Jean-Pierre Wimille
| Jean-Pierre Wimille | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wimille on the cover of El Gráfico magazine, 1948 | |||||||
| Born | Jean-Pierre Wimille 26 February 1908 16th arrondissement of Paris, France | ||||||
| Died | 28 January 1949 (aged 40) Buenos Aires, Argentina | ||||||
| Championship titles | |||||||
| Major victories 24 Hours of Le Mans (1937, 1939) | |||||||
| Champ Car career | |||||||
| 1 race run over 1 year | |||||||
| Best finish | 8th (1936) | ||||||
| First race | 1936 Vanderbilt Cup (Westbury) | ||||||
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| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |||||||
| Years | 1937, 1939 | ||||||
| Teams | Labric, privateer | ||||||
| Best finish | 1st (1937, 1939) | ||||||
| Class wins | 2 (1937, 1939) | ||||||
Jean-Pierre Wimille (French pronunciation: [ʒɑ̃pjɛʁ vimil]; 26 February 1908 – 28 January 1949) was a French racing driver and a member of the French Resistance during World War II. He was a two-time victor of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, winning in 1937 and 1939. He is generally regarded as one of the best French drivers of his era. In 1949, he was killed when he crashed his car into a tree while practicing for a race.
Wimille was an agent for the covert Special Operations Executive of Britain in World War II. He joined fellow race-car drivers William Grover-Williams and Robert Benoist in the resistance against the German occupation of France. He survived the war; Grover-Williams and Benoist were captured by the Germans and executed.