While many drivers have lost their lives on the track, racing probably saved Rene Dreyfus, not just from death but also from a fate even worse. Rene was born May 6, 1905 in Nice, France. He grew up during automobile racing’s golden era and learned to drive before he was nine years old. He purchased
Victory in motor sports is dependent on three factors: the skill and daring of the driver, the endurance of the vehicle and the patronage of Lady Luck. All three must work together to bring the driver from starter to champion finish. While any one factor may overwork to compensate for a deficiency in another ultimately
Raymond Sommer was born on August 31, 1906 in Mouzon, a small French town located in the Ardennes Department. Sommer had a family role model for risk-taking as in 1909 his father, Roger Sommer, broke the record set by the Wright Brothers for the longest flight. Sommer’s family owned a carpet manufacturing business in the
Luigi was born on July 17, 1901 in Milan, Italy. His father was a gunsmith and Luigi showed mechanical inclination from his early youth. He went to work as a mechanic for Alfa Romeo in 1917 when he was just sixteen. But at that time, many Italians were disturbed by the rising power of Fascism
When World War II came to France, three of her race drivers were excelling on the tracks. Robert Benoist had won the French, Spanish, Italian and British Grand Prix and as the only driver to do this in one year, he received the Legion of Honor from the French Government.
Then in 1937 he won the
William Charles Frederick Grover was born on January 16, 1903 in Montrouge, Paris, France. His father, Frederick Grover, was English and a horse breeder. William’s mother, Hermance Dagan Grover, was French. When William was eleven, his parents sent him to England to stay with relatives. After World War I, the family moved to Monte Carlo