24h Le Mans
24 HOURS CENTENARY – THE LE MANS EXCEPTION ⎮ The creation of the 24 Hours in 1923 corresponded to a period of reconstruction after World War I and extensive technological and social changes, some of which were direct consequences of the conflict. Here are some highlights, namely female liberation which left a strong mark on the race during that era.
The four years of world war from 1914 to 1918 practically decimated a generation and brought on the first signs of female emancipation as women began to perform quite capably the jobs left behind by men heading to the front.
Cropped hair emerged as one of the very first symbols of this liberation. With her short locks, frenetic and naked dancing, Josephine Baker is known as one of the great female figures in the world of entertainment at the time.
The right to vote was won by women in the U.S. and U.K. in 1919 and 1928, respectively. And the 24 Hours of Le Mans played its role in this shifting landscape with as many as 20 women taking the start during the 1930s. French driver Odette Siko finished fourth at the wheel of her personal Alfa Romeo 8C in 1932, the best overall result for a female driver ever. The world of aviation was marked that same year by another female achievement: American pilot Amelia Earhart became the first woman to make a solo transatlantic flight, from the U.S. to Ireland.
The period between WW1 and WW2 saw extraordinary exploits by both men and women in a variety of domains. As Bentley was accumulating four consecutive wins, the first quadruple triumph in the history of the race, Charles Lindbergh succeeded in the first solo crossing of the Atlantic by plane, from New York to Paris, in 1927.
That same year, the first talkie, The Jazz Singer, was released starring singer-comedian Al Jolson, paving the way for a revolution in cinema, and German filmmaker Fritz Lang directed Metropolis, still considered a science fiction masterpiece. Two years later, the film Pandora's Box made American actress Louise Brooks one of the first female icons in movie history. Her bob haircut has been copied by everyone from Brigitte Bardot to Uma Thurman.
As Alfa Romeo made history as the first Italian constructor to win the 24 Hours, Anglo-American literature saw the emergence of some of its greatest writers in the 1930s: Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck, J.R.R. Tolkien, Aldous Huxley and Raymond Chandler wrote their first major works during this era.
Strikes and social unrest linked to the emergence of the Popular Front party in France lead to the cancellation of the 24 Hours in 1936. From 1937 to 1939, when the Spanish Civil War was inspiring Pablo Picasso's Guernica, one of the most famous paintings in the history of art, French marques reclaimed top contender status at Le Mans thanks to Bugatti (1937 and 1939) and Delahaye (1938). Two of the three winning Bugatti drivers, Robert Benoist and Jean-Pierre Wimille, went on to become important figures in the French Resistance during World War II. After a nine-year hiatus, the 24 Hours of Le Mans resumed in 1949.
PHOTOS (Copyright - ACO Archives): LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS. From top to bottom: in 1931 and 1932, with Bugatti then Alfa Romeo, Odette Siko became the first great lady of the 24 Hours of Le Mans; from 1923 to 1939, 16 years separated these two starts between the two world wars.
