Jean Chassagne
Julien Jean Chassagne was a pioneer submariner, aviator, and French racing driver active 1906–1930. Chassagne finished third in the 1913 French Grand Prix; won the 1922 Tourist Trophy and finished second in the 1925 Le Mans Grand Prix d'Endurance - all in Sunbeam motorcars. He was second in the 1921 Italian Grand Prix with a Ballot, and set speed records and won races at Brooklands and hill climbs internationally.
Chassagne was also associated with the Bentley Boys, who are described as having captured the spirit of the times, partying as hard as they worked. Larger than life, their restless and often reckless love of speed and adventure complemented the big green Bentleys from Cricklewood perfectly. As a result of his association with Bentley Motors, Chassagne Square in Crewe was named in his honour.
Chassagne applied to serve as a pilot during the Great War but under the request of the British Admiralty he joined Sunbeam to advise, develop and test aero engines for the war effort.
Career overview
Chassagne's long career spans the early road races as a riding mechanic on Darracq, Clément-Bayard and Hispano-Suiza automobiles, before he joined Sunbeam, where he achieved his most notable success as a racing driver, including winning the 1922 Tourist Trophy. Chassagne raced well into his forties with Bentley and others in Le Mans and elsewhere. His first Grand Prix was the very first French Grand Prix in Le Mans 1906. His last was in 1930, during which period he also was responsible for numerous speed records.His mechanical knowledge, gained early in his education and augmented during his service with the French Navy on early submarines, stood him in good stead both in racing and the development and testing of the latest technology in early aviation for Demoiselles Santons-Dumont monoplanes, the first Hanriot monoplanes and Clément-Bayard. He was also involved in the development and testing of racing cars, namely Grand Prix Sunbeams and the Bugatti type 35.
Chassagne was not born into wealth, and competing at the cutting edge of technology could not have been easy. Despite this, he retained a "twinkle in his eye and un air fortement sympathique" throughout his life. Meticulous, resilient, calm with a delicate driving touch and mechanical sympathy ‘Chass’ was held with the utmost regard and affection by his friends and colleagues, the finest engineers and drivers of their time; surely a testimony to his amiable, loyal and easy nature.
Early life 1881–1900
Born 26 July 1881, Chassagne was brought up at La Croisille-sur-Briance, Haute-Vienne, Limoges, France and later in Burgundy, France in modest circumstances. His father, a horse trainer, was killed in a riding accident when Jean was still young. He attended L'Ecole Professionnelle de St Leonard de Noblat followed by the highly regarded L'Ecole des Arts et Métiers which was formative in his later life at the cutting edge of motorised racing.French Navy and submarines 1900–1905
In November 1900, the 29-year-old Chassagne joined the French Navy. He was trained as a mechanic, working in 1901 at the Flotte Workshops as a mechanic and then in 1903 as a Torpedo Boat Mechanic. He volunteered to serve on the cruiser for two years, based at Saigon, as well as sailing to America, Africa, China and Japan.In 1905, Chassagne volunteered as a submariner and was stationed for ten months on three different submarines. Firstly, on a, 157 tons with 13 crew; then on which was the world first all-electric submarine and finally on, which was the second submarine to be introduced to the French Navy.
Pioneering motorcar racing and aviation 1906–1912
On 26–27 June 1906, the first French Grand Prix de l'ACF was held in Le Mans; Rene Hanriot driving a Darracq was joined by his longtime friend Chassagne as a riding mechanic but had to retire due to engine trouble. Chassagne continued working at Darracq as a mechanic for two years until 1908 acting as riding mechanic during the heroic pioneering age of racing to Hanriot, Hautvost and Demogeot. In 1908 Chassagne travelled to the US for the American Grand Prize, Savannah, where he was again a riding mechanic to Hautvost on a Clément-Bayard.During this period, Chassagne was also working at Clément-Bayard, Senat workshops for airships and race-car engines on the development, assembly and testing of the experimental Demoiselles Santons-Dumont monoplanes. Development, assembly and testing of the first Hanriot Monoplanes, Reims followed and in August 1910 Chassagne received his pilot licence certificate no. 160.
Chassagne subsequently participated in various events including the Baie de Seine estuary crossing; winning the Liege altitude & speed prizes. Chassagne crashed in Deauville due to engine problem but escaped with only a few splinters from the wooden frame in his thighs. He was then appointed Chief Pilot to Hanriot Flying School where he trained many of the early pioneering aviators and in 1911 he became Director of the Algeciras Flying School, Spain where he was responsible for the training of Spanish officers. In 1912 Chassagne was again flying with Clément-Bayard where he was responsible for the testing and development of the new aero engines in long-distance flights such as Paris to Reims, Paris to Mourmelon to Reims to Soissons and to Paris, as well as, remarkably Issy to Reims. That year Jean Chassagne met Louis Coatalen, joined the Sunbeam racing team and withdrew from flying.
Throughout this period, Chassagne combined his aviation activities with racing and with the Hispano Suiza Racing Team in 1910 he competed at Coupe des Voiturettes, Bolougne gaining second place and in the Catalan Cup Race a fourth; later taking part in the famous Mont Ventoux Hillclimb. It is at Hispano Suiza that Chassagne was acquainted with Works drivers Pilleverdier and Zucarelli the latter becoming with Georges Boillot, Jules Goux & Ernest Henry the Peugeot ‘Les Charlatans’ who revolutionized racing with the twin cam over head, four valve per cylinder engine design.
Racing with Sunbeam 1912–1919
In 1909, the British Sunbeam firm engaged the energetic and ambitious Breton Louis Hervé Coatalen, as a chief engineer. Racing enthusiast Coatalen was to transform the Wolverhampton firm to become the foremost British exponents of motor racing internationally at the highest echelons. It was Coatalen who in 1912 engaged his countryman Jean Chassagne as part of his winning racing team. In 1912 Coatalen entered a team of four race modified 12/16 Sunbeam cars to compete in the Coupe de l'Auto which was run concurrently with the historic 1912 French Grand Prix de l'ACF at Dieppe. Victor Rigal with Jean Chassagne as riding mechanic not only won the Coupe de l'Auto outright but was placed third in the Grand Prix against the large Grand Prix cars with engines three and five times the capacity of the Sunbeam.Motorboat racing in Monaco was a convenient test bed for engine technology and in 1913 Coatalen and Chassagne in a Sunbeam powered boat took part in the event. That same year, Chassagne was promoted to a Sunbeam Works Team driver and in the French Grand Prix at Amiens Chassagne came first of the Sunbeams and third overall. Later that year at the Coupe de l'Auto at Boulogne Chassagne, with his riding mechanic A P Mitchell, retired on the seventh lap when lying third with a rear axle failure.
On 2 October 1913, at Brooklands Chassagne alternating in two-hour spells with Dario Resta and K. Lee Guinness of the eponymous Stout dynasty, set up a series of long distance World Records with a Sunbeam Grand Prix fitted with a Single- Seater body. Two days later again at Brooklands, Chassagne with the Sunbeam Toodles V, won an event against Percy E. Lambert's Land Speed Record holder Talbot. On the same day and with the same car Chassagne made the fastest Brooklands race lap to that date. A few days later, Chassagne and Toodles V set up further long distance World Records.
In 1914, Chassagne continued to set up World Records for Sunbeam at Brooklands with Toodles V. Chassagne took part in the Monaco Motor boat races with ‘Toto’ a 2.5L dohc four valve per cylinder Sunbeam powered racing boat; this may have been a test run for this new engine design; similar designed engines, built in the manner of the Pegueot ‘Charlatans’, from which the design was derived, were used in that year's Grand Prix Sunbeam racing motorcars. Travelling to the US for the 1914 Indianapolis 500 Mile, Chassagne with his riding mechanic A P Mitchell in ‘Spotty’ a 1913 Sunbeam G.P. car, qualified at but crashed on the twentieth lap due to burst tyre. Shortly after in the historic French Grand Prix in the newly designed 4 cyl 4.5 L dohc Sunbeam, Chassagne made fastest lap but retired on the thirteenth lap due to big-end failure.
The Great War was looming and on commencement, Chassagne enlisted in the Artillery Corp despite several requests to join the Flying Corp; shortly after in 1915, under the request of the British Admiralty he joined Sunbeam to advise, develop and test aero engines for the war effort.
Post-war racing 1919–1922
Armistice was signed on 11 November 1918, ending the Great War. Soon after, in 1919, the first postwar Indianapolis 500 was held. However, postwar conditions in France were less amenable and the first Grand Prix was not staged until 1921. In 1920 Sunbeam merged with Talbot and Darracq to form the S.T.D. combine headed by Louis Coatalen as a managing director.During the war in 1916, Sunbeam designed a 4.9 L engine in the Ernest Henry manner which performed well in that year's Indianapolis 500; J Christiaens finishing fourth; this engine type was fitted in 1919 in two shorter 1914 Sunbeam T.T. chassis and entered for Jean Chassagne and Dario Resta for the 1919 Indianapolis 500. The cars were shipped to the United States but were not submitted for scrutineering and withdrawn for unknown reason. Jean Chassagne was consequently recruited by the newly formed Ballot Racing Team to drive one of their newly designed Ernest Henry straight eight 4.9 L cars; accident on the 63rd lap due to steering problem resulted in what became Chassagne's most serious accident in his entire career but despite having been ejected some from his car he was largely unhurt. Chassagne remind with the Ballot team and in 1921 became their top driver.
A year later, in the 1920 Indianapolis 500 capacity limit was reduced to 183 cu. The design of the Ballot entry was similar to the year before but scaled down to 3-litre; Chassagne was running in the first five places throughout the race but damaged steering dropped him to seventh place winning $1,900. Back in Brooklands in the larger 4.9 L Ballot and with riding mechanic Robert Laly who was to become a lifelong friend, Chassagne made the fastest BARC lap of the year and finished second in the three handicap races. In the Gaillon Hillclimb, he made 22.6 sec at.
Back in Indianapolis in 1921 with a private entry Peugeot 4 cyl, Chassagne lost his bonnet and was forced by the regulations to retire. The long-awaited French Grand Prix took place at Le Mans, on a circuit that was to become known as the Le Mans '24 hours Endurance'; Chassagne on the 3-litre Ballot thrilled the crowds with a neck to neck duel with Jimmy Murphy on his Duesenberg; on lap 17 Chassagne was leading but he was forced to retire with punctured petrol tank. Chassagne had his break in the 1921 Italian Grand Prix with the Ballot where he came second and the Gaillon Hillclimb where he made third fastest time of the day. In November 1921 Chassagne, married the half English, half French Emma; over the years, Emma escorted her husband on some racing events and they remained married until Chassagne died in 1947.
1922 was a successful and busy year for Jean Chassagne with S.T.D. and at 41 years of age, his greatest victory in the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy. The year started with a win at Brooklands Easter Meeting with the now legendary aero-engined Sunbeam 350 hp which proceeded to break numerous Speed Records including the first car to set a new World Speed Record over the magic 150 mph mark.
In 22 June after 5:24:50hr in what he famously described as "a nightmare in sea of mud", Chassagne won the first postwar Tourist Trophy and the last motorcar Tourist Trophy to be run on the Isle of Man with Sunbeam III a 1921 Sunbeam Grand Prix straight eight 3-litre modified for the event; Chassagne ordinarily a measured and meticulous driver was fazed by the atrocious weather conditions on the island that day but it remained "one of the greatest victories of his career". Chassagne was entered in several voiturette racing for S.T.D. with the invincible 1921 1.5 L Talbot Darracqs, in effect a half sized engine of Chassagne's winning Tourist Trophy car, but none gained him success.
Responding to the formula change of the 1922 French Grand Prix held in Strasbourg Coatalen engaged Ernest Henry, then at his peak, to design the new 2-litre Grand Prix Sunbeam engine. Pre Great War Henry, together with 'Les Charlatans' was responsible for the development of the game changing Peugeot race engines with double overhead cam and four valve per cylinder. Postwar he was acclaimed for the highly influential Ballot engines.
Chassagne knew Henry for many years and he acted as liaison between Henry in S.T.D. Surenes near Paris and the S.T.D. Wolverhampton Experimental Department, ultimately testing the prototype car in Brooklands and helping to develop the Sunbeam Grand Prix team entry. In the event, Chassagne drove Sunbeam I but the three cars retired after being the second fastest behind the winning Fiats. The cars were entered at the subsequent Grand Premio d’Italia Monza but did not appear. Instead, Sunbeam competed in the 1922 November 19 Coppa Florio in Sicily where Chassagne after holing the oil tank of his dreadnought grey 4.9 L 1922 Tourist Trophy Sunbeam with a stone on the rough Madonia Mountains track, and having replenished with olive oil locally purchased, finished fourth but was unplaced.