COVER N. 427 - FRANCE

Postmark: 58 Camecy Nièvre 14.03.2024 

Posted on the  14th March; received on the 18th March 2024

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The sound of thunder in my letterbox as the chequered flag is finally lowered... well not the chequered flag, but the letterbox door, to reveal a large envelope with part of a great souvenir sheet on it, evocative of probably the most famous auto race in the world: les 24 heures du Mans.

Un grand Merci, Jean-Pierre pour ce jolie pli et pour tout ce qui était dedans...

- The brain child of L'Automobile Club de L'Ouest, Georges Durand, presumably the oldest still occurring  and most famous car race in history, saw the 33 racing cars participating in its first edition depart for a 24 hour endurance race on the 26 May 1923. The winners, André Lagache and René Léonard racing in a  Chenard & Walcker, would cross the line the next day, after completing 128 laps of the circuit implanted in the La Sarthe region, near the town of Le Mans, at the astounding average speed of  92 Km/h.

100 years later, and although some 3km shorter than the original, the circuit was lapped 342 times by the winning car, a Ferrari 499P, in the hands of  Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, and Antonio Giovinazzi, corresponding to 4,659.40 kilometres, at an average speed of 194.1 kilometres per hour. 

Car racing... I still remember watching on TV what was known as the Le Mans style Start, when all the drivers would run to their cars from the opposite side of the road.... very spectacular, but not the best solution from a safety standpoint.... and F1... the victory lap of the winners with their laurel wreathes around their shoulders.... not anymore... the laurel  leaves had so much dignity that they obfuscated the sponsor's logos on the driver's racing suits.....and it is money that makes the world go round.... not laurels....

On the occasion of the centenary of the most famous car race in the world, La Poste issued on 30MAY2023 a minisheet, comprising four 1,80 stamps. Two of them can be seen on this cover: one with the official starter holding the French Flag in front of  Chenard & Walcker Sport, winner of 1923 and a modern hypercar of today  (I couldn't find any specific car with the number 24 as the winner of the most recent races) and a round stamp with the official logo of the event.

- The stamp illustrated with "La crêpe" that most famous invention of the Bretagne region, was issues on 26MAY2003, as part of a set of 10 0,50€ stamps themed on products of the Frenbch regions.

- Marianne l'engagée, in 0,05€ form, part of the 20JUL2021 Marianne issue, completes the postage on this cover, sent from the city of Clamecy in the Region of Bourgogne Franche-Comté.