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| 1922 Tourist Trophy |
Following his earlier success
racing DFP's, with the increase in sales that
resulted from the associated ‘free’ publicity,
W O had little hesitation in pursuing a similar
course with his own cars.
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| After scrutineering,
Le Mans, 1924 |
In doing so, Bentleys were outstandingly
successful. In the 1920s, success in both
racing and setting new speed records produced
front page headlines. From the outset Bentleys
undertook racing as a commercial means to generate
publicity and hence sales. The seriousness
with which their racing program was undertaken
ensured that W O and the ‘Bentley Boys’ established
the marque in the eyes of the public, at the time
and for generations to come.
 |
| Montlhéry 24 hours
record, 1929 |
Careful planning ensured success,
with only a minimum left to luck. W O only
entered his cars in races for which they were
suited — long distance, high speed endurance events
for sports cars. Record attempts were also
carefully selected to suit the cars — again high
speed endurance records.
 |
| Sunday morning
in the pits, Le Mans, 1927 |
Prior to each race, the cars
were meticulously prepared under the watchful
eye of Nobby Clarke, the Works Manager.
The mechanics were rehearsed; drivers practiced
pit stops under the scrutiny of the movie
camera; the layout of the pits was ordered for
maximum efficiency — these preparations saved
typically 45 seconds at each pit stop.
 |
| Barnato leads
in Old Mother Gun, Le Mans, 1928 |
From the pits, W O managed the
races with equal thoroughness and care.
Lap times for each car and any other dangerous
looking car were recorded and analysed.
Later, pit-to-car signalling was moved away from
the pits, with communications between pits and
the signallers established via telephone (duplicated
in case of failure). The drivers’
speeds were carefully controlled by W O from the
pits so as not to exert the cars beyond that needed
to win the race, and not to reveal un-necessarily
the full potential of the cars.
 |
| Birkin and Barnato
at Le Mans, 1929 |
The prestige of the marque was
such that W O also had the pick of many of the
best drivers of the day. The ‘Bentley Boys’,
as they were known, were mostly wealthy amateurs
who lived to the full the spirit of the roaring
twenties. They were exceptionally talented
drivers who, under the guidance of W O, piloted
the cars to the many victories at Le Mans, Brooklands,
Montlhéry...
|
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| Bentley
Boys, Le Mans, 1930 |
Most notable of all races was
the Grand Prix d’Endurance held at Le Mans.
On his visit to the first ever Le Mans in 1923,
it became clear to W O that this race above all
others was ideally suited to his cars. The
results are shown in the table below. Despite
the ‘black years’ of 1925 and 1926, the ‘works’
Bentleys achieved five wins, including a 1-2-3-4
placing in 1929, before retiring from racing after
the 1930 Le Mans. The three consecutive
wins by Barnato, then the chairman of Bentley
Motors, are a record which stands to this day.
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