Hubert Le Blon

Hubert Le Blon
Le Blon circa 1906–1910
Born(1874-03-21)21 March 1874
Billancourt, Paris
(or poss. Liancourt, Oise)
Died2 April 1910(1910-04-02) (aged 36)
Cause of deathPlane crash during exhibition
NationalityFrench
Occupation(s)Car-racer and Aviator
Known forGrand 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 motorcar 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 US driving a Thomas.[1][2]

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.[1][2]

  1. ^ a b Vanderbilt Cup - profile of Hubert Le Blon
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference MotMemorial was invoked but never defined (see the help page).