In keeping with the Le Mans 24-Hour race’s often warped logic, that was to become familiar over time, when the great race first ran in 1923 it wasn’t actually a race. Not officially anyway.
The 24-hour motor race was not a new concept 100 years ago, neither was racing on roads in and around Le Mans city. Nor even was racing on the Circuit de la Sarthe a novelty. Yet somehow this particular 24-hour race on the Circuit de la Sarthe grew to become something magical. Nevertheless there were bumps in the road – figuratively and literally – during its first two decades.
Le Mans’ seeds were sown as La Vie Automobile magazine editor Charles Faroux and Emile Coquille, French concessionaire for British manufacturer Rudge-Whitworth, had been discussing the possibility of holding a long-distance series-production car event to prove Rudge-Whitworth’s products. Faroux at 1922’s Paris Salon de l’Auto motor show introduced Coquille to Automobile Club de l’Ouest secretary-general Georges Durand. Durand suggested a 24-hour format for the prospective contest.
Rudge-Whitworth put the money up, Faroux drafted regulations and persuaded people to enter, while Durand got the local authorities to play ball. The first-ever Le Mans 24 hours was happening.
However the 1923 Le Mans event’s title,
