Jean-Pierre Wimille facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jean-Pierre Wimille
Wimille on the cover of El Gráfico magazine, 1948
Born	Jean-Pierre Wimille (1908-02-26)26 February 1908 16th arrondissement of Paris, France
Died	28 January 1949(1949-01-28) (aged 40) Buenos Aires, Argentina
Championship titles
Major victories 24 Hours of Le Mans (1937, 1939)
Champ Car career
1 race run over 1 year
Best finish	8th (1936)
First race	1936 Vanderbilt Cup (Westbury)
Wins Podiums Poles 0 1 0
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years	1937, 1939
Teams	Labric, privateer
Best finish	1st (1937, 1939)
Class wins	2 (1937, 1939)

Jean-Pierre Wimille (born February 26, 1908 – died January 28, 1949) was a very talented French racing driver. He was also a brave member of the French Resistance during World War II. He won the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race twice, in 1937 and 1939. Many people thought he was one of the best French drivers of his time.

Biography

Jean-Pierre Wimille was born in Paris, France. His father worked as a reporter who wrote about cars for a newspaper. This probably made Jean-Pierre interested in racing cars from a young age. He was only 22 years old when he first raced in a Grand Prix event. This was at the 1930 French Grand Prix in Pau.

Driving career

Wimille after winning the 1936 Grand Prix de Deauville

In 1931, Wimille finished second in the Monte Carlo Rally. He was driving a Lorraine-Dietrich car. The next year, 1932, he won several races. These included the La Turbie hill climb, the Grand Prix de Lorraine, and the Grand Prix d'Oran.

In 1934, he won the Algerian Grand Prix in Algiers. He was driving a Bugatti T59. In January 1936, he came in second at the South African Grand Prix. This race was held in East London, South Africa. Later that year, he won the French Grand Prix in his home country.

Still in France, Wimille also won the Deauville Grand Prix in 1936. This race was held on city streets. He won in his Bugatti T59. It was a very difficult race where some drivers were sadly hurt. Out of 16 cars that started, only three finished.

In 1936, Wimille traveled to Long Island, New York. He raced in the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup and finished second. The winner was another famous driver, Tazio Nuvolari. Wimille also raced in the 24 hours of Le Mans endurance race. He won this tough race in 1937 and again in 1939. In 1940, Wimille and Marcel Lesurque created an electric car that could go 50 km/h (about 31 mph).

World War II

When World War II began, Germany took over France in 1940. Wimille and two other Grand Prix drivers, Robert Benoist and William Grover-Williams, joined the Special Operations Executive. This group helped the French Resistance fight against the German occupation. Out of the three drivers, Jean-Pierre Wimille was the only one who survived the war.

Post-World War II

A car built by Wimille in 1948

After the war ended, Wimille became the top driver for the Alfa Romeo team. This was between 1946 and 1948. He won several Grand Prix races during this time, including his second French Grand Prix.

From 1946 onwards, Wimille also started building and designing his own cars in Paris. These cars were sold under the brand name Wimille. Between 1946 and 1950, about eight cars were built. They first used Citroën engines, and later Ford V8 engines.

Wimille married Christiane de la Fressange. They had a son named François, who was born in 1946.

Death

Jean-Pierre Wimille died on January 28, 1949. He was practicing for the 1949 Buenos Aires Grand Prix when he lost control of his Simca-Gordini car. He crashed into a tree. He is buried in the Cimetière de Passy in Paris. There is also a special memorial for him in Paris at the Porte Dauphine.

Motorsports career results

Some of Jean-Pierre Wimille's race victories:

1932:

• Hill climb Nice - La Turbie
• Grand Prix de Lorraine
• Grand Prix d'Oran

1934:

• Grand Prix of Algeria

1936:

• French Grand Prix
• Grand Prix de la Marne
• Deauville Grand Prix
• Grand Prix du Comminges

1937:

• Pau Grand Prix
• Grand Prix de Böne
• 24 hours of Le Mans (with Robert Benoist)
• Grand Prix de la Marne

Jean-Pierre Wimille and Pierre Veyron winners of the 1939 24 Hours of Le Mans on a Bugatti Type 57C

1939:

• Coupe de Paris
• Grand Prix du Centenaire Luxembourg
• 24 hours of Le Mans (with Pierre Veyron)

Post War – 1945:

• Coupe des Prisonniers

1946:

• Coupe de la Résistance
• Grand Prix du Roussillon
• Grand Prix de Bourgogne
• Grand Prix des Nations – Geneva (Heat 1)

1947:

• Swiss Grand Prix
• Belgian Grand Prix
• Coupe de Paris

1948:

• Grand Prix de Rosario
• French Grand Prix
• Italian Grand Prix
• Autodrome Grand Prix