Background
He was born in Sillé-le-Guillaume, Sarthe, France.
He was born in Sillé-le-Guillaume, Sarthe, France.
He drove a German Opel-Darracq to victory at Hamburg-Bahrenfeld. 1905 was his most successful year in his racing career. On December 30, 1905, he set a land speed record of 109.65 mph (17646 km/h) in Arles, France, driving a Darracq.
In 1951, Hémery was retroactively awarded the United States Driving Championship for 1905.
He left Darracq to join Benz & Cie. He scored another second-place finish behind Louis Wagner at the United States Grand Prix in Savannah, Georgia.
On November 8, 1909, he set another new speed record at Brooklands of 202.691 km/h (125946 mph) driving the famous "Blitzen Benz" (German for "Lightning Benz"). Victor Hémery died at Le Mans, France, on September 9, 1950, at the 73 years old.