Birabongse Bhanudej

Prince Birabongse Bhanudej Bhanubandh (; ; 15 July 191423 December 1985), commonly known as Prince Bira of Siam or simply Prince Bira, was a member of the Thai royal family. Bira was also a racing driver, sailor and pilot, who competed in Formula One from to and at four editions of the Summer Olympics between 1956 and 1972.

A member of the Chakri dynasty, Bira studied at Eton College before he began competing in Grand Prix motor racing in 1935, later advancing to Formula One for its inaugural season. He competed for several teams including Platé, Gordini, Connaught, Milano and Maserati, amongst other privateer entries in Maserati machinery. Across five seasons and 19 Grands Prix, Bira scored several points finishes, including fourth-placed finishes at the 1950 Swiss Grand Prix and the 1954 French Grand Prix, amongst two non-championship race victories. He remained the only Southeast Asian to compete in Formula One until Malaysian driver Alex Yoong in , and the only Thai driver until Alexander Albon in . Outside of Formula One, Bira won the New Zealand Grand Prix in 1955, driving the Maserati 250F.

Bira also competed in sailing events at four Summer Olympic Games and was an amateur pilot, undertaking several long-distance flights in light aircraft and gliders; in 1952 he flew from London to Bangkok in his own twin-engine Miles Gemini. During the Second World War, when motor racing was suspended, he applied his aviation skills to the training of Royal Air Force (RAF) fighter pilots, later serving as chief instructor at the St Merryn Royal Naval Air Station with a specialisation in glider-pilot instruction.

Bira is credited with establishing the racing colours of Thailand: pale blue and yellow. Upon his death in December 1985, the Bira Circuit was built in his honour, becoming the first motor racing circuit in Thailand to meet FIA standards.

Early life Bira's parents were Prince Bhanurangsi Savangwongse and his second wife. Bira's paternal grandfather was King Mongkut, loosely portrayed in the Hollywood movies The King and I and Anna and the King. His mother died when Bira was only four years old. Bira was sent to Europe in 1927 to complete his education in England at Eton College, where he joined one of his nephews, a grandchild of his father through his first marriage. In 1951, he raced in an old Maserati 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 a newer car, 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; he retired at the end of that season.

Bira returned to racing for the one-off Macau Grand Prix Race of Giants in 1978, finishing 13th.

Training RAF pilots during World War II F1 drivers are sometimes referred to as "pilots," a description that also applied to Bira, who had a strong interest in aviation, he undertook several long-distance journeys in light aircraft and gliders, and in 1952 flew from London to Bangkok in his own twin-engine Miles Gemini. During World War II, when motor racing was suspended, Bira applied his skills to training fighter pilots for Britain's Royal Air Force. He eventually became chief instructor at the St Merryn Royal Naval Air Station, specialising in glider-pilot instruction.

Sailing Bira competed in sailing events at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics in the Star, 1960 Rome Olympics in the Star, 1964 Tokyo Olympics in the Dragon and the 1972 Munich Olympics in the Tempest. In the 1960 Games he competed against another former Formula One driver, Roberto Mieres, who finished seventeenth, ahead of the prince at nineteenth.

Death Bira died at Barons Court tube station in London on 23 December 1985. He collapsed and died having suffered a major heart attack, but as he carried no identification with him, his body could not initially be identified. A handwritten note was found in his pocket by the Metropolitan Police and was sent for analysis at the University of London, where it was shown as being written in Thai and addressed to Bira. The Thai Embassy was notified, and realised his significance. A Thai funeral service was held at the Wat Buddhapadipa in Wimbledon, and he was later cremated according to Thai and Buddhist tradition and customs.

Other honors Bira Circuit, based just outside Pattaya, Thailand, is named after Bira.

In 2016, in an academic paper that reported a mathematical modeling study that assessed the relative influence of driver and machine, Bira was ranked the forty-third best Formula One driver of all time.

Development of the Thai racing colours Bira was instrumental in developing and setting the national racing colours of Thailand. The base colour for the scheme, a mid to pale powder blue, was adopted by Bira in 1934, and was derived from the evening dress of a young woman that Bira met during his early years in London. Initially the cars were painted solely in blue, but gradually Bira added in some yellow to offset the base colour. He started painting the cars' chassis rails yellow in 1939.

Racing record

Career highlights

Complete European Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 Pts 1938 Squadra Sabauda Maserati 8CM Maserati 3.0 L8 FRA GER SUI14 ITA —

Post-World War II Grandes Épreuves results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete Formula One World Championship results (key)

Complete non-championship Formula One results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Ancestry