Dudley Benjafield

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Dudley Benjafield
Dudley Benjafield was a British medical doctor and racing driver.
NationalityUnited Kingdom British
Born(1887-08-06)6 August 1887
Edmonton, London
Died20 January 1957(1957-01-20) (aged 69)
London
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years19251930, 1935
TeamsBentley Motors Ltd.
Private
Best finish1st (1927)
Class wins1 (1927)

Joseph Dudley "Benjy" Benjafield, MD (6 August 1887 – 20 January 1957) was a British medical doctor and racing driver.

Career[edit]

Benjafield was born in Edmonton, London, UK. He attended the University of London and received his MD from University College Hospital in 1912. Specializing in bacteriology, he served in Egypt during World War I and later used his expertise combating the great flu epidemic of 1918–1919.

Benjafield had a passion for motorsports which started with boating, but moved on to automobiles in the 1920s, following the accidental destruction of his beloved motor launch. Upon purchasing a Bentley 3-litre, he started racing in 1924 and 1925. Benjafield's success led to him being offered to drive a company racer at the behest of Bentley founder W.O. Bentley. He competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans seven times, and won the event in 1927 with co-driver and fellow "Bentley Boy" S. C. H. "Sammy" Davis; while their car was badly damaged, they frantically made on-the-spot repairs and wound up winning the race.

Benjafield later created the British Racing Drivers' Club, and continued racing until 1936. He died on 20 January 1957.

Racing record[edit]

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results[edit]

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
1925 United Kingdom Bentley Motors Ltd United Kingdom Bertie Kensington-Moir Bentley 3 Litre Sport 5.0 19 DNF
(Out of fuel)
1926 United Kingdom Bentley Motors Ltd United Kingdom Sammy Davis Bentley 3 Litre Speed 3.0 137 DNF
(Accident)
1927 United Kingdom Bentley Motors Ltd United Kingdom Sammy Davis Bentley 3 Litre Speed 3.0 137 1st 1st
1928 United Kingdom Bentley Motors Ltd United Kingdom Frank Clement Bentley 4½ Litre 5.0 71 DNF
(Radiator)
1929 United Kingdom Bentley Motors Ltd France Baron André d'Erlanger Bentley 4½ Litre 5.0 159 3rd 2nd
1930 United Kingdom Hon. Dorothy Paget Italy Giulio Ramponi Bentley 4½ Litre 'Blower' >3.0 144 DNF
(Engine)
1935 United Kingdom Arthur W. Fox & Charles Nichol United Kingdom Sir Roland Gunter Lagonda M45R Rapide 5.0 196 13th 3rd
Sources:[1][2][3]

References[edit]

General
  • Pugh, Martin. "Bentley Boys". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/97973. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
Specific
  1. ^ "John Dudley Benjafield". Automobile Club de l'Ouest. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  2. ^ "Dudley Benjafield Results". Motorsport Stats. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  3. ^ "Complete Archive of Dudley Benjafield". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
Sporting positions
Preceded by Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans
1927 with:
Sammy Davis
Succeeded by
Preceded by
none
BRDC President
1928–1929
Succeeded by