1959 24 Hours of Le Mans

The 24 Heures du Mans was the 27th 24 Hours of Le Mans, Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 22/21 June 1959, on Circuit de la Sarthe. It was also the fourth round of the F.I.A. World Sports Car Championship. Some 150,000 spectators had gathered for Europe’s classic sports car race, around an 8.38-mile course. The prospect of an exciting duel between Ferrari, Aston Martin and Porsche was enough to draw large crowds to the 24 Hours race.

Le Mans in 1959

Report

Entry

A grand total 97 racing cars were registered for this event, of which only 54 when allowed to practice, trying to qualify for the 54 places for the race. The number of starters was fixed at 54 following some regulations changes prior to the 1957 event.^[1]

Aston Martin, fresh from their triumph on the 1000km of Nürburgring with their DBR1/300, arrived at Le Sarthe with an incredibly strong driver line-up in order to give themselves chance of victory. David Brown Racing Dept. brought along three cars, to be driven by Stirling Moss/Jack Fairman, Roy Salvadori/Carroll Shelby and Maurice Trintignant/Paul Frère.^[2][3]

Up against the English team would be no fewer than six Ferrari 250 TRs, entered by numerous teams including Scuderia Ferrari and North American Racing Team. The works squad of drivers included 1958 winners, Phil Hill/Olivier Gendebien, and they were joined by Jean Behra/Dan Gurney and Hermano da Silva Ramos/Cliff Allison. In addition to the Ferraris, there would be a pair of Listers and five Porsches, just raring to go for overall victory.^[4]

Qualifying

Qualifying was held over two sessions for a total of 540 minutes over the 17 and 18 June, a few days prior to the race.^[5]

Race

When the French tricolour fell at 16:00, it was Moss who would make the best getaway, and lead the field around the Dunlop curve and over the hill toward the esses. By the end of the lap, Moss was leading from the chasing Ferraris. For lap after lap, the red cars appeared to be on the hunt, chasing Moss. The Astons were considered to be the long-shots for race victory. They would have to have a proper strategy for the entire race and pray that providence would see their cars through to the end, at the head of the field.^[6][7]

Prior to the race, the management at David Brown Racing Dept., who ran the Aston Martins decided to send Moss and Fairman out as hares, to try an induce the Ferraris to chase them. And chased them, they did as the plan worked brilliantly. Moss and Fairman lead the way and the Ferraris were obliged to follow. This was torture for the No.4 car, trying to maintain such a pace, and after 70 laps, the car suffered engine failure and the English pairing were out of the race, but the tactic had worked. The pace wouldn’t just take its toll on the Ferraris, as the sole Jaguar D-Type of Innes Ireland and Masten Gregory retired on the same lap as the Aston. In all, by lap 100, twenty-three cars would be out of the race.^[8][9]

However, unfortunately for Aston Martin, the vast majority of the Ferraris were still running, and in the hunt. Nonetheless, the Aston Martin pairing of Salvadori and Shelby were prepared to take the fight to the Ferraris and would even have the lead as the race headed into the night-time hours. But as the dawn gave way to late morning, they were running the stronger of the surviving Astons, with their team-mates, Frère and Trintignant right behind them. At 4am, the English cars had been running down in fifth and sixth place, following a chunk of tread had come off the Salvadori/Shelby car that caused some vibration issues. By noon, they managed to move through the field, to run first and second.^[10][11]

Lap after lap, the two Astons would continue to hold onto the top spots. And then, finally, the race would be in final moments, with Salvadori back behind the wheel, now enjoying a full lap advantage over Trintignant. Finally, Salvadori and Brown’s Aston Martin had done it, securing victory for the English marque. In the case of Shelby, he was fighting a bout of dysentery and the side effect associated with it. Shortly after the race, the Texan would collapse and sleep for hours afterwards.^[12][13]

The winning partnership, averaged a speed of 112.569 mph, and their winning margin over the second placed crew was over a lap adrift, as Trintignant finished almost behind Salvadori. Such was the pace of the Aston Martin, the third car home was 26 laps behind the winners. That car was the GT Ferrari 250 GT LWB of ”Beurlys” and ”Eldé. In the end, only 13 cars out of the 54 starters were able to complete the race, and actually just 12 could be classified as having covered the official distance.^[14][15]

Official Classification

Class Winners are in Bold text.

Pos	Class	No	Team	Drivers	Chassis	Engine	Laps
1st	S3.0	5	David Brown Racing Dept.	Roy Salvadori Carroll Shelby	Aston Martin DBR1/300	Aston Martin 3.0L I6	323
2nd	S3.0	6	David Brown Racing Dept.	Maurice Trintignant Paul Frère	Aston Martin DBR1/300	Aston Martin 3.0L I6	322
3rd	GT3.0	11	Equipe Nationale Belge	”Beurlys” ”Eldé	Ferrari 250 GT LWB	Ferrari 3.0L V12	297
4th	GT3.0	18	North American Racing Team	André Pilette George Arents	Ferrari 250 GT Interim	Ferrari 3.0L V12	296
5th	GT3.0	16	Fernand Tavano North American Racing Team	Bob Grossman Fernand Tavano	Ferrari 250 GT California	Ferrari 3.0L V12	294
6th	GT3.0	20	Lino Fayen	Lino Fayen Gino Munaron	Ferrari 250 GT LWB Interim	Ferrari 3.0L V12	293
7th	GT2.0	29	Rudd Racing Ltd.	Ted Whiteaway John Turner	AC Ace	Bristol 2.0L I6	273
8th	GT1.5	41	William S. Frost	Peter Lumsden Peter Riley	Lotus Elite	Coventry Climax 1.2L I4	270
9th	GT750	46	Automobiles Deutsch et Bonnet	Louis Cornet René Cotton	D.B. HBR4	Panhard 0.7L Flat-2	258
10th	GT1.5	42	Border Reivers	John Whitmore Jim Clark	Lotus Elite	Coventry Climax 1.2L I4	257
11th	GT750	45	Automobiles Deutsch et Bonnet	Paul Armagnac Bernard Consten	D.B. HBR4	Panhard 0.7L Flat-2	247
12th	GT750	44	Sture Nottorp	Sture Nottorp Gunnar Bengtsson	Saab 93	Saab 0.7L I3 (2-Stroke)	232

Not Classified

Failed to complete 70% of winner's distance (226 laps)

Pos	Class	No	Team	Drivers	Chassis	Engine	Laps
13th	S750	55	Automobili Stanguellini	Roger Delageneste Paul Guiraud	Stanguellini S750 Bialbero	Stanguellini 0.7L I4	220

Did Not Finish

Pos	Class	No	Team	Drivers	Chassis	Engine	Laps	Reason
14th	S3.0	14	Scuderia Ferrari	Olivier Gendebien Phil Hill	Ferrari 250 TR 59	Ferrari 3.0L V12	263	Overheating
15th	GT2.0	25	Standard Triumph	Peter Jopp Dickie Stoop	Triumph TR3S	Triumph 2.0L I4	245	Overheating
16th	S1.5	37	Ed Hugus	Ed Hugus Ernie Erickson	Porsche 718 RSK	Porsche 1.50L Flat-4	240	Engine
17th	S1.5	35	Jean Kerguen	Jean Kerguen Robert La Caze	Porsche 550 RS	Porsche 1.50L Flat-4	229	Clutch
18th	S1.5	36	Carel Godin de Beaufort	Carel Godin de Beaufort Christian Heins	Porsche 718 RSK	Porsche 1.5L Flat-4	186	Engine
19th	GT2.0	33	F.W.R. Lund	Ted Lund Colin Escott	MG A Twin Cam	BMC 1.6L I-4	185	Gearbox
20th	S2.0	31	Porsche KG	Jo Bonnier Wolfgang von Trips	Porsche 718 RSK	Porsche 1.5L Flat-4	182	Clutch
21st	S1.1	49	Roger Masson	Roger Masson Jean Vinatier	DB HBR 5	Panhard 0.9L Flat-2	179	Clutch
22nd	S750	48	Automobiles Deutsch et Bonnet	René Bartholoni François Jaeger	DB HBR 5	Panhard 0.7L Flat-2	169	Clutch
23th	S1.5	34	Porsche KG	Edgar Barth Wolfgang Seidel	Porsche 718 RSK	Porsche 1.5L Flat-4	168	Gearbox
24th	S750	53	Team Lotus Engineering	Alan Stacey Keith Greene	Lotus 17	Coventry Climax 0.7L I4	156	Head gasket
25th	S3.0	8	Ecurie Ecosse	Ron Flockhart Jock Lawrence	Tojeiro	Jaguar 3.0L I6	137	Overheating - Engine
26th	S3.0	12	Scuderia Ferrari	Jean Behra Dan Gurney	Ferrari 250 TR 59	Ferrari 3.0L V12	129	Gearbox
27th	S3.0	1	Brian Lister	Ivor Bueb Bruce Halford	Lister Costin-LM	Jaguar 3.0L I6	121	Engine
28th	S2.0	30	Team Lotus Engineering	Graham Hill Derek Jolly	Lotus 15	Coventry Climax 2.0L I4	119	Engine
29th	GT2.0	27	Standard Triumph	Ninian Sanderson Claude Dubois	Triumph TR3S	Triumph 2.0L I4	114	Radiator
30th	S3.0	19	Edwin D. Martin	E.D. Martin William Kimberly	Ferrari 250 TR 58	Ferrari 3.0L V-12	108	Gearbox
31st	GT1.5	38	Equipe Los Amigos	Jean-Claude Vidilles Jean-François Malle	Lotus Elite	Coventry Climax 1.2L I4	105	Fire
32nd	S750	52	Osca Automobili	Jean Laroche André Testut	Osca S750	Osca 0.7L I4	88	Gearbox
33rd	S2.0	24	Cooper Car Company	Jim Russell Bruce McLaren	Cooper Monaco T49	Coventry Climax 2.0L I4	79	Accident
34th	S2.0	32	Porsche KG	Hans Herrmann Umberto Maglioli	Porsche 718 RSK	Porsche 1.6L Flat-4	78	Ignition
35th	S3.0	3	Ecurie Ecosse	Innes Ireland Masten Gregory	Jaguar D-Type	Jaguar 3.0L I6	78	Engine
36th	S3.0	4	David Brown Racing Dept.	Stirling Moss Jack Fairman	Aston Martin DBR1/300	Aston Martin 3.0L I6	70	Engine
37th	S2.0	23	Scuderia Ferrari	Giorgio Scarlatti Giulio Cabianca	Ferrari Dino 196 S	Ferrari 1.9L V-6	63	Out of fuel
38th	GT750	50	Alejandro de Tomaso	Colin Davis Alejandro de Tomaso	D.B. Barquette	Panhard 0.7L Flat-2	63	Gearbox
39th	S750	62	Société E.F.A.C.	René Philippe Faure Georges Guyot	Stanguellini Efac SP5601	Fiat 0.7L I4	58	Accident
40th	GT1.1	59	Jacques Faucher	Gérard Leffargue Jacques Faucher	D.B. HBR4	Panhard 0.9L Flat-2	53	Engine
41st	S3.0	2	Brian Lister	Walt Hansgen Peter Blond	Lister Costin-LM	Jaguar 3.0L I6	52	Engine
42nd	S3.0	7	A.G. Whitehead	Graham Whitehead Brian Naylor	Aston Martin DBR1/300	Aston Martin 3.0.L I6	52	Accident
43rd	S3.0	10	Equipe Nationale Belga	Lucien Bianchi Alain de Changy	Ferrari 250 TR58	Ferrari 3.0L V12	47	Fuel feed
44th	S3.0	15	Scuderia Ferrari	Hermano da Silva Ramos Cliff Allison	Ferrari 250 TR59	Ferrari 3.0L V12	41	Gearbox
45th	S750	56	Automobili Stanguellini	René Révillon Joseph Dieu	Stanguellini S750 Bialbero	Stanguellini 0.7L I4	47	Out of fuel
46th	GT2.0	26	Standard Triumph	Peter Bolton Mike Rothschild	Triumph TR3S	Triumph 2.0L I4	35	Holed radiator
47th	GT750	43	Sydney A. Hurrell	Sid Hurrell Roy North	Saab 93	Saab 0.7L I3 (2-stroke)	35	Engine
48th	S750	51	Osca Automobili	Pedro Rodríguez Ricardo Rodríguez	Osca S187	Osca 0.7L I7	32	Water pump
49th	GT2.0	60	John Dashwood	Bill Wilks John Dashwood	Frasr Nash Le Mans Replica	Bristol 2.0L I6	35	Accident
50th	S750	54	Team Lotus Engineering	Mike Taylor Jonathan Sieff	Lotus 17	Coventry Climax 0.7L I4	23	Ignition
51st	S3.0	17	North American Racing Team	Rod Carveth Gilbert Geitner	Ferrari 250 TR 58	Ferrari 3.0L V12	21	Gearbox
52nd	GT3.0	21	Écurie Trois Chevrons	Hubert Patthey Renaud Calderari	Aston Martin DB4 GT	Aston Martin 3.0L I6	21	Engine
53nd	GT750	47	Automobiles Deutsch et Bonnet	Gérard Laureau Pierre Chancel	D.B. Barquette	Panhard 0.7L Flat-2	9	Engine

Did Not Start

Pos	Class	No	Team	Drivers	Chassis	Engine	Laps	Reason
54th	GT1.5	58	J.R. Stoop	Douglas Graham Mike McKee	Lotus Elite	Coventry Climax 1.2L I4		Road Accident

^[16][17][18]

• Fastest Lap: Jean Behra, 4:00.9secs (124.996 mph) ^[19]

Class Winners

^[20]

Standings after the race

Pos	Championship	Points
1	Ferrari	18
2	Aston Martin	16
3	Porsche	15
4	Maserati	2
5	Alfa Romeo	1

• Note: Only the top five positions are included in this set of standings.

Championship points were awarded for the first six places in each race in the order of 8-6-4-3-2-1. Manufacturers were only awarded points for their highest finishing car with no points awarded for positions filled by additional cars. Only the best 3 results out of the 5 races could be retained by each manufacturer. Points earned but not counted towards the championship totals are listed within brackets in the above table.

References

Further reading

• Quentin Spurring. Le Mans 24 Hours: The Official History of the World’s Greatest Motor Race 1949-59. Haynes Publishing. ISBN 978-1844255375
• Brian Laban. Le Mans 24 Hours: The Complete Story of World’s Most Famous Motor Race. Haynes Publishing. ISBN 978-1852270629