page_title: 1926 24 Hours of Le Mans
section_title: Finish and post-race
hierarchical_section_title: 1926 24 Hours of Le Mans / Race / Finish and post-race
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Robert Bloch (G.) et André Rossignol (D.) aux 24 Heures du Mans 1926.
context_page_description: The 1926 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 4th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 12 and 13 June 1926. It was the first Le Mans race where the winner's average speed was over 100 km/h, and also the first to break the 24-hour distance record set by Selwyn Edge at Brooklands in 1907.
  This year saw the entry of the Peugeot works team, after strong success elsewhere in touring and grand prix racing. Their competition would come from defending distance victors Lorraine-Dietrich and Bentley. Chenard-Walcker was a notable absentee, after being the pacesetter in the early years. The start/finish line and pits returned to its original point and extensive building of grandstands and spectator facilities was undertaken.
  From the start the Peugeots set the pace chased by the Bentleys and Lorraines. As the others encountered mechanical issues, the experienced Lorraine drivers built a strong 1–2 lead that was never headed. A late charge by Bentley ended in the last hour when Sammy Davis could not stop in time and put the car into the sandbank at the end of the Mulsanne Straight.
  First on distance was Robert Bloch and André Rossignol.
context_section_description: With half an hour to go Davis caught and passed Mongin on the Mulsanne straight. But the hard chase had worn down the Bentley's brakes and he arrived at the sharp Mulsanne corner too fast and pitched the Bentley into the sandbank. Sportingly, Mongin stopped to check Davis was okay but was not allowed to lend assistance. Unable to be extricated in time, the car could not be classified. Also, in the last hour Renato Balestrero in the third OM, was called in by the officials. He had to explain why he had stopped on the Mulsanne Straight after midday to pick up some tools which was not permitted conveniently left by an OM mechanic. Not surprisingly, disqualification was the result.
  Brisson and Stalter inherited third place and the Lorraine-Dietrich team finished with an emphatic 1-2-3 finish, giving André Rossignol back-to-back victories on distance. The two OMs were fourth and fifth on the road, and also won the lucrative 1925-6 Biennial Cup by the slimmest of margins. It left the Lorraine-Dietrich team furious with the officials. This was because the Index of Performance was now counted as a ratio rather than absolute laps. Mongin's pace versus the Bentley meant he had to pit for a fuel top-up in the last hour, so his average speed on his excess laps was compromised. Unfortunately, their leading car was the one not entered into the Biennial Cup. It did set a distance record however - the equivalent of crossing the Atlantic Ocean in 24 hours, from Ireland to Newfoundland.
  The American Overland had moved up to sixth into the last hour when it pulled into the pits to retire, only two laps short of its target. The two SARA cars both finished, in 11th and 12th, both easily exceeding their target distances. The leading one, of regular team drivers Marandet and Lécureul was the only 1100cc finisher in the 1925-36 Biennial Cup. Even though it was not classified, the lead Bentley had still met its minimum distance to qualify for the next Biennial Cup. Both Duller and Mongin were fined FF200 for racing at some time without a helmet on during the race.
  The race was set as an endurance trial to improve the technology and reliability of touring cars. However, it also extended to motoring in general: the road resurfacing had greatly improved overall race-speed (the three Lorraines all exceeded an average speed of 100 km/h over the 24 hours). Tyre technology was also improving with virtually all the cars staying on their same original set of tyres. Only three tyres had to be replaced in the whole race.
  It proved to be a bad year for the saturated French touring-car market with a number of smaller manufacturers struggling and forced to close. These included Ravel, Bignan and Jousset For other teams this was their last Le Mans as they chose to consolidate, including Georges Irat, Corre La Licorne, Rolland-Pilain and Overland, as well as the victors Lorraine-Dietrich and Officine Meccaniche.
caption: Race-winners Bloch & Rossignol
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