Dates: 16-17 June 1928

Weather: overnight storms

Number of competitors: 33

Number of retirements: 16

 

Important facts:

From 1923 to 1927, French constructors dominated the grid at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but the trend ended in 1928 with 17 foreign marques fielded to 16 French. Among the entrants at that sixth running figured two future winners: Aston Martin and Ford.

 

Brief overview of the race:

The sixth edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans quickly came down to an Anglo-American duel between Bentley and Stutz. Edouard Brisson and Robert Bloch (Stutz #1) gave the British manufacturer a run for its money until delayed for 90 minutes dealing with a gearbox problem. The pace of the race had never been faster, with the previous year's lap record beaten by nearly 40 seconds! The winning Bentley driven by Barnato and Rubin had some troubles of its own, particularly with its radiator releasing a disturbing amount of smoke. Longtime leader prior to falling victim to a flat tire, the other Bentley driven by Sir Henry Birkin and Jean Chassagne finished fifth after establishing a new lap record. Lastly, another American marque, Chrysler, made it into the top 5 in third and fourth places.

 

Key figures and anecdotes:

- It was the last 24 Hours of Le Mans held at the 17.262 km version of the circuit that had been used since the creation of the race in 1923

- Henry Birkin established a new lap record at the wheel of his Bentley

- The first win achieved at an average of more than 110 km/h 

- For the first time ever, competitors were ranked according to the longest distance covered

- The mandatory 20 laps with closed cockpits were eliminated (a requirement that had been in effect since 1924)

- The first victory for Woolf Barnato who went on to win three consecutive times in three participations!

- Woolf Barnato and Bernard Rubin established a new distance record

- Bentley's second win after the one clinched by Frank Clement and John Duff in 1924; the 1928 victory was the first of three in a row for the British marque

- Bentley also holds a very special record at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the longest span of time between two wins: 73 years between 1930 and 2003!

- First appearance of a compressor on the engine of the British Alvis, resulting in sixth and ninth places

 

The winners:

Overall: #4 Bentley Le Mans (4.5-liter) driven by Woolf Barnato and Bernard Rubin

Distance: 2,669.272 km at an average of 111.272 km/h

Gap: The second place finisher trailed by 12.678 km

No qualifying: At that time, the starting grid was determined in descending order of engine size

Best in-race lap: Henry Birkin at the wheel of the 4.5-liter Bentley Le Mans in 08:07:00 at an average of 127.604 km/h

 

Source: Infos-Course

 

PHOTO: PARIS (FRANCE), PARIS MOTOR SHOW, 7-11 FEBRUARY 2018. The Automobile Club de l’Ouest exhibited two cars from the 1928 24 Hours of Le Mans at the 2018 Paris Motor Show: the Tracta Gephi (at left, a pioneer of front-wheel drive) and the Salmon GSS.