Le Mans 24 hour race 1937
The 14th 24-hour race at Le Mans , the 14 s Grand Prix d'Endurance les 24 Heures du Mans , also Les 24 Heures du Mans Circuit de la Sarthe , was held from 19 to 20 June 1937 on the Circuit des 24 Heures instead.
The race
After a year break, a 24-hour race was held again in 1937. The French motorsport press followed Bugatti's return as a works team with great interest . After the success at the French Grand Prix in Montlhéry in 1936 , two Bugatti Type 57G were equipped with an aerodynamic body. The mission was taken over by Rober Labric, who shared a vehicle with Pierre Veyron . The second car was driven by Jean-Pierre Wimille and Robert Benoist . In addition to a few private Bugattis, seven Delahayes also came from France. Chenard & Walcker was also seen for the last time at Le Mans. The future Grand Prix driver Yves Giraud-Cabantous fielded two streamlined vehicles that were already 12 years old. From the UK came Aston Martin , Riley , Singer and MG . A works team from Germany took part for the first time: Adler sent its Trumpf racing sedans to the Sarthe. Despite the factory Bugattis, the aging Alfa Romeo 8C were once again the favorites for overall victory in 1937; but only Raymond Sommer's car was at the start .
Again it was Raymond Sommer who hurried away from the field shortly after the start when there was a serious accident after an hour of racing.
The second Maison Blanche accident
Once before , in 1927 , the fast section at Maison Blanche had been the scene of a pile-up. In 1937, the Frenchman René Kippeurt came off the track with his Bugatti Type 44 at 150 km / h on the ninth lap . The Bugatti slid sideways and rolled over several times. Kippeurt was thrown out of the vehicle. Several cars drove up: first the German Fritz Roth, who brushed the wreck and slid over an embankment onto a field. The next was Pat Farfield , who hit the wreck in his BMW 328 . Jean Trémoulet was thrown into the air with his Delahaye as he drove over wreckage. Roger Caron and George Raphaël Béthenod de Montbressieux were also involved in the accident. In contrast to 1927, this time the mass accident did not have a minor outcome. Kippeurt died at the scene of the accident, and Pat Farfield, who was taken to the hospital, died of serious injuries that night.
The general chaos went completely under, that the leading Raymond Sommer had to give up with engine failure. From this point on, Wimille and Benoist drove towards a safe victory - driving one record lap after the other. In the end they broke all existing records and gave Bugatti its first overall victory at Le Mans.
Results
Pilots by nationality
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Final ranking
Item | class | No. | team | driver | chassis | engine | tires | Round |
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1 | 5.0 | 2 |
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Bugatti Type 57G tank | Bugatti 3.3L I8 | 243 | |
2 | 5.0 | 14th |
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Delahaye 135CS | Delahaye 3.6L I6 | 236 | |
3 | 5.0 | 10 |
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Delahaye 135CS | Delahaye 3.6L I6 | 231 | |
4th | 3.0 | 19th |
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Delage D6-70 | Delage 3.0L I6 | 215 | |
5 | 1.5 | 37 |
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Aston Martin 1½ Ulster | Aston Martin 1.5L I4 | 205 | |
6th | 2.0 | 33 |
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Adler Super Trumpf racing sedan | Adler 1.7L I4 | 205 | |
7th | 2.0 | 26th |
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Peugeot 302 Darl'Mat DS | Peugeot 2.0L I4 | 203 | |
8th | 2.0 | 25th |
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Peugeot 203 Darl'Mat DS | Peugeot 2.0L I4 | 203 | |
9 | 2.0 | 34 |
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Adler Super Trumpf racing sedan | Adler 1.7L I4 | 202 | |
10 | 2.0 | 27 |
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Peugeot 302 Darl'Mat DS | Peugeot 2.0L I4 | 197 | |
11 | 2.0 | 31 |
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Aston Martin Speed Model | Aston Martin 2.0L I4 | 193 | |
12 | 1.1 | 48 |
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Simca Type 5 | Fiat 1.0L I4 | 171 | |
13 | 1.5 | 36 |
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HRG 1500 Le Mans | Meadows 1.5L I4 | 163 | |
14th | 1.1 | 42 |
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Ford Ten GB | Ford 1.1L I4 | 161 | |
15th | 1.1 | 49 |
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Adler Trump Junior | Adler 1.0L I4 | 160 | |
16 | 1.1 | 54 |
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MG PB Midget | MG 0.9L I4 | 154 | |
17th | 750 | 59 |
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Simca Cinq | Fiat 0.6L I4 | 145 | |
Failed | ||||||||
18th | 5.0 | 11 |
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Delahaye 135CS | Delahaye 3.6L I6 | 193 | |
19th | 1.1 | 41 |
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Chenard and Walcker | Chenard and Walcker 1.1L I4 | 151 | |
20th | 5.0 | 9 |
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Delahaye 135CS | Delahaye 3.6L I6 | 147 | |
21st | 1.1 | 46 |
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Simca Huit | Fiat 1.1L I4 | 137 | |
22nd | 2.0 | 32 |
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Aston Martin Speed Model | Aston Martin 2.0L I4 | 136 | |
23 | 5.0 | 1 |
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Bugatti Type 57G tank | Bugatti 3.3L I8 | 130 | |
24 | 1.1 | 50 |
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Singer 9 Le Mans Replica | Singer 1.0L I4 | 121 | |
25th | 5.0 | 8th |
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Delahaye 135CS | Delahaye 3.6L I6 | 100 | |
26th | 5.0 | 18th |
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Bugatti Type 57S | Bugatti 3.3L I8 | 99 | |
27 | 1.1 | 53 |
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Singer 9 Le Mans Replica | Singer 1.0L I4 | 93 | |
28 | 1.1 | 52 |
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Singer 9 Le Mans Replica | Singer 1.0L I4 | 91 | |
29 | 750 | 58 |
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Simca Cinq | Fiat 0.6L I4 | 77 | |
30th | 750 | 57 |
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Austin 7 | Austin 0.7L I4 | 74 | |
31 | 750 | 55 |
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Austin 7 | Austin 0.7L I4 | 72 | |
32 | 1.1 | 51 |
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Singer 9 Le Mans Replica | Singer 1.0L I4 | 72 | |
33 | 1.1 | 45 |
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Simca Huit | Fiat 1.1L I4 | 55 | |
34 | 2.0 | 29 |
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BMW 328 | BMW 2.0L I6 | 43 | |
35 | 1.5 | 35 |
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Adler Trumpf racing sedan | Adler 1.5L I4 | 40 | |
36 | 5.0 | 15th |
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Delahaye 135CS | Delahaye 3.6L I6 | 36 | |
37 | 750 | 56 |
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Austin 7 | Austin 0.7L I4 | 32 | |
38 | 2.0 | 40 |
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Chenard and Walcker | Chenard et Walcker 1.8L I4 | 32 | |
39 | 5.0 | 3 |
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Lagonda LG45 | Meadows 4.5L I6 | 30th | |
40 | 1.5 | 39 |
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Riley Sprite TT | Riley 1.5L I4 | 11 | |
41 | 5.0 | 4th |
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Alfa Romeo 8C 2900A Spider | Alfa Romeo 2.9L Supercharged I8 | 11 | |
42 | 5.0 | 12 |
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Delahaye 135CS | Delahaye 3.6L I6 | 9 | |
43 | 5.0 | 7th |
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Talbot T150C | Talbot 4.0L I6 | 9 | |
44 | 1.5 | 38 |
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Riley Sprite TT | Riley 1.5L I4 | 8th | |
45 | 2.0 | 30th |
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BMW 328 | BMW 2.0L I6 | 8th | |
46 | 2.0 | 28 |
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BMW 328 | BMW 2.0L I6 | 8th | |
47 | 3.0 | 20th |
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Bugatti Type 44 | Bugatti 3.0L I8 | 8th | |
48 | 5.0 | 21st |
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Talbot T150C | Talbot 4.0L I6 | 7th | |
Not started | ||||||||
49 | 1.1 | 44 |
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Simca-Fiat 508S Balilla | Fiat 0.9L I4 | 1 |
1 not started
Only in the entry list
Here you can find teams, drivers and vehicles that were originally registered for the race, but did not take part for various reasons.
Item | class | No. | team | driver | chassis | engine | tires |
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50 |
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Bentley | |||||
51 |
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Aston Martin | |||||
52 |
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Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 | |||||
53 |
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Alfa Romeo | |||||
54 |
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Bugatti | |||||
55 |
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Simca | |||||
56 |
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Rally | |||||
57 | 5 |
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Talbot T150C | ||||
58 | 6th |
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Talbot T150C | |||
59 | 21st | Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 Pescara | |||||
60 | 22nd | Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 Pescara | |||||
61 | 23 | Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 Pescara | |||||
62 | 24 | Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 Pescara |
Class winner
Racing data
- Registered: 62
- Started: 48
- Valued: 17
- Race classes: 8
- Spectators: 50,000
- Honorary starter of the race: John R. Cobb , British racing car driver and speed record holder
- Weather on the race weekend: warm, rain on Saturday evening
- Route length: 13.492 km
- Driving time of the winning team: 24: 00: 00,000 hours
- Total laps of the winning team: 244
- Total distance of the winning team: 3287.938 km
- Winner's average: 136,997 km / h
- Pole position: unknown
- Fastest race lap: Jean-Pierre Wimille - Bugatti Type 57G Tank (# 2) - 5: 13,000 = 155.179 km / h
- Racing series: did not belong to any racing series
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 .