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
Between the two world wars, Algeria, then a French colony in North Africa produced two international class drivers. One was Marcel Lehoux. Marcel’s parents were both French and Marcel was actually born in France, at castle of Fougeres in Vendee in 1888. When he was two years old his parents moved from France to Algeria
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
Alberto Ascari was literally born into the Grand Prix. He entered this world on July 13, 1918 in Milan, Italy. His father was Antonio Ascari, the Italian racing star of the Grand Prix during the 1920’s. Antonio also owned a Fiat dealership in Milan. As a child Alberto met the celebrities of the racing world
Philippe Etancelin’s racing career was unique in several ways. It spanned four decades from 1926 until 1952. When he placed fifth in the Italian Grand Prix in 1950 he became, at age 53, the oldest driver who scored championship points. And, at the inception of the F-1 Championship in 1950, Philippe was also 53 when
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
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
One of France’s legendary racing drivers, and a war hero Benoist was born on March 20, 1895 in France. His father was employed by Baron Henri de Rothschild as a gamekeeper. As a young man, Robert craved excitement so he joined the French infantry in World War I. Then he transferred to the Armee de
Jean-Pierre Wimille was born in Paris on February 26,1908. His father was a motor sports enthusiast who wrote for the Petit Parisien newspaper. However, Jean-Pierre’s role model was Robert Benoist who was France’s star driver at that time. Jean-Pierre began his racing career when he was 22. He started out as a wild driver but