Philippe Étancelin

Philippe Jean Armand Étancelin (; 28 December 1896 – 13 October 1981) was a French racing driver, and a winner of the 1934 24 Hours of Le Mans. He competed primarily on the Grand Prix circuit, and was an early Formula One driver.

Biography

Born in Rouen, Seine-Inférieure, in Normandy, Étancelin worked as a merchant in the winter and raced cars during the summer.

Étancelin's wife, Suzanne, served as his crew chief. Their three children were placed in a school in Rouen while the couple traveled to races around the world. Suzanne communicated with Étancelin through French sign language as he raced around the speedway. Suzanne told a reporter Étancelin bought a racing car to celebrate the birth of their second child, Jeanne Alice. He did not intend to race the car but merely use it for pleasure driving around the countryside. The couple once drove it up to a speed of . After two years of recreational motoring, Étancelin decided to enter a race. His first victory was the Grand Prix de la Marne at Reims in 1927, French Grand Prix (organized by the French Automobile Club at the Montlhery Autodrome near Paris In October, Étancelin qualified sixth for the Vanderbilt Cup, which was run over near Westbury, New York, after a qualifier at Roosevelt Raceway in Long Island. He finished the AAA-sanctioned race in ninth.

Étancelin stayed out of racing in 1937, returning in 1938 solely to share a new Talbot with Chinetti at LeMans, but did not score a win. For 1939, he put his Talbot third at Pau, following Hermann Lang and Manfred von Brauchitsch home. He also scored a fourth place at the French Grand Prix.

Post-WWII Grandes Épreuves results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

FIA World Drivers' Championship results

(key) Indicates shared drive with Eugène Chaboud

24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps 1934 Luigi Chinetti Luigi Chinetti Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 3.0 213 1st 1st 1938 Luigi Chinetti Luigi Chinetti Talbot T26 5.0 66 DNF DNF