TEAM QUAIL AT LE MANS

The Second World War devastated Europe and Le Mans was not held again until 1949. During the war the airfield (which had already been growing) were used by German aircraft, and the Mulsanne straight was used as an additional runway. Both were heavily bombed by the allies, and the areas around the pits in particular were badly damaged. By the end of the war there was little left of either the circuit or the buildings.

Despite putting plans to the Ministry of Reconstruction to rebuild the circuit in October 1946, permission was not received by the ACO until January 1949. By the beginning of June they had completed resurfaced the track and provided almost entirely new buildings. At a cost of £130,000 a set of modern concrete pits, grandstands, timekeeper’s facilities and other buildings were constructed.

The new post war grandstands

1949

For the first time the regulations had allowed ‘prototypes’, prompted by the lack cars being built in any number across Europe. There was an entry of over a hundred cars, which was whittled down to 49 starters, the majority (29 cars) being French, including Talbot, Delahaye, Delage, DB, Delettrez (the first diesel powered car at Le Mans), Simca, Monopole, Renault and Dyna Panhard. The British had a single 4.5 litre Bentley and cars from Aston Martin, Healey, Frazer-Nash, HRG and MG. Thee was also a Czechoslovakian team of Aero-Minors. But most important of all it was the debut of the new Italian Marque, Ferrari.

Enzo Ferrari had been the team manager of the all-conquering Alfa Romeo team, but now he was a constructor in his own right. His first Le Mans entry was two 2-litre V12-engined Tipo 166 barchettas (little boats, after the open bodywork).

The 1949 Le Mans start

The big French cars led from the start, headed by Charboud’s Delahaye driven flat out until he sustained body damage and had to slow. He still led at the end of the first hour, from another Delahaye, the Ferrari of Jean Lucas and Pierre-Louis Dreyfus, Rosier’s Talbot and the second Ferrari of Chinetti and Lord Selsdon. The leader averaged 95mph, almost 10 mph faster than the 1939 average.

After four hours the two Delahayes still clung to the lead, but the Ferraris were easily a match for them. Dreyfus crashed the second Ferrari at White House, not longer after Charboud had caught fire.

The Bentley saloon (finished sixth ahead) of the Aston Martin (retired in the fourth hour)

As darkness fell the Chinetti and Selsdon Ferrari led, but Selson became ill, leaving Chinetti as the sole driver, faced with driving 22 hours on his own. He was also nursing a slipped clutch, but he still won, by one lap, from Louveau and Jover in a Delage. At the end Chinetti almost had to be lifted from the car, but he achieved Ferrari’s first win of what would become a total of nine. The race average was 82.3 mph with a fastest lap of 96.6 mph by Simon in a Delahaye. Culpan and Aldington finished third in a 2 litre Frazer Nash, but the Aston Martin crashed near the finish killing its driver Marechal.

The winning Ferrari in the Esses

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