1926 Le Mans

1926 — With the purchase of the real estate at the traditional Raineries start/finish line, Le Mans’ heritage was secure. The pits and tribunes returned from their one-year exile at the Hunaudieres hippodrome to where they belonged. The A.C.O. constructed new grandstands with a new 3,000 car parking area and a huge new scoreboard that would allow spectators to follow the race with some measure of accuracy regardless of wine consumption. New pit stalls and even a new press box atop the grandstands across from the new pits were included in the A.C.O.’s ambitious construction project.

Improvements were made to the 10.73-mile circuit. The A.C.O. took its role(s) – both as promoter of the 24 Hours and of the French auto industry – with republican gravity and a missionary’s zeal. The result was a refined road circuit, largely free of the rocks and stones and other missiles of the type that cost Bentley a win in the inaugural ronde infernale.

With just 41 starters and a vastly improved road, pre-race excitement about anticipated higher speeds focused on the much-ballyhooed battle between the first entries from Peugeot, the winning 1925 Lorraines and a trio of Bentleys. Only O.M. (Officine Meccaniche) represented Italy; and a 3.9-liter Willys-Knight, plus a pair of Willys Overlands from Toledo, Ohio, were the sole American entries.

The end of the countdown to the now-traditional four o’clock start saw the No. 30 Jousset sedan first away, as its starting driver, Molon, after sprinting to the car, could ignore the complex ritual of erecting the folding top as required by A.C.O. rules. No matter. By the end of the first lap, the little 1.5 saloon had been comprehensively engulfed by the serious players. Andre Boillot was first past the tribune in the No. 2 Peugeot, leading the Bentleys of ‘24 winner Frank Clement and Sammy Davis by nearly a quarter-mile. The next clot of fast traffic was led by the No. 9 Thisiethwayte 3.0-liter Bentley that had the nose of Bloch’s Peugeot deep in what would today pass for a slipstream had either car been a Voisin.

The Peugeots led for the first three hours. French pride was buoyed, and the general impression in the packed tribunes was that the Peugeots could increase their pace at will.

The 3.9-liter American Willys-Knight retired after just eight laps. The driver spent nearly an hour by the side of the road trying to remedy a persistent and crippling fuel feed problem that ultimately could neither be diagnosed nor repaired.

The Peugeots were not only fleet and reliable but were getting sensational range. A.C.O. rules required 20 laps before the seals on gasoline, coolant and oil tanks could be broken; but Boillot’s leading car ran 22 laps on its first load of fuel, while the Wagner Peugeot completed 21 laps before refueling. The Peugeot’s level of performance and preparation was a mild shock to W.O. Bentley, who had been concentrating on record runs at Montlhery, not 24 hours at Le Mans. Nonetheless, as pictured above, the Bentley’s hung on to the fleet Peugeots throughout the night without actually threatening.

One of the Bentleys was nearly disqualified following a dive into and subsequent extrication from one of Le Mans’ infamous earthen banks. Duller buried his 3.0-liter at Arnage, but managed to borrow a pick and shovel from a nearby farmhouse. His filthy but triumphant return to the course nearly met with disqualification. Placing his helmet on the seat, the focused Briton raced on, bare headed, and all assumed he had lost or traded his helmet during the prolonged agriculture exposition. Signals from the Bentley pit grew more frantic as they feared their No. 8 would be disqualified for violating the helmet rule. It took four laps to find a new helmet and stop Duller, only to find his old one resting beside him on the front seat.

The grandstands had been full all days and remained crowded all night. Hartford shocks again laid on a lavish paddock hospitality center, complete with electric table lamps, table cloths, white-jacketed waiters and fare that would impress any contemporary Le Mans suite denizen or don.

The Peugeots didn’t make it through the night. The windshield frame on Boillot’s No. 2 car broke, allowing the glass to escape and – as the parts required to repair the bizarre fault were not carried aboard – the French car was ordered to retire just after midnight. Teammates Wagner and Dauvergne were disqualified when their No. 3 Peugeot failed to start due to a dry battery. Dauvergne attempted to bump start the 3 car but was instantly disqualified. Earlier, the 3 car had survived a close call while overtaking the lone 1.5-liter EHP of Bouriat and Dollfus, which lurched into the middle of the road at the worst moment sending the Peugeot into a ditch.

Peugeot’s travails were typical of the nighttime adventures of all the fast runners who, by the halfway point, were averaging just over the magic 100kph mark.

With eight hours remaining, the Lorraine-Dietrichs were clear of both Bentleys. A half-hour later a broken rocker arm halted the No. 9 Bentley, and Benjy Benjafield set out after the French cars alone. It was a brave chase. Benjy took huge 15 and 20sec chunks of time from the Lorraines, but the No. 5, pictured above, responded with a stunning lap record of 71.1mph.

Surrounded by the entire Lorraine-Dietrich team, Davis took over the third place Bentley. Storming after the second place car, he misjudged Mulsanne and buried the nearly brakeless Bentley in the sand, while trying to lap Mongin’s fourth place Lorraine during the final hour. The gallant Frenchman stopped to offer assistance, but Davis was compelled by the rules to refuse and lost a certain third place.

The Lorraine-Dietrichs won a stunning 1-2-3 victory – the first such sweep in Le Mans history – over the fast 2.0-liter Italian O.M.s. The Davis/Benjafield Bentley, though not classified, had covered enough distance to be invited back to the Sarthe for the ‘27 Grand Prix d’Endurance. It would be the return of a true hero.

24 Heures du Mans by Chuck Dressing bigMoney Le Mans Index bigMoneyracing.com