Prince Bira
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Nation: |
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Automobile world championship | |||||||||
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First start: | Great Britain Grand Prix 1950 | ||||||||
Last start: | 1954 Spanish Grand Prix | ||||||||
Constructors | |||||||||
1950 Enrico Platé 1951 Bira 1952 Gordini 1953 Connaught Engineering 1954 Maserati , Bira | |||||||||
statistics | |||||||||
World Cup balance: | World Cup eighth ( 1950 ) | ||||||||
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World Cup points : | 8th | ||||||||
Podiums : | - | ||||||||
Leadership laps : | - |
Prince Bira , actually Prince Birabongse Bhanutej Bhanubhandhu (born July 15, 1914 in Bangkok , † December 23, 1985 in London ), was a Thai automobile racing driver and sailing enthusiast .
Life
Prince Bira was the son of Prince Bhanurangsri Sawangvongse, a son of King Mongkut and younger brother of King Chulalongkorn , and of Mom Lek Bhanubhandhu na Ayudhya. Its official title in Thai was พระ วร วงศ์ เธอ พระองค์เจ้า พีร พงศ์ ภาณุ เดช (pronounced: [ pʰrá wora-woŋ-tʰə pʰrá ʡong-ʤâo pʰina-pʰoŋ pʰaː-nú-dèt ]), the short form was พระองค์ พี ระ - "Phra- ong Phira ", so" Prince Bira ". He was raised in Thailand until he was 13 years old. In 1927 he came to Great Britain for further training, where he first studied at Eton College and later at Cambridge University .
In 1935 he started racing in the team of his cousin Prince Chula Chakrabongse. With ERA cars, he contested numerous races in the Voiturette class, the predecessor series of Formula 2 . Among other things, he won the Voiturette Grand Prix of Monaco in 1936. After the Second World War , he competed in several Grand Prix races with cars from OSCA , Simca-Gordini and Connaught . He achieved his greatest success in a private Maserati , which was painted in a striking blue and yellow. His best results in Formula 1 races, which were part of the world championship, were fourth places at the Swiss Grand Prix in 1950 and the French Grand Prix in 1954 . In 1955, Prince Bira resigned from racing.
He found a new sporting field of activity in sailing. He represented his home country four times at the Olympic Games. In 1956 he was twelfth, four years later nineteenth in the Star class . In 1964 his wife Arunee also belonged to the crew of the dragon , who finished 22nd and penultimate. In 1972, Prince Bira finally sailed in the Star again. The final result was 21st place.
He died after a heart attack .
statistics
Statistics in the automobile world championship
general overview
season | team | chassis | engine | run | Victories | Second | Third | Poles | nice Race laps |
Points | WM-Pos. |
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1950 | Enrico Platé |
Maserati 4CLT / 48 Maserati 4CLT / 50 |
Maserati 1.5 L4s | 4th | - | - | - | - | - | 5 | 8th. |
1951 | Ecurie Siam | Maserati 4CLT / 48 | OSCA 4.5 V12 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | NC |
1952 | Equipe Gordini | Gordini T15 | Gordini 1.5 L4 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | NC |
Gordini T16 | Gordini 2.0 L6 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | ||||
1953 | Connaught Engineering | Connaught Type A | Lea-Francis 2.0 L4 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | NC |
Scuderia Milano | Maserati A6GCM | Maserati 2.0 L6 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | |||
1954 | Officine Alfieri Maserati | Maserati A6GCM | Maserati 2.0 L6 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | 17th |
Bira | Maserati 250F | Maserati 2.5 L6 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | |||
total | 19th | - | - | - | - | - | 8th |
Single results
season | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4th | 5 | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9 |
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1950 |
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DNF | 5 | 4th | DNF | ||||||
1951 |
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DNA | DNA | DNF | |||||||
1952 |
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DNF | 10 | DNF | 11 | ||||||
1953 |
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DNF | 7th | DNF | 11 | ||||||
1954 |
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7th | 6th | 4th | DNF | DNF | 9 | ||||
1955 |
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DNA |
Legend | ||
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colour | abbreviation | meaning |
gold | - | victory |
silver | - | 2nd place |
bronze | - | 3rd place |
green | - | Placement in the points |
blue | - | Classified outside the point ranks |
violet | DNF | Race not finished (did not finish) |
NC | not classified | |
red | DNQ | did not qualify |
DNPQ | failed in pre-qualification (did not pre-qualify) | |
black | DSQ | disqualified |
White | DNS | not at the start (did not start) |
WD | withdrawn | |
Light Blue | PO | only participated in the training (practiced only) |
TD | Friday test driver | |
without | DNP | did not participate in the training (did not practice) |
INJ | injured or sick | |
EX | excluded | |
DNA | did not arrive | |
C. | Race canceled | |
no participation in the World Cup | ||
other | P / bold | Pole position |
SR / italic | Fastest race lap | |
* | not at the finish, but counted due to the distance covered |
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() | Streak results | |
underlined | Leader in the overall standings |
Le Mans results
year | team | vehicle | Teammate | placement | Failure reason |
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1939 |
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Alfa Romeo 6C 2500SS |
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failure | Engine failure |
1954 |
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Aston Martin DB3S Coupe |
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failure | accident |
Individual results in the sports car world championship
season | team | race car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4th | 5 | 6th |
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1954 | Aston Martin | Aston Martin DB3 |
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DNF |
Web links
- Detailed résumé of Prince Bira at soravij.com (English)
- Leif Snellman: "B. Bira" (Prince Birabongse Bhanutej Bhanubandh) (T). www.kolumbus.fi, February 25, 2020, accessed on March 28, 2020 (English).
- Banutej Bhanuband Birabongse. www.24h-en-piste.com, accessed on March 28, 2020 (French).
- Prince Bira in the Internet Movie Database (English)
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Prince Bira |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Prince Birabongse Bhanutej Bhanubhandhu (full name) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Thai automobile racer and yachtsman |
DATE OF BIRTH | July 15, 1914 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Bangkok |
DATE OF DEATH | December 23, 1985 |
Place of death | London |