- Woolf Barnato
Le Mans drivers
Name = Woolf Barnato
Nationality = flagicon|UK British
Years = 24hLM|1928-24hLM|1930
Team(s) = Bentley Motors Ltd.
Best Finish = 1st (24hLM|1928, 24hLM|1929, 24hLM|1930)
Class Wins = 3 (24hLM|1928, 24hLM|1929, 24hLM|1930)Joel Woolf Barnato (
27 September 1895 –27 July 1948 ) was a Britishfinancier and racing driver, one of the "Bentley Boys " of the 1920s. He achieved three consecutive wins out of three entries in the24 Hours of Le Mans race.He was the son of
Barney Barnato , who had made a fortune as a "Randlord " in South African diamond and gold mining. He inherited a multi-million pound fortune at the age of two. He was educated atCharterhouse School andTrinity College, Cambridge and served as an officer in theRoyal Field Artillery , British Army inWorld War I .Bentley
In the 1920s he was a member of a social set known as the "Bentley Boys", daredevil drivers who favoured the cars of
W. O. Bentley . Many were independently wealthy, often with a background in military service. Barnato was nicknamed "Babe", in ironic deference to hisheavyweight boxer 's stature.Inspired by the 1924 Le Mans win by
John Duff and Frank Clement, Barnato agreed to finance Bentley's business, and became majority shareholder and chairman in 1925.Barnato went on to be Duff's co-driver when he set the world 24 hour record at 95.03 mph at
Autodrome de Montlhéry .With renewed financial input, W. O. Bentley was able to design another generation of cars, the six-cylinder 6½ Litre. However, the supercharged 4½ Litre (the famous "Blower" Bentley), which Barnato pushed through against Bentley's wishes, had poor durability and failed on the track.
The
Wall Street Crash affected the Bentley business greatly, and Barnato and Bentley were forced to sell to arch-rival Rolls-Royce.Le Mans
As a driver, Woolf Barnato won the 24 Hours of Le Mans race three times:
*1928 — withBernard Rubin in a Bentley 4½ Litre
*1929 — with Sir Henry "Tim" Birkin in aBentley Speed Six ("Old Number One")
*1930 — withGlen Kidston in a Bentley Speed Six ("Old Number One")As these were the only years in which he entered the race, Barnato is the only Le Mans driver with a perfect wins-to-starts ratio.
Bentley, under his chairmanship, also won the race in 1927, with Dr. J. Dudley "Benjy" Benjafield and
S. C. H. "Sammy" Davis in a Bentley 3 Litre.Le Train Bleu
In March 1930 Woolf Barnato accepted a challenge to race his Bentley against an express train, "Le Train Bleu", from
Cannes to London. Barnato wagered £200 that at the wheel of his Speed Six, he could arrive in London before the French train had arrived atCalais . At 17:45, "Le Train Bleu" left the station at Cannes, and Barnato drove off in his Bentley Speed Six, accompanied by amateur golfer Dale Bourne. They maintained an average speed of 43.43 mph across a distance of over 570 miles, and reached Calais at 10:30 the next morning. After crossing theEnglish Channel by ferry they arrived at the Conservative Club in St. James’ Street, London at 15:20. "Le Train Bleu" arrived at Calais station at 15:24, four minutes adrift of Barnato's time.It has lately been established that the car Barnato used for the "Blue Train Run" was a Le-Mans-specification chassis with a four-door body by coachbuilder H.J. Mulliner and not the iconic Gurney-Nutting coupé shown in the famous picture by
Terence Cuneo . Both cars were diligently restored by owner Bruce McCaw. For the 75th anniversary of the event in 2005, Bentley Motors Ltd. recreated it with assistance from Bruce McCaw and enthusiasts from around the world.Barnato also played
first-class cricket , appearing aswicket-keeper withSurrey County Cricket Club from 1928 to 1930.Barnato's daughter
Diana Barnato Walker MBE learned to fly at the Brooklands Flying Club (based in the centre of the car racing circuit) in 1938 at age 20 and went on to ferrySpitfire s,Hurricane s andWellington s with theAir Transport Auxiliary duringWorld War Two Further reading
* Malcolm Bobbitt - "W.O. Bentley: The Man behind the Marque" (2003) ISBN 1-85983-352-7
* Diana Barnato Walker - "Spreading My Wings: One of Britain's Top Women Pilots Tells Her Remarkable Story from Pre-War Flying to Breaking the Sound Barrier" (2003) ISBN 1-904010-31-8External links
* [http://www.historicracing.com/drivers.cfm?driverID=2555&AlphaIndex=B Biography at Historic Racing]
* [http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/9546.html Biography at Cricinfo]
* [http://www.maisonblanche.co.uk/bntlyboy.html "Bentley Boys"]
* [http://www.autoaficionado.net/issue/0101-38.html Blue Train Bentley - "Auto Aficionado"]
* [http://www.hartlana.co.uk/bphoto/c246.htm Photo: Woolf Barnato and Jack Dunfee in Bentley Old No. 1 after winning the Brooklands 1929 Six Hour Race]
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