Louis Chiron, born on 3 August 1899 in Monaco, was a racing driver. He became the principal driver for Bugatti in 1928, winning the Spanish and Italian Grands Prix that same year, followed by the German and Italian Grands Prix in 1929. When organising the inaugural Monaco Grand Prix, Commissioner-Ge...
Louis Chiron, born on 3 August 1899 in Monaco, was a racing driver. He became the principal driver for Bugatti in 1928, winning the Spanish and Italian Grands Prix that same year, followed by the German and Italian Grands Prix in 1929. When organising the inaugural Monaco Grand Prix, Commissioner-General of the Automobile Club, Antony Noghès, took sporting advice from Louis Chiron, with Jacques Taffe advising on the technical side. Although he raced in the Indy 500 in 1929, Chiron did not take part in the first ever GP in the Principality. The Monegasque driver did win the European Grand Prix in 1930, the French Grand Prix in 1931, and the Czechoslovakian Grand Prix in 1931 and 1932. He finally took victory on his home soil in the 3rd Monaco Grand Prix, in 1931. In 1950, he drove a Maserati to third place in the Monaco GP, behind Fangio and Ascari. He later added to his impressive achievements with a win in the Monte-Carlo Rally in 1954. At the request of Prince Rainier III, Louis Chiron served as Commissioner-General of the Monaco Grand Prix and the Monte-Carlo Rally until 1979. To this day, he remains the only driver to have won both Monegasque races. He died on 22 June 1979 in Monaco.
In 1890, the bicycle club Sport Vélocipédique de la Principauté (SVP) was founded by twenty-one cycling enthusiasts. In 1907, the club became “Sport Automobile et Vélocipédique de Monaco (SAVM)”, as a result of technological advances and the rise of the internal combustion engine. In 1909, Alexandre Noghès became President of the SAVM. He proposed a sporting event which eventually became reality at the behest of his son Antony, with the organisation of the first ever “Rallye Automobile Monaco” in 1911. In 1925, the club changed its name to “Automobile Club de Monaco” and, at the initiative of Antony Noghès, held the inaugural Monaco Grand Prix. This bust of Louis Chiron, created by the sculptor M. Millet, is a tribute to the memory of the great Monegasque champion and a reminder of the Principality’s close association with motor sport.
