24h Le Mans
The 1930s saw the return of French constructors to the pinnacle of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In addition to Bugatti in 1937 and 1939, Delahaye won the 15th running of the race in 1938.
Dates: 18-19 June 1938
Number of competitors: 42
Number of retirements: 27
Important facts:
Of the 44 entrants participating in that edition, 28 were French. The other teams hailed from Germany, Belgium, Italy and the U.K. Three previous winners took the start: Luigi Chinetti, Philippe Etancelin and Raymond Sommer.
Construction work was completed to widen the track prior to this running of the race.
Brief overview of the race:
The first Italian marque to win at Le Mans, Alfa Romeo dominated most of the race thanks to Raymond Sommer (winner in 1932 and 1933) and Clemente Biondetti. Though they had a 14-lap lead on the future winners, the Franco-Italian duo gave in two hours from the checkered flag. Hot on their heels the entire time, Delahaye scored an impressive one-two thanks to Eugène Chaboud and Jean Trémoulet, and Gaston Serraud and Yves Giraud-Cabantous. The 1938 24 Hours was a real triumph for French constructors with Delahaye, Talbot and Peugeot Darl’mat in the top 5.
Key figures and anecdotes:
- After Bugatti in 1937, Delahaye secured the second win in a row for a French constructor in a decade largely dominated by Italian (Alfa Romeo) and British marques (Bentley, Lagonda)
- This was Delahaye's only victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
- The winning Delahaye was almost disqualified when it was discovered the tank cap had an excess of lead
- Delahaye nearly pulled off a hat trick: Louis Villeneuve and René Biolay finished fourth
- For his second participation, Peugeot distributor and car body builder Emile Darl’mat saw one of his three 402s finish in fifth place thanks to Charles de Cortanze and Marcel Contet. The French marque did not return to the 24 Hours until 1991 with a prototype called the 905 designed by André de Cortanze, Charles' son.
- Two women crossed the finish line at the 1938 24 Hours of Le Mans: Anne-Cécile Roseltier and Marjorie Fawcett, in 12th and 13th place respectively.
The winners:
Overall: #15 Delahaye 135 CS driven by Eugène Chaboud and Jean Trémoulet
Distance: 3,180.940 km at an average of 132.539 km/h
Gap: The second place finisher trailed by 27.067 km
No qualifying: At that time, the starting grid was determined in descending order of engine size
Best in-race lap: Raymond Sommer at the wheel of the #19 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Touring in 05:13:08
Source: Infos-Course
