1951 Le Mans 24-hour race

Peter Whitehead in the Jaguar XK 120 crosses the finish line as the winner

The first Porsche Le Mans racing car. The number 46 356/4 SL Coupe was driven by Auguste Veuillet and Edmond Mouche. The two French achieved 20th place in the overall standings and won the racing class for vehicles up to 1.1 liter displacement.

A Lancia Aurelia B20 GT. With one of these B20 GTs, Conte Giovanni Lurani and the Italian "mountain king" Giovanni Bracco achieved twelfth place in the overall standings.

The 19th 24-hour race of Le Mans , the 19th ^e Grand Prix d'Endurance les 24 Heures du Mans , also 24 Heures du Mans, Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans , took place from June 22nd to 23rd, 1951 the Circuit des 24 Heures .

Before the race

This year's 24-hour race is of historic importance for the Porsche brand . For the first time, two racing cars from Zuffenhausen were sent into training at this endurance race . The two Frenchmen Auguste Veuillet and Edmond Mouche drove a Porsche 356/4 SL Coupé for the then still young sports car company . The second coupé was driven by another Frenchman, Robert Brunet, who shared the cockpit with the German Rudolph Sauerwein . However, this vehicle could not take part in the race because Brunet had an accident with it during practice. For Porsche, the race marked the start of a long association with this race. Even if not always used by the factory itself, Porsche racing vehicles have competed in every Le Mans race to this day.

In addition to Porsche, Lancia also made its Le Mans debut with an Aurelia B20 GT . The new sports cars from Briggs Cunningham came from the USA, and his prototypes with 5.4-liter V8 engines from Chrysler had a chance of winning the championship. The greatest opposition came from the factory Aston Martin , the Jaguar and the Talbot . The three-time Le Mans winner Luigi Chinetti brought a new Ferrari 340 America Barchetta to the Sarthe.

The French teams concentrated on the small-displacement racing classes, where Pierre Lefaucheux  - the President of Renault  - also sent four factory 4CVs into the race.

Race course

The race suffered from the bad weather right from the start, especially on Saturday it was completely rainy and the water could hardly run off on the racetrack. Five laps after the start, Frenchman Jean Larivière had a fatal accident when his Ferrari 212 got aquaplaning at the end of the Hunaundières straight and hit the guardrails.

Right from the start, José Froilán González led the difficult Talbot-Lago, but was soon overtaken by Stirling Moss , who was driving up and away from the field at an incredible pace. At midnight, the three leading Jaguars had lapped the rest of the field at least once. The Cunningham couldn't keep up with the pace at the top, and after the Talbot's failure, two Jaguars - including the Moss car - had to be parked with defects.

In the end, however, the Coventry brand celebrated the first of a total of seven overall Le Mans victories. Porsche celebrated a first class win, four places ahead of the fastest Renault. The race was overshadowed by the fatal accident of Frenchman Jean Larivière on lap five.

Results

Pilots by nationality

58 French	37 British	12 Americans	5 Italians	3 Argentinians
2 Belgians	1 Moroccan	1 Monegasse	1 Swiss

Final ranking

Item	class	No.	team	driver	chassis	engine	tires	Round
1	S 5.0	20th	Peter Walker	Peter Walker Peter Whitehead	Jaguar XK 120C	Jaguar 3.4L I6		267
2	S 5.0	9	Pierre Meyrat	Pierre Meyrat Guy Mairesse	Talbot-Lago T26 GS	Talbot-Lago 4.5L I6		258
3	S 3.0	26th	Aston Martin Ltd.	Lance Macklin Eric Thompson	Aston Martin DB2	Aston Martin 2.6L I6		257
4th	S 5.0	10	Pierre Levegh	Pierre Levegh René Marchand	Talbot-Lago Monoplace Decalee	Talbot-Lago 4.5L I6		256
5	S 3.0	25th	Aston Martin Ltd.	George Abecassis Brian Shawe-Taylor	Aston Martin DB2	Aston Martin 2.6L I6		255
6th	S 5.0	19th	Donald Healey Motor Company	Tony Rolt Duncan Hamilton	Nash-Healey Sport Coupe	Nash 3.8L V8		255
7th	S 3.0	24	Aston Martin Ltd.	Reginald Parnell David Hampshire	Aston Martin DB2	Aston Martin 2.6L I6		252
8th	S 5.0	15th	Luigi Chinetti	Luigi Chinetti Jean Lucas	Ferrari 340 America Barchetta	Ferrari 4.1L V12		246
9	S 3.0	29	Norbert-Jean Mahé	Norbert-Jean Mahé Jacques Péron	Ferrari 212 export	Ferrari 2.6L V12		244
10	S 3.0	28	NH man	Nigel Mann Mortimer Morris-Goodall	Aston Martin DB2	Aston Martin 2.6L I6		236
11	S 3.0	21st	Robert Lawrie	Robert Lawrie Ivan Waller	Jaguar XK 120C	Jaguar 3.4L I6		236
12	S 2.0	33	Scuderia Ambrosiana	Giovanni Lurani Giovanni Bracco	Lancia Aurelia B20 GT	Lancia 2.0L V6		235
13	S 3.0	27	PTC Clark	Peter Clark Jack Scott	Aston Martin DB2	Aston Martin 2.6L I6		233
14th	S 2.0	35	Automobiles Frazer Nash Ltd.	Eric Winterbottom John Marshall	Frazer Nash Le Mans Replica	Bristol 2.0L I6		232
15th	S 2.0	32	Luigi Chinetti	Yvonne Simon Betty Haig	Ferrari 166MM Berlinetta	Ferrari 2.0L V12		231
16	S 3.0	31	Charles Moran	Charles Moran Franco Cornacchia	Ferrari 212 export	Ferrari 2.6L V12		227
17th	S 5.0	11	André Chambas	André Morel André Chambas	Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Barchetta	Talbot-Lago 4.5L I6		226
18th	S 2.0	34	MP Trevelyan	Richard Stoop Peter Wilson	Frazer Nash Mille Miglia	Bristol 2.0L I6		217
19th	S 1.1	46	Porsche KG	Auguste Veuillet Edmond Mouche	Porsche 356/4 SL Coupe	Porsche 1.1L Flat-4		210
20th	S 1.1	48	Automobiles Deutsch et Bonnet	René Bonnet Élie Bayol	DB tank	Panhard 0.9L Flat-2		206
21st	S 1.5	66	Marcel Becquart	Marcel Becquart Gordon Wilkins	Jowett Jupiter R1	Jowett 1.5L Flat-4		203
22nd	S 750	50	Team Renault	François Landon André Briat	Renault 4CV	Renault 0.7L I4		197
23	S 750	60	Ets. Monopolies	Jean de Montrémy Jean Hémard	Monopoles X84	Panhard 0.6L FLat-2		194
24	S 750	61	Raymond Gaillard	Raymond Gaillard Pierre Chancel	Panhard Dyna X84	Panhard 0.6L Flat-2		190
25th	S 750	54	Jacques Lecat	Jacques Lecat Henri Senftleben	Renault 4CV	Renault 0.7L I4		184
26th	S 750	58	Auguste Lachaize	Jean-Paul Colas Robert Schollemann	Callista RAN D120	Panhard 0.6L Flat-2		183
27	S 750	53	Just-Émile Vernet	Just-Émile Vernet Jean Pairard	Renault 4CV	Renault 0.7L I4		181
28	S 750	56	Automobiles Deutsch et Bonnet	Michel Aunaud Louis Pons	DB tank	Panhard 0.6L Flat-2		179
Not classified
29	S 8.0	2	HH Allard	Peter Reece Alfred Hitchings	Allard J2	Cadillac 5.4L V8		232
30th	S 8.0	4th	Briggs Cunningham	Phil Walters John Fitch	Cunningham C2-R	Chrysler 5.5L V8		223
31	S 5.0	14th	HSF Hay	HSF Hay Tommy Clarke	Bentley Corniche	Bentley 4.3L I6		204
Disqualified
32	S 750	57	Louis Harrows	Louis Eggen André Beaulieux	DB	Panhard 0.7L Flat-2		184
33	S 5.0	16	Luigi Chinetti	Pierre Louis-Dreyfus Louis Chiron	Ferrari 340 America Barchetta	Ferrari 4.1L V12		29
Failed
34	S 750	51	Team Renault	Jean-Louis Rosier Jean Estager	Renault 4CV	Renault 0.7L I4		194
35	S 750	52	Team Renault	Jean Sandt Paul Moser	Renault 4CV	Renault 0.7L I4		177
36	S 8.0	1	HH Allard	Sydney Allard Tom Cole	Allard J2	Cadillac 5.4L V8		134
37	S 1.1	45	Roger Caron	Roger Caron André Guillard	Simca Huit Sport	Simca 1.1L I4		133
38	S 5.0	17th	Bill Spear	Bill Spear Johnny Claes	Ferrari 340 America Barchetta	Ferrari 4.1L V12		132
39	S 1.5	37	Equipe Gordini	Pierre Veyron Georges Monneret	Simca-Gordini T15S	Gordini 1.5L I4		130
40	S 5.0	7th	Henri Louveau	José Froilán González Onofre Marimón	Talbot-Lago T26 GS	Talbot-Lago 4.5L I6		128
41	S 5.0	18th	ER Hall	Eddie Hall Giuseppe Navone	Ferrari 340 America Barchetta	Ferrari 4.1L V12		125
42	S 8.0	5	Briggs Cunningham	George Rand Fred Wacker	Cunningham C2-R	Chrysler 5.5L V8		98
43	S 5.0	6th	Louis Rosier	Louis Rosier Juan Manuel Fangio	Talbot-Lago T26 GS	Talbot-Lago 4.5L I6		92
44	S 5.0	22nd	Stirling Moss	Stirling Moss Jack Fairman	Jaguar XK 120C	Jaguar 3.4L I6		92
45	S 5.0	62	Henry Leblanc	Henry Leblanc Robert Bertrand	Delahaye 135CS	Delahaye 3.6L I6		88
46	S 1.5	43	George Phillips	George Phillips Alan Rippon	MG TD	MG 1.3L I4		80
47	S 1.5	40	Equipe Gordini	José Scaron Aldo Gordini	Simca-Gordini T15S	Gordini 1.5L I4		77
48	S 8.0	3	Briggs Cunningham	Briggs Cunningham George Huntoon	Cunningham C2-R	Chrysler 5.5L V8		76
49	S 2.0	64	René Bouchard	René Bouchard Lucien Farnaud	Ferrari 166MM Barchetta	Ferrari 2.0L V12		75
50	S 5.0	23	Clemente Biondetti	Clemente Biondetti Leslie Johnson	Jaguar XK 120C	Jaguar 3.4L I6		50
51	S 1.5	39	Equipe Gordini	Maurice Trintignant Jean Behra	Simca-Gordini T15S	Gordini 1.5L I4		49
52	S 1.5	41	Jowett Cars Ltd.	Tommy Wisdom Tommy Wise	Jowett Jupiter R1	Jowett 1.5L Flat-4		48
53	S 750	59	Crosley	George Schrafft Phil Stiles	Crosley Hotshot Sports	Crosley 0.7L I4		40
54	S 750	49	Jacques Poch	Jacques Poch Maurice Vaselle	Aero Minor	Aero 0.7L I2		40
55	S 750	55	Satecmo	Georges Claude Pierre Clause	Renault 4CV	Renault 0.7L I4		38
56	S 5.0	8th	Eugène Chaboud	Eugène Chaboud Lucien Vincent	Talbot-Lago T26 GS	Talbot-Lago 4.5L I6		33
57	S 1.5	38	Equipe Gordini	Robert Manzon André Simon	Simca-Gordini T15S	Gordini 1.5L I4		26th
58	S 5.0	12	Ets. Delettrez	Jean Delettrez Jacques Delettrez	Delettrez Diesel	Delettrez 4.5L I6		24
59	S 1.5	42	Jowett Cars Ltd.	Bert Hadley Charles Goodacre	Jowett Jupiter R1	Jowett 1.5L Flat-4		19th
60	S 3.0	30th	Johnny Claes	Jean Larivière André Guelfi	Ferrari 212 Export C	Ferrari 2.6L V12		5
Not started
61	S 1.1	47	Porsche KG	Rudolph Sauerwein Robert Brunet	Porsche 356/4 SL Coupe	Porsche 1.1L Flat-4		1
Not qualified
62	S 3.0		Maurice Faulkner	-	Aston Martin DB2	Aston Martin 2.6L I6		2

¹ accident during training ² reserve

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
63		36	Norman Culpan	Norman Culpan Harold John Aldington	Frazer-Nash
64				Luigi Piotti Roger Crovetto Giulio Cabianca	Osca
65				José Froilán González Onofre Marimón	Simca-Gordini
66				Alexis Constantin	Constantin 203C
67				Johnny Claes	Talbot-Lago T26GS
68				Henri Louveau	Talbot

Class winner

class	driver	driver	vehicle	Placement in the overall ranking
Index of Performance - 5th Annual Cup of the ACO	Jean de Montrémy	Jean Hemard	Monopoles X84	Rank 25
17th Biennial Cup	Jean de Montrémy	Jean Hemard	Monopoles X84	Rank 25
5001-8000 cc	no participant in the finish
3001-5000 cc	Peter Walker	Peter Whitehead	Jaguar XK-120C	Overall victory
2001-3000 cc	Eric Thompson	Lance Macklin	Aston Martin DB2	Rank 3
1501-2000 cc	Giovanni Lurani	Giovanni Bracco	Lancia Aurelia B20 GT	Rank 12
1101-1500 cc	Marcel Becquart	Gordon Wilkins	Jowett Jupiter R1	Rank 23
751-1000 cc	Auguste Veuillet	Edward Mouche	Porsche 356/4 SL Coupe	Rank 20
-750 cc	Francois Landon	André Briat	Renault 4CV	Rank 24

Racing data

• Registered: 68
• Started: 60
• Rated: 30
• Race classes: 9
• Spectator: unknown
• Honorary starter of the race: Viscount de Rohan, President of the CSI
• Race weekend weather: rain on Saturday
• Route length: 13.492 km
• Driving time of the winning team: 24: 00: 00,000 hours
• Total laps of the winning team: 268
• Total distance of the winning team: 3611.193 km
• Winner's average: 150,466 km / h
• Pole position: unknown
• Fastest race lap: Stirling Moss - Jaguar XK 120C (# 22) - 4.46.800 = 169.356 km / h
• Racing series: did not belong to any racing series

literature

• RM Clarke: Le Mans. The Jaguar Years 1949-1957. Brooklands Books, Cobham 1997, ISBN 1-85520-357-X .
• Christian Moity, Jean-Marc Teissèdre, Alain Bienvenu: 24 heures du Mans, 1923–1992. Éditions d'Art, Besançon 1992, ISBN 2-909-413-06-3 .

Web links

Commons : Le Mans 24 Hours 1951  - Collection of images, videos and audio files