Le Petit Journal, 3rd July 1904, Victoire Francaise

Léon Théry (16 April 1879 – 8 March 1909) was a French racing driver, nicknamed "Le Chronometer", who won the premier

European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...

race, the Gordon Bennett Cup, in both 1904 and 1905.Historic Racing, Profile of Léon Théry
/ref>

Career

Théry started out as a mechanic which gave him an understanding of the need to drive according to the car's abilities, and nurse it home to victory. His nickname was "Le Chronometer", for his reliable lap times, and he became one of the top drivers in the early 1900s. He competed respectably up until 1903, driving a Decauvillle, and became a ''voiturette'' champion.MotorBase, Decauville
/ref> He is regarded as winning 'one of the first Voiturette races, if not the very first'.

1899

His first race was the Paris to Amsterdam in 1898 at the wheel of a voiturette.

1899

His competed was the Paris-Bordeaux city to city race in 1899. His

tiller A tiller or till is a lever used to steer a vehicle. The mechanism is primarily used in watercraft, where it is attached to an outboard motor, rudder post or stock to provide leverage in the form of torque for the helmsman to turn the rudder. ...

-steered Decauville ''voiturelle'' averaged less than for the race, and when he reached

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefect ...

, he was totally exhausted, struck by amnesia and was heard repeating: "''“Do not stop me, I have to arrive at Bordeaux!”''.Autosport.com, The Nostalgia Forum, - Leon Thery - When? 11/03/1900; Coupe des Voiturettes
/ref> Nevertheless, this was enough for second place, behind the Decauville of Gabriel, and ahead of a second teammate.

1901

In 1901, Théry drove a Decauville ''voiturelle'' in the Paris-Rouen-Paris race on 11/03/1900, winning the ''Coupe des Voiturettes'' (''voiturette'' class). Théry became renowned for his methodical documentation in a 'race log' of circuit details, road conditions, tyres, engine reliability, and car performance. He then drove scrupulously to the speed he had calculated in the race log.

1902

1902 was a year of trauma. He entered his Decauville in the Paris-Vienna race on 26–29 June, accompanied by his mechanic Muller. Brake failure on the Arlberg pass (1,793 m (5,883 ft)) in Austria tested all his skills in avoiding disaster. In the Ardennes Cup race on 31 July, they hit a cow at full speed.

1903

In 1903, Théry joined the French manufacturer Richard-Brasier.

1904

On 20 May 1904, Théry won the Gordon Bennett Elimination Trial at Argonne, France, driving an Richard-Brasier.Grand Prix Winners 1895-1949, by Hans Etzrodt
/ref> On 17 June 1904, he won the Gordon Bennett Cup at Homburg in the

Taunus mountains The Taunus is a mountain range in Hesse, Germany, located north of Frankfurt. The tallest peak in the range is ''Großer Feldberg'' at 878 m; other notable peaks are ''Kleiner Feldberg'' (825 m) and ''Altkönig'' (798 m). The Taunus range spans ...

of Germany. The event drew entries from eight countries and was considered the single most important race in Europe. Théry's Richard-Brasier 80 hp triumphed over Camille Jenatzy's Mercedes. Each lap was of primitive roads, but all his lap times were within a 3-minute range. Théry's victory meant instant fame such that when he and Henri Brasier arrived in Paris they received an enthusiastic reception at the ACF premises, appearing on the balcony to acknowledge thousands of cheering Parisians. A series of banquets and festivities followed, whence - during one of them -

Fernand Charron Fernand Charron (30 May 1866, in Angers – 13 August 1928, in Maisons-Laffitte) was a French Innovator, pioneer of motor racing and automobile manufacturing. He started his sporting career as a successful cycle sport, cyclist. In 1891 he won the ...

announced the subscription he had started had raised 12,200 FF. Théry was awarded the interest of a lifetime bond, and another subscription was opened for the three mechanics that had accompanied him, including Muller his riding mechanic. Brasier presented Théry with the winning car that he took to America, earning a big purse, but little racing success.

1905

The 1905 Gordon Bennett Cup, as agreed by its rules, was held in France, the home country of its previous winner. On 16 June 1905, Théry won the Gordon Bennett Elimination Trial in the

Auvergne Auvergne (; ; oc, label= Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Au ...

, France, driving a Richard-Brasier. On 5 July, Théry and his riding mechanic Mueller won their second Gordon Bennett Cup, driving an eleven-litre 96Hp Richard-Brasier over 4 laps (548 km) of a circuit in the

mountains of France. Théry and Charles-Henri Brasier received a hero's welcome on the streets of Paris, before being received in the Elysée Palace by the

President of France The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (french: Président de la République française), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency i ...

Émile Loubet Émile François Loubet (; 30 December 183820 December 1929) was the 45th Prime Minister of France from February to December 1892 and later President of France from 1899 to 1906. Trained in law, he became mayor of Montélimar, where he was not ...

.8W - Forix, Driver Profiles - Léon Théry by Richard Armstrong
/ref>

1906 onwards

Although his success in the 1904 and 1905 Gordon Bennett Cup events had contributed to the

Automobile Club de France The Automobile Club of France (french: Automobile Club de France, links=no) (ACF) is a men's club founded on November 12, 1895 by Albert de Dion, Paul Meyan, and its first president, the Dutch-born Baron Etienne van Zuylen van Nijevelt. The Auto ...

(ACF) organising the 1906 Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France, he did not enter the 1906 or 1907 French Grand Prix. He tried to build his own racing car, a financial enterprise that failed completely, and forced him to work as chauffeur for the ''La Vie au Grand Air'' reporter at the 'Bordeaux-Paris' bicycle race in May 1908. In 1908 he returned to driving for

Brasier Brasier was a French automobile manufacturer, based in the Paris conurbation, and active between 1905 and 1930. The firm began as Richard-Brasier in 1902, and became known as Chaigneau-Brasier in 1926. __TOC__ Origins Charles-Henri Brasier wo ...

and entered the Grand Prix of France, but he retired on the last lap of the 10 lap race with a collapsed wheel. He was running fourth overall and first of the French cars. This was the last race of his career.

Michelin

Théry worked for Michelin. Some sources () report him as responsible for naming ''

Bibendum Bibendum (), commonly referred to in English as the Michelin Man or Michelin Tyre Man, is the official mascot of the Michelin tyre company. A humanoid figure consisting of stacked white tyres, it was introduced at the Lyon Exhibition of 1894 w ...

'', the Michelin Man. The rubber-man had been popular with the French public since the Michelin brothers introduced it at Lyon in 1894, and had acquired a variety of nicknames. At the

1898 Paris–Amsterdam–Paris The 1898 Paris–Amsterdam–Paris Race was a competitive 'city to city' motor race which ran over 7 days from 7–13 July 1898 and covered 1,431 km. It was won by Fernand Charron driving a Panhard et Levassor for 33 hours at an average speed o ...

race, Léon greeted André Michelin with a shout, "Here comes Bibendum!". Michelin immediately adopted the name (Latin for "time to drink") to show his tyres could 'drink' spikes, nails, glass, etc.Google books, Historicizing lifestyle: mediating taste, consumption and identity By David Bell, Joanne Hollows
/ref>

Death and commemoration

Théry died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

at the age of 29. His tomb is in the

Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (french: Cimetière du Père-Lachaise ; formerly , "East Cemetery") is the largest cemetery in Paris, France (). With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Notable figure ...

in Paris. In 2005, the hundredth anniversary of Théry's Gordon Bennett victory in France, many events were organized. The Post Office issued a stamp and the Paris Mint struck a commemorative medal representing Théry driving his

References

Background sources

*Wise, David Burgess."Decauville: Road-going Rolling Stock", in Ward, Ian, executive editor. ''World of Automobiles'', Volume 5, p. 506. London: Orbis, 1974.
Autosport.com, The Nostalgia Forum, - Leon Thery - When? 11/03/1900; Coupe des Voiturettes

Autosport.com, The Nostalgia Forum, - Leon Thery - 1900 Paris-Rouen-Paris

Autosport.com, The Nostalgia Forum, - Leon Thery - Heroic Age drivers - Thery and Velghe

External links

The Richard-Brasier car driven by Leon Thery during the Gordon Bennett race in the Auvergne in 1905
Painted by Ernest Montaut
Gallery of Léon Théry images
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thery, Leon French racing drivers Grand Prix drivers 1909 deaths 1879 births Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis Tuberculosis deaths in France