Photo: Skoda
The 1950 Le Mans marked a new beginning for the competition, with the 24-hour race taking place for the first time after WWII, but also an ending - for the Skoda Sport. A mix of partial triumphs, politics and sheer bad luck tells the story of the last Czech car to ever compete with a Czech crew in the famous race.
On June 24 1950, Václav Bobek and Jaroslav Netušil were getting ready to drive the Skoda Sport to victory, in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Each of them had driven previous versions of the car in the Brno City Prize, a local competition, one year earlier. The 56 HP car, with a supercharger, competed in the class up to 1500 cm³, while the 42 HP car, without a supercharger, competed in the class up to 1100 cm³. Both of them performed well, so things were looking up for Le Mans.
The version without a supercharger got to participate in the 24-hour race. The water-cooled four-cylinder engine, with a displacement of 1089 cm3, was ready to boast 50 HP (37 kW) at 5200 rpm. An extended wheelbase, 2 extra headlights on the sides of the grille and Michelin tires were some of the things that were added in preparation for the big race, besides other technical modifications. The Skoda Sport had been built using the weight-optimized chassis and parts from the 1946 Skoda 1101 “Tudor”.
At first, it looked like Skoda Sport could make it to the second place. With the mixture of petrol, ethanol and acetone that was standard in those times, it had the ability to drive for 4 hours straight, on a full tank, unlike some of its rivals. And it did. For 13 hours, the Skoda Sport held its own, at an average speed of 78 mph (126 kph). But then, a broken piston pin fuse would change its destiny.
Because of the regulations back then, only tools and spare parts that could be carried in the car were allowed during the race, and a replacement fuse was not one of the parts that the Czech team had on board. They had to retire.
Skoda Sport would never return to Le Mans, although it had a successful racing career in Central and Eastern Europe. Just a few years after the race, it set the Czechoslovak speed record in the class up to 1100 cm3, at 160.1 kph (99.5 mph).
Last year, the fully restored Skoda Sport was set to make its glorious comeback, after 70 years, in the Le Mans Classic commemorative race. But, once again, an outside event (the world health crisis) stopped this remarkable car from fulfilling its international destiny.
The version without a supercharger got to participate in the 24-hour race. The water-cooled four-cylinder engine, with a displacement of 1089 cm3, was ready to boast 50 HP (37 kW) at 5200 rpm. An extended wheelbase, 2 extra headlights on the sides of the grille and Michelin tires were some of the things that were added in preparation for the big race, besides other technical modifications. The Skoda Sport had been built using the weight-optimized chassis and parts from the 1946 Skoda 1101 “Tudor”.
At first, it looked like Skoda Sport could make it to the second place. With the mixture of petrol, ethanol and acetone that was standard in those times, it had the ability to drive for 4 hours straight, on a full tank, unlike some of its rivals. And it did. For 13 hours, the Skoda Sport held its own, at an average speed of 78 mph (126 kph). But then, a broken piston pin fuse would change its destiny.
Because of the regulations back then, only tools and spare parts that could be carried in the car were allowed during the race, and a replacement fuse was not one of the parts that the Czech team had on board. They had to retire.
Skoda Sport would never return to Le Mans, although it had a successful racing career in Central and Eastern Europe. Just a few years after the race, it set the Czechoslovak speed record in the class up to 1100 cm3, at 160.1 kph (99.5 mph).
Last year, the fully restored Skoda Sport was set to make its glorious comeback, after 70 years, in the Le Mans Classic commemorative race. But, once again, an outside event (the world health crisis) stopped this remarkable car from fulfilling its international destiny.
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