Jean Chassagne
Jean Chassagne ( born July 26, 1881 in La Croisille -sur- Briance, † April 13, 1947 ) was a French race car driver and a fighter pilot in the First World War.
Career
Jean Chassagne was one of the French pioneers of motor racing. In 1913 he was behind Georges Boillot and Jules Goux third in the Grand Prix of France. In 1914, he started from the pole position in the fourth 500-mile race at Indianapolis in motor racing history, but could not finish the race after an accident on lap 20.
The racing career was interrupted by the First World War. Four years - 1914 to 1918 - he served as a fighter pilot in the French Army. In the 1920s he took his racing activities again. In 1920 he was again at the 500-mile race at Indianapolis at the start. He went from fourth place on the grid and finished it as seventh. A year later he resigned in Indianapolis from a technical defect.
He scored successes in sports car racing. In 1922, he won jointly with Robert Laly in the RAC Tourist Trophy. In 1925 he made his debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and finished the endurance race second overall; Teammate was the Briton Sammy Davis. In 1928 he was working at Bentley driver and it one of the Bentley Boys. At Le Mans, he finished the race in fifth place in 1928 and 1929 as fourth in the overall standings. After the race the year 1930, he ended his racing career.