1939 24 Hours of Le Mans

16th 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race February 2018 February 2018 1938 1939 1949 thumb|400px|Le Mans in 1939 The 1939 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 16th Grand Prix of Endurance. It took place at Circuit de la Sarthe on 17 and 18 June 1939. The race was won by a supercharged Bugatti Type 57, driver by works drivers Jean-Pierre Wimille and Pierre Veyron, setting a new distance record. thumb|300px|Wimille and Veyron, 1939 race-winners The race proved to be an even contest between the major French marques of Delahaye, Talbot, Bugatti and the smaller-engined Delage. Soon after the start, Louis Gérard got to the front in his Delage and held off all the others for 20 hours. In the evening and into the night, it was Robert Mazaud in his Delahaye and 2-time winner Luigi Chinetti in a Talbot that provided an exciting 3-way tussle for the lead, that ended when Mazaud's engine caught fire around 2am, and Mathieson had a tyre blow out that planted the Chinetti Talbot into the Tertre Rouge sandbank at breakfast time. The Bugatti had been maintaining a watching brief on these cars in fourth and gradually picked up its speed. When the Delage pitted with a misfiring engine with just over 3 hours to go, Wimille was able to make up the 2-lap deficit, sweep past into the lead, and then ease back to take the victory ahead of Gérard in the ailing Delage. Two brand new Lagonda V12s took third and fourth after a reliable run in their first race. In a event run in good weather throughout, Mazaud had set a new lap rerecord, and four of the six class-winners set new distance records. The BMW works team had dominated their 2-litre class, running amongst the bigger 3-litre cars. Once again Amédée Gordini and José Scaron had shown great pace in their 1100cc SIMCA, and this time reliability got them to a clear class victory, finishing 10th overall, as well as convincingly winning the Index of Performance and Biennial Cup prizes. Regulations and Organisation The German manufacturers had adapted very quickly to the new regulations of the AIACR and continued their dominance in Grand Prix racing. In response, the French association (ACF) promoted and enlarged their national championship running to its broader formula. Now comprising 11 races, there were 5 for sports cars (including Le Mans), 2 Grand Prix to AIACR rules, 3 voiturette races and a hill-climb event.Spurring 2017, p.316 The Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) made no notable changes to its own regulations aside from its regular adjustment of the respective Index targets (as per the table below). For the first time, the ACO approached sponsors to offer prizemoney and a total of FF100,000 (equivalent to about £11.000) was provided in conjunction with three major sponsors. The newspaper Le Matin would pay FF1000 to the overall leader on each hour plus FF10000 to the winner of each class at the end of the race; MGF Insurance would award FF10000 to the winner of the Coupe Biennale. Finally, the Conférence des Assureurs offered prizes to the top six qualifiers in the Index competition including FF25000 to the winner.Williams 2023, p.95Clausager 1982, p.72Laban 2001, p.91 This year Esso was the fuel supplier with the equivalent four options available: its standard petrol, "Super-Esso" premium, 100% benzole and its ternary blend of the regular with benzole and ethanol. A new spectator bank was built along the first curve in anticipation of greater crowds. The final notable innovation was the first use of an electronic timing system. Provided by the ACF, it was a great improvement on manual stopwatch timing, especially at nighttime and in poor visibility.Bernard et al 2023, p.107 Engine size 1938Minimum distance 1939Minimum distanceSpurring 2017, p.360 Average speed Equivalent laps 6000cc+ 2800 km on 2822 km on 117.6 km/h on 209.2 laps 5000cc 2727 km on 2757 km on 114.9 km/h on 204.4 laps 4000cc 2667 km on 2703 km on 112.6 km/h on 200.4 laps 3000cc 2571 km on 2616 km on 109.0 km/h on 193.9 laps 2000cc 2400 km on 2459 km on 102.5 km/h on 182.3 laps 1500cc 2250 km on 2320 km on 96.7 km/h on 172.0 laps 1100cc 2062 km on 2143 km on 89.3 km/h on 158.8 laps 750cc 1800 km on 1891 km on 78.8 km/h on 140.2 laps Entries With the ACF Championship recharging French motor-racing, there was a strong field present for the 4.5-litre regulations. with entries from teams with Delahaye, Talbot and Delage cars. The outlier was a single works-supported Bugatti, with a supercharged engine outside the French regulations. They would be up against a new Alfa Romeo and a return from the British Lagonda team. In the other classes, the Adler team was joined by their fellow German BMW works team. Amédée Gordini presented the biggest block with his modified Simca-Fiats for a strong attempt at the Index of Performance prize.Clausager 1982, pp.68-9 Thirteen entrants from the 15 finishers of the 1938 race arrived for the Coupe Bienniale. Category Entries Classes Large-sized engines 19 / 17 over 3-litre Medium-sized engines 16 / 13 1.5 to 3-litre Small-sized engines 12 / 12 up to 1.1-litre Total entrants 47 / 42 Note: The first number is the total entries, the second the number who started. Using the equivalent engine-size, with supercharged engines having the x1.65 conversion factor Over 2-litre entries The semi-works Écurie Bleue of Laury and Lucy Schell had been broken up after their frustration and disappointment at being passed over for government funding for their Delahaye car-development.Spurring 2017, p.300 Venables 2009, p.90 However, the success of the reliable Delahaye 135 in the 1938 race saw eight privateers bring their cars to this year's race (although only one was in the Coupe Biennale). Leading them was Robert Mazaud with his car, lightened and modified after a major crash at Spa the year before. Lowered and fitted with aerodynamic cycle wings, he was also running it in Grand Prix races. His co-driver once again was Marcel Mongin.Spurring 2017, p.332 Three other drivers pooled resources and formed a new team, the Écurie Francia: Le Mans winner Eugène Chaboud had his trusty 3-year-old chassis, while Joseph Paul and Marcel Contet bought cars from the Écurie Bleue. Also lightened and lowered, they had been getting reasonable success in French rallying and racing.Spurring 2017, p.333 As they were running as a new team, last year's winner Chaboud was not eligible for the Coupe. Louis Villeneuve, who had finished 4th in 1938, carried the only Coupe entry for Delahaye, running his standard 135 CS. A young Rob Walker, a member of the Johnnie Walker whiskey family, had bought his ex-Bira Delahaye almost on a whim, for £400 from the London showroom in Park Lane. The agent, Count Doric Heyden, lodged his entry to Le Mans.Spurring 2017, pp.334-5https://www.theguardian.com/news/2002/may/01/guardianobituaries.alanhenry The Guardian obituaries www.theguardian.com 8 Jun 2026Williams 2023, p.99 In contrast, Joseph Chotard was the owner of a well-known Parisian brothel, and had bought the Écurie Bleue car that had finished third in 1937. Crashed in practice at the Paris 12-hours race, it had been repaired in time for Le Mans.Spurring 2017, p.337 The final Delahaye was that of André Bellecroix, with Gaston Serraud as his co-driver, who had finished second the year before. The other big entry came from Talbot. The new single-seater MC90 and two-seat MD90 for the AIACR regulations were proving not as competitive as promised against the might of the German machines, and the new engines (a V16 4.5-litre and a supercharged 3.0-litre) were still in development. Venables 2009, p.91 Luigi Chinetti was running a nominal works team, with strong factory support, and brought four cars to the race. So, the current 3-litre straight-6 was further developed to now put out 230 bhp and the T150 Course sports cars were fitted with those engines for Le Mans. Chinetti had lined up regular drivers Philippe Étancelin, René Le Bègue and René Carrière in his squad. However, in May, Carrière crashed his MD90 heavily at the Eifelrennen breaking his leg and ending his career; and with Étancelin unavailable in June, Chinetti found himself short of drivers for his four entries. He, himself, took the lead car, with Brit T.A.S.O. Mathieson, who had run a privateer Talbot the year before. Le Bègue would race with Pierre Bouillin, who had bought his Talbot off Le Bègue two years previously. André Morel, who had finished 3rd the previous year, led the other car.Spurring 2017, pp.337-8 Chinetti once again also supported the entry of two 4-litre Super Sports coupés, styled by the Parisian coachbuilding company Figoni et Falaschi. He fitted one with a new works 4.5-litre engine, but when the licence of British amateur C.F. Shrubsall was questioned by the ACO during practice due to his erratic driving,Williams 2023, p.97 the car was taken over by Parisian banker Pierre Louis-Dreyfus (who had finished second in 1936, racing under his pseudonym "Heldé") and his good friend, Antoine Schumann. The pair had raced together in the 1931 and ’32 races.Spurring 2017, p.340Clarke 1998, p.175: Motor Sport July 1939 The other was a brand-new chassis prepared specially for the race for Duke Philippe de Massa and entered by Mathieson. Aside from the works team, there were also two other private entrants. Raoul Forestier had bought the ex-“Raph” car that had burst into flames at the 1938 race. Le Mans winner Jean Trémoulet had his entry to the Biennale and entered the car as Forester's co-driver. Earlier in the year at Pau, Trémoulet had raced the overly-complex French SEFAC in its second, and final, GP start. Raymond Sommer entered another sleek works-prepared Alfa Romeo coupé. Pulling back from a Grand Prix program, the focus of the company was instead put into sports car racing, and this was a racing version of the new 6C-2500 Super Sport road car, styled by Carrozzeria Touring in Milan. The 2.5-litre Tipo 256 engine was designed by Vittorio Jano and was a DOHC straight-six. In race-trim it was tuned up to 120 bhp and seven short-wheelbase Corsa chassis were built.Spurring 2017, pp.345-6 Italian leader Benito Mussolini had banned all Italian drivers from competing overseas, (in response to League of Nations sanctions), so Sommer was without a works co-driver this year.Williams 2023, p.96 He approached the young English-educated, Siamese royal Birabongse Bhanudej, who raced under the name of "Prince Bira". Already a regular Grand Prix racer, he had come to Le Mans as a spectator in 1935 with his royal cousin. Being a track on public roads, he had discretely joined the night practice by driving his open-top Bently onto the circuit at the Tertre Rouge corner and completed several high-speed laps before, just as quietly, pulling off the circuit before being noticed by the officials. Bugatti returned to Le Mans after the works team entered no major sports-car races in 1938. A one-off special was prepared by Jean Bugatti and entered by the team's lead-driver Jean-Pierre Wimille. The ACO regulations allowed for supercharged engines, albeit with a sizeable x1.65 equivalence penalty.Spurring 2017, pp.318-20 The one-off Type 57C was based on the chassis of the luxury tourer, fitted with a 3250cc straight-4 engine. With a supercharger, and fine-tuned by the factory, it put out around 200 bhp. A streamlined magnesium-alley bodyshell had a minimal windscreen for the driver and an angled spotlight recessed on the right-hand side to better illuminate the apex of the corners. Wimille had Bugatti voiturette works-driver Pierre Veyron as his co-driver, who had not raced for two years. thumb|300px|Lagonda V12 thumb|300px|Delage D6-3L In 1935, the Arthur Fox Lagonda had finally broken the string of Alfa Romeo wins by taking victory. The marque returned this year with its new V12 model. W.O. Bentley had won four Le Mans with his own company before its liquidation. He was now main designer at Lagonda. He brought Stewart Tresilian with him (from his next venture at Rolls-Royce) as the lead engineer for the new car. Tresilian had a proven design record in V12 aero-engines including the Rolls-Royce Merlin.Spurring 2017, pp.326-7 Venables 2008, p.71 The new engine was a 4480cc V12 DOHC that generated 180 bhp through a 4-speed synchromesh gearbox. The ladder-frame chassis was fitted with fully independent front-suspension and hydraulic brakes. Extensive high-speed testing was done at Brooklands before it entered production in 1938. In December, it was decided to race at Le Mans and a lightened, short-wheelbase chassis was built. The engine was also lightened and tuned up to 210 bhp. Charles Brackenbury was lead driver and was going to be accompanied by British ace Dick Seaman, works driver for the Mercedes GP team, but they would not release him to race (tragically, he would be killed a week later at the Belgian Grand Prix). So, the experienced ERA driver Arthur Dobson was brought in. Meanwhile, the wealthy racer Peter, Lord Selsdon, had recently inherited his title and approached Lagonda offering to pay for a second car to be prepared. Ready at the final moment, it got its pre-race testing being driven, at speed, to Le Mans. For their first competitive event, Bentley wanted the cars to run at a set average pace of 135 km/h which was slightly faster than the race-winner in 1938. Louis Gérard and Walter Watney had found their 4.5-litre V12 Delage disappointing in grand prix racing. They therefore looked to a new project with the 3-litre supercharged rules. The Briton Watney was the main Delage dealer in Paris and bought the assets when the company filed for bankruptcy in 1935.Spurring 2017, pp.245-6 They based the new racer on the chassis of the Delage D6 Olympic 4-seater tourer. Two cars were fitted with aerodynamic aluminium bodywork, including a shaped cowl behind the driver that led into the long swooping tail. The 3.0-litre engine was a straight-six with an aluminium head. Choosing to run them without the supercharger at Le Mans, it was tuned to 125 bhp and could get up to 210 km/h (130 mph).Spurring 2017, pp.320-2 The works team was named as the Écurie Walter Watney, with Gérard and Georges Monneret as the two drivers. For Le Mans, they were paired together in one car, while French motorcycling champion Roger Loyer and the Swiss Armand Hug raced the second. 1.1- to 2-litre entries thumb|300px|BMW 328 Touring Coupe A BMW 328 had raced at Le Mans in 1937, but it had been taken out in the multi-car accident at the White House corner. Having subsequently been raced very successfully, the company decided to bring their cars back to Le Mans. Three were entered, now with improved engines that put out 135 bhp that could push them up to 220 km/h (135 mph). One of them was an aerodynamic coupé version, with a body fashioned by Carrozzeria Touring.Spurring 2017, pp.329-30 The works team was supervised by the NSKK, the Nazi government motoring department of Adolf Hühnlein with its team leader, the Prinz zu Schaumburg-Lippe, and BMW engineer Fritz Wenscher in the coupé. The two roadsters were driven by Ralph Röese (who had won the Belgian GP des Frontières in May) and Paul Heinemann and Willi Briem/Rudolf Scholz. The Adler works team had run like clockwork taking class victories in both 1937 and 1938 with their streamlined "Rennlimousine". However, BMW was taking the competition to them now and a racing model of the new Typ 10 saloon was developed. Moving up another class category, the 2.5-litre side-valve straight-six engine put out 80 bhp when tuned for race performance and the teardrop shape got the car up to 150 km/h (95 mph).Spurring 2017, pp.347-8 “Huschke” von Hanstein was lead driver and would be relying on the better fuel efficiency to beat BMW. Works drivers, Paul von Guilleaume and Otto Löhr, who had won the 1.5-litre class, were back to defend their title with their Adler Trumpf Rennlimousine taking the team's second Coupe Biennale entry. For the third time, Robert Hichens entered his Aston Martin Speed and returned with his co-driver Mort Morris-Goodall again. The other Aston in the field was Morris-Goodall's 4-year-old 1.5-litre Ulster, now owned and entered by Frenchman Victor Polledry, who had raced it for the past 3 years. Most recently, the car had won the Bol d’Or at Montlhéry, driven by Marcel Contet. With Contet driving a Delahaye this year, Polledry drove with Robert Klempenère.Spurring 2017, p.341 Just-Émile Vernet was racing in his 8th consecutive Le Mans this decade, joining Carl de Bodard and his 1.5-litre Riley TT Sprite that they had raced together in the Paris 12 Hours.Spurring 2017, p.343 Another Riley entered was that of Georges Brunot, who had acquired one of the Paulin streamlined cars from the Écurie Eudel of Guy Lapchin. Peter Clark returned to Le Mans with a new HRG for his team, the Écurie Lapin Blanc. His co-driver again was factory engineer, Marcus Chambers, who had installed a modified Singer engine along with a lightened body for racing.Spurring 2017, p.331 H. F. S. Morgan had been impressed enough by the publicity the previous year from Prudence Fawcett. Now married, Fawcett had retired from racing but offered her Biennale entry. Faced with competing against the strong Simca team, her car's engine was bored out to just over 1100 cc to put it into the lightly entered 1.5-litre class with no increase to the Index distance required. It was also fitted with twin carburettors and an uprated exhaust. Morgan works manager, Geoff White, would drive the car with Dick Anthony, who race-prepared Aston Martins in his London motor garage. up to 1.1-litre entries The lightning-fast Simcas prepared by Amédée Gordini had amazed people in the previous year’s race and a squadron of seven of his cars looked set to dominate the small classes again this year. Work was done on the Simca 8 to improve the 60 bhp engine’s reliability, the chassis was stiffened and the brakes improved. A new bodyshell was designed, with a longer front and again built of light duralumin alloy.Spurring 2017, p.323 Gordini was effectively running a works team of five cars, which had already scored good results earlier in the year. Two of the Huits had the streamlined body, with Gordini and José Scaron in the lead car, (with the Biennale entry) and Debille/Breillet in the other. Meanwhile, Charles Plantivaux (750 class-winner last year) and Guy Lapchin raced the 1938-car. They also fielded two of the dogged little Simca Cinq, that once again had the 750cc class to themselves.Spurring 2017, pp.325-6 There were also three privateer Simca entries. Just-Émile Vernet brought one of his Gordini-prepared Huits, with one of his regular partners, Gaston Tramer with Robert Cayeux driving this time. Anne-Cécile Rose-Itier was now a veteran female racer and rally driver. She also had a Gordini Huit with Vernet’s former co-driver, Suzanne Largeot. Finally, Victor Camérano returned with his SIMCA Huit saloon. To take on the Simcas, there were three privateer Singers. Class-winners Jacques and Pierre Savoye returned with their Coupe Biennale entry, while two British drivers, Arthur Jones and Archie Scott, had acquired their Singer Nine Le Mans Replicas from the former works Team Autosports.Spurring 2017, pp.344-5 Two refurbished MGs rounded out the field. American Miles Collier had bought one of the PA Midgets raced by the all-female team in 1935. Alongside his two brothers, Collier had founded the Automobile Racing Club of America in 1934 and competed successfully with the MG.Spurring 2017, pp.348-9 After a traffic accident, he commissioned Grumman Aircraft engineer John Oliveau to design a new streamlined chassis, now fitted with a supercharged 847cc MG engine. With Oliveau as team manager, Collier submitted only the second American entry to the ACO and brought in experienced British MG trials-driver Lewis Welch as his co-driver. The other MG was that of Frenchman Claude Bonneau who also had an aerodynamic shell fitted over his chassis after a traffic accident. Practice and Pre-race During scrutineering Lord Howe, as British RAC representative, pointed out to the ACO that the Adler team were not following the regulations for fuel-tank security. Several teams were having great difficulty getting to scrutineering – Raymond Sommer was being thwarted by heavy snow in bringing his Alfa Romeo over the Mont Cenis Pass from Turin. Sommer, himself, arrived at 2pm, while his car was wheeled in at 3.45pm. Right behind it was the Bugatti works team, just making the 4pm deadline. Practice was run in good weather during the week, and night-practice was done from 1am to 6am to minimise impact on the public roads. Brunot's streamlined Riley had an engine failure and without spares it had to be scratched. His co-driver Lucien Langlois, a former Delahaye owner, found a new seat with the Delahaye of Joseph Chotard. It was worse for the new 2.5-litre Adler which was crashed heavily and could not be repaired for the race. Bugatti's tribulations continued when the car blew its engine during practice. Spare pistons were dispatched overnight from the factory. Race Start thumb|300px|The traditional "Le Mans start", as the drivers run to their cars thumb|300px|Cars on the run down to the Esses thumb|300px|The Villeneuve Delahaye ahead of a BMW roadster with the Bugatti behind Race day was a warm, sunny summer day bringing 120,000 spectators and tourists flooding out of the city for the event.Bernard et al 2023, p.313 As often the case, Sommer was the first away, but with him starting halfway down the field it was the Lagonda of Arthur Dobson who led the pack under the Dunlop bridge followed by Chinetti in his Talbot and Wimille in the big Bugatti.Clarke 1998, p.171: Motor Jun20 1939 Left behind was both Bonneau's MG and Serraud, who could not get his Delahaye gearbox to engage (losing two laps straight away).Clarke 1998, p.176: Motor Sport July 1939 At the end of the first lap, it was Chinetti ahead of Dobson, Mazaud (Delahaye), Wimille, Le Bègue (Talbot) and Gérard (Delage). The latter was on a mission, and on the second lap, he was up to second and by the third lap, Gérard had taken the lead and set about building a gap. By the end of the first hour, he had a good margin over the Delahayes of Mazaud and Paul, then Wimille and the Talbots of Chinetti, "Heldé" and Le Bègue. The Lagondas fell back, to run to their pre-arranged pace. Sommer's bad luck struck again, stopping out on the circuit on the third lap and losing a lap to the leaders. In the second hour, he pitted on his 19th lap to blow water out of an engine cylinder and change a gasket, spending an hour in the pits.Williams 2023, p.98 An early retirement was the hitherto reliable Adler. Löhr brought the car in after 45 minutes, and six laps, with a broken piston. Having settled in, Mazaud now started pulling in the Delage. Relentless in pursuit, on lap 25 he broke the track record with a 5:12.1, previously held by Robert Benoist in the Bugatti Type 57G.Clarke 1998, p.172: Motor Jun20 1939 He finally caught and passed Gérard just after the 2-hour mark and for the next hour, the two ran nose-to-tail passing each other. The first refuelling stops came round straight after that. In the third hour, ACO race director Charles Faroux stepped out to black-flag Forestier's Talbot for mechanical issues. However, without a number associated with the flag, the driver was unaware. It was several laps before the pit-crew could make him stop. It was found he had a major oil-leak after the oil-filler cap had not been properly secured by the ACO official at the pitstop.Spurring 2017, p.339 Now leaving an oil trail all around the track, it caused big problems for the other drivers. Mahé had a lurid spin in the Talbot coupé but escaped without any damage. Anne-Cécile Rose-Itier crashed her Simca 8 on the slippery track at the Arnage corner, rolling the car. She was taken to hospital with bruising and in shock. Another Simca hit the oil at the sweeping curve after the pits after clipping the inside curb, before skating down the track backwards and hitting the outside fencing and rebounding back into the middle of the track. Without a seatbelt, the driver, Jean Breillet, had been tossed out the car and was fortunate to be uninjured. The spectators got another scare when the ambulance sent to the scene pulled across the track right in front of an approaching car coming around the bend unsighted, only narrowly avoiding another big accident.Clarke 1998, p.173: Motor Jun20 1939 Night Heavy clouds had been building up through the later day, but the night was clear and the rain stayed away.Clarke 1998, p.170: Motor Jun20 1939 Going into the evening, there was an exciting race at the front between the Gérard/Monneret Delage, the Mazaud/Mongin Delahaye and the Chinetti/Mathieson Talbot, with the lead changing back and forth according to refuelling stops and driver changes. By quarter-distance, at 10pm, the Talbot had completed 65 laps, along with the Delahaye and Delage both on the same lap, all separated by less than 30 seconds. Between them, they had put a lap on the big Bugatti and a further lap back to the second Delage, of Loyer/Hug (63). The Contet and Chaboud Delahayes were both 3 laps back (62). The Dobson Lagonda was 8th (61) and Le Bègue's Talbot in 9th (60 laps). Strong driving by Gérard got him back in the lead with a lap's advantage by midnight. A serious accident occurred in the early hours when Bellecroix swerved coming onto the Hunaudières straight. The Delahaye clipped a roadside tree and flew off the road between two others, rolled and ending up against the wall of one of the roadside houses. Bellecroix was taken to hospital as a precaution but only had light injuries.Clarke 1998, p.177: Motor Sport July 1939 Then, soon before 2am, the Mazaud Delahaye made a spectacular exit, its engine bursting into flames on the run from White House. Desperately driving the last kilometre to get to the fire extinguishers in the pits, the car appeared like a blazing torch out of the darkness. Although Mazaud was uninjured, the car could not be saved, its electrics burnt out and their race was over. A number of the French cars failed overnight with mechanical and electrical issues: Chaboud would not win consecutive races, along with the Talbots of Le Bègue and Mahé – all of whom had been running in the top-10. At the midway point of 4am, the Delage had done 129 laps and established a solid 3-minute lead ahead of Chinetti and Wimille (128) while the sister Delage was still keeping in touch a further lap back in 4th. A bigger margin now stretched the rest of the field, with Contet in fifth (122) ahead of the two Lagondas (121 & 118). The 2-litre BMWs were running very reliably and mixing it with the remaining Delahayes, having long left the Aston Martin (the only other car in the class) behind. Schaumberg-Lippe's coupé was best-placed in 8th (116), with his teammates in 10th and 12th (115). By dawn, at the start of a clear, warm summer day, the top-4 were all on the same lap again. The Index handicap race was still very close. A number of cars were well ahead of their schedules, with Gérard also leading it, being 33% ahead of target. Just behind on paper were team-mate Hug and Gordini's Simca, both on a score of 1.32. Chinetti and Schaumburg-Lippe's BMW were vying for fourth (1.27) while the other two BMWs, by virtue of being 2 laps behind their team-leader, were next on 1.25. All things indicated a record distance was on the cards at this pace. Morning thumb|300px|Wimille and his Bugatti taking the Mulsanne corner More drama occurred at breakfast time, when Mathieson suffered a puncture coming out of Tertre Rouge onto the back straight. Hug, in the second Delage, was following close behind and collided with Mathieson, taking them out the race. The Talbot was pitched into the sandbank which cost a lot of time to be dug out then change the wheel. It was all for nought though, as Mathieson only got as far as the Mulsanne corner at the end of the straight before pulling over with terminal suspension damage. That marked the end of the Talbot challenge, with all six cars now out the race and leaving Monneret with a comfortable lead into the morning. Having just taken second place, the Bugatti lost 10 minutes when it stopped on-track after Wimille felt a wheel-hub breaking. He carefully made his way back to the pits and got it replaced. This now gave Gérard a 3-lap lead over the Bugatti. The two Lagondas were running to their proscribed pace, in 3rd and 4th, until Dobson had an extended pitstop to fix a slipping clutch on his Lagonda. By way of comparison, Gérard and Monneret were doing 5:28 laps, Wimille in pursuit was back to 5:21 while the Lagondas were doing 5:46.Clarke 1998, p.174: Motor Jun20 1939 The metronomic BMWs had now moved up to 5th, 8th and 9th with the Delahayes of Contet and Villeneuve sandwiched in between them. However, the Contet/Brunet car was forced out soon after with suspension failure while running sixth. Into the morning, attrition continued to pick off cars regularly and by 9am half of the field had retired. Wisdom and Scott were disqualified by the officials for early refuelling. Rust and dirt from their Singer's fuel tank had tainted the fuel system, however in the process of cleaning it out they lost too much fuel and could only complete 23 of the mandatory 24 laps between fuel top-ups. The Alfa Romeo had had a problematic race; after its initial engine issues, they had run well, moving up the field. But the enclosed saloon was stiflingly hot, and the rear brakes were overheating, costing time as buckets of water were used to dowse them in the pit-stops. Sommer and Bira finally admitted defeat at 11am. In the smaller-classes, the BMWs had been dominating. However, around 9am Gordini overtook them in the Index competition as he moved up the field near the top-10. Finish and post-race The defining moment of the race was shortly before 1pm when Monneret brought the Delage into the pits complaining of a misfire and his feet getting scorched. At the time they held a 2-lap lead over the Bugatti. The bonnet went up and the plugs were changed, but when it went out, it was still misfiring. In that time, Wimille had pulled back a lap. Then, when the Delage pitted again after an exploratory lap, he swept by again, into the lead and that was the race decided. It was found that the Delage's exhaust was loose and a valve-spring had broken. After 40 minutes Gérard was able to get going again, but was in no position to chase the Bugatti, and held station.Clausager 1982, p.74 Jean Bugatti told his drivers to ease back and not stress the engine. Everyone was focused on getting to the finish line as the clock ticked down, with a number of those as walking wounded. Wimille broke his own distance record with half an hour to spare and took the win at 4pm. It was his second, and what would turn out to be the final major victory for Bugatti. Gérard did make it to the end, finishing three laps behind. Collecting FF17000 in hourly bonuses was some consolation. Both cars exceeded the previous overall distance record, set by the Bugatti of Wimille and Benoist in 1937. Gérard also broke his own class record of 1937 in the 3-litre class by 2 laps. The Lagondas had a trouble-free race and finished third and fourth. Neither car had needed a wheel-change through the race. The BMW team finished fifth, seventh and ninth to take a clean sweep of the 2-litre podium. The coupé led the team home and beat the class distance-record by 10% (22 laps, 291 km / 181 miles). Aside from gearbox problems for the Briem/Scholz roadster in the latter half of the race, the team ran well. However, they were beaten to the Index of Performance prize by Simca. Gordini and Scaron again had an extraordinary race, completely dominating their class. This year, their speed once again had them mixing with the mid-sized cars, but this time reliability got them to the finish, coming home 10th overall. Simca took a 1-2-3 podium in the class, with teammates Lapchin/Plantivaux second, almost 250 km (18 laps) behind and together they took first and second in the Index prize. Louis Villeneuve's privateer car was the best of the Delahayes, covering just 600m short of the Delahaye winner's distance of the previous year, however this year it was only good enough for sixth place. Debutante Rob Walker finished eighth, having chosen to run the race in full pin-stripe suit. A broken exhaust had severely blistered the right foot of his co-driver, so Walker ended up driving for 16 of the 24 hours, soaking his own foot in water during pit stops. The HRG had been running well and leading the 1.5-litre class. Despite late engine trouble in the last hours again, and running on three cylinders, it held on to finish 14th and take its class victory. Behind them, and second in class, was the Morgan that had a far better performance this year, going 21 laps further than in 1938. Lapping over 40 seconds faster, the first half of the race had been very good with the car only spending 7 minutes in the pits.Spurring 2017, p.342 However, several stops in the last quarter of the race to fix a sticking throttle stymied their charge on the ailing HRG although they did finish 4th in the Index prize. The Arthur Jones Singer had developed engine issues in the afternoon and parked in the pits. It came back out in the last hour, limping around at a touring speed and just managed to make its required distance by mere minutes, finishing 18th. Once again, the two tiny Simca Cinq ran very reliably, finishing within a lap of each other at the tail of the field. Their goal had been to break 2000km for a distance record, and the Alin brothers missed that mark by barely 600 metres. One of the last races of the year would be at La Baule, in Brittany. Jean Bugatti chose to enter the 57C for Wimille and was taking it for a test-run at dusk when a young cyclist rode onto the Strasbourg main highway. Swerving at high speed to avoid him, he hit three trees head-on and was killed. His loss devastated his father Ettore Bugatti.Williams 2023, p.99 The company was already in dire financial problems and plans were drawn up to relocate to Belgium to avoid creditors. However, three weeks after that war was declared and virtually all international motor-racing ceased for six years. Many automobile manufacturers would have their factories repurposed to support military production while a number of European circuits, including Le Mans, were converted to airfields. Endurance racing would not return to Le Mans until 1949. Official results Finishers Results taken from Quentin Spurring’s book, officially licensed by the ACOSpurring 2017, p.2Spurring 2017, p.310https://www.racingsportscars.com/race/Le_Mans-1939-06-18.html Le Mans 24 Hours 1939 - Racing Sports Cars www.racingsportscars.com 18 May 2026http://lemans-history.com/provas.php?ano=1939 Le Mans History www.lemans-history.com 18 May 2026http://www.wsrp.cz/prewar1939.html#14 World Sports Racing Prototypes www.wsrp.cz 18 May 2026http://www.formula2.net/1939.htm Formula 2 www.formula2.net 18 May 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20170704225649/http://www.formula2.net/1939.htm 4 July 2017 bot: unknownClass Winners are in Bold text. Pos Position ClassNo. Car number Team Drivers Chassis Engine Tyre Targetdistance* Laps Laps completed 1 8.0 ** 1 FRA J.-P. Wimille(private entrant) FRA Jean-Pierre WimilleFRA Pierre Veyron Bugatti Type 57C Bugatti 3.3L S8supercharged Dunlop 205 248 2 3.0 21 GBR Écurie Walter Watney FRA Louis GérardFRA Georges Monneret Delage D6-3L Delage 3.0L S6 Dunlop 194 245 3 5.0 5 GBR Lagonda Ltd GBR Arthur DobsonGBR Charles Brackenbury Lagonda V12 Lagonda 4.5L V12 Dunlop 203 239 4 5.0 6 GBR Lord Selsdon(private entrant) GBR Peter Mitchell-Thomson, Lord Selsdon GBR William ‘Bill’ Walrond, Lord Waleran Lagonda V12 Lagonda 4.5L V12 Dunlop 203 238 5 2.0 26 GER 1935 NSKK-Korpsführung GER 1935 Max, Prinz zu Schaumburg-LippeGER 1935 Fritz Hans Wenscher BMW 328 Coupé BMW 1976cc S6 Continental 182 236 6 5.0 12 FRA L. Villeneuve(private entrant) FRA Louis VilleneuveFRA René Biolay Delahaye 135 CS Delahaye 3.6L S6 Dunlop 199 [B] 235 7 2.0 27 GER 1935 NSKK-Korpsführung GER 1935 Ralph RöeseGER 1935 Paul Heinemann BMW 328 BMW 1976cc S6 Continental 182 230 8 5.0 20 GBR Count Heyden GBR Rob WalkerGBR Ian Connell Delahaye 135 CS Delahaye 3.6L S6 Dunlop 198 224 9 2.0 28 GER 1935 NSKK-Korpsführung GER 1935 Willi BriemGER 1935 Rudolf Scholz BMW 328 BMW 1976cc S6 Continental 182 220 10 1.1 39 FRA Écurie Gordini FRA Amédée GordiniFRA José Scaron Simca 8 Gordini Fiat 1088cc.S4 Dunlop 159 [B] 213 11 5.0 14 FRA J. Chotard(private entrant) FRA Joseph ChotardFRA "Jacques Seylair" (Lucien Langlois) Delahaye 135 CS Delahaye 3.6L S6 Dunlop 198 202 12 2.0 29 GBR R. P. Hichens(private entrant) GBR Cdr Robert HichensGBR Mortimer Morris-Goodall Aston Martin Speed Aston Martin 1967cc S4 Dunlop 182 199 13 1.1 41 FRA Écurie Gordini FRA Guy LapchinFRA Charles Plantivaux Simca 8 Gordini Fiat 1087cc.S4 Dunlop 159 [B] 195 14 1.5 32 GBR Écurie Lapin BlancGBR HRG Engineering Company GBR Peter ClarkGBR Marcus Chambers HRG Le Mans Singer 1496cc S4 Dunlop 172 [B] 192 15 1.5 37 GBR Miss P.M. Fawcett(private entrant) GBR Geoffrey WhiteGBR Cuthbert "Dick" Anthony Morgan 4/4 Coventry Climax 1104cc S4 Dunlop 159 [B] 184 16 1.5 34 FRA Just-Émile Vernet FRA Just-Émile VernetFRA Carl de Bodard Riley TT Sprite Riley 1496cc S4 Dunlop 172 [B] 180 17 1.1 38 FRA V. Camérano(private entrant) FRA Victor CaméranoFRA Henri Louveau Simca 8 saloon Fiat 1090cc.S4 Dunlop 159 [B] 163 18 1.1 45 GBR A. W. Jones(private entrant) GBR Arthur JonesGBR Gordon Wilkins Singer Nine Le Mans Replica Singer 972cc S4 Dunlop 154 154 19 750 48 FRA Écurie Gordini FRA Adrien AlinFRA Albert Alin Simca 5 Gordini Fiat 566cc S4 Dunlop 125 148 20 750 49 FRA Écurie Gordini FRA Maurice AiméFRA Albert Leduc Simca 5 Gordini Fiat 568cc S4 Dunlop 125 147 Did Not Finish Pos Class No Team Drivers Chassis Engine Tyre Targetdistance* Laps Reason DNF 3.0 25 FRA R. Sommer (private entrant) FRA Raymond SommerTHA Prince Bira Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Corsa Alfa Romeo 2.4L S6 Pirelli 189 173 engine (19hr) DNF 5.0 18 FRA Écurie Francia FRA Marcel ContetFRA Robert Brunet Delahaye 135 CS Delahaye 3.6L S6 Dunlop 198 171 suspension(morning) DNF 1.5 31 FRA V. Polledry(private entrant) FRA Victor PolledryFRA Robert Klempenère Aston Martin 1½ Ulster Aston Martin 1497cc S4 Dunlop 172 155 engine(late morning) DNF 5.0 3 ITA 1861 Luigi Chinetti ITA 1861 Luigi ChinettiGBR T.A.S.O. Mathieson Talbot-Lago T150C Talbot 4.5L S6 Dunlop 203 [B] 154 accident damage (16hr)DNF 3.0 22 GBR Écurie Walter Watney FRA Roger LoyerCHE Armand Hug Delage D6-3L Delage 3.0L S6 Dunlop 194 152 accident (15hr)DNF 5.0 15 FRA R. Mazaud(private entrant) FRA Robert MazaudFRA Marcel Mongin Delahaye 135 CS Delahaye 3.6L S6 Dunlop 198 115 fire (11hr)DSQ 1.1 44 GBR A.C. Scott(private entrant) GBR Archie Scott GBR Tommy Wisdom Singer Nine Le Mans Replica Singer 980cc S4 Dunlop 154 105 premature refuelling(morning)DNF 5.0 9 ITA 1861 Luigi Chinetti FRA René Le Bègue FRA ”Levegh” (Pierre Bouillin) Talbot-Lago T150C Talbot 4.0L S6 Dunlop 201 102 electrics (11hr)DNF 5.0 19 FRA Écurie Francia FRA Eugène ChaboudFRA Yves Giraud-Cabantous Delahaye 135 CS Delahaye 3.6L S6 Dunlop 198 99 engine(night)DNF 5.0 8 GBR T.A.S.O. Mathieson(private entrant) FRA Duke Philippe de MassaFRA Norbert Jean Mahé Talbot-Lago T150 SS Coupé Talbot 4.0L S6 Dunlop 201 88 engine (8hr)DNF 5.0 7 ITA 1861 Luigi Chinetti FRA André MorelGBR Jim Bradley Talbot-Lago T150C Talbot 4.5L S6 Dunlop 203 88 ? (midnight)DNF 5.0 10 FRA J. Trémoulet(private entrant) FRA Jean TrémouletFRA Raoul Forestier Talbot-Lago T150C Talbot 4.0L S6 Dunlop 201 [B] 68 radiator(late evening)DNF 1.5** 36 USA M. Collier(private entrant) USA Miles CollierGBR Lewis Welch MG Midget PA Special MG 847cc S4supercharged Dunlop 170 63 fuel tank (8hr)DNF 5.0 16 FRA Écurie Francia FRA Joseph PaulFRA Jean Trévoux Delahaye 135 CS Delahaye 3.6L S6 Dunlop 199 62 engine (7hr)DNF 5.0 11 FRA A. Bellecroix(private entrant) FRA André BellecroixFRA Gaston Serraud Delahaye 135 CS Delahaye 3.6L S6 Dunlop 199 50 accident (5hr)DNF 1.1 43 FRA Just-Émile Vernet FRA Robert CayeuxFRA Gaston Tramer Simca 8 Gordini Fiat 1087cc.S4 Dunlop 159 50 engine (night)DNF 5.0 4 ITA 1861 Luigi Chinetti FRA "Heldé" (Pierre Louis-Dreyfus)FRA Antoine Schumann Talbot-Lago T150 SS Roadster Talbot 4.5L S6 Dunlop 203 45 engine (evening)DNF 1.1 47 FRA C. Bonneau(private entrant) FRA Claude BonneauFRA Max Mathieu MG Midget PB Spéciale MG 954cc S4 Englebert 154 [B] 40 fuel system (7hr)DNF 1.1 40 FRA Écurie Gordini FRA Jean BreilletFRA Albert Debille Simca 8 Gordini Fiat 1087cc.S4 Dunlop 159 29 accident (4hr)DNF 1.1 42 FRA Mme A.-C. Rose-Itier (private entrant) FRA Anne-Cécile Rose-ItierFRA Suzanne Largeot Simca 8 Gordini Fiat 1087cc.S4 Dunlop 159 26 accident (4hr)DNF 1.5 30 DEU 1935 Adlerwerke GER 1935 Otto LöhrGER 1935 Paul von Guilleaume Adler Trumpf Super Rennlimousine Adler 1498cc S4side-valve Englebert 172 [B] 6 engine (1hr)DNF 1.1 46 FRA J. Savoye(private entrant) FRA Jacques SavoyeFRA Pierre Savoye Singer Nine "Savoye Spéciale" Singer 967cc S4 Dunlop 154 [B] 4 engine (1hr) Note *: [B]= car also entered in the 1938-39 Biennial Cup. Note **: equivalent class for supercharging, with x1.65 modifier to engine capacity.Spurring 2017, p.230 Did Not Start Pos Class No Team Drivers Chassis Engine ReasonDNS 3.0 24GER 1935 AdlerwerkeGER 1935 Fritz “Huschke” von HansteinGER 1935 . Karkmann Adler Typ 10 SportRennlimousine Adler 2.5L S4side-valve accident in practice DNS 1.5 33 FRA G. Bruenot(private entrant) FRA Georges BruenotFRA "Jacques Seylair" (Lucien Langlois) Riley TT Sprite Riley 1496cc S4 engine in practice DNA 5.0 2 FRA Écurie Bleue ITA 1861 Gianfranco ComottiFRA Albert Divo Delahaye 145 Delahaye 4.5L V12 did not arrive DNA 5.0** 23 GBR R. Arbuthnot(private entrant) GBR Robert Arbuthnot Alfa Romeo 8C-2900A Alfa Romeo 2.9L S8 twin-supercharged did not arrive DNA 1.5 35 GBR C.H.H. Morrison(private entrant) GBR Charles Morrison Atalanta Atalanta 1495cc S4 did not arrive 1939 Index of Performance Pos 1938-39Biennial Cup Class No. Car number Team Drivers Chassis IndexResult 1 1st 1.1 39 FRA Écurie Gordini FRA Amédée GordiniFRA José Scaron Simca 8 Gordini 1.351 2 - 2.0 26 GER 1935 NSKK-Korpsführung GER 1935 Max, Prinz zu Schaumburg-LippeGER 1935 Fritz Hans Wenscher BMW 328 Coupé 1.299 3 - 3.0 21 GBR Écurie Walter Watney FRA Louis GérardFRA Georges Monneret Delage D6-3L 1.267 4 - 2.0 27 GER 1935 NSKK-Korpsführung GER 1935 Ralph RöeseGER 1935 Paul Heinemann BMW 328 1.256 5 2nd 1.1 41 FRA Écurie Gordini FRA Guy LapchinFRA Charles Plantivaux Simca 8 Gordini 1.237 6 - 2.0 28 GER 1935 NSKK-Korpsführung GER 1935 Willi BriemGER 1935 Rudolf Scholz BMW 328 1.213 7 - 8.0 1 FRA J.-P. Wimille(private entrant) FRA Jean-Pierre WimilleFRA Pierre Veyron Bugatti Type 57C 1.210 8 3rd 5.0 12 FRA L. Villeneuve(private entrant) FRA Louis VilleneuveFRA René Biolay Delahaye 135 CS 1.190 9 - 5.0 5 GBR Lagonda Ltd GBR Arthur DobsonGBR Charles Brackenbury Lagonda V12 1.182 10 - 750 48 FRA Écurie Gordini FRA Adrien AlinFRA Albert Alin Simca 5 Gordini 1.181 13 4th 1.1 37 GBR Miss P.M. Fawcett(private entrant) GBR Geoffrey WhiteGBR Cuthbert "Dick" Anthony Morgan 4/4 1.162 15 5th 1.5 32 GBR Écurie Lapin BlancGBR HRG Engineering Company GBR Peter ClarkGBR Marcus Chambers HRG Le Mans 1.121 17 6th 1.5 34 FRA Just-Émile Vernet FRA Just-Émile VernetFRA Carl de Bodard Riley TT Sprite 1.050 18 7th 1.1 38 FRA V. Camérano(private entrant) FRA Victor CaméranoFRA Henri Louveau Simca 8 1.036 Note: A score of 1.00 means meeting the minimum distance for the car, and a higher score is exceeding the nominal target distance. Only the top 10 of the 20 finishers of this year's competition are listed. There were seven finishers of the 13 eligible cars in the Biennial Cup. Class Winners Class Winning Car Winning Drivers B – 5 to 8-litre #1 Bugatti Type 57C Wimille / Veyron * C - 3 to 5-litre no finishers D - 2 to 3-litre #21 Delage D6-3L Gérard / Monneret * E - 1500 to 2000cc #26 BMW 328 Coupé Wenscher / zu Schaumburg-Lippe * F - 1100 to 1500cc #32 HRG Le Mans Clark / Chambers G - 750 to 1100cc(new class) #39 Simca Huit Gordini Gordini / Scaron * H - Up to 750cc(new class) #48 Simca Cinq Gordini Alin / Alin Note *: setting a new class distance record. Statistics Fastest Lap – R. Mazaud, #15 Delahaye 135 S – 5:12.1; 155.6 kph mph on Winning Distance – 3354.8 km mi on Winner’s Average Speed – 139.8 kph mph on Attendance – 120000 Notes References Bernard, Davoine, Holtz & Holtz (2023) 100 Years of Legends Sherborne, Dorset: Evro Publishing 978-1-910505-75-5 Clarke, R.M. - editor (1998) Le Mans ‘The Bentley & Alfa Years 1923-1939’ Cobham, Surrey: Brooklands Books 1-85520-465-7 Clausager, Anders (1982) Le Mans London: Arthur Barker Ltd 0-213-16846-4 Laban, Brian (2001) Le Mans 24 Hours London: Virgin Books 1-85227-971-0 Spurring, Quentin (2017) Le Mans 1930-39 Sherbourne, Dorset: Evro Publishing 978-1-91050-513-7 Venables, David (2008) Racing Colours - British Racing Green Surrey: Ian Allan Publishing Ltd 978-0-7110-3332-0 Venables, David (2009) Racing Colours - French Racing Blue Surrey: Ian Allan Publishing Ltd 978-0-7110-3369-6 Williams, Richard (2023) 24 Hours – 100 Years of Le Mans London: Simon & Schuster 978-1-3985-1722-6 External links Racing Sports Cars – Le Mans 24 Hours 1939 entries, results, technical detail. Retrieved 18 May 2026 Le Mans History – entries, results incl. photos, hourly positions. Retrieved 18 May 2026 [wsrp.cz/prewar1939.html#14 World Sports Racing Prototypes] – results, reserve entries & chassis numbers. Retrieved 18 May 2026 24h en Piste – results, chassis numbers, driver photos & hourly positions (in French). Retrieved 18 May 2026 Unique Cars & Parts – results & reserve entries. Retrieved 18 May 2026 Formula 2 – Le Mans results & reserve entries. Retrieved 18 May 2026 Category:24 Hours of Le Mans races Le Mans Category:1939 in French motorsport