1949 24 Hours of Le Mans

Page Created 19/07/2020

24 Hours of Le Mans: 1949

Last Edit: 12/06/2024

The 1949 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 17th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 25 and 26 June 1949. Luigi Chinetti won the race for a third time in the first Ferrari barchetta by driving 22.5 hours. This race also saw the death of British driver Pierre Maréchal when his Aston Martin DB2 was involved in an accident between Arnage and Maison Blanche around 1:00 a.m. Marechal had attempted to pass another car there and he hit an embankment and the hapless Briton was crushed by the overturning car.

This was the first race held at the circuit following the end of World War II. Even though the war had ended four years prior, major infrastructure reconstruction throughout France meant that the return of the race was of secondary concern, and thus was not run until after France had established itself again. Following the end of the war the circuit needed extensive repairs. During the war the RAF, then the Luftwaffe, had used the airfield by the pits, as well as the 5 km Hunaudières straight as a temporary airstrip (thereby also making it a target for Allied bombing). So it was four years before the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) was in a position to revive the great race. Assisted with money from the government, the pits and grandstand had been rebuilt, a new 1000-seat restaurant and administration centre built and the whole track was resurfaced. However one section of the hinterland was still off-limits as it had not yet been cleared of landmines. Likewise, in that time the car manufacturers had also been rebuilding.

Most of the entry list for this year's race was from cars built or designed before the war. The ACO put preference to those entered in the last, 1939, race for the Biennial Cup. So there were twelve cars from that race back for the Cup. Otherwise, there were fourteen entries from manufacturers - although "works" entries effectively, many were one-car small companies.

The regulations used by the ACO were based on those of the new FIA, created in 1946. There were ten classes, based on engine size, and at least ten cars had to have been produced before the entry was submitted. Supercharged engines’ equivalence was calculated at 2:1 for engine capacity. However, for this new start, sportscar prototypes were now given admission for the first time, "as an exceptional measure to contribute towards a faster revival of automobile manufacture" by the French Service des Mines (Vehicle registration authority), or its foreign equivalent. That was, in a sense, just formalising an unofficial practice started in the 1930s, when race-specific cars were entered at Le Mans and other races for the win with no intentions of going into full production. The ACO reserved the right to disqualify a car not entered 'in the spirit of the regulations'.

In days of petrol rationing, there was considerable interest in the Index of Performance - the measure of cars making an improvement on its nominal assigned distance, based on engine size. Entrants had to choose to run on either gasoline (68-Octane), diesel or ‘’ternary’’ fuel (a blend of 60% gasoline, 25% ethanol, 15% benzole). All fuel was supplied by the ACO. Fuel, oil and water could only be topped up after 25 laps had been run, and ACO inspectors sealed the radiator and oil-caps after each refill. A spare wheel, fire extinguisher and toolkit had to be carried in the car and on-circuit repairs could only be done by the driver, with the onboard tools. Night-time (when it was compulsory for lights to be on) was defined as being between 9.30pm and 4.30am.

Finally there was the Hors Course rule, whereby after 12 hours, any car that had not completed 80% of its corresponding Performance Index distance was disqualified. Also, the car had to be running to take the chequered flag with a final lap taking no longer than 30 minutes.

Where we have not had a model of the car as raced through the business I've added another example of the car as an illustration (where I have one)

Pos	Car	No	Team	Drivers	Chassis	Engine	Laps
1		22	Peter Mitchell-Thomson, Lord Selsdon (private entrant)	Luigi Chinetti Peter Mitchell-Thomson, Lord Selsdon	Ferrari 166 MM	Ferrari 2.0L V12	235
2	(example)	15	Henri Louveau (private entrant)	Henri Louveau Juan Jover	Delage D6S-3L	Delage 3.0L i6	234
3	(example)	26	Mrs. P. Trevelyan (private entrant)	Harold John Aldington Norman Culpan	Frazer Nash High Speed Le Mans Replica	Bristol 2.0L I6	224
4	(example)	14	W.S. Watney (private entrant)	Louis Gérard Francisco Godia-Sales	Delage D6S-3L	Delage 3.0L I6	212
5	(example)	11	Pierre Meyrat (private entrant)	Pierre Meyrat Robert Brunet	Delahaye 135CS	Delahaye 4.0L I6	210
6		6	H.S.F. Hay (private entrant)	Jack "Zoltan" Hay Tommy Wisdom	Embiricos Bentley Paulin	Bentley 4.3L I6	210
7	(example)	27	Arthur Jones (private entrant)	Arthur Jones Nick Haines	Aston Martin DB2	Aston Martin 2.0L I4	207
8		35	Ecurie Lapin Blanc HRG Engineering	Eric Thompson Jack Fairman	HRG 1500 Lightweight Le Mans	Singer 1.5L I4	202
9		12	René Bouchard (private entrant)	René Bouchard Pierre Larrue	Delahaye 135MS	Delahaye 3.6L I6	200
N/C*	(example)	9	Henry Leblanc (private entrant)	Henry Leblanc Jean Brault	Delahaye 135CS	Delahaye 3.6L I6	194
10		29	Robert Lawrie (private entrant)	Robert Lawrie Richard W. Parker	Aston Martin 2-Litre Sports (DB1)	Aston Martin 2.0L I4	193
11	Still Looking	44	Monopole-Poissy	Jean de Montrémy Eugène Dussous	Monopole Sport	Simca 1.1L I4	185
N/C*		20	Jack Bartlett (private entrant)	Jack Bartlett Nigel Mann	Healey Elliott	Riley 2.4L I4	180
12	(example)	47	N.J. Mahé / R. Crovetto (private entrant)	Norbert Jean Mahé Roger Crovetto	Simca Huit	Gordini 1.1L I4	178
13	Still Looking	58	Let-Aviation	František Sutnar Otto Krattner	Aero Minor Sport 750	Aero 0.7L Flat-2 (2-Stroke)	177
14	Still Looking	41	Auguste Lachaize (private entrant)	Auguste Lachaize Albert Debille	DB Tank	Citroën 1.5L I4	176
N/C*	(example)	52	André Guillard (private entrant)	André Guillard Théodore Martin	Simca Huit	Gordini 1.1L I4	156
15	Still Looking	60	Ecurie Verte	Emmanuel Baboin Pierre Gay	Simca Six	Simca 0.6L I4	156
16	Still Looking	59	Jacques Poch (private entrant)	Ivan Hodač Jacques Poch	Aero Minor Sport 750	Aero 0.7L Flat-2 (2-Stroke)	150
DNF	(example)	1	André Chambas / Écurie Verte	André Chambas André Morel	Talbot-Lago Grand Sport Coupé	Talbot-Lago 4.5L I6	222
DNF	(example)	18	Auguste Veuillet (private entrant)	Auguste Veuillet Edmond Mouche	Delage D6-3L	Delage 3.0L I6	208
DNF		28	Mrs. R.P. Hichens (private entrant)	Pierre Marechal Donald Mathieson	Aston Martin DB2	Aston Martin 2.0L i4	192
DNF	Still Looking	4	Ecurie Charles Pozzi	André Simon Pierre Flahaut	Delahaye 175S	Delahaye 4.5L I6	179
DNF	Still Looking	42	René Bonnet Automobiles DB	René Bonnet Charles Deutsch	DB 5	Citroën 1.5L I4	175
DSQ	(example)	43	G.E. Phillips (private entrant)	George Phillips R.M. Dryden	MG TC Special Body	MG 1.3L I4	134
DNF	Still Looking	8	Louis Villeneuve (private entrant)	Marius Chanal Yves Giraud-Cabantous	Delahaye 135CS	Delahaye 3.6L I6	128
DNF	Still Looking	10	R.R.C. Walker Racing Team	Tony Rolt Guy Jason-Henry	Delahaye 135CS	Delahaye 3.6L I6	126
DNF	Still Looking	5	Etablissements Delettrez	Jean Delettrez Jacques Delettrez	Delettrez Diesel	Delettrez 4.4L I6 (Diesel)	123
DNF	Still Looking	45	Monopole-Poissy	Jean Hémard Raymond Leinard	Monopole	Simca 1.1L I4	120
DNF	(example)	48	Just-Emile Vernet (private entrant)	Just-Emile Vernet Claude Batault	Simca Huit	Simca 1.1L I4	118
DNF	(example)	56	Jacques Savoye (private entrant)	Jacques Savoye Marcel Renault	Singer 9	Singer 1.0L I4	97
DNF	Still Looking	2	Écurie France Talbot-Lago	Paul Vallée Guy Mairesse	Talbot-Lago Monoplace Décalée	Talbot-Lago 4.5L I6	95
DNF	(example)	54	Mme Vivianne Elder (private entrant)	Vivianne Elder René Camerano	Simca Huit	Simca 1.1L I4	95
DNF	Still Looking	46	Robert Redge (private entrant)	Félix Lecerf Robert Redge	Simca Dého	Simca 1.1L I4	89
DNF	Still Looking	50	Amédée Gordini Automobiles Gordini	Pierre Veyron José Scaron	Simca-Gordini T8	Simca 1.1L I4	88
DNF	(example)	34	Ecurie Lapin Blanche HRG Engineering	Jack Scott-Douglas Neville Gee	HRG 1500 Lightweight Le Mans	Singer 1.5L I4	83
DNF	(example)	16	Marc Versini (private entrant)	Marc Versini Gaston Serraud	Delage D6-3L	Delage 3.0L I6	58
DNF		23	J.A. Plisson (private entrant)	Jean Lucas Pierre Louis-Dreyfus ("Ferret")	Ferrari 166 MM	Ferrari 2.0L V12	53
DNF	Still Looking	3	Ecurie Charles Pozzi	Eugène Chaboud Charles Pozzi	Delahaye 175S	Delahaye 4.5L I6	52
DNF	(example)	30	Peter Monkhouse (private entrant)	Peter Monkhouse Ernest Stapleton	Aston Martin Speed Model	Aston Martin 2.0L I4	45
DNF	(example)	51	Robert Tocheport (private entrant)	Robert Tocheport Roget Carron	Simca Huit	Simca 1.1L I4	45
DNF	(example)	36	Just-Emile Vernet (private entrant)	Georges Trouis Roger Eckerlein	Riley RMA	Riley 1.5L I4	40
DNF	(example)	31	Dudley C. Folland (private entrant)	Anthony Heal Dudley Folland	Aston Martin Speed Model	Aston Martin 2.0L I4	26
DNF	Still Looking	7	Ecurie Rosier	Louis Rosier Jean-Louis Rosier	Talbot-Lago Spéciale	Talbot-Lago 4.1L I6	21
DNF	(example)	57	Camille Hardy (private entrant)	Camille Hardy Maurice Roger	Renault 4CV	Renault 0.8L I4	21
DNF	(example)	33	Ecurie Lapin Blanche HRG Engineering	Peter Clark Mortimer Morris-Goodall	HRG 1500 Lightweight Le Mans	Singer 1.5L I4	11
DNF		19	Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd.	Leslie Johnson Charles Brackenbury	Aston Martin DB2	Lagonda 2.6L I6	6
DNF	Still Looking	32	Louis Eggen (private entrant)	Louis Eggen Egon Kraft de la Saulx	Alvis TA 14	Alvis 1.9L I4	6
DNF	Still Looking	49	Amédée Gordini Automobiles Gordini	Jean Trévoux Marcel Lesurque	Simca-Gordini TMM	Simca 1.1L I4	5

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