1924 The Foretelling Second Win

Not only did who the winner was of the 1924 24 hours of Le Mans tell something about the near future of the race but the second and third place finishers also spoke of things to come and the fourth and fifth place cars spoke of the past.

The Past Year Premier Winner

The fourth and fifth place cars spoke of the past because in the 1924 race they were made by the French firm of Chenard & Walcker who had made racing history the year before by winning the first Le Mans. Their respectable showing in '24 certainly helped validate that victory.

Future Back-To-Back Winner

The second and third place cars spoke of the future because in the next two years they would go on to have the first multiple and back-to-back wins in the history of Le Mans. Those cars were the products of French engineering and manufacturing from Lorraine-Dietrich. 

1924 Le Mans

1st Bentley Victory

The Winning No.8 Bentley 3 Litre Sport

1st Place Car #8

The first place being Bentley predicted something about the future as they would have a four-time winning streak starting in 1927 culminating with the amazing feat of taking the first four places in 1929.

It really all started the year before when an enthusiastic Canadian race driver named John Duff learned of a new 24 hour race to be held at Le Mans. He was the very first entrant. W. O. Bentley, the founder and then owner of Bentley Motors, thought it was madness and that no car would finish. However in the face of Duff's determination, he agreed to have the car prepared at the factory and let his test driver, Frank Clement, partner with Duff. 

The Duff/Clement Bentley was one of the fastest cars in the race. Duff set the fastest lap time at nine minutes 39 seconds for the 10.726 mile lap. But rough track conditions took their toll as a flagstone hold the fuel tank, forcing Duff to run back to the pits. Since only the drivers can work on the cars, Clement had to bicycle back with a can of gas to power the car back to the pits. Despite the drama, Duff and Clement finished a strong fourth. More importantly, W. O. Bentley, who only went over to France at the last minute, became hooked on Le Mans, the race that would make his cars famous.

Open Car Driver Change 1924 Style

Painting by Michael Turner

1924 Le Mans - the English team of Bentley breaks through to victory in the French classic. Driven by Bentley boys, Duff and Clement, seen here rounding the old hairpin at Pontlieue

So in 1924 Bentley returned and with only one car in the race came away with their first victory. John Duff came across the finish line on Sunday afternoon at 4 PM one lap ahead of the competition.

For a full description of the race click on the link to BigMoneyRacing.com and Mr. Chuck Dressing has written a colorful narrative. BigMoneyRacing.com