Prince Bira

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Prince Bira
Nationality  Flag of Thailand Thai
Formula One World Championship career
Active years 1950 - 1954
Teams Enrico Platé, Gordini, Connaught, Maserati, Scuderia Milano
Races 19
Championships 0
Wins 0
Podium finishes    0
Career points 8
Pole positions 0
Fastest laps 0
First race 1950 British Grand Prix
Last race 1954 Spanish Grand Prix
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Participating years 1939, 1954
Teams Raymond Sommer
Aston Martin
Best finish dnf (1939, 1954)
Class wins 0

Birabongse Bhanutej Bhanubandh (b. 15 July 1914, Bangkok, Thailand - d. 23 December 1985, Barons Court Station, London) best known as Prince Bira of Siam (now Thailand) was a Formula One and Grand Prix motor racing driver who raced for the Maserati, Gordini and Connaught teams, among others.

Contents

[edit] Before the Second World War

A child of Prince Bhanurangsi Savangwongse, Prince Birabongse came to Europe in 1927 to complete his education in England at Eton and Cambridge University. Bira first raced with his cousin Prince Chula Chakrabongse's team, White Mouse Racing, driving a Riley Imp at Brooklands in 1935. It was in this car that Bira established the national motor racing colours of Siam: pale blue with yellow. He also established residence near Geneva (Switzerland) and later in the south of France. This explains his activity in smaller, more local type events.

Later in the same year, Prince Chula gave him one of the new ERA voiturette racing cars - R2B, which was nicknamed Romulus. Bira finished second in his first ever race in Romulus, despite needing to stop for repairs. The remaining races of the season saw Bira consistently placing amongst the more powerful Grands Prix vehicles, with another second place, and fifth at the Donington Grand Prix.

For 1936 the princes decided that the previous season's results merited a second ERA. They purchased Remus to use in British events and retained Romulus for international races. Chula also purchased a Maserati 8CM to complete the White Mouse roster. Bira's expertise behind the wheel earned him the Coupe de Prince Rainier at Monte Carlo. Bira won a further four races in the ERAs that season, and took the Grand Prix Maserati to 5th at Donington and 3rd at Brooklands.

Unfortunately, this proved to be the career high-point for both Bira and the White Mouse team. Following Dick Seaman's move to Mercedes for 1937, the Thais purchased his Grand Prix Delage and all of its spare parts, along with a second Delage. Despite several upgrades, and hiring experienced race engineer and future Jaguar team manager Lofty England, the cars underperformed, and on many occasions Bira was forced to race in the older and by now substantially inferior ERAs. In addition, the money spent on the Delage upgrades had sapped the resources of the team and corners were being cut in the ERA's race preparations. While Bira maintained a respectable results tally in British events, the more costly international races were largely a disaster.

[edit] Post war

After the war, Bira returned to racing with several teams. In 1951 he raced in an old 4CLT fitted with a newer V12 Osca engine. No results were obtained this year as a result of the poor performance of the car combined with a severe accident. By 1954, with some newer gear, a Maserati 250F, he won the Grand Prix des Frontières on the Chimay road circuit and then finished fourth in the 1954 French Grand Prix with his own Maserati. In January 1955, he won the New Zealand Grand Prix at Ardmore, but then retired at the end of the season.

Prince Bira died unexpectedly at a London tube station in 1985 at the age of 71.

[edit] Complete World Championship Formula One results

(key)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 WDC Points
1950 Enrico Platé Maserati 4CLT/48 Maserati Straight-4 s GBR
Ret		 MON
5		 500
 SUI
4		 BEL
 FRA
 ITA
Ret		 8th 5
1951 "B. Bira" Maserati 4CLT/48 OSCA V12 SUI
 500
 BEL
 FRA
 GBR
 GER
 ITA
 ESP
Ret		 - 0
1952 Equipe Gordini Gordini Type 15 Gordini Straight-4 s SUI
Ret		 500
 BEL
10		 - 0
Gordini Type 16 Gordini Straight-6 FRA
Ret		 GBR
11		 GER
 NED
 ITA
1953 Connaught Engineering Connaught Type A Lea-Francis Straight-4 ARG
 500
 NED
 BEL
 FRA
Ret		 GBR
7		 GER
Ret		 SUI
 - 0
Scuderia Milano Maserati A6GCM Maserati Straight-6 ITA
11
1954 Officine Alfieri Maserati Maserati A6GCM Maserati Straight-6 ARG
7		 500
 17th 3
"B. Bira" Maserati 250F Maserati Straight-6 BEL
6		 FRA
4		 GBR
Ret		 GER
Ret		 SUI
 ITA
 ESP
9

[edit] Trivia

  • King Mongkut, portrayed in the Hollywood movies "The King and I" and "Anna and the King", was Prince Bira's grandfather.
  • Bira International Race Circuit based just outside Pattaya on the road to Rayong - Thailand, was named after Prince Bira.

[edit] External links