{"id":67460,"date":"2021-04-16T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-16T03:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.secret-classics.com\/?p=67460"},"modified":"2021-05-03T07:15:23","modified_gmt":"2021-05-03T07:15:23","slug":"louis-chiron-at-the-monaco-grand-prix-1931","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.secret-classics.com\/en\/louis-chiron-at-the-monaco-grand-prix-1931\/","title":{"rendered":"Louis Chiron at the Monaco Grand Prix 1931"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Monaco Grand Prix has been held since 1929. Its 3.3-kilometer circuit runs through the street canyons of the city-state. Even back then, there were neither run-off zones nor gravel beds. It isn’t a permanent race course, but a race over what are actually public roads. The track goes up and down through tight curves. It wasn’t unusual for parts or even whole cars to end up in the harbor basin. Nowadays, at least, there are guard rails and special barriers to prevent bad accident outcomes. Nevertheless, this race is and remains a great challenge for cars and drivers. Bugatti has been involved from the very beginning. The very first Monte Carlo Grand Prix was won by William ‘Williams’ Charles Frederick Grover in a Bugatti Type 35B. Two years later, another works driver made history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Organizer and driver of the Monaco GP<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Louis Chiron, the namesake of today’s Bugatti supercar, was born in Monte Carlo on August 3, 1899 and therefore had Monegasque citizenship. He learned to drive a car at the age of 15. From 1925 he took an active part in motor racing, initially in a private Bugatti. His first successes in hill climbs came in 1927 and 1928. At the same time, he actively participated in the organisation of a Grand Prix in Monte Carlo together with the Automobile Club of Monaco. However, his role as organizer didn’t end there; he also wanted to compete himself. He took part in the third Grand Prix de Monaco in a Bugatti Type 51. Unlike today, there were no timed practice runs back then. Instead, the starting position of the 24 participants were determined by lot. In addition to Louis Chiron, another 15 drivers drove a Bugatti racing car, four of them in the factory team.<\/p>\n\n\n

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