Friday 8th September 1950

Victor Hémery (73), the French champion driver of early Grand Prix motor racing, died. His most successful year in his racing career was 1905. In August 1905, he drove a Darracq to victory in Circuit des Ardennes at Bastogne, Belgium, and in October 1905 he won the Vanderbilt Cup at Long Island, New York, beating Felice Nazzaro, Louis Chevrolet, and Ferenc Szisz. On December 30, 1905, he set a land speed record of 109.65 mph (176.46 km/h) in Arles, France, driving a Darracq. In 1951, Hémery was retroactively awarded the United States Driving Championship for 1905.