1939 24 Hours of Le Mans

1939 24 Hours of Le Mans

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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]

3rd placed Lagonda V12, seen at the Louwman Museum in 2024

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.

Pos	Class	No.	Team	Drivers	Chassis	Engine	Tyre	Laps	Distance/Retired
1	8.0	1	Jean-Pierre Wimille	Jean-Pierre Wimille Pierre Veyron	Bugatti Type 57C Tank	Bugatti 3.3L Supercharged I8	D	249	3,346.106 km (2,079.174 mi)
2	3.0	21	Ecurie Walter Watney	Louis Gérard Georges Monneret	Delage D6-3L	Delage 3.0L I6		245	+4 laps
3	5.0	5	Lagonda Ltd.	Arthur Dobson Charles Brackenbury	Lagonda V12	Lagonda 4.5L V12		239	+10 laps
4	5.0	6	Lord Selsdon	Lord Selsdon Lord William Waleran	Lagonda V12	Lagonda 4.5L V12		239	+10 laps
5	2.0	26	BMW	Max zu Schaumburg-Lippe Fritz Hans Wenscher	BMW 328 Touring Coupe	BMW 2.0L I6		236	+13 laps
6	5.0	12	Louis Villeneuve	Louis Villeneuve René Biolay	Delahaye 135CS	Delahaye 3.6L I6		235	+14 laps
7	2.0	27	BMW	Ralph Röese Paul Heinemann	BMW 328	BMW 2.0L I6		230	+19 laps
8	5.0	20	Count Heyden	R.R.C. Rob Walker Ian Connell	Delahaye 135CS	Delahaye 3.6L I6		224	+25 laps
9	2.0	28	BMW	Willi Breim Rudolf Scholtz	BMW 328	BMW 2.0L I6		220	+29 laps
10	1.1	39	Gordini	Amédée Gordini José Scaron	Simca Huit	Fiat 1.1L I4		213	+36 laps
11	5.0	14	Joseph Chotard	Joseph Chotard Jacques Seylair	Delahaye 135CS	Delahaye 3.6L I6		202	+47 laps
12	2.0	29	Robert Peverell Hichens	Robert P. Hichens Mortimer Morris-Goodall	Aston Martin Speed Model	Aston Martin 2.0L I4		199	+50 laps
13	1.1	41	Gordini	Guy Lapchin Charles Plantivaux	Simca Huit	Fiat 1.1L I4		195	+54 laps
14	1.5	32	Ecurie Lapin Blanc	Peter Clark Marcus Chambers	HRG 1500	Singer 1.5L I4		192	+57 laps
15	1.1	37	Mrs. Majorie Fawcett	Geoffrey White C.M. Anthony	Morgan 4/4	Coventry Climax 1.1L I4		184	+65 laps
16	1.5	34	Just-Emile Vernet	Just-Emile Vernet Carl de Bodard	Riley Sprite TT Pourtout	Riley 1.5L I4		180	+69 laps
70% of winner's race distance: 175 laps
17	1.1	38	Victor Camerano	Victor Camerano Henri Louveau	Simca Huit	Fiat 1.1L I4		163
18	1.1	45	Arthur W. Jones	Arthur W. Jones Gordon Wilkins	Singer Le Mans Replica	Singer 1.0L I4		154
19	750	48	Gordini	Adrien Alin Albert Alin	Simca Cinq	Fiat 0.6L I4		148
20	750	49	Gordini	Maurice Aimé Albert Leduc	Simca Cinq	Fiat 0.6L I4		147
DNF	3.0	25	Raymond Sommer	Raymond Sommer Prince Bira	Alfa Romeo 6C 2500SS	Alfa Romeo 2.4L I6		173	Engine
DNF	5.0	18	Ecuria Francia	Marcel Contet Robert Brunet	Delahaye 135CS	Delahaye 3.6L I6		171	Suspension
DNF	1.5	31	Victor Polledry	Victor Polledry R. Robert	Aston Martin 1½ Ulster	Aston Martin 1.5L I4		155
DNF	5.0	3	Luigi Chinetti	Luigi Chinetti Donald Mathieson	Talbot T26	Talbot 4.5L I6		154	Contact
DNF	3.0	22	Ecurie Walter Watney	Armand Hug Roger Loyer	Delage D6-3L	Delage 3.0L I6		152	Contact
DNF	5.0	15	Robert Mazaud	Robert Mazaud Marcel Mongin	Delahaye 135CS	Delahaye 3.6L I6		115	Fire
DNF	1.1	44	Archie Scott	Archie Scott Tommy Wisdom	Singer Nine Le Mans Replica	Singer 1.0L I4		105	Dirty fuel
DNF	5.0	9	Luigi Chinetti	René Le Begue Pierre Levegh	Talbot-Lago SS	Talbot 4.0L I6		102	Ignition
DNF	5.0	19	Ecurie Francia	Eugène Chaboud Yves Giraud-Cabantous	Delahaye 135CS	Delahaye 3.6L I6		99
DNF	5.0	8	T.A.S.O. Mathieson	Philippe de Massa Norbert Jean Mahé	Talbot 150SS Figoni	Talbot 4.0L I6		88
DNF	5.0	7	Luigi Chinetti	André Morel Jim Bradley	Talbot T26	Talbot 4.5L I6		88
DNF	5.0	10	Jean Trémoulet	Jean Trémoulet Raoul Forestier	Talbot-Lago SS	Talbot 4.0L i6		68
DNF	1.1	36	Miles Collier	Miles Collier Lewis Welch	MG PA Midget	MG 0.8L I4		63
DNF	5.0	16	Ecurie Francia	Joseph Paul Jean Trévoux	Delahaye 135CS	Delahaye 3.6L I6		62
DNF	5.0	11	André Bellecroix	André Bellecroix Gaston Serraud	Delahaye 135CS	Delahaye 3.6L I6		50	Contact
DNF	1.1	43	Just-Emile Vernet	Robert Cayeux Gaston Tramar	Simca Huit	Fiat 1.1L I4		50
DNF	5.0	4	Luigi Chinetti	Pierre Louis-Dreyfus Antoine Schumann	Talbot T26	Talbot 4.5L I6		45
DNF	1.1	47	Claude Bonneau	Claude Bonneau Max Mathieu	MG PB Midget	MG 1.0L I4		40	Carbuerator
DNF	1.1	40	Gordini	Jean Breillet Albert Debille	Simca Huit	Fiat 1.1L I4		29	Contact
DNF	1.1	42	Mme Anne-Cécile Rose-Itier	Anne-Cécile Rose-Itier Suzanne Largeot	Simca Huit	Fiat 1.1L I4		26	Contact
DNF	1.5	30	Adler	Otto Löhr Paul von Guilleaume	Adler Trumpf	Adler 1.5L I4		6	Piston
DNF	1.1	46	Jacques Savoye	Jacques Savoye Pierre Savoye	Singer Nine Le Mans Replica "Savoye Special"	Singer 1.0L I4		4
DNS	1.5		Adler	Fritz Huschke von Hanstein Karkmann	Adler Trumpf	Adler 1.5L I4		-	-
Sources: [2] [3]

Statistics

• Fastest Lap: #15 Robert Mazaud – 5:12.1 (average speed 155.6 km/h (96.7 mph)
• Distance: 3,346.106 km (2,079.174 mi) ^[3]
• Average Speed: 139.781 km/h (86.856 mph)

Trophy winners

• 14th Rudge-Whitworth Biennial Cup – #39 Gordini
• Index of Performance – #39 Gordini

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. 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.