André Lagache

André Lagache (21 January 1885 – 2 October 1938) was a French racing driver who, along with René Léonard, won the inaugural 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1923.

André Lagache

Nationality	French
Born	(1885-01-21)21 January 1885 Pantin, Île-de-France
Died	2 October 1938(1938-10-02) (aged 53) Satory, Île-de-France
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years	1923–1925
Teams	Chenard et Walcker
Best finish	1st (1923)
Class wins	1 (1923)

Career

Lagache and Léonard were engineers at automobile manufacturer Chenard et Walcker, and were chosen to drive their "Sport" model in the inaugural 24 Hours of Le Mans. The duo drove a distance of 2,209 km (1,373 mi) over 24 hours and beat another Chenard-Walcker by a four lap margin. Lagache continued to run Le Mans for Chenard et Walcker for the next two years, but was unable to finish the event again.

Lagache also raced a Chenard-Walcker in the inaugural Spa 24 Hours in 1924, finishing second alongside André Pisart. He returned with Léonard to win the event in 1925, and finished third with Léonard in 1926.

Lagache won the Coupe Georges Boillot in 1925 and 1926.

He was one of the founders of the tractor manufacturer FAR, and supplied the A to the company name. He was killed in an accident while demonstrating a vehicle in front of army officials in 1938.

Racing record

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
1923	Chenard-Walcker SA	René Léonard	Chenard-Walcker Type U3 15CV Sport	3.0	128	1st	1st
1924	Chenard-Walcker SA	René Léonard	Chenard-Walcker Type U 22CV Sport	5.0	26	DNF (Fire)
1925	Chenard-Walcker SA	René Léonard	Chenard-Walcker Type U 22CV Sport	5.0	90	DNF (Engine)

External links

• André Lagache at racingsportscars.com.