Le Mans Through the Decades; The small beginnings of the 1920s and before.
Original race poster, painted by H. A. Volodimer.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans saw its 100 year celebration in 2023. For this year, which will be the 94th running of the legendary race, I will be looking at the history of the oldest active endurance race, a decade at a time. So, I will be starting with the 1920s and working my way up to the 2020s. This time, I will be looking at the 1920s and what led to the first 24 Hours of Le Mans running in 1923.
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Warning: some of these editions will mention and/or describe fatal accidents. There will be no images or videos of these incidents but simply short factual descriptions when necessary. My 50s rendition will be more detailed as the ‘55 disaster is what marked that decade at Le Mans. That specific edition will have the appropriate warnings.
As many things in motorsport are, the 24 Hours of Le Mans was created through a series of events. Which means, despite holding its first edition in 1923, the history of this race goes further back, and does not necessarily have to do with any auto races.
Georges Durand was a Frenchman born in a small community north of Le Mans in 1864. He grew up mostly in The Belle Époque, a time after the Franco-Prussian War when France was full of optimism and busy with technological, scientific and cultural innovations. At the age of 20, he left his birthplace and moved to Le Mans to work with the bridges and highways department of the local council. This eventually gained him an interest in automobiles.
In the new century, Le Mans became a pioneer in the motor industry, mainly due to Amédée Bollée, a Frenchman born in 1844. He had worked in his family’s bell foundry before moving to Le Mans to produce his first steam-powered vehicle. Only two years after that, Bollée created a smaller and lighter vehicle that was so well received, 50 more were made. It became the first series-production car.
In 1895, Amédée and his son Léon participated in the Paris-Bordeaux-Paris race, sometimes referred to as the ‘first motor race’. As the Paris-Rouen ‘contest’ a year prior was not run as a race, but rather as a contest. The finish of this race ended in an outcry as the first two finishers were found to be ineligible to receive a prize. As they competed with two-seaters instead of four-seaters, which meant the third place finisher – the first four-seater – took the win.
The father-son duo of Amédée and Léon finished ninth, last among all finishers. This didn't deter their interest, though. Léon Bollée Automobiles was created, whose product ended up winning competitions, including the Paris-Dieppe race in 1897.
When the Wright brothers visited Le Mans in 1908 to demonstrate their flying machine, Léon offered the brothers the facilities of his factories. Before this, the Wright brothers had faced much skepticism from the French aeronautical community. But these flights managed to convince the French public and made them apologize for their previous statements.
Georges Durand would watch this with great amazement, and a desire to take part in it. In 1897 he had joined the committee of the Union Auto-Cycliste de la Sarthe, of which Léon Bollée was the founding president.
A few years later, in 1905, there was huge dissatisfaction with the organisation of the Gordon Bennett Cup; a trophy offered by Gordon Bennett to Automobile Club de France (ACF), to be raced annually by various automobile clubs.
The race was run from 1900 to 1905, of which the first three editions all started in Paris. For 1903, however, the race was moved to Ireland in response to the French government banning point-to-point car races on open public roads. This was in turn a response to the 1903 Paris-Madrid race, where 8 people were killed, and over 15 were injured before the cars even reached the Spanish border.
In these George Bennett Cup Races, each nation was allowed to enter three cars, which led to dissatisfaction from the ACF, as France had a much higher number of auto manufacturers and wanted to be able to represent that.
This created the 1906 French Grand Prix, which is often referred to as the first ever Grand Prix. This race was run on the outskirts of Le Mans with a track just over 100km in length. The race would take place at the end of June and run across two days. The competitors would set out at ninety-second intervals to complete six laps on each day, a total distance of 1,238.16 kms The lowest aggregate time would determine the winner.
Tens of thousands of people travelled to Le Mans to see the race. Due to safety concerns for spectators, as several were killed in recent motor racing events, the ACF placed 65km of palisade fencing around the circuit. There were also several footbridges spanning over the track, and a grandstand was placed at the start/finish line.
(Pictured: Ferenc Szisz)
The race was won by Hungarian Ferenc Szisz driving for the Renault team at an average of almost 100 km/h. This race was seen as a commercial success and while the second edition was run in the town of Dieppe, a solid foundation for Grand Prix racing was established. Motorsport continued in Le Mans with Georges Durand now as secretary of the Automobile Club de la Sarthe et de l’Ouest.
In 1911, they ran a race over a completely different and shorter (about half in length) track than what was used during the 1906 Grand Prix. The track ran from Pontlieue, through the town of Mulsanne to Écommoy and Le Grand-Lucé. The part through Mulsanne was the first use of a section that would later be called Circuit la de Sarthe. This race was called the Grand Prix de France but was poorly supported and saw Le Mans’ first fatality when an axle broke on the car of Maurice Fournier. The car somersaulted and caught on fire outside Mulsanne (extremely close to the modern day Mulsanne corner), killing the driver. After that, just two more races were held in Le Mans before World War I.
France’s economy struggled to recover after the war, but the now renamed Automobile Club de l’Ouest was determined to resume its activities. They wanted an easier way to control spectators, and charge them for admission. Which meant the track had to be shorter, and thus a new layout was born. One that became rather close to what is used now.
(1921-28 vs the modern day layout)
The map above illustrates the circuit that was used during the majority of the 20s compared to the current day layout. Throughout the years several parts have been changed, but its placement and the run from Tetre Rouge to Arnage has remained mostly the same. The two chicanes on the Mulsanne straight have been there since 1990, implemented due to safety concerns after speeds reached above 400km, marred by two fatal accidents in the 80s.
In August of 1920, Le Meeting de la Reprise was held on the new 17.262 km track; a competition over two days where the Saturday was reserved for cyclecars and the Sunday for voiturettes. The success of this event prompted the ACO to return to Le Mans for their first Grand Prix post WWI in 1921.
Ahead of this race, grandstands were built on the pit straight, facing the pit lane. The 1921 French Grand Prix would be run under engine regulations that matched those of the Indianapolis 500 with a 3-litre maximum capacity. Jimmy Murphy won the race for American constructor Duesenberg. This would be the last victory for an American constructor in a major European race until the 24H of Le Mans in 1966. Where famously Ford took a 1-3 finish with their Ford GT40 Mk.II. The 1922 edition of the French Grand Prix was run to new GP regulations, requiring engines no larger than two litres, in cars with two seats and weighing at least 650kg. Italian driver Felice Nazzaro won the race for Fiat.
During those same years, so called ‘Grands Prix de Consommation’ were held as well, which the ACO kept a keen eye on. These races were fuel economy tests that ran over 100 kilometers at a set speed. After the races, the quantity of fuel would be measured for all cars with special formulas including engine size, weight, body type, cost of fuel and average speed – eventually deciding the winner. The philosophy behind these races played a massive part in the making of the race that would shape Le Mans for the next century.
In 1922, Charles Faroux introduced Émile Coquille and Georges Durand during the 18th Salon de l’Automobile in Paris (Paris Motor Show). The three began discussing ideas for a competition. While Faroux was conservative – suggesting an eight-hour race – Durand was ambitious, aiming for a full twenty-four hours. This was not an entirely new idea, as just earlier that year, the first edition of the Bol d’Or was held: a motorcycle race held across twenty-four hours that is still part of the FIM Endurance World Championship. Though at several different tracks across its history.
Durand’s plan was endorsed by the ACO in October of that year, and rather quickly, regulations were written for a race to be held in May of 1923. Invitations were sent to manufacturers – with the message that only cars that could be purchased for road use would be allowed in the race.
Cars were required to have four seats, with the exception of cars under 1100cc, which only required two seats. Each car was required to carry a 60kg bag of ballast for each vacant seat, resembling the weight of a passenger. Furthermore, cars would be painted in a country's national colours and would carry racing numbers allocated by engine size. Two drivers were nominated for each car.
There were strict rules – cars would have to cover a minimum distance to count as a finisher. And if a car were to fall behind its designated minimum speeds at certain intervals of the race, it’d be disqualified on the spot. All repairs during the race were only allowed to be carried out by the driver.
The first edition was won by René Léonard and André Lagache in the #9 Chenard & Walcker, followed by their teammates Christian Dauvergne and Raoul Bachmann in the #10. Third, and winner of the 2.0 class, was the #23 Bignan.
#9 Chenard & Walcker winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 1923 with drivers René Léonard and André Lagache
While the race started after a massive hailstorm in the cold with heavy winds, there were no major incidents until the finish. When Paul Gros, driver of the third place finishing Bignan, tried to cross the circuit to shake the hand of a friend he was struck by the #10, driven by Raoul Bachmann. He braked hard and tried to keep himself from hitting Gros, but was unsuccessful as Gros was launched into the air on impact. Somehow, Gros walked away with only a broken arm.
The ACO did not declare an official winner or give out any award, as the race was set to be part of a triennial trophy. Entrants would be competing for the Rudge-Whitworth Cup, which would not be awarded until the 1925 edition of the race. An entrant, whose car qualified by meeting the target distance in 1923 would advance to 1924 – and those who succeeded a second time would advance to the final. At the same time, a second triennial competition would begin from 1924 - 1926, and so on.
This was done to encourage competitors to commit to the race beyond its inaugural season – which it initially did. But quickly, the honor of finishing first eclipsed that.
In the middle, the triennial Rudge-Whitworth 24 Hours of Le Mans cup. (Left the biennial 25-26 & Right 24-25 cups)
Ahead of the 1924 edition, the ACO ultimately announced that the initial triennial Rudge-Whitworth would run to its conclusion, but would be replaced by a biennial event starting from 1924. The biennial cup was abandoned in 1928.
1924 would be the first time the race would be run during its traditional June slot in the hopes of better weather. It proved fruitful, as the race was extremely hot. Bentley won the race with their #8, driven by John Duff and Frank Celement.
The first ‘Le Mans-style start’ was done in 1925 at Mulsanne. The owner of the original starting straight had tripled the rent, so the ACO decided to move the pits to the middle of the Mulsanne Straight. During this start, drivers would run to their cars placed on the opposite side of the track. There would be a 1000 franc bonus for the driver who completed the first lap in first position. This start was in place until 1969, until safety concerns caused the rules to be changed for the 1970 edition.
1925 also saw its first two fatal incidents, one ahead of the race and one during. On the Friday ahead of the race, André Guilbert, a mechanic for the team, was driving the #19 2.5-litre Ravel 12CV Sport racing car on the Mulsanne straight, as practice ahead of the race. The track was still open to regular traffic, when his car was struck head-on by a van on the wrong side of the road. Guilbert died from his injuries while the van driver was lightly wounded.
The second accident came when Marius Mestivier spun – once again on the Mulsanne Straight, on the eighteenth lap of the race. The car swerved off the road and went headfirst into a ditch, killing him instantly. It was initially reported to be a blown tire or brake lock that caused the crash, but later sources claimed that he was struck by a bird instead.
Just after midnight, there was another major incident. The suspension on Léon Saint-Paul's Lorraine broke, throwing the car into a roll. The driver was pulled from the wreck by Tulio Vesprini, who stopped to help and then waited until an ambulance arrived. He was later given a 2000 franc prize for his efforts.
1926 saw the top three average over 100kph for the full twenty-four hours – a record for that time. It also saw controversy when two Peugeots were disqualified during the race. One was lying in second when it was disqualified for a broken windscreen support, much to the dismay of the spectators. The other Peugeot was disqualified when its driver reversed up the pit to try and bump-start the car with a dead battery.
In 1927, Marcel Michelot went out to test one of the cars a week ahead of the race. He lost control of the car near Arnage and hit an oak tree; he was killed instantly.
That same year, a sparse grid entered the race. Political turmoil and economic uncertainty caused inflation, which meant many of the major manufacturers did not make it to Le Mans that year. On the Saturday morning ahead of the race, the Tracta team drivers were all injured in an accident en route to the track. They were taken to a clinic and were ordered to rest for the next two days.
Albert Grégoire instead snuck out and made his way to the track. Left without a co-driver, he made an announcement over the PA system and recruited a mechanic willing to drive the car. Because of the lack of high profile manufacturers, Bentley seemed all but certain of a victory.
Frank Clement in the #1 Bentley had lapped his teammates and set a new track record when he found the Th. Schneider of Pierre Tabourin sitting in the middle of the road at Maison Blanche. The car had hit a wooden hut and bounced back on the road. In avoidance, Clements ran into a ditch and was flung from the car. George Dulle, also in a Bentley, arrived next, and seeing the danger, jumped out of the car over his steering wheel just before the car struck its sister.
Several other cars were involved – another Th. Schneider, an Ariès and a SARA before Sammy Davis, also in a Bentley, stumbled upon the accident. The gravel and debris had warned him, but he was unable to avoid its sister car, the #1 Bentley. Despite the mess, only one driver was injured, Tabourin, who suffered a broken arm and ribs.
The scene of the crash the following day
The #3 Bentley of Davis managed to untangle itself from the wreck, but not before making sure all other drivers involved were OK. The #3 limped back to the pits and was fixed by Davis before being handed over to his teammate Benjafield, who had to navigate the night with a flashlight strapped to the windscreen frame for visibility.
Miraculously, through misfortune for the leading Ariés, the #3 took the lead and won the race despite being involved in what was later described as ‘one of the most sensational accidents ever recorded in connection with the history of motor racing.’
Grégoire, who had snuck out of the clinic ahead of the race, finished seventh overall. He’d driven the majority of the race with his head bandaged – only relieved by the stand in when he needed a break. The car had reached its needed distance a few hours before the finish but Grégoire knew that he needed to finish the final lap to qualify as a finisher. He parked the car between the trees, took a nap, and woke up in time to finish the car’s final lap.
Despite the small grid, and an even smaller amount of finishers: the now infamous crash at Maison Blanche gathered more media attention than the race had ever had.
1928 finally saw, alongside the Biennial Cup, the Coupe á la Distance introduced. This was for the car that travelled the furthest over the twenty-four hours. This meant there would be an overall winner declared.
Next up: the 1930s and 40s. The Great Depression, WWII and the first female participants.
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Charlie Martin took two McLaren Trophy Europe podiums in the AM Class last weekend. She was not set to drive, but got a late call up on Thursday when a seat became available.
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