Bentley back on grid at Le Mans

David Williams @djrwilliams|Motoring Editor

13 April 2012

Bentley, one of the greatest names of British motorsport, is returning to the track next year to take part in the world's most famous race - the 24-Hour Le Mans.

The firm, now owned by Volkswagen, will be running a two-car team at the classic event in 2001 and will hope to recreate its glory days of the Twenties and Thirties when the glamorous "Bentley Boys" took a string of victories.

The cars, painted in traditional dark green and powered by V8 engines, have been developed by a Norfolk company which two years ago built Le Mans cars for the German manufacturer Audi. One of the "EXP" (Experimental) cars was given shake-down trials at Snetterton earlier this week. An intensive testing programme on European circuits will begin next month to ensure the cars have the necessary performance for the gruelling race.

Prodigious staying power will be needed as the race pushes cars to the limit, leaving those with reliability problems at the side of the French circuit. Run by Bucks-based Apex Motorsport, which is headed by ex-racer Richard Lloyd, Bentley will be aiming to match the Bentley Boys who won five times out of eight.

When the founder of Bentley Motors, WO Bentley, first heard of Le Mans he declared the venture "mad" - but he helped racer John Duff prepare his 3.0 Bentley and lent him works driver Frank Clements for the first "Les 24 heures" in 1923. Bentley was then the sole British entry and, despite the absence of front-wheel brakes, Duff led the race for a while, finally bringing his 3.0 litre home in fourth place at an average speed of 50.05mph.

One-time Bentley Motors Chairman Woolf Barnarto drove the winning cars for three consecutive years (1928, 1929 and 1930) a record that was to remain unbeaten for many years.

It is unlikely today's team members will be living up to the Bentley Boys' social lives, however. In the late Twenties and early Thirties, the fast-living, speed-loving drivers were the toast of London.

A close-knit band with addresses in the smart parts of town, they met at Berkeley Square to raise hell, drink and swap tales of near-misses.

In those days - before the advent of strictly controlled training and fitness regimes - they raced against impossible odds and drove their cars to destruction, often injuring or killing themselves in the process.

Today, the legends that graced the gossip columns of the day - including Sir Henry "Tim" Birkin and Jack Barclay - are long gone, but the cars and the famous name are back.

The new-look racers are being kept under wraps for now - Bentley has said they will be revealed following further testing.

Bentley's chief executive Tony Gott said today: "I am thrilled that we will be back at Le Mans - the company's reputation was founded on its racing successes there more than 70 years ago.

"But the Experimental Speed Eights that will compete next year are not there just for the sake of history, our future road cars will benefit directly from our racing activities."

Bentley also announced recently that they were building a state limousine for the Queen.

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