René Auguste Maxime Léonard[1] (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.

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
NationalityFrance French
Born(1889-06-23)23 June 1889
Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Died15 August 1965(1965-08-15) (aged 76)
Saint-Gratien, Val-d'Oise
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years19231925
TeamsChenard et Walcker
Best finish1st (1923)
Class wins1 (1923)

Career

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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 Coupe Georges Boillot [fr] in 1924. He drove with Lagache to win the second edition of 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.[2]

Following 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 Benoît Falchetto [fr] and fielded by Yves Giraud-Cabantous.[3]

Racing record

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Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

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Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
1923   Chenard-Walcker SA   André Lagache Chenard-Walcker
Type U3 15CV Sport
3.0 128 1st 1st
1924   Chenard-Walcker SA   André Lagache Chenard-Walcker
Type U 22CV Sport
5.0 26 DNF
(Fire)
1925   Chenard-Walcker SA   André Lagache Chenard-Walcker
Type U 22CV Sport
5.0 90 DNF
(Engine)

References

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  1. ^ "Motorsport Memorial - René Léonard". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  2. ^ "GP Guipúzcoa 1926 – Racing Sports Cars". racingsportscars.com. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  3. ^ "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.
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Sporting positions
Preceded by
None
Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans
1923 with:
André Lagache
Succeeded by