaytar</span> Russian racing driver (born 1983)

Viktor Viktorovich Shaytar is a Russian racing driver. He is a current member of the SMP Racing driver programme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1000 km of Paris</span>

The 1000 Kilometres of Paris was an endurance race, mainly for sports cars, which was held at the Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry in France from 1956 to 1995.

References

  1. "1939 Le Mans Programme Cover". Pinterest. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  2. "Le Mans 24 Hours 1939 - Race Results - Racing Sports Cars". www.racingsportscars.com. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  3. 1 2 Press Association Foreign Special (11 June 1939). "Le Mans 24-Hour Motor Race: French Team Wins". The Guardian. p. 11. Retrieved 10 February 2018 via Newspapers.com.