1956 24 Hours of Le Mans

24th 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race February 2017 1955 1956 1957 The 1956 24 Hours of Le Mans was a race for Sports Cars which took place on 28 and 29 July 1956 on the Circuit de la Sarthe. The race was won by Ron Flockhart and Ninian Sanderson driving a Jaguar D-Type for the new Ecurie Ecosse team. This race also marked the golden jubilee of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) founded in 1906, however because of the previous year's disaster, celebrations were deferred to 1957 to go along with the imminent 25th anniversary of the race.Spurring 2011, p.280 thumb|upright=1.3|Le Mans in 1956 Following the events of 1955, the front stretch and pit lane were redesigned in order to enhance driver and spectator safety. This involved a change to the layout of the Dunlop curve, shortening the overall length of the track by 31 meters. This race saw the death of French driver Louis Héry when his Monopole was involved in an accident early in the race. Regulations The official enquiry into the 1955 Le Mans disaster found severe deficiencies in the track layout along the main straight and for quite some time there were serious concerns for the future of the race. However, the ACO took all the recommendations on board and was able to convince the French government for continuation. The extensive renovations cost FF300 million, moving 70000 cubic metres of earthLaban 2001, p.118Clarke 1997, p.136: Autosport Jun29 1956 and meant the race was delayed from June 9–10 to the end of July. The pit straight was redesigned: it was widened by 13m (giving room for a deceleration lane), the small kink removed by straightening the approach, and the Dunlop curve realigned, steepened and eased, moving the Dunlop Bridge. This all had the effect of shortening the lap by 31 metres. The grandstand was demolished and rebuilt with new spectator terraces beyond a ditch between the track. The postwar pits were also torn down and a new 3-storey complex built giving more space for crews and with hospitality suites above (although there was still no barrier out to the racing line). This limited the number of starters to 52, down from 60.Spurring 2011, p.250 Elsewhere on the track, the Indianapolis and Maison Blanche corners were also widened and resurfaced, and a dangerous hump on the road after Arnage was removed. A new “signalling pits” was built just after the Mulsanne corner (in the same place Bentley had used 20 years earlier with a phone-link back to the pits) so as to reduce crew congestion and driver distraction on the critical pit straight area.Spurring 2011, p.250Laban 2001, p.119Clausager 1982, p.20 Regarding new regulations, the ACO also set a number of new restrictions with a view to limit maximum speeds. Prototypes were now given a maximum engine size of 2.5L. Production cars had to have 50 units “built, sold or provided for”Spurring 2011, p.251 and were still unrestricted in engine capacity. These new limits put the ACO out of step with the FIA and hence the race was dropped from the 1956 World Sportscar Championship. Full-width windscreens, at least 200mm, high were also mandatory further trimming top-speed. Other effects to encourage economy limited all fuel tanks to a maximum size of 130 litres, and the liquids replenishment (fuel, oil, water) window was extended again, from 32 to 34 laps (458 km / 284 miles) meaning a minimum practical fuel economy of 10.8mpg would be needed. Finally, drivers were now only allowed to do 72 consecutive laps and 14 hours in total.Clausager 1982, p.96 Entries Although Mercedes-Benz and Cunningham had withdrawn from racing, there was still strong support from the car manufacturers and 14 sent works-entries.Spurring 2011, p.249 Category Classes Entries Large-engines S-5000 / S-300018 Medium-engines S-2000 / S-1500 14 Small-engines S-1100 / S-750 17 To some surprise, Jaguar and Aston Martin were able to present cases to the ACO that their current cars qualified as production models. Jaguar brought three of its updated D-types (now 130 kg lighter and up to 275 bhp), the lead car of Mike Hawthorn / Ivor Bueb equipped with fuel-injection.Moity 1974, p.61 Their other drivers were the experienced Jack Fairman and Ken Wharton, and Paul Frère with new team-member Desmond Titterington. The team arrived in red-hot form after a comprehensive 1-2-3-4 result at the Reims 12-hour race. The reliable ally, Equipe Nationale Belge, fielded a new production D-Type. It also saw the arrival of Scotsman David Murray (racing driver)’s new Ecurie Ecosse under team manager Walter “Wilkie” Wilkinson. Murray's drivers were fellow-Scots Ron Flockhart and Ninian Sanderson, stepping up from the smaller classes. In the absence of the big Cunninghams and Talbots this year, the Jaguars had the S-5000 class to themselves. Two true production cars, privately entered into the race, were a Jaguar XK140 and a gull-wing Mercedes-Benz 300SL. Aston Martin returned with a pair of the DB3S, nominally production models but allowed non-standard components.Spurring 2011, p.255 Again, a strong driver line-up was represented, including Stirling Moss (now a works driver for Maserati, which was not at Le Mans this year) with Peter Collins and Roy Salvadori with Peter Walker. The team, having abandoned its Lagonda project, instead arrived with its own new 2.5L prototype – the DBR1/250. Its smaller engine still managed to produce virtually the same power (212 bhp) as its big brothers. It was driven by F1 drivers Reg Parnell and Tony Brooks alt=Ferrari 625 LM driven by de Portago and Hamilton.|thumb|Ferrari 625 LM driven by de Portago and Hamilton. Ferrari, without the production facilities to compete with the British, instead had to create a new 2.5L ‘prototype’ for, essentially, the one-off race at Le Mans. Engineer Vittorio Jano developed last year's 2.5L S-4 grand-prix engine and put it into a chassis adapted from the new 500 TR (the inaugural version of the “Testarossa”). Called the 625 LM, it gave 225 bhp giving a maximum speed of 230 km/h – 10 km/h slower than the Jaguars. Team drivers were race-winner Maurice Trintignant and Olivier Gendebien, Phil Hill and André Simon and Spanish noble 'Marquis' Alfonso de Portago with Duncan Hamilton (fired from Jaguar for ignoring team orders at the Rheims race once too often).Spurring 2011, p.257Moity 1974, p.63 Although the 2.0L V12 in the 500 TR was considered too weak by the factory to take on the Jaguars, there were three private-entries including a second car for the Equipe Nationale Belge. Like Ferrari, French manufacturers Gordini and Talbot could not produce enough to meet the ACO requirements and therefore would have to enter their cars as prototypes. Gordini had two 2.5L cars and a smaller car in the S-1500 category. The larger cars trialled different engines: one using the 2.5L Straight-8 in the Grand Prix cars, and the other a new, more powerful, Straight-6 version (giving about 230 bhp).Spurring 2011, p.264 Talbot, now in receivership and in a change of tack, had adapted the 2.5L grand-prix engine from the Maserati 250F to their new sports cars. Two cars were entered for Jean Behra with Louis Rosier and Jean Lucas with pre-war Maserati veteran Geoffredo “Freddie” Zehender.Spurring 2011, p.267Moity 1974, p.63 alt=The three works Lotus XI entries, in from of the team's race transporter.|thumb|Three works Lotus 11 entries, in front of the team's race transporter. After their great success in the previous race, Porsche returned in force with new cars: a pair of 550A Coupés and a 356 Carrera production model. The new car had famously recently beaten the bigger works Ferraris and Maseratis in the non-Championship Targa Florio. The factory also supported a further a pair of older, privately entered 550 RS spyders and a 356A. Competing in the S-1500 class were a pair of private Maseratis and Colin Chapman’s Lotus 11 with the new FWB-Climax engine. His two other cars still used the smaller 1098cc FWA-Climax engine. The other entrants in the S-1100 class were Cooper’s T39 using the same Climax engine, and a tiny French RB fitted with an OSCA 1093cc engine. For once the smallest, S-750, class was not the preserve of the French. Italian manufacturers Stanguellini and Moretti both sent two-car entries, and OSCA a single car. They were up against a strong DB-works entry of four cars, and three Monopoles. Panhard had closed its racing department after the 1955 disaster and appointed Monopole, effectively as its works team. Over the flying kilometre on the Mulsanne straight, the following top speeds this year were recorded this year:Clarke 1997, p.151: Road & Track Oct 1956 Car Engine Horsepower Maximum Speed Jaguar D-Type Jaguar 3.4L S6 285 bhp 156.8 mph (250.8 km/h) Ferrari 625 LM Ferrari 2.5L S4 225 bhp 144.7 mph (231.52 km/h) Aston Martin DB3S Aston Martin 2.9L S6 240 bhp 142.6 mph (228.16 km/h) Gordini T15S Gordini 2.5L S8 <230 bhp 142.4 mph (227.84 km/h) Porsche 550A Porsche 1.5L F4 135 bhp 138.0 mph (220.8 km/h) Maserati 150S Maserati 1.5L S4 125 bhp 129.5 mph (207.2 km/h) Lotus 11 / Cooper T39 Climax FWA 1.1L S4 83 bhp 119.0 mph (190.4 km/h) D.B. HBR-5 Panhard 747cc F2 - 109.2 mph (174.72 km/h) Practice This year there were only the two practice sessions assigned – on the Wednesday and Thursday. Hawthorn set the fastest lap of 4:16.0 early on. Titterington was barely 3 seconds slower but then he demolished his car in an accident, forcing the team to prepare the spare car for the race.Spurring 2011, p.252 The best Moss could do in the Aston Martin was a 4:27Clarke 1997, p.152: Road & Track Oct 1956 Meanwhile, the team was also finding the fuel consumption of their prototype DBR1, easily the noisiest car in the field, was excessive and therefore needed to trim it back to be able to get through the race.Spurring 2011, p.255 Most of the other larger cars were also doing checks on their fuel consumption for the new regulations, and having to adjust their engine settings accordinglyClarke 1997, p.142: Autocar Aug3 1956 As a comparison, some of the lap-times recorded during practice were: Car Driver Best Time Jaguar D-Type Hawthorn 4min 16sec Aston Martin DB3S Moss 4min 27sec Ferrari 625 LM de Portago 4min 28sec Porsche 550A von Trips 4min 40sec Lotus 11 (1.5L) Chapman 4min 46sec Lotus 11 (1.1L) 5min 08sec DB-Panhard HBR-5 5min 46sec Race Start A minute's silence was held before the start of the race for the previous year's victims and a commemorative plaque unveiled.Spurring 2011, p.249Laban 2001, p.120 The race started in light drizzle, making the new track surface treacherously greasy. As usual, Moss was lightning-quick and first off the line in his Aston Martin. Hawthorn's more powerful Jaguar blasted past him on the back straight and led at the end of the first lap. On lap three, Paul Frère got it sideways in the narrow Esses and spun his Jaguar. Fairman, close behind in the sister car, slammed on the brakes and also spun, then de Portago arrived unsighted and with nowhere to go broadsided Fairman. All three cars got going again: Frère limped on but came to a halt on the Mulsanne straight. De Portago got a bit further but the Ferrari's oil cooler was smashed. Fairman got to the pits but the damage was too severe to repair. Ten minutes gone and three of the leading works entries were already eliminated. Hill's Ferrari barely managed to skate through his teammate's oil, but soon his clutch started to fail. More drama occurred minutes later when Hawthorn came in from the lead with an engine misfire. It was eventually traced to a hairline crack in a fuel line – the delay and repair cost an hour, and 21 laps, and dropped the remaining works Jaguar out of contention. But worse had happened between these issues: Louis Héry, local garage owner in his second Le Mans, crashed his private Monopole-Panhard heavily at Maison Blanche. The car rolled and tore itself apart. Héry, critically injured, died in the ambulance en route to the hospital.Spurring 2011, p.251 On lap 7, Flockhart used his superior speed to get his Ecosse Jaguar into the lead, but the veteran drivers Moss and Walker kept their Aston Martins in contact. After the first pit-stops and driver-changes Sanderson put the Ecosse Jaguar onto a more conservative race strategy and Collins took the lead in the 3rd hour as the rain got heavier. The two remaining works Ferraris moved up to 3rd and 4th when the Walker/Salvadori Aston was delayed by ignition problems. Yet again Gordini was quick and competitive – the T15 of Manzon and Guichet, with the 2.5L F1 engine, holding a solid 5th place, and its sister car a couple of places behind tussling with the Belgian Jaguar. Night Being run a month later, the night was that bit longer and intermittent showers persisted through the night.Spurring 2011, p.251 Just before 10pm on the run from Maison Blanche to the pits Fernand Tavano's Testarossa went off the road, spun and hit the bank. Facing the opposite direction, his headlights blinded ’Helm’ Glöckler whose Porsche Carrera ran straight into the Ferrari. Tavano was thrown clear by the heavy impact as his car was shoved into the roadside ditch, but the Porsche rolled and burst into flames. Glöckler was pulled out by rescuers with minor burns and a broken leg.Spurring 2011, p.259 By midnight Sanderson had retaken the lead, yet as the track got damp again, the experience of the F1 racers showed and Moss & Collins retook the lead by 3am, with Gendebien/Trintignant third, four laps down. Hill/Simon running 4th, had been changing gears with no clutch until they were forced out with rear axle failure just before half-time. The remarkable Porsche 550s were running 5th and 6th. Near the end of the night though Maglioli's leading Porsche was slowed and eventually stopped by engine issues. The prototype Aston Martin was surprising many, running in the top-10, and by the early hours of the morning had climbed up to 4th. Sadly for the partisan crowd, both Gordinis had fallen by the wayside with engine problems. In the small hours Cliff Allison’s Lotus, doing 190 km/h, struck a dog chasing a rabbit on the Mulsanne Straight wrecking the radiator.Spurring 2011, p.262Clarke 1997, p.147: Autocar Aug3 1956 Morning The rain stopped for a while around dawn and that suited the bigger Jaguar, and they retook the lead and by 8am had built a 3-minute margin. Soon after dawn the last of the 2-litre class was out – the Ferrari of Jean Lucas, having got into the top-10, was disqualified for refuelling two laps too early.Spurring 2011, p.258 Around 7.30, in a sudden downpour, Peter Walker, running 8th, crashed heavily at the Dunlop bridge just after the pits. The car rolled and sat in the middle of the road but the driver was able to get out with just cuts, bruises and a broken finger.Clarke 1997, p.149: Autocar Aug3 1956 Later in the morning Moss and Collins lost their 2nd gear, limiting their chase and they gradually gave up ground.Spurring 2011, p.256 Around noon the Talbot of Behra/Rosier was stopped by a broken rear axle. They had barely kept up with the Aston Martin, Ferraris and Gordinis in its class, but through attrition, had been able to move up to 8th by the time they retired.Spurring 2011, p.267 Finish and post-race alt=A driver (Sanderson or Flockhart) entering the winning Jaguar D-Type during a pit stop.|thumb|A driver entering the winning Jaguar D-Type during a pit stop. The leading cars remained reliable and reached the finish, except the Aston Martin prototype which, having slipped to 7th with engine problems, broke its rear suspension in the final hour. The Ecosse Jaguar won by a lap from the Aston Martin. The Ferraris were never able to compete with the leaders but Gendebien/Trintignant came home third a further six laps back. Yet again the Belgian Jaguar had a good run, this time finishing 4th, fully 16 laps behind the winner. The leading Porsche of von Trips and von Frankenberg was 5th, just missing out on the Index of Performance, but finishing an enormous 37 laps ahead of the only other class-finisher: the privateer Maserati of Bourillot/Perroud in 9th. Having been driving up from the back of the field for 23 hours, Hawthorn and Bueb finished a commendable 6th place, with Hawthorn's determination getting him the race's fastest lap, albeit well down on the previous year.Spurring 2011, p.251 The rivalry between the Climax-engined kit-cars went the way of Lotus. Jopp and Bicknell had retaken the S-1100 lead around 11am after the Cooper of Americans Hugus and Bentley had held it for 12 hours, and finished just over a lap ahead with the cars finishing 7th and 8th overall. The DB works team did well again with three of their four cars finishing (in 10th, 11th and 12th overall), and taking the valuable Index of Performance prize A mere 13 finishers were classified (the lowest ratio of the decade), and given the wet conditions it was no surprise that there were 16 major accidents.Moity 1974, p.61 It was a credit to the preparation and organisation of the fledgling Ecurie Ecosse team to win on its first attempt at Le Mans. Although not one of the event's most exciting races it was, nevertheless, a testament to the dedication and tradition of the ACO that it was able to overcome the disaster of the 1955 race. This was the final race overseen by Charles Faroux, engineer and journalist, who was the co-founder of the race; he died the following February aged 74. Closely involved in international motor-racing administration he was also the race director for the Monaco Grand Prix.Spurring 2011, p.251 Official results Results taken from Quentin Spurring's book, officially licensed by the ACOSpurring 2011, p.2 Pos Class No Team Drivers Chassis Engine Laps 1 S5.0 4 GBR Ecurie Ecosse GBR Ninian SandersonGBR Ron Flockhart Jaguar D-Type Jaguar 3.4L S6 300 2 S3.0 8 GBR Aston Martin Ltd. GBR Stirling MossGBR Peter Collins Aston Martin DB3S Aston Martin 2.9L S6 299 3 S3.0 12 ITA Scuderia Ferrari BEL Olivier GendebienFRA Maurice Trintignant Ferrari 625 LM Ferrari 2.5L S4 293 4 S5.0 5 BEL Equipe Nationale Belge BEL Jacques SwatersBEL Freddy Rousselle Jaguar D-Type Jaguar 3.4L S6 284 5 S1.5 25 FRG Porsche KG FRG Graf Wolfgang von TripsFRG Richard von Frankenberg Porsche 550A Coupe Porsche 1498cc F4 282 6 S5.0 1 GBR Jaguar Cars Ltd. GBR Mike HawthornGBR Ivor Bueb Jaguar D-Type FI Jaguar 3.4L S6 280 7 S1.1 36 GBR Lotus Engineering GBR Reg BicknellGBR Peter Jopp Lotus 11 Climax FWA 1098cc S4 253 8 S1.1 33 GBR Cooper Car Company USA 1912 Ed HugusUSA 1912 John Bentley Cooper T39 Climax FWA 1098cc S4 252 9 S1.5 30 FRA C. Bourillot(private entrant) FRA Claude BourillotFRA Henri Perroud Maserati 150S Maserati 1497cc S4 245 10 S750 40 FRA AutomobilesDeutsch et Bonnet FRA Gérard LaureauFRA Paul Armagnac DB HBR-5 Spyder Panhard 747cc F2 231 11 S750 45 FRA AutomobilesDeutsch et Bonnet FRA Jean-Claude VidillesFRA Jean Thépenier DB HBR-5 Coupé Panhard 747cc F2 225 12 S750 46 FRA AutomobilesDeutsch et Bonnet FRA André HéchardFRA Roger Masson DB HBR-4 Spyder Panhard 747cc F2 220 N/C * S1.5 34 FRG R. Bourel(private entrant) FRA Roland BourelFRA Maurice Slotine Porsche 356A Porsche 1290cc F4 212 13 S1.1 41 FRA Just-Emile Vernet FRA Jean-Marie DumazerFRA Lucien Campion VP 166R Renault 845cc S4 210 Note *: Not Classified because of Insufficient distance covered Did Not Finish Pos Class No Team Drivers Chassis Engine Laps Reason DNF S3.0 14 GBR Aston Martin Ltd. GBR Reg ParnellGBR Tony Brooks Aston Martin DBR1/250 Aston Martin 2.5L S6 246 Transmission (24hr) DNF S3.0 17 FRA Automobiles Talbot FRA Jean BehraFRA Louis Rosier Talbot-Lago Sport Maserati 2.5L S6 220 Transmission (21hr) DSQ S5.0 6 GBR R. Walshaw(private entrant) GBR Robert WalshawGBR Peter Bolton Jaguar XK140 Jaguar 3.5L S6 209 Premature Refuelling(21hr) DNF S3.0 9 GBR Aston Martin Ltd. GBR Peter WalkerGBR Roy Salvadori Aston Martin DB3S Aston Martin 2.9L S6 173 Accident (16hr) DNF S1.5 32 GBR Lotus Engineering GBR Colin ChapmanUSA 1912 Herbert MacKay-Fraser Lotus 11 Climax FWB 1459cc S4 172 Engine (21hr) DSQ S2.0 22 FRA Los Amigos FRA François PicardUSA 1912 Bob TappanUSA 1912 Howard Hively Ferrari 500 TR Ferrari 1985cc S4 137 Premature refuelling(14hr) DNF S1.5 24 FRG Porsche KG ITA Umberto MaglioliFRG Hans Herrmann Porsche 550A Coupé Porsche 1498cc F4 136 Engine (16hr) DNF S1.1 37 FRA René Breuil FRA Jean PyFRA Yves Dommée RB Sport OSCA 1093cc S4 116 Gearbox (15hr) DNF S3.0 10 ITA Scuderia Ferrari USA 1912 Phil HillFRA André Simon Ferrari 625 LM Ferrari 2.5L S4 107 Transmission (10hr) DNF S2.0 23 GBR Automobiles Frazer Nash Ltd. GBR Richard ‘Dickie’ StoopAUS Tony Gaze Frazer Nash Sebring Bristol 1977cc S6 100 Accident (10hr) DNF S3.0 16 FRA Automobiles Gordini BRA Hermano da Silva RamosFRA André de Guelfi Gordini T23S Gordini 2.5L S6 90 Clutch (12hr) DNF S1.1 35 GBR Lotus Engineering GBR Cliff AllisonGBR Keith Hall Lotus 11 Climax FWA 1098cc S4 89 Accident (10hr) DNF S3.0 15 FRA Automobiles Gordini FRA Robert ManzonFRA Jean Guichet Gordini T15S Gordini 2.5L S8 80 Engine (8hr) DNF S3.0 19 FRA J.-P. Colas(private entrant) FRA Serge NersessianFRA Georges Monneret Salmson 2300S Coupé Salmson 2.3L S4 80 Gearbox (10hr) DNF S2.0 20 BEL Equipe Nationale Belge BEL Lucien BianchiBEL Alain de Changy Ferrari 500 TR Ferrari 1985cc S4 76 Steering (8hr) DNF S1.5 29 FRA Automobiles Gordini BEL André MilhouxFRA Clarence de Clareur Gordini T17S Gordini 1495cc S6 67 Out of fuel (8hr) DNF S750 48 ITA Moretti Automobili FRA Marcel LaugaFRA Jean-Michel Durif Moretti 750 Gran Sport Moretti 747cc S4 62 Engine (10hr) DNF S2.0 21 FRA P. Meyrat(private entrant) FRA Pierre MeyratFRA Fernand Tavano Ferrari 500 TR Ferrari 1985cc S4 61 Accident (8hr) DNF S1.5 26 FRG Porsche KG FRG Max NathanFRG Helmut ‘Helm’ Glöckler Porsche 356 Carrera Porsche 1498cc F4 61 Accident (8hr) DNF S3.0 7 FRG P. Metternich FRG Fürst Paul von Metternich- WinneburgFRG Wittigo von Einsiedel Mercedes-Benz 300SL Mercedes-Benz 3.0L S6 58 Engine (8hr) DNF S750 49 FRA Automobiles Panhard FRA Jean HémardFRA Pierre Flahaut Panhard-Monopole X89 Panhard 745cc F2 50 Engine (7hr) DNF S1.5 27 FRG W. Seidel(private entrant) NLD Carel Godin de BeaufortNLD Mathieu Hezemans Porsche 550 RS Spyder Porsche 1498cc F4 48 Suspension (8hr) DNF S750 50 FRA Automobiles Panhard FRA Pierre ChancelFRA André Beaulieux Panhard-Monopole X88 Panhard 745cc F2 46 Accident (6hr) DNF S1.5 28 FRA G. Olivier(private entrant) FRA Claude StorezFRG Helmut Polensky Porsche 550 RS Spyder Porsche 1498cc F4 45 Electrics (8 hr) DNF S750 52 ITA Automobili Stanguellini FRA René-Philippe FaureFRA Gilbert Foury Stanguellini 750 Sport Stanguellini 741cc S4 36 Accident (6hr) DNF S1.5 31 FRA L. Cornet(private entrant) FRA Louis CornetFRA Robert Mougin Maserati 150S Maserati 1487cc S4 35 Engine (4hr) DNF S3.0 18 FRA Automobiles Talbot FRA Jean LucasITA Geoffredo Zehender Talbot-Lago Sport Maserati 2.5L S6 32 Accident (7hr) DNF S750 53 ITA Automobili Stanguellini FRA Pierre DuvalFRA Georges Guyot Stanguellini 750 Sport Stanguellini 741cc S4 23 Engine (4hr) DNF S750 47 ITA Moretti Automobili FRA Marceau EsculusFRA François Guillaud Moretti 750 Gran Sport Moretti 747cc S4 22 Electrics (7 hr) DNF S750 51 FRA L. Héry(private entrant) FRA Louis HéryFRA Lucien Pailler Monopole X86 Panhard 745cc F2 5 Fatal accident(1 hr) DNF S750 42 ITA Automobili O.S.C.A. FRA Jean LarocheFRA Rémy Radix O.S.C.A. 750 S OSCA 749cc S4 4 Accident (1hr) DNF S5.0 3 GBR Jaguar Cars Ltd. GBR Jack FairmanGBR Ken Wharton Jaguar D-Type Jaguar 3.4L S6 3 Accident (1hr) DNF S750 44 FRA AutomobilesDeutsch et Bonnet FRA Fernand CarpentierFRA Pierre Savary DB HBR-5 Coupé Panhard 747cc F2 2 Accident (1hr) DNF S3.0 11 ITA Scuderia Ferrari ESP 1945 Alfonso, Marquis de PortagoGBR Duncan Hamilton Ferrari 625 LM Ferrari 2.5L I4 2 Accident (1hr) DNF S5.0 2 GBR Jaguar Cars Ltd. BEL Paul FrèreGBR Desmond Titterington Jaguar D-Type Jaguar 3.4L S6 2 Accident (1hr) Index of Performance Pos Class No Team Drivers Chassis Score 1 S750 40 FRA AutomobilesDeutsch et Bonnet FRA Gérard LaureauFRA Paul Armagnac DB HBR-5 Spyder 1.166 2 S1.5 25 FRG Porsche KG FRG Graf Wolfgang von TripsFRG Richard von Frankenberg Porsche 550A Coupe 1.159 3 S750 45 FRA AutomobilesDeutsch et Bonnet FRA Jean-Claude VidillesFRA Jean Thépenier DB HBR-5 Coupé 1.135 4 S1.1 36 GBR Lotus Engineering GBR Reg BicknellGBR Peter Jopp Lotus 11 1.118 5 S1.1 33 GBR Cooper Car Company USA 1912 Ed HugusUSA 1912 John Bentley Cooper T39 1.114 6 S3.0 8 GBR Aston Martin Ltd. GBR Stirling MossGBR Peter Collins Aston Martin DB3S 1.113 7 S3.0 12 ITA Scuderia Ferrari BEL Olivier GendebienFRA Maurice Trintignant Ferrari 625 LM 1.110 8 S750 46 FRA AutomobilesDeutsch et Bonnet FRA André HéchardFRA Roger Masson DB HBR-4 Spyder 1.110 9 S5.0 4 GBR Ecurie Ecosse GBR Ninian SandersonGBR Ron Flockhart Jaguar D-Type 1.101 10 S5.0 5 BEL Equipe Nationale Belge BEL Jacques SwatersBEL ‘Freddy’ Rousselle Jaguar D-Type 1.041 Note: Only the top ten positions are included in this set of standings. A score of 1.00 means meeting the minimum distance for the car, and a higher score is exceeding the nominal target distance.Clarke 1997, p.88 22nd Rudge-Whitworth Biennial Cup (1955/1956) Pos Class No Team Drivers Chassis Score 1 S750 40 FRA AutomobilesDeutsch et Bonnet FRA Gérard LaureauFRA Paul Armagnac DB HBR-5 Spyder 1.166 2 S1.5 25 FRG Porsche KG FRG Graf Wolfgang von TripsFRG Richard von Frankenberg Porsche 550A Coupe 1.159 3 S3.0 8 GBR Aston Martin Ltd. GBR Stirling MossGBR Peter Collins Aston Martin DB3S 1.113 Note: Only the top three positions are included in this set of standings. Statistics Taken from Quentin Spurring's book, officially licensed by the ACO Fastest Lap in practice – Hawthorn, #1 Jaguar D-Type – 4m 16.0s; 186.20 kp/h (117.56 mph) Fastest Lap – Hawthorn, #1 Jaguar D-Type – 4m 20.0s; 186.38 kp/h (115.82 mph) Distance - 4034.93 km on Winner's Average Speed - 168.12 km/h on Attendance – 250 000Clarke 1997, p.155: Road & Track Oct 1956 Citations 30em References Spurring, Quentin (2011) Le Mans 1949-59 Sherborne, Dorset: Evro Publishing 978-1-84425-537-5 Clarke, R.M. - editor (1997) Le Mans 'The Jaguar Years 1949-1957' Cobham, Surrey: Brooklands Books 1-85520-357X 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 Moity, Christian (1974) The Le Mans 24 Hour Race 1949-1973 Radnor, Pennsylvania: Chilton Book Co 0-8019-6290-0 Pomeroy, L. & Walkerley, R. - editors (1957) The Motor Year Book 1957 Bath: The Pitman Press External links Racing Sports Cars – Le Mans 24 Hours 1956 entries, results, technical detail. Retrieved 1 February 2017 Le Mans History – Le Mans History, hour-by-hour (incl. pictures, YouTube links). Retrieved 1 February 2017 World Sports Racing Prototypes – Le Mans 1956 results, reserve entries & chassis numbers. Retrieved 1 February 2017 Formula 2 – Le Mans 1956 results & reserve entries. Retrieved 1 February 2017 YouTube a lap of the circuit in Mike Hawthorn's Jaguar, with his commentary YouTube amateur film of the 1956 scrutineering & race, in colour (12 mins) Category:24 Hours of Le Mans races Le Mans Category:1956 in French motorsport