Victor Hémery

Victor Hémery (* 1876 in Sillé- le -Guillaume (Sarthe ), † September 8, 1950 in Le Mans) was a French racing driver.

Career

Hémery was considered one of the most impulsive and aufbrausendsten racing drivers. The former sailor worked as a mechanic at Bollée and from 1900 to 1906 as head of the research department and racers with Darracq. For this team he won the Ardennes races and the Vanderbilt Cup at the Motorsport 1905. After an uproar at a race in 1906 ( his vehicle was too heavy, he launched yet, made ​​a demonstrative early start and was subsequently disqualified ), he moved in 1907 to Benz & Cie.. For the German team, he reached the second place in the GP of France 1908. In subsequent years, stagnated Motorsport, and Hémery resorted to record runs at Brooklands and occasional starts in races in the United States.

Victor Hémery was the first man in an automobile ( Benz 200 hp or Blitzen-Benz called ) broke through the 200 km / h mark. On November 8, 1909 (which the velocity measurement to three decimal places allowed ) measured an average speed of 205.666 km / h over a distance of half a mile at Brooklands using a new measurement technique.

After the First World War, he tried to Rolland - Pilain a comeback at the GP of France in 1922 and 1923, his vehicle, however, was simply too slow and he withdrew from motor sport. Later he ran a workshop in Le Mans and committed suicide on September 8, 1950 destitute alive suicide.