The Portimão Pre-war Bentley 24 Hours 2024

Benjafield scores a memorable Century

On the 10th anniversary of their previous event, and the 100th anniversary of the first Bentley victory at Le Mans, the Benjafield Club staged the Bentley 24 Hours at Portimão on 5-6 October.  Race director, and Bentley specialist, William Medcalf declared, “We are the only people in 100 years to follow the rules of the 1924 Le Mans.”  This meant a handicap based on practice times, in which each car was awarded a different minimum timed distance or ‘MTD’ to complete, after which they had to drive rolling five-lap blocks, including refuelling and driver changes above their given average speed, or suffer agonising  lap deduction penalties.  A challenge for most teams, not least perhaps members of a club, one of whose mottos is “to promise fun and a lively bar”.   But not only was it fully embraced in a great spirit, it turned out to provide an exciting and unexpected finale.  Joel Wykeham reports..

The driver line up included Goodwood Mini maestro Nick Swift, driving coach and le Mans veteran, James Wood, and ex-BTCC champion Ivan Dutton amongst a host of Benjafield notables and guest members.   At 3pm sharp, the initial pilots of the 25 cars ran across the track for the start.  To comply with the 1924 regs, cars with hoods had to run with them erect for 10 laps, quite a challenge for some.   Soon the overall leaders settled down in a steady pattern with the lightweight  black Ewen Getley/Tom Wood/Anthony Galliers-Pratt/Lewis Fox 1924 3-litre far out in front.  Behind was a three-way scrap between Joel Laub/James Wood/ Nick Swift in a freshly built 1925 Supersport, the Nick Sleep/Alex Montgomery/Joel Wykeham 1926 Supersport, and the 1929 6.5-litre of Kiwis Martin and Alan Dippie/Scott O’Donnell, who like some others, had driven their car to the circuit from the UK.  At around 5pm the leading Getley 3-litre and the Negrescu/Frost/Little  3-litre suffered a collision which meant major repairs for both.  That would push the latter well back, but after removal of a couple of cycle wings, the faster black car was soon back out in front again, albeit not on handicap.

Long Innings

With nearly 12 hours of darkness expected, headlamps were required not long  after 7pm, while meantime a delicious hot buffet dinner was served up in the pits.  The nighttime conditions varied from mist before midnight, to eventual clear skies and vivid bright stars.  Racing in the dark with limited lights and ancient brakes, reminded many of those heroes of the past, like the 1924 winners Frank Clement and John Duff, and to reflect on the romanticism and adventure of it all.  The enthusiastic mechanics of Medcalf’s Vintage Bentley outfit, plus other teams too, were doing a tremendous job of servicing  or fixing any problems of these near 100-year-old racers.  Remarkably most completed the whole distance on a single set of tyres and brakes.  To conserve gearboxes some teams were just using 4th gear for the first 20 hours or so to ensure longevity.

Test Match

The sunshine at dawn brought even more atmosphere, and as the ‘MTDs’ approached, interest in the Benjafield timing screens turned from scratch to handicap.  From that point on the positions changed dramatically and soon it was cars, some of which had previously run outside the top ten, that were now appearing up in the leading  places.  At first the Chris Lunn and then the family Medcalf Bentleys took their turn, but as the clock slowly unwound it was the German entered cars of Rainer Wolf/Giselher Stauzel/Wim Van Gierdegom and Andreas Pohl /Niklas Pohl/Robert Peil that looked secure at the front.  The only  scratch leaders now in contention were the red Laub Supersport, monitoring an oil pressure fluctuation, and the RAF blue Sleep  Supersport.   This was being driven increasingly quickly by Sleep and Montgomery, now free to use third gear and making up for the extra stops required for their smaller fuel tank and a couple of broken fuel lines.

Winning Runs

Pit to car signalling (no radios or electronics allowed) now became critical for getting the five lap blocks correct without penalties, and positions changed accordingly.  Meantime some, such as Bert Degenaars pretty 1929  ‘Bluebell’  or Mike Dacre’s  4.5 litre,  were just trying to keep going with their oil and water issues.  As 3pm approached it looked certain the Wolf car would take it, but incredibly they ran out of fuel on the penultimate tour, incurring a lap penalty and thus promoting Andreas Pohl’s 1924 3-litre to victory, with Laub/Wood/Swift next, still being chased by Sleep/Montgomery/Wykeham.

As the cars convened in the pit road behind a special pace car (Brooklands Bentley -‘Mother Gun’), an explosion of champagne spray and celebration took place amongst all the teams, many of whom ended up, as is traditional, fully clothed in the Portimão swimming pool.  Medcalf had organised an inspired event that reminded many of the best aims of historic racing.  ‘Spirit of the event’ went to the delightful Irish family team of Andrew, Philippa and Daniel Bailey plus Charlotte and Rose de Montmorency.  Overall, it had been a most fitting tribute to the Bentley boys of the past.  As a few older drivers said afterwards, even if it’s repeated in another ten years, they will be unlikely get this fabulous opportunity again.

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