Frenchman Jean Rondeau, who in 1980 became...

Frenchman Jean Rondeau, who in 1980 became the first driver to win the Le Mans 24 Hour race in a car of his own construction, was killed Friday in France in a railroad-crossing accident.

Rondeau, 39, died when a train hit his Porsche, which was trapped between crossing barriers at Champagne, about six miles from Le Mans and less than a mile from the factory where Rondeau built Formula Ford racers. Police said the barriers had been lifted after another train went by moments earlier, allowing three or four cars through before they were lowered again, blocking Rondeau’s car on the tracks.