.jpg) Luis Fontés at the1935 24 Hours of Le Mans | |
| Nationality | British |
|---|---|
| Born | (1912-12-26)26 December 1912 London, England |
| Died | 12 October 1940(1940-10-12) (aged 27) Llandow, Wales |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
| Years | 1935 |
| Teams | Arthur W. Fox |
| Best finish | 1st(1935) |
| Class wins | 1(1935) |
Luis Goncelvis Fontés (26 December 1912 – 12 October 1940)[1] was a Britishracing driver of Brazilian parentage who, along withJohn Stuart Hindmarsh, won the1935 24 Hours of Le Mans for theLagonda automobile company and won the inauguralLimerick Grand Prix in 1935 in anAlfa Romeo. He also held a pilot's licence after learning to fly atReading Aerodrome, Berkshire, UK, and entered his ownMiles Hawk Speed Six racing aeroplane (registered G-ADGP) in the prestigiousKing's Cup Air Race in 1935.
On 6 October 1935, Fontés was taking part in an illegal road race on public roads whiledrunk, when he was involved in a head-on collision with a motorcyclist, Reg Mordike. Mordike died the next day and as a result Fontés was charged withmanslaughter, and after being convicted, was sentenced to three years in prison.[2][3] He was released from prison in February 1938 and soon resumed air racing, taking part in the 1938 King's Cup, finishing 13th, while also taking uppowerboat racing.[4] Fontés later briefly served as anAir Transport Auxiliary ferry pilot duringWorld War II but was killed on 12 October 1940 while delivering aVickers Wellington Mk1C bomber to an RAF Aircraft Storage Unit atRAF Llandow in South Wales.[5] The Le Mans Lagonda M45R ('BPK 202') survives in the Dutch National Automobile Museum (Louwman Museum) at The Hague and the aeroplane was owned and raced for many years postwar by the late Ron Paine but is now owned by The Shuttleworth Collection, UK.
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 |  Arthur W. Fox & Charles Nicholl | Johnny Hindmarsh | Lagonda M45R Rapide | 5.0 | 222 | 1st | 1st |
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 1935with: Johnny Hindmarsh | Succeeded by |
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