Le Mans 24 hour race 1923

Poster for the 1923 race

Race start; in the middle the Excelsior Albert 1er (# 2) by Gonzaque Lécureul and Flaud; on the left the team-mates André Dills and Nicolas Caerels (# 1) and on the right the Lorraine-Dietrich from Robert Bloch and Stalter (# 5)

The second placed Chenard & Walcker Sport by Raoul Bachmann and Christian Dauvergne

The scoreboard at night

The Chenard & Walcker Sport with starting number 9 is the first winning car of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, driven by André Lagache and René Léonard

Rudge Whitworth Cup

The first 24-hour race at Le Mans , the one ^he Grand Prix d'Endurance les 24 Heures du Mans , also Premieres Grand Prix d'Endurance les 24 Heures du Mans, Coupe Rudge-Whitworth, Circuit de la Sarthe Permanenthe , found took place from May 26th to 27th 1923 on the Circuit des 24 Heures near Le Mans .

prehistory

In 1922, Georges Durand , the secretary of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest , had the idea of holding a long-distance race for touring cars to demonstrate the capabilities of normal road cars . In October of the same year he spoke to Charles Faroux , the publisher of the trade magazine La Vie Automobile , at the Paris Motor Show , who was immediately enthusiastic. They called in Emile Coquille , the French representative of the tire manufacturer Rudge-Whitworth , and discussed the possibilities. The original idea of ​​holding a race in such a way that eight hours of driving time should be enough into the night was discarded. They finally agreed on a race that should last exactly 24 hours.

Durand and Faroux worked out the regulations, Coquille donated the Rudge Whitworth Cup, also known as the Triennale Cup, and 100,000 francs in prize money. The vehicles had to be touring or road vehicles. At least one structurally identical vehicle from each participating vehicle had to be presented on an exhibition area. Only car models with 30 units produced by the start of the race were eligible to start. In addition, the cars had to go to the start with exactly the same equipment as they were delivered. Cars with a displacement of up to 1100 cm³ had to have at least two seats; cars with a higher displacement had to have four seats. For each unoccupied seat, 60 kg had to be carried as ballast in order to simulate operation under full load.

During the race, the cars had to cover minimum distances. Vehicles with a displacement of less than 1100 cc were not allowed to stay below 800 km over the 24 hours. That increased up to the 6-liter cars, which were not allowed to stay under 1200 km. Every six hours, the distance covered was checked and cars that were too slow were taken out of the race.

The distance

The Sarthe department was a centerpiece in the history of French and international motorsport, with the prefecture of Le Mans in the middle. The first French Grand Prix took place in July 1906 on a 103.18 km long triangular circuit around Le Mans . After driving more than 12 hours, Ferenc Szisz won in a Renault Type AK . The Circuit de la Sarthe dates back to the 1921 French Grand Prix . For the XV Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France , which Jimmy Murphy won in Duesenberg , the foundation stone was laid for the track concept for the Le Mans 24-hour race, which is still valid today: most of the race on public roads to carry out. In 1923, the line connected Le Mans, Mulsanne in the south and Arnage in the southwest and was 17.262 kilometers long. The route led from the pit facility at the time in the Rue de Laigné directly into the city center of Le Mans and after a tight right-hand bend near the Pontlieu bridge left the city again over a long straight towards Mulsanne. The route was very narrow in places, including the country roads from Mulsanne to Arnage and from the start line to the hairpin at Pontlieu.

The pit area consisted largely of wooden tables that were covered with rain tarpaulin and behind which the vehicles were parked. A racing control tower and two 44-meter-long wooden stands were built opposite the pit. A steel pedestrian bridge spanned the start and finish line. For the comfort and entertainment of the audience during the event, cafes and a dance floor for a jazz band were set up behind the stands. There was also an area where people with radios could receive classical music from the Eiffel Tower in Paris . Generators supplied power to the public address system and lighting in the spectator area, and a long display panel was manually serviced, showing the positions and laps of the cars and the distance to the target.

Although most of the route was fenced off from the spectators, the roads were not sealed with tar. Before the race, road construction engineers were used to apply a temporary mixture of gravel and tar to the road surface. Army acetylene floodlights were set up in the narrow corners of Pontlieu, Mulsanne and Arnage.

The participants

The first 24-hour race was held in May, which in retrospect was a wrong decision, given that May is particularly unstable in terms of weather in this region. It rained most of the weekend. In addition, there was strong wind, which made driving on the unpaved public roads particularly difficult. Since the boxes only consisted of tents, conditions soon became dire.

33 cars were at the start when the race started at 4 p.m. on May 26th. Only three teams were not from France. The largest team was Rolland-Pilain , who presented four automobiles. The innovative company from Tours had existed since 1905. Émile Pilain had registered patents for a hydraulic braking system and a sleeve valve motor. All four vehicles were different. A B22 with an open torpedo body and an R-Berline sedan were reported. Both had push rod motors and hydraulic front wheel brakes, as well as Dunlop tires. The smaller RP models (Torpédo and Berline variants) had 1.9 liter side valve motors, cable brakes at the rear and had Michelin tires .

The vehicles with the largest displacement were the 5.3 liter Albert 1er from the Belgian luxury car manufacturer Automobiles Excelsior, founded in 1903 . Exelsior was the supplier to the Belgian royal family and has already had success in motorsport. The 1922 Albert 1er had an in- line six-cylinder engine with 130 hp and could reach 145 km / h, but its heavy weight hampered its acceleration rate. Two of the works drivers, the Belgians Nicolas Caerels and André Dills , were experienced racing mechanics. Delage was a French automobile company with a successful motorsport history. The Type DE driven in Le Mans was a one-off piece of the current production model, the engine of which was modified so that it could carry a cylinder head with an overhead valve. The car was driven by the works drivers Charles Belben and Paul Torchy .

In 1923 Bugatti was still a small company in Molsheim , which belonged to France after the end of the First World War . The two registered 2-seater Bugatti Brescia 16S were privately owned and were rented from the factory for the race. The cars were too heavy for the small 1.5-liter 4-cylinder in- line engine , as 180 kg had to be loaded for the necessary passenger ballast for a 4-seater car.

Lorraine-Dietrich was founded in 1884 as a locomotive manufacturer and began manufacturing automobiles as early as 1896. The B3-6 appeared in 1922 with an in-line six-cylinder engine and a 3-speed gearbox. Three body variants were sent to Le Mans under race director Maurice Leroux . Chenard & Walcker was a major Parisian auto company founded in 1923, founded in 1899, and one of the city's largest taxi suppliers. The works team came to Le Mans with three vehicles, all of which were bodyworked by FAR, the company of test driver André Lagache .

The only British starter was a private Bentley , assisted by mechanics from the plant. The car was a 1919 Bentley 3 Liter Sport that company founder Walter Owen Bentley had privately driven. The car was later sold to the Canadian racing driver John Duff , who was also Bentley's London representative. The entry from John Duff for the race was the first in the history of the 24-hour race. Walter Bentley supported the operation with the works driver Frank Clement , two mechanics and spare parts. Clement drove the car loaded with the mechanics and the tools on public roads to Le Mans. The heavy car only had rear drum brakes and no spare wheel . Tire developer Frederick Lionel Rapson had made extra-long-lasting tires, which Duff and Clement moved to do without the heavy spare wheel.

The easiest car to start was the Montier Spezial, which the Parisian Ford dealer Charles Montier drove with his brother-in-law Albert Ouriou . The car was a modified Ford T , in which Montier mounted two rear seats over the rear axle in order to meet the requirements of the regulations. The management of Automobiles Brasier could look back on a successful motorsport history . The last two races of the Gordon Bennett Cup , 1904 in Bad Homburg and 1905 in Clermont-Ferrand , Léon Théry had won on a Richard-Brasier. The TB models with 2.1-liter four-cylinder engines and four-speed transmissions were presented at Le Mans. In contrast to Barrier, Marius Berliet had little racing experience with his vehicles and saw Le Mans as a good opportunity to improve the profile of his company. His factory in Lyon had produced a large number of trucks during the war. Two of the new VH models were in Le Mans with 2.7-liter engines, 4-speed gearboxes and Rudge spoke wheels.

In 1918, the engineer Jacques Bignan began producing automobiles in Courbevoie near Paris . Two of the successful sales 11HP vehicles were presented, one with a special desmodromic valve motor developed by French racing driver Albert Guyot and engineer Némorin Causan . The complex valve system delivered 75 hp instead of 70 hp to the 2 liter engine, but had a far better acceleration curve. The car was driven by Paul Gros and Raymond de Tornaco .

The race

Although it was the first 24-hour race, it was one of the least spectacular. Soon after the start, two Chenard & Walcker and one Bignan took the lead and drove in the same order to the end. André Lagache and René Léonard won in a Chenard & Walcker Sport, ahead of their brand colleagues Raoul Bachmann and Christian Dauvergne . Third place went to Paul Gros and Raymond de Tornaco in the Bignan 11HP Desmo Sport.

The Bentley was plagued by a variety of problems. The car only had rear brakes, which was a constant challenge for the drivers given the heavy vehicle and the poor roads. A headlight was destroyed by a rock that was blown up. Another stone damaged the fuel tank, resulting in a two-hour repair time. In the end it was enough for fourth place overall.

Frank Clement and the bike

When the fuel tank of the Clement / Duff Bentley broke through on Sunday morning, gasoline ran out until John Duff, who was behind the wheel, had to stop three kilometers from the start and finish line. The race seemed to be over for the Bentley driver. However, the Canadian ran to the nearest available telephone and called the box to ask for help. Frank Clement asked the race management whether this was possible. After his inquiry was answered positively, the Frenchman borrowed a bicycle, fixed two canisters of gasoline on it and cycled to the stranded vehicle. Despite the leak, the two canisters of gasoline were enough to bring the car back to the pits. Clement was in the passenger seat on the way back, the bike in the back seat. After the repair, the team, now with Clement at the wheel, was able to resume the race.

Rudge Whitworth Cup

Just as important as the overall victory was the success in the first round of the Rudge Whitworth Cup in 1923. This cup was installed to establish a relationship between the different engine outputs of the participants and advertised for the races in 1923, 1924 and 1925 . For this purpose, a minimum number of laps was set in advance for each registered vehicle. This number of laps was given a coefficient of 100. If a team drove more laps in the race than previously specified, this coefficient increased due to the multiple laps. For the eventual winners Lucien Desvaux and Georges Casse , who started with a Salmson with a 1.1-liter 4-cylinder in - line engine , 52 laps were the minimum number. The two drivers then covered 98 laps in the race and achieved a victory coefficient of 188.5%.

Results

Pilots by nationality

60 French

3 Belgians

1 Briton

1 Canadian

1 Swiss

Final ranking

Item	class	No.	team	driver	chassis	engine	tires	Round
1	3.0	9	Chenard & Walcker SA	André Lagache René Léonard	Chenard & Walcker Sport	Chenard & Walcker 3.0L I4	M.	128
2	3.0	10	Chenard & Walcker SA	Raoul Bachmann Christian Dauvergne	Chenard & Walcker Sport	Chenard & Walcker 3.0L I4	M.	124
3	2.0	23	Automobiles Bignan	Paul Gros Raymond de Tornaco	Bignan 11HP Desmo Sport	Bignan 2.0L I4	E.	120
4th	3.0	8th	Capt. JF Duff	Capt. John F. Duff Frank Clement	Bentley 3 Liter Sport	Bentley 3.0L I4	R T	112
5	2.0	24	Automibiles Bignan	Philippe de Marne Jean Martin	Bignan 11HP Commercial	Bignan 2.0L I4	E.	112
6th	8.0	1	Compagnie Nationale Excelsior	André Dills Nicolas Caerels	Excelsior Albert 1er	Excelsior 5.3L I6	E.	112
7th	3.0	11	Chenard & Walcker SA	Fernand Bachmann Raymond Glaszmann	Chenard & Walcker Tourisme	Chenard & Walcker 3.0L I4	M.	110
8th	5.0	7th	Société Lorraine De Dietrich et Cie	Gérard de Courcelles André Rossignol	Lorraine-Dietrich B3-6	Lorraine-Dietrich 3.4L I6	E.	108
9	8.0	2	Compagnie Nationale Excelsior	Gonzaque Lécureul Eugène Flaud	Excelsior Albert 1er	Excelsior 5.3L I6	E.	106
10	1.5	28	Automobiles Bugatti	Max de Pourtalès Sosthènes de la Rochefoucauld	Bugatti Brescia 16S	Bugatti 1.5L I4	E.	104
11	3.0	17th	Automobiles Brasier	René Migeot Eugène Verpault	Brasier TC4	Brasier 2.1L I4	D.	99
12	1.1	34	Société des Moteurs Salmson	Lucien Desvaux Georges Casse	Salmson VAL3	Salmson 1.1L I4	E.	98
13	3.0	16	Automobiles Delage SA	Charles Belben Paul Torchy	Delage DE 11HP	Delage 2.1L I4	M.	98
14th	3.0	19th	Établissements Charles Montier et Cie	Charles Montier Albert Ouriou	Montier special	Ford 2.0L I4	M.	97
15th	1.1	33	Société des Moteurs Salmson	Maurice Benoist Luis Buenovinci	Salmson VAL3	Salmson 1.1L I4	E.	93
16	2.0	21st	Automobiles Georges Irat	Maurice Cappé Jean Douarinou	Georges Irat 4 / A3	Georges Irat 2.0LI	E.	93
17th	3.0	14th	Rolland Pilain	Jean de Marguenat Gaston Delalande	Rolland-Pilain B22	Rolland-Pilain 2.3L I4	D.	92
18th	1.1	35	Société Nouvelle pour l'Automobile Amilcar	Maurice Boutmy Jérôme Marcadanti	Amilcar Type CV	Amilcar 1.0L I4	E.	89
19th	5.0	5	Société Lorraine De Dietrich et Cie	Robert Bloch Henry Stalter	Lorraine-Dietrich	Lorraine-Dietrich 3.4L I6	E.	88
20th	3.0	12	Automobiles Marius Berliet	Edouard Probst Elie Redon	Berliet VH 12HP	Berliet 2.6L I4	M.	88
21st	3.0	15th	Rolland Pilain	Louis Sire Georges Guignard	Rolland-Pilain R	Rolland-Pilain 2.2L I4	D.	84
22nd	1.5	29	Automobiles Bugatti	Louis Pichard René Marie	Bugatti Brescia 16S	Bugatti 1.5L I4	E.	82
23	2.0	25th	Rolland Pilain	Jean Pouzet Edmond Pichon	Rolland-Pilain RP	Rolland-Pilain 1.9L I4	M.	80
24	2.0	24	Rolland Pilain	Jules Robin Gérard Marinier	Rolland-Pilain RP	Rolland-Pilain 1.9L I4	M.	80
25th	1.5	30th	Societe Française des Automobiles Corre	Louis Balart Charles Drouin	Corre La Licorne V14 8CV	SCAP 1.4L I4	E.	80
26th	2.0	27	Société des Anciens Ateliers Vinot-Deguingand	Léon Molon Lucien Molon	Vinot Deguingand BP 10HP	Vinot Deguingand 1.8L I4	M.	77
27	3.0	18th	Automobiles Brasier	Pierre Maillon Léopold Jouguet	Brasier TB4	Brasier 2.1L I4	D.	76
28	2.0	20th	Societe Française des Automobiles Corre	Albert Colomb Waldemar Lestienne	Corre La Licorne EV 12CV	Corre 2.0L I4	E.	74
29	2.0	22nd	Automobiles Georges Irat	André Milhaud Pierre Malleveau	Georges Irat 4 / A3	Georges Irat 2.0L I4	E.	73
30th	1.1	32	SARA	Lucien heir Robert Battagliola	SARA ATS	SARA 1.1L I4	D.	57
Failed
31	5.0	6th	Société Lorraine De Dietrich et Cie	Henri Stoffel René Labouchère	Lorraine-Dietrich B3-6	Lorraine-Dietrich 3.4L I6	E.	50
32	3.0	13	Automobiles Marius Berliet	Roland Jacquot Théodore Ribail	Berliet VH 12hp	Berliet 2.6L I4	M.	44
33	1.1	31	SARA	François Piazzoli André Marandet	SARA ATS	SARA 1.1L I4	D.	14th

Only in the entry list

Here you will find teams, drivers and vehicles that were originally registered for the race but did not take part for a variety of reasons.

Item	class	No.	team	driver	chassis	engine	tires
34		3	Automobiles Voisin
35		4th	Automobiles Voisin
36			Bucciali
37			Bucciali

Rudge Whitworth Triennial Cup

In this table the first ten of the cup are recorded.

Item	No.	driver	chassis	Male ratio	coefficient	Placement in the overall ranking
1	34	Lucien Desvaux Georges Casse	Salmson VAL-3	52 - driven 98	188.5%	Rank 12
2	35	Maurice Boutmy Jérôme Marcadanti	Amilcar Type CV	48 - driven 89	185.4%	Rank 18
3	33	Maurice Benoist Luis Buenovinci	Salmson VAL-3	52 - driven 93	178.8%	Rank 15
4th	23	Paul Gros Raymond de Tornaco	Bignan 11HP Desmo Sport	70 - driven 120	171.4%	Rank 3
5	28	Max de Pourtalès Sosthènes de la Rochefoucauld	Bugatti Brescia 16S	63 - driven 104	165.1%	Rank 10
6th	9	André Lagache René Léonard	Chenard & Walcker Sport	79 - driven 128	162.0%	Overall victory
7th	24	Philippe de Marne Jean Martin	Bignan 11HP Commercial	70 - driven 112	160.0%	Rank 5
8th	10	Raoul Bachmann Christian Dauvergne	Chenard & Walcker Sport	79 - driven 124	157.0%	Rank 2
9	8th	John Duff Frank Clement	Bentley 3 Liter Sport	79 - driven 112	141.8%	Rank 4
10	17th	René Migeot Eugène Verpault	Brasier TC4	71 - driven 99	139.4%	Rank 11

Class winner

class	driver	driver	vehicle	Placement in the overall ranking
5001-8000 cc	André Dills	Nicolas Caerels	Excelsior Albert 1er	Rank 6
3001-5000 cc	Gérard de Courcelles	André Rossignol	Lorraine-Dietrich B3-6	Rank 8
2001-3000 cc	André Lagache	René Léonard	Chenard & Walcker Sport	Overall victory
1501-2000 cc	Paul Gros	Raymond de Tornaco	Bignan 11HP Desmo Sport	Rank 3
1101-1500 cc	Max de Pourtealés	Sosthènes de la Rochefoucauld	Bugatti Brescia 16S	Rank 10
750-1100 cc	Lucien Desvaux	Georges Casse	Salmson VAL3	Rank 12

Racing data

• Registered: 37
• Started: 33
• Rated: 30
• Race classes: 6
• Spectator: unknown
• Honorary starter of the race: Georges Durand , Secretary of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest
• Race weekend weather: rain and strong wind
• Route length: 17.262 km
• Driving time of the winning team: 24: 00: 00,000 hours
• Total laps of the winning team: 128
• Total distance of the winning team: 2209.536 km
• Winner's average: 92.064 km / h
• Pole position: unknown
• Fastest race lap: Frank Clement - Bentley 3 Liter Sport (# 8) - 9: 39,000 = 107.328 km / h
• Racing series: 1st run to the Triennale Cup

literature

• Christian Moity, Jean-Marc Teissèdre, Alain Bienvenu: 24 heures du Mans, 1923–1992. Éditions d'Art, Besançon 1992, ISBN 2-909-413-06-3 .
• RM Clarke: Le Mans. The Bentley & Alfa Years 1923-1939. Brooklands Books, Cobham 1998, ISBN 1-85520-465-7 .
• Quentin Spurring: Le Mans The Official History 1923-29 Evro Publishing, Hardcover, 2015, ISBN 1-91050-508-0 .

Web links

Commons : 24 Hours of Le Mans 1923  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Race result at 24-hour piste

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Quentin Spurring, Le Mans: The Official History 1923-29 (English) Hardcover, October 15, 2015
2. ↑ Quentin Spurring, Le Mans: The Official History 1923-29 (English) Hardcover, October 15, 2015
3. ↑ About André Lagache
4. ↑ Quentin Spurring, Le Mans: The Official History 1923-29 (English) Hardcover, October 15, 2015
5. ↑ About Frederick Lionel Rapson
6. ↑ Quentin Spurring, Le Mans: The Official History 1923-29 (English) Hardcover, October 15, 2015