Woolf Barnato
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Joël Woolf Barnato (born September 27, 1895 in London , † July 27, 1948 ibid) was a British automobile racing driver and financier, who became known as one of the Bentley Boys .
Family and education
Woolf Barnato was the son of Barney Barnato , who made money in South Africa as the owner of a diamond and gold mine. He inherited his millions of pounds in fortune when he was two years old. Equipped with this financial background, Barnato attended the best schools and universities in England. He attended Charterhouse School and Trinity College in Cambridge . During World War I he was an officer in the Royal Field Artillery of the British Army.
His daughter Diana Barnato Walker was the first British woman to fly faster than sound.
Bentley
By the 1920s, Barnato was a member of the Bentley Boys, a group of young men, all of the best social classes, who began racing on Bentley vehicles.
Inspired by the Le Mans victory of John Duff and Frank Clement in 1924 , Barnato - who was called "Babe" by his friends, which was in stark contrast to his corpulence - invested part of his fortune in Bentley. He became majority owner and chairman of the board. In addition to his work as a businessman, Barnato continued to race. Together with John Duff, he set a new world record for a 24-hour drive on the Montlhéry circuit in 1925 with an average speed of 152.00 km / h.
Le Mans
Barnato won the Le Mans 24 Hours three times as a driver. It was remarkable that he was only at the start three times (making him the only pilot who managed to win on every start). In 1928 he won with Bernard Rubin in a 4 1/2 liter Bentley. In 1929 he drove the legendary Bentley Speed Six "Old Number One" together with Tim Birkin and in 1930 he was again successful on this Speed Six with Glen Kidston .
The race against the train
In addition to his victories at Le Mans, a bet made Barnato popular in Great Britain. In March 1930, Barnato accepted the challenge of racing against a train. The Train Bleu , a luxury train that ran from Cannes to London , was the opponent. Barnato bet £ 200 that he could get from Cannes to London faster with a Speed Six than the train to Calais , which went via Paris .
Barnato's chances seemed slim as he had to drive on bad roads most of the time. Barnato and the train left Cannes at 5:45 pm. Barnato drove his Speed Six over the dusty French country roads at an average speed of 72 km / h. His co-driver was the English amateur golfer Dale Bourne . Barnato was helped by the low traffic. After a night in the car and a distance of almost 1,000 kilometers, Barnato reached Calais the next day at 10:30 a.m. After taking the ferry, he parked the car in front of his club on St. James Street in London at 3:20 pm, four minutes before the train pulled into Calais station.
Barnato was also an excellent cricketer . He died in July 1948.
statistics
Le Mans results
| year | team | vehicle | Teammate | placement | Failure reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1928 |
 Bentley Motor Ltd.
|
Bentley 4½ liter "Old Mother Gun" |
Bernard Rubin
|
Overall victory | |
| 1929 |
Bentley Motor Company
|
Bentley Speed Six |
Tim Birkin
|
Overall victory | |
| 1930 |
Bentley Motor Company
|
Bentley Speed Six |
Glen Kidston
|
Overall victory |
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 .
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Barnato, Woolf |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Barnato, Joël Woolf |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British racing car driver and financier |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 27, 1895 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | London |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 27, 1948 |
| Place of death | London |