Hubert Le Blon
| Hubert Le Blon | |
|---|---|
Le Blon circa 1906–1910
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| Born |
21 March 1874 Billancourt, Paris (or poss. Liancourt, Oise) |
| Died | 2 April 1910 (aged 36) San Sebastián, Spain |
| Cause of death | Plane crash during exhibition |
| Nationality | French |
| Occupation | Car-racer and Aviator |
| Known for | Grand Prix racing Vanderbilt Cup racing Pioneering aviator Air speed record for 5 km |
Hubert Le Blon (21 March 1874 – 2 April 1910) was a French automobilist and pioneer aviator. He drove a steam-powered Gardner-Serpollet in the early 1900s, and then switched to Hotchkiss for both the world's first Grand Prix at Le Mans in France and the inaugural Targa Florio in Sicily. At the Vanderbilt Cup races on Long Island he competed for the USA driving a Thomas
Within weeks of setting a new aviation speed record in Egypt he died during an exhibition flight at San Sebastián, Spain. His first aircraft design, the "Humber monoplane (Le Blon type)", was displayed at the Olympia Aero Exhibition in 1910.
Hubert le Blon was born at Boulogne-Billancourt, Paris, (or possibly Liancourt, Oise) on 21 March 1874.
His wife, Madame Motann Le Blon, shared his passion for motoring, regularly accompanying him as riding mechanic in his races, and watching during his flying exploits. Public statements in 1903 declared: "Madame Le Blon of Paris, has accompanied her husband on most of his record runs. [She] ... has entered her new Serpollet for the Nice races, in the coming spring, and hopes to travel at ninety miles per hour thereon."
Le Blon Frères of Boulogne-Billancourt, Paris, manufactured "Le Blon" and "Lynx" voiturettes from 1898 until possibly 1900.
Le Blon raced a Gardner-Serpollet steam car and set several speed records over a five-year period. Some sources report that in 1901 he drove the Gardner-Serpollet steamer to seventh place in the Paris-Berlin trail, (possibly based on an erroneous claim in his obituary in the New York Times, whilst others, including contemporaneous newspapers have no mention of him competing.).
In the 1902 Paris Grand Prix (or Paris-Arras-Paris) he finished 13th in the same Gardner-Serpollet steamer.
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