1933 24 Hours of Le Mans

11th 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race

The 1933 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 11th Grand Prix of Endurance. It took place at the Circuit de la Sarthe on 17 and 18 June 1933. Up against five strong privateer entries from Alfa Romeo, the opposition looked fairly weak, mostly being of 1920s vintage. There was a strong British contingent in the smaller classes. The big drawcard was the presence of top European drivers Louis Chiron and Tazio Nuvolari. The current European champion was paired with one of the previous year's winners, Raymond Sommer

From the start, the Italian cars set a strong pace. Sommer broke the track record several times building a two minute lead over the Alfas of Chiron, Lewis, Chinetti and Moll. He had lapped the rest of the field by the end of the second hour. Chiron was delayed by an intransigent starter unit, but his co driver Franco Cortese drove hard to bring the car back up to second going into the night. Most of the other large engine contenders had fallen away, allowing Odette Siko in a 1.8 litre supercharged Alfa Romeo to move up to fifth. The British teams of Aston Martin, Riley and MG filled out the back end of the top 10. A processional first half of the race was turned on its head come the dawn on Sunday when Nuvolari brought the leading Alfa in with fender damage and a leaking fuel tank. The two lap lead they had built up was lost in the quarter hour needed for repairs. The Chiron and Chinetti cars then swapped the lead for the next two hours in close, exciting racing. At 7am a short rain shower caused Odette Siko to have a serious accident on the fast approach to Indianapolis corner. The car was wrecked as it ploughed into the trees but fortunately the driver was thrown clear and only lightly injured. Hard work by Nuvolari, who was fresh after avoiding driving during the night, had got him back in front by 9am. Soon after, Cortese crashed when a front wheel bearing collapsed. With the closest opposition gone, what could have been a simple run to the finish was anything but. When Sommer pitted the car at midday, their lead was again wiped with repairs to the radiator, brakes and worsening fuel leak. Mechanics used chewing gum to plug the crack. Nuvolari would then overtake the smooth running Chinetti/Gunzberg car only to have to stop to check the fuel tank and lose the lead again. By the time of the final stops, with an hour to go, the two cars were less than a minute apart. Going onto the last lap, the superior speed of Nuvolari's car allowed him to pass on the back straight, only to lose it again under braking at the Mulsanne corner. Then Chinetti missed a gear at Arnage and Nuvolari was through again. When Chinetti was baulked by slow traffic coming out of White House it gave Nuvolari the clear run to the flag, to win by just 400 metres. The margin of victory for this race was estimated at being 9.5 seconds difference and remains one of the narrowest racing finishes at Le Mans – excluding the formation finishes of later years. Third, eight laps back, was the British entered Alfa Romeo of Lewis/Rose Richards. Fourth, after a very reliable run was the small 1.1 litre Riley of Peacock/van der Becke. Their excellent effort against the larger competition also gave them a handsome margin in winning the lucrative Index of Performance prize.

After the major circuit changes in the previous year, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) continued with further improvements to the track. A yellow centre line was painted down the Hunaudières Straight and reflective markers – forerunners of cat's eye reflectors were put on the approach to all the corners to assist during night driving. A further addition to the facilities was from the city of Le Mans. A small chapel was built to allow spectators to attend mass on the Sunday morning. In line with the ACO's policy to alternate fuel supplier, this year the contract was with Shell, who offered four fuel choices: its regular fuel, a premium grade, 100% benzole and a 70/30 blend of the premium with benzole.

The gradual economic recovery was signalled with a good initial list of 41 entries. However, a record thirteen entries were withdrawn before race week. The ongoing struggles for the automotive industry were reflected by the fact that there were only four works teams present – a single French Tracta, as well three British Aston Martins, a Riley and a new Singer – none of which were of a pace to challenge for outright victory. So, this left the squadron of privateer Alfa Romeos as clear favourites. From the finishers in the 1932 race there were eight cars eligible for the Biennial Cup. Three Italian Alfa Romeos squared up against two Aston Martins and a Riley from Great Britain, and a Lorraine Dietrich and Amilcar from France. Category Entries Classes Large sized engines 14 / 9 over 3 litre Medium sized engines 14 / 9 1.1 to 3 litre Small sized engines 13 / 11 up to 1.1 litre Total entrants 40 / 29
Note: The first number is the number of entries, the second the number who started. At the end of 1932, the new government appointed CEO of Alfa Romeo, Ugo Gobbato, had withdrawn the works team from racing. Thus, it fell to the privateers to maintain the company's dominance and they did not disappoint: the marque was the best represented in the entry list, with 9 cars. Last year's winners, Raymond Sommer and Luigi Chinetti were the organisers for Alfa racing in France. Alfa Romeo's competition for outright honours was expected to come from Bugatti. Six cars were entered but only two arrived for scrutineering. Guy Bouriat entered one of the former works Type 50 with its big 5 litre supercharged straight 8 engine. Sadly, he was killed a month before Le Mans in the Picardy Grand Prix. So, his regular co driver, Pierre Bussienne, was joined by another former E. H. P. works driver, Marie Desprez. The other was the first sports car race for the new, unsupercharged 1.5 litre Type 51A. It was entered by the Polish émigré Count Stanisław Czaykowski, a regular Grand Prix racer in Bugattis and he teamed up with Jean Gaupillat, another privateer Bugatti driver. The other two large cars in the field were returning veterans of the 1920s. Racing journalist Roger Labric came back with the Lorraine Dietrich he had entered two years earlier, this time driving it himself, using the Biennial Cup entry he had earned finishing in a small Caban. The equivalence factor put him in the 2 litre class whose sole other entry was the SARA SP7 Spéciale. That privateer effort took the 1927 SP7 model and gave it modified bodywork and a slightly bigger 1.8 litre engine. The team also got former SARA team regulars Gaston Mottet and André Marandet as their drivers. The supercharging equivalence and a 1.0 litre lower limit meant the 1.5 litre class was a crowded affair. Aston Martin had been bought out by shipping millionaire Sir Arthur Sutherland, giving it financial security. The works team arrived with three cars including a pair of the two door 'Le Mans' variant to contest the Biennial Cup. Technical Director and designer "Bert" Bertelli ran with former Le Mans winner and "Autocar" journalist Sammy Davis, while the other car had team regulars Pat Driscoll and Clifton Penn Hughes. The 4 seater International that had won its class, finishing fifth the previous year, had been sold to "Mort" Morris Goodall, who ran it as a works car with Elsie "Bill" Wisdom. The English manufacturer Riley made its first appearance at le Mans this year. It had already achieved considerable success in the British endurance handicap races with the Riley Nine "Brooklands" roadster. The advanced 1.1 litre twin cam engine put out 50 bhp. Three cars were prepared for Le Mans though only two arrived. The first was a works entry driven by Ken Peacock and "Bill" van der Becke, while Le Mans regular Jean Sébilleau had a French privateer entry. Of the four MGs entered, two arrived at scrutineering. John Ludovic Ford raced a supercharged C type Midget. When Norman Black's entry was cancelled, Gordon Hendy used it to bring one of the new J series cars. This J3, with its supercharged 746cc engine, had recently set a 24 hour distance record for its class at Montlhéry. Both owners paid the expenses of works mechanics to attend and assist in the race. Their competition would come from a works Tracta, making a rare racing appearance, and the small Amilcar. Another British firm debuting at Le Mans was Singer. Like many, it was originally a bicycle manufacturer but had been building cars since the turn of the century. By the end of the 1920s it was Great Britain's third largest car company. The Singer Nine was introduced in 1932, and in October came a Sports version: a 4 seater convertible with a twin carburettor 972cc engine uprated to produce 31 bhp. The car was soon popular in rallies and British racing events. Stanley Barnes, running the racing department for the company, bought one to Le Mans with a view to run the 24 hours to qualify for the Biennial Cup. He raced it personally, with the team's lead driver Alf Langley. The smallest car in the field was an Austin 7 hybrid. The basic car was the mainstay of the Austin Motor Company with nearly 300,000 having been built already. One had previously been raced at Le Mans by Eric Gordon England in the 1925 race. The car that was entered started off as a works sporting prototype in 1929. Bought by Charles Metchim a year later, he often raced it in Britain, and he resolved to have the first car in the 750cc class to complete the Le Mans race. Prepared by the works garage it was given the latest race tuned engine.

In practice the night before the race, the Bentley developed clutch problems. However, Jean Chassagne, the Le Mans veteran with Bentley, Aries and Sunbeam, was on hand and able to help get the car repaired and ready to take the start. There would be added interest in the relative performance of tyres. Most cars were running on Dunlops, while Nuvolari bought Italian Pirellis for Sommer's Alfa, and Chiron's Alfa and Danne's Rally ran on Belgian Engleberts.

On a fine Saturday, 50 000 people flocked to the circuit. The honorary starter this year was Col Lindsey Lloyd, vice president of the British Auto Club, Most cars pitted after the requisite minimum of 24 laps but Sommer pitted after about 2½ hours and 27 laps, handing over to crowd favourite Nuvolari. Chiron's pitstop was delayed by a jammed starter motor so at 7pm Nuvolari held a 4 minute lead over the nearest competition. The co drivers had taken over and Gunzberg was second ahead of Rose Richards, Cloitre, Cattaneo (finally getting a drive) in the Duesenberg, and Cortese rushing to make up his lost time. On his out lap after taking over the Bentley, Louis Gas misjudged his braking at the Mulsanne corner and ploughed straight through the fencing hitting a tree. Bleeding from smacking his head on the steering wheel in the impact, he limped back to the pits, but the front axle was too bent to continue. Guy Moll's Alfa Romeo had been running well, getting as high as fourth. But constant vibration broke the terminals on the battery, stopping his co driver Cloitre out on the circuit. When Moll tried to take a new fuse out to the car, he was spotted by the officials and the car had to be disqualified. Nuvolari preferred not driving at night, so Sommer continued driving in the dark until just before dawn.

After 197 laps, and a single stint by a weary Sommer, Nuvolari took over again at midday but time was lost to re affix the broken fender. The hard driving had taken its toll and there was also a cracked radiator mount, a split exhaust and the brakes were fading. Anxiety was building in the pit regarding the leaking fuel tank and he made another stop to fix it. Like the MG team the mechanics sealed it with chewing gum. With forty minutes to go, both cars came in and Chinetti took over for the final stint. When Nuvolari stopped for a final repair, Chinetti took the lead with eight minutes to go. Although Sommer had driven the bulk of the race (15 hours) it was Nuvolari who grabbed the headlines. This proved to be Nuvolari's only Le Mans appearance. The 1933 race was the last for two significant teams from the races in the 1920s, though both had rather subdued endings. SARA had entered all of the first eight races. Their best finish was fourth overall in 1927, but this year after a number of delays, the car missed its target distance by only 15 kilometres (2 laps). Bentley had dominated Le Mans, having won the event outright five times – half the races to date. But when Gas put his Bentley into the fence on his first racing lap after only two hours, the damage was too severe to continue, and it was the end of an era. Seventy years later, Bentley would return to Le Mans as a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group. They recorded three consecutive prototype class victories, culminating in outright victory in 2003. Class Winners are in Bold text. Class Team Drivers Chassis Engine Tyre Targetdistance* 1 5.0** 11 R. Sommer(private entrant) Raymond Sommer Tazio Nuvolari Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 MM LM Alfa Romeo 2.3L S8supercharged 177 [B] 233 2 5.0** 8 L. Chinetti(private entrant) Luigi Chinetti "Philippe Varent"(Philippe de Gunzburg) Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 MM LM Alfa Romeo 2.3L S8supercharged 177 233 3 5.0** 12 Arthur W. Fox Brian Lewis, Baron Essendon Tim Rose Richards Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 LM Alfa Romeo 2.3L S8supercharged 177 [B] 225 4 1.5 30 Riley (Coventry) Ltd Kenneth Peacock Alex "Bill" van der Becke Riley Nine Brooklands Riley 1091cc S4 136 191 5 1.5 25 Aston Martin Ltd. Pat Driscoll Clifton Penn Hughes Aston Martin 1½ Le Mans Aston Martin 1496cc S4 149 [B] 188 6 1.0** 41 J. L. Ford(private entrant) John Ludovic Ford Maurice Baumer MG C type Midget MG 745cc S4supercharged 135 176 7 1.5 24 Aston Martin Ltd. Augustus "Bert" Bertelli S. C. H. "Sammy" Davis Aston Martin 1½ Le Mans Aston Martin 1496cc S4 149 [B] 174 8 3.0** 21 A. Rousseau(private entrant) André Rousseau François Paco Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GS Coupé Alfa Romeo 1742cc S6supercharged 164 167 9 1.0 35 SA des AutomobilesTracta Félix Quinault Pierre Padrault Tracta Type A SCAP 999cc S4 131 161 10 1.5** 28 J. É. Vernet(private entrant) Just Émile Vernet Fernand Vallon Salmson GS Spéciale Salmson 1092cc S4supercharged 146 159 11 1.5 32 Alin Fréres(private entrant) Adrien Alin Albert Alin BNC Type 527 Sport Ruby 1087cc S4 136 151 N/C*** 2.0 19 Société desAutomobiles Charley Gaston Mottet André Marandet SARA SP7 Spéciale SARA 1818cc S6 152 150*** 12 1.5 34 Équipe de l'Ours Jean de Gavardie Henri de Gavardie Amilcar COSpéciale Martin Amilcar 1094cc S6 135 148 13 1.0 37 Singer Motors F. Stanley Barnes Alf Langley Singer Nine Sports Singer 972cc S4 130 140

Pos Class No Team Drivers Chassis Engine Tyre Targetdistance* Laps Reason DNF 5.0** 15 L. Chiron(private entrant) Louis Chiron Franco Cortese Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 LM Alfa Romeo 2.3L S8supercharged 177 177 accident damage (18 hr) DNF 1.0** 38 N. Black(private entrant) Gordon Hendy Harold Parker MG J3 Midget MG 745cc S4supercharged 133 125 engine (19 hr) DNF 3.0** 20 O. Siko(private entrant) Odette Siko "Sabipa" (Louis Charavel) Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 SS Alfa Romeo 1768cc S6supercharged 168 [B] 120 accident (15 hr) DNF 5.0+** 3 G. Bouriat(private entrant) Pierre Bussienne Marie Desprez Bugatti Type 50S Bugatti 5.0L S8supercharged 193 119 radiator (13 hr) DNF 5.0 6 R. Labric(private entrant) Roger Labric Guy Daniel Lorraine Dietrich B3 6 Le Mans Lorraine Dietrich 3.4L S6 180 [B] 105 transmission (18 hr) DNF 1.5 26 Aston Martin Ltd. Mortimer Morris Goodall Elsie "Bill" Wisdom Aston Martin International Aston Martin 1496cc S4 149 84 engine (13 hr) DNF 750 42 H. B. Metchim(private entrant) Charles Metchim Cecil Masters Austin 7 Chummy Special Austin 742cc S4 117 78 steering link(15 hr) DSQ 5.0** 10 P. L. Dreyfus(private entrant) Guy Moll Guy Cloitre Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 LM Alfa Romeo 2.3L S8supercharged 177 77 push start (~8 hr) DNF 1.5 23 S. Czaykowski(private entrant) Count Stanisław Czaykowski Jean Gaupillat Bugatti Type 51A Bugatti 1493cc S8 158 52 electrics (~7 hr) DSQ 5.0+ 2 N. von Hohenzollern Sigmaringen (private entrant) Prince Nicholas of Romania Joseph Cattaneo Duesenberg Model SJ Duesenberg 6.9L S8supercharged 193 50 prematurerefuelling (6 hr) DNF 1.5 27 J. Danne(private entrant) Jean Danne Charles Duruy Rally NCP Salmson 1362cc S4supercharged 153 39 accident damage (~5 hr) DNF 5.0+** 5 J. Trévoux(private entrant) Jean Trévoux Louis Gas Bentley 4½ "Blower" Bentley 4.4L S6 supercharged 193 25 accident damage (3 hr) DNF 1.5 31 J. Sébilleau(private entrant) Jean Sébilleau Georges Delaroche Riley Nine Brooklands Riley 1091cc S4 136 [B] 20 engine (4 hr) DSQ 1.0 36 Équipe de l'Ours Clément Auguste Martin Auguste Bodoignet Amilcar CO/4Spéciale Martin Amilcar 990cc S4 131 [B] 13 prematurewater (~2 hr) DNF 1.5 33 Équipe de l'Ours Lucien Buquet Bernard Clouet Amilcar CO/4Spéciale Martin Amilcar 1074cc S4 135 13 radiator (~2 hr)Sources:

Pos Class No Team Drivers Chassis Engine Reason DNA 5.0+ 1 Foucret Fréres(private entrant) Marcel Foucret Paul Foucret Mercedes Benz SSK Mercedes Benz 7.1L S6supercharged Did not arrive DNA 5.0+** 4 Bugatti Type 50S Bugatti 5.0L S8supercharged Did not arrive DNA 5.0+** Ernest Friderich Bugatti Type 54 Bugatti 5.0L S8supercharged Did not arrive DNA 3.0 7 R. Gunter(private entrant) Sir Roland Gunter Dr Dudley Benjafield Alvis Speed 20 SA Alvis 2.5L S6 Did not arrive DNA 5.0** 9 Earl Howe(private entrant) Francis Curzon, Earl Howe Hugh Hamilton Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 LM Alfa Romeo 2.3L S8supercharged Driver injured DNA 5.0** 14 G. Eyston(private entrant) George Eyston Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 LM Alfa Romeo 2.3L S8supercharged Did not arrive DNA 5.0** 16 A. Carré(private entrant) "Jean Renaldi" (André Carré) Raymond Gaillard Bugatti Type 55 Bugatti 2.3L S8supercharged Did not arrive DNA 2.0 18 D. M. K. Marendaz(private entrant) Capt Donald Marendaz Marendaz 13/70 Marendaz 1869cc V6 Did not arrive DNA 3.0** 22 M. Mareuse(private entrant) Marguerite Mareuse Jean Pierre Wimille Bugatti Type 40 Bugatti 1496cc S4supercharged Did not arrive DNA 1.5 R. F. Oats(private entrant) Richard Oats Aston Martin 1½ Le Mans Aston Martin 1496cc S4 Did not arrive DNA 1.5 29 Riley (Coventry) Ltd Alex "Bill" van der Becke Kenneth Peacock Riley Nine Brooklands Riley 1091cc S4 Did not arrive DNA 1.0** 39 Hon. Mrs J. Chetwynd(private entrant) MG Midget C type MG 746cc S4supercharged Did not arrive DNA 1.0** 40 F. Samuelson(private entrant) Sir Francis Samuelson Bernard Rubin MG Midget C type MG 746cc S4supercharged Did not arrive

Pos 1932 33Biennial Cup Class Team Drivers Chassis IndexResult 1 1.5 30 Riley (Coventry) Ltd Kenneth Peacock Alex "Bill" van der Becke Riley Nine Brooklands 1.415 2 1.0 41 J. L. Ford(private entrant) John Ludovic Ford Maurice Baumer MG C type Midget 1.331 3 1st 5.0 11 R. Sommer(private entrant) Raymond Sommer Tazio Nuvolari Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 MM LM 1.320 4 5.0 8 L. Chinetti(private entrant) Luigi Chinetti "Philippe Varent"(Philippe de Gunzburg) Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 MM LM 1.316 5 2nd 1.5 25 Aston Martin Ltd. Pat Driscoll Clifton Penn Hughes Aston Martin 1½ Le Mans 1.296 6 3rd 5.0 12 Arthur W. Fox Brian Lewis, Baron Essendon Tim Rose Richards Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 LM 1.277 7 1.0 35 SA des AutomobilesTracta Félix Quinault Pierre Padrault Tracta Type A 1.237 8 1.5 28 J. É. Vernet(private entrant) Just Émile Vernet Fernand Vallon Salmson GS Spéciale 1.181 9 4th 1.5 24 Aston Martin Ltd. Augustus "Bert" Bertelli S. C. H. "Sammy" Davis Aston Martin 1½ Le Mans 1.177 10 1.5 32 Alin Fréres(private entrant) Adrien Alin Albert Alin BNC Type 527 Sport 1.124
Note: A score of 1.00 means meeting the minimum distance for the car, and a higher score is exceeding the nominal target distance. Only the top 10 finishers are listed

Class Winning Car Winning Drivers Over 5 litre no finishers 3 to 5 litre #11 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 MM LM Sommer / Nuvolari * 2 to 3 litre #21 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GS Coupé Rousseau / Paco 1500 to 2000cc no finishers 1000 to 1500cc #30 Riley Nine Brooklands Peacock / van der Becke * Up to 1000cc #41 MG C type Midget Ford / Baumer *Note *: setting a new class distance record.