René Léonard
![]() René Léonard driving a Chenard et Walcker in the Grand Prix de la consommation de l'Automobile-Club de l'Ouest, 28 May 1922 | |
Nationality | ![]() |
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Born | Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 23 June 1889
Died | 15 August 1965 Saint-Gratien, Val-d'Oise | (aged 76)
24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
Years | 1923–1925 |
Teams | Chenard et Walcker |
Best finish | 1st (1923) |
Class wins | 1 (1923) |
René Léonard (23 June 1889 - 15 August 1965) was a French racing driver who, along with André Lagache, won the inaugural running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1923.
Career[]
Léonard and Lagache were both engineers for the Chenard et Walcker automobile company, and were chosen to drive one of the three entries in the endurance event. Their "Sport" model finished by a four lap margin over another Chenard et Walcker. They drove together the next two years, but failed to finish either time.
Driving for Chenard et Walcker, Léonard won the Spa 24 Hours in 1925, and the pair also finished third in 1926. Léonard won the 1926 Gran Premio de Turismo, a 12-hour race for touring cars held at Circuito Lasarte in Guipúzcoa, Spain.[1]
in 1924. He drove with Lagache to win the second edition of theFollowing the 1926 season, Chenard et Walcker withdrew from competition. However, in 1932, he was seen driving one of their cars in the Lisieux hillclimb and a one-kilometre race in Strasbourg. The same year, he moved to Saint-Gratien to be near to the company's factory. For the 1937 24 Hours of Le Mans, he managed a private team of Chenard-Walckers owned by and fielded by Yves Giraud-Cabantous.[2]
Racing record[]
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results[]
Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
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1923 | ![]() |
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Chenard-Walcker Type U3 15CV Sport |
3.0 | 128 | 1st | 1st |
1924 | ![]() |
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Chenard-Walcker Type U 22CV Sport |
5.0 | 26 | DNF (Fire) | |
1925 | ![]() |
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Chenard-Walcker Type U 22CV Sport |
5.0 | 90 | DNF (Engine) |
External links[]
- René Léonard at racingsportscars.com.
References[]
- ^ "GP Guipúzcoa 1926 - Racing Sports Cars". racingsportscars.com. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- ^ "FIRST WINNER OF THE 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, WHO WAS RENÉ LÉONARD (ANDRÉ LAGACHE'S TEAMMATE)?". www.24h-lemans.com. 24 December 2018. Archived from the original on 8 August 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- 1889 births
- 1965 deaths
- French racing drivers
- 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
- 24 Hours of Spa drivers
- 24 Hours of Le Mans winning drivers
- Sports car racing stubs
- French auto racing biography stubs