1949 24 Hours of Le Mans: Simon Captures the Imagination

July 27, 2012 by Jeremy McMullen

On the 26th of June, after 24 hours of racing and 235 laps, the Ferrari 166MM of Luigi Chinetti and Lord Selsdon would come across the line to take the victory in the 17th Grand Prix d'Endurance. But while the victory would be certainly a memorable one, there would be one man that would not even make it to the finish but would capture the imagination of a French motor racing constructor and, as a result, would begin his motor racing career.

Andre Simon would be born in Paris in 1920. His father would own a garage just outside of the capital and would even produce some automobiles in the years leading up to the Second World War. When the war came, especially in France, everything was put on hold; there was no guarantee of a future, at least not one that didn't include the Third Reich.

With the end of the war, a wave of new life, a zest for excitement and a sense of living would sweep across the world and motor racing seemed to perfectly suit such a wave of enthusiasm. In the case of Simon, who was now in charge of his father's garage, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to start racing. So, in 1948, Simon would take part in his first motor races. Immediately he would be successful. Driving a Talbot-Lago at Montlhery in 1948, Simon would come through to take his first ever victory. Other solid results during that first year of racing would cause Simon to come up on the radar of a number of small teams and privateer entries. And it would be these smaller teams that would launch a career that would see Simon drive for some of the best teams in some of the best cars.

It was clear Simon possessed raw talent. Seeing that 1949 would be just his second year of motor racing, and that he already had a victory to his credit, Simon would begin to find himself in demand. And, one week before Le Mans, Simon would find himself on the Simca-Gordini team along with Ernesto Tornqvist, Robert Manzon and Maurice Trintignant. At the time, the ride was nothing long term, but Simon would treat it as so and would finish in 7th place while Manzon and Trintignant suffered mechanical issues and were forced to retire.

Certainly it was clear that Simon possessed the talent to be good, but seeing that it was just his second year of racing, many wondered if he could be one of the best. Well, at Le Mans on the 25th and 26th of June, Simon would do his best to give everybody that impression and Amedee Gordini would buy it.

The 1949 24 Hours of Le Mans was to be a special race. It would be the first Le Mans since the outbreak of World War II. As a result of the war the roads comprising the circuit, as well as many of the buildings, were badly in need of some repair. This would take some time, but by 1949, the circuit was ready to host its first 24 hour race in a decade.

There would be great excitement and anticipation leading up to the first 24 Hours of Le Mans since before the war and the number of car manufacturers that would be part of this first race back would help to stir the excitement all the more. Talbot, Delahaye, Bentley, Delage, Aston Marton, Healey, Ferrari, Gordini, D.B., Simca, Renault, Aero, Lancia, MG and others could all be found up and down the entry list. The race would also see the first diesel-powered car take part in the race. There would also be a lady in the field. Vivianne Elder, driving for Simca, would proudly represent the female gender in the field. But, after scoring victory in that year's Mille Miglia, a lot of attention would be placed on the Ferraris with their new 166MM. The reason for all of the attention would be rather simple: such a quick glance down the pitlane and it was more than evident the vast majority of the cars that were to be in the field were designs dating from before the war or not long after. The Ferrari, then, represented the future, and this would attract the imagination of many. But besides having a new car, the Ferrari attack would have a driver that had one the race a couple of times before once again at the wheel. Luigi Chinetti had won the endurance classic in 1932 and in 1934. In 1933, Chinetti finished 2nd. So he knew how to get around the circuit and how to do so for 24 hours.

As stated before, the 1949 season would be just the second in Andre Simon's motor racing career, but he too would find his way to Le Mans. Charles Pozzi would have a couple of Delahayes in which he would enter in the famed race. Pozzi and Eugene Chaboud would drive in one of the 175S Delahayes. The second of the Delahayes would have Pierre Flahault partnering with the young Simon.

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A total of 49 starters would line up along the pit wall in preparation for the beginning of the race. And as the starting drivers sprinted across the track to start the race, it would be the Delahayes that would be in the lead right from the very start. Chasing the sister-car, the Flahault/Simon Delahaye would continue running in 2nd place throughout the first hour of the race. However, they would soon run into problems.

Mechanical woes struck the Delahaye and the car was forced to come into the pits for repairs. The time it took to do the necessary repairs would cost the pair dearly, but they would not be out of the race. The repairs would be made and the car would manage to return to the circuit with Simon at the wheel.

Once behind the wheel, Simon would put together one impressive performance. The repairs had dropped the car well down in the field. This, however, would be a prime opportunity for Simon to show his raw speed. And he would do just that. Though there were more than 20 hours remaining in the race, Simon would push the Delahaye as if it was qualifying. But, as a result, Simon would manage to make up a number of places that had been lost while the car was being repaired.

The car had been running 2nd overall, however, and Simon wanted to get back up to there if he could. The only thing was…he wanted to get there right now. Therefore, he would push and push. It would be an incredible spectacle put together by the sophomore driver. He would push so hard that he would end up setting what would be the fastest lap of the race with a lap time of the 8.36 mile circuit of 5:12.5. Incredibly, this time would just fail to beat the track record set by Mazaud in another Delahaye in 1939. That fastest lap time would be 5:12.1, just four-tenths of a second faster!

Simon continued to gain places. It was becoming a truly remarkable sight. The pairing continued to make up ground. However, the charge to the front would be severely hampered four hours into the race.

The one Delahaye would already be out of the race having suffered an electrical fire. Unfortunately, about that same time, the number 4 Delahaye would suffer engine problems and would be severely slowed in its pace. However, the issues would be contained and the car could carry on, just not at the pace in which it had been circulating earlier on. Flahault and Simon would then drive a controlled race from then on, aiming to finish instead of light the world on fire.

The leader of the race, at the time of the Delahayes' troubles, would be one of the new Ferrari 166MMs. However, that lead would be short-lived as the car would suffer an accident near Maison Blanche. Luigi Chinetti would come to take the lead of the race by employing a tactic now banned in the race.

Chinetti had started the race and was still behind the wheel well into the morning hours of the 26th. He believed that by making fewer driver changes he could stay up near the front of the field. The tactic would work and he would have the lead. Finally, just before 4:30 in the morning, Chinetti would turn the 166MM over to Lord Selsdon.

Selsdon would head out onto the circuit with a comfortable margin in hand; Chinetti made sure of it. And after completing his first stint in the car, Selsdon would return to the pits and, amazingly, hand the car right back to Chinetti. Selsdon had been in the car for only a little more than an hour. It would end up being his one and only stint behind the wheel of the car.

Just prior to Selsdon's one and only stint, Le Mans would say goodbye to the first diesel-powered car ever to compete in the race. On lap 123, the diesel-powered Delage would run out of fuel. Almost unbelievably, the car's driver, Jacques Delettrez would make it around to complete the lap just by using the torque from the starter motor! This would do little to help the team's situation as the battery would end up being toasted and the car was unable to go on.

Simon and Flahault continued to circulate, but at a much slower pace than before. But while the pair would focus on trying to make it to the finish, the car would end up sustaining too much damage and just could not keep it up throughout the final few hours. As a result, just a little more than four hours from the finish, the car would come to a stop unable to continue. The race was over for Simon and Flahault, but it had been one impressive performance nonetheless.

Tired and losing focus, Chinetti would grind his way toward the end of the 24 hour race, but it wouldn't be without its scary moments. At one point, as the weariness was really beginning to set in, Chinetti would brush up against some fencing causing some minor damage to the car. However, the damage would be such that it would need to be repaired. This would take some time and it threatened Chinetti's lead. However, by the time the car was finished and return to the circuit, Luigi still had a lap in hand over the 2nd place car.

Chinetti's lead would be preserved by the fact the Delage of Henri Louveau and Juan Jover would also be slowed due to misfire issues. And as such, Chinetti would cruise to victory having driven all but a little more than an hour of the race. As he crossed the line, Chinetti would take his third Le Mans victory but, more importantly, would provide Ferrari with their first at the 24 hour race.

But while the new Ferrari, which had already garnered a lot of attention before the race started, would again be swarmed by onlookers and appreciative spectators, there would be a man by the name of Amedee Gordini that had longed been impressed by the performance of a certain young Frenchman.

Andre Simon's performance while at the wheel of the Delahaye would certainly be impressive. Not showing any signs of being overwhelmed by his surroundings, Simon would run strong while the car ran strong. And the fact he would go on to set the fastest lap of the entire race just missing the track record by mere tenths would only add to his performance. And, as a result, Simon would earn a full-time ride with Gordini. Therefore, in 1950, Andre Simon would take his place on the Simca-Gordini team alongside such drivers as Maurice Trintignant, Jean Behra and Robert Manzon.

In no small way, Simon's performance in the 1949 24 Hours of Le Mans would eventually lead to his taking victory for Gordini in the Circuit du Medoc in 1950. But the performance would also actually lead to Simon's ride with Scuderia Ferrari and Mercedes-Benz, all at the height of their dominance at the time.

Therefore, the 1949 24 Hours of Le Mans would be, for Simon, a case in which just one race would make a world of difference in one's motor racing career and would only highlight the necessity of taking advantage of every opportunity one is given.

Sources:
Paolozzi, Remi. 'The Relay Runner', (http://8w.forix.com/simon.html). 8W: The Stories Behind Motor Racing Facts and Fiction. http://8w.forix.com/simon.html. Retrieved 24 July 2012.

'Races: Le Mans 24 Hours 1949', (http://www.racingsportscars.com/race/Le_Mans-1949-06-26.html). Racing Sports Cars. http://www.racingsportscars.com/race/Le_Mans-1949-06-26.html. Retrieved 24 July 2012.

'Le Mans 24 Hours 1949', (http://www.sportscars.tv/Newfiles/LeMans49.html). Sportscars.TV. http://www.sportscars.tv/Newfiles/LeMans49.html. Retrieved 24 July 2012.

'1949 24 Hours of Le Mans Results and Competitors', (http://www.experiencelemans.com/contents/en-us/d184_1949_Le_Mans_24_Hours_Competitors_and_Results.html). 24 Hours of Le Mans Posters and Memorabilia Shop. http://www.experiencelemans.com/contents/en-us/d184_1949_Le_Mans_24_Hours_Competitors_and_Results.html. Retrieved 24 July 2012.