Louis Wagner
Encyclopedia
Louis Wagner was a French
race car
driver who won the first ever United States
and British Grands Prix
. Wagner was also a pioneer aviator
.
Wagner was born in Le Pré-Saint-Gervais
, Seine-Saint-Denis
. He began racing cars while in his teens and claimed victory in 1903 driving a Darracq
in a voiturette
class race at the Circuit des Ardennes
at Bastogne
, Belgium
. Wagner was one of the drivers for the Darracq team in the 1904 Gordon Bennett Cup
in Germany
that finished 8th and in 1905 at the Circuit d'Auvergne in Clermont-Ferrand
, he was eliminated in the first round.
Competing in the United States
, Louis Wagner won the Vanderbilt Cup
of 1906
driving a Darracq model 120 over a Long Island racecourse. He finished 5th in the 1907 Kaiserpreis
in Germany but the following year in Savannah
won the first ever United States Grand Prix driving a Fiat
.
Driving a Mercedes
, Louis Wagner finished second to Christian Lautenschlager
in the 1914 French Grand Prix
at Lyon. He competed in the 1919 Indianapolis 500
driving a Ballot
but went out with a broken wheel on lap 45. In 1924 he drove for the Alfa Romeo
team, in a P2
alongside Antonio Ascari
and Giuseppe Campari
. In 1926, Wagner teamed up with Robert Sénéchal to drive a Delage 155B
to victory in the first ever British Grand Prix. In August he won the Grand Prix de la Baule in a Delage 2LCV. In addition to Grand Prix racing, Wagner also competed in the 24 hours of Le Mans
endurance race.
company flying their monoplanes.
Louis Wagner died in 1960 at the age of 78 in Montlhéry
, France.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
race car
Grand Prix motor racing
Grand Prix motor racing has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as far back as 1894. It quickly evolved from a simple road race from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car and driver...
driver who won the first ever United States
United States Grand Prix
The United States Grand Prix is a motor race which has been run on and off since 1908, when it was known as the American Grand Prize. The race later became part of the Formula One World Championship. Over 41 editions, the race has been held at nine locations, most recently in 2007 at the...
and British Grands Prix
British Grand Prix
The British Grand Prix is a race in the calendar of the FIA Formula One World Championship. It is currently held at the Silverstone Circuit near the village of Silverstone in Northamptonshire...
. Wagner was also a pioneer aviator
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
.
Wagner was born in Le Pré-Saint-Gervais
Le Pré-Saint-Gervais
Le Pré-Saint-Gervais is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. With a density of 23,396 inhabitants per square kilometres at the last French census of 1999, Le Pré-Saint-Gervais is officially the most densely populated municipality in...
, Seine-Saint-Denis
Seine-Saint-Denis
- Culture :A number of hip hop artists come from the Seine-Saint-Denis, including one of the first major hip-hop groups in France, NTM, as well as Lord Kossity, or more recent acts such as Tandem or Sefyu.- Miscellaneous topics :...
. He began racing cars while in his teens and claimed victory in 1903 driving a Darracq
Darracq
Automobiles Darracq S.A. was a French motor vehicle manufacturing company founded in 1896 by Alexandre Darracq.Using part of the substantial profit he had made from selling his Gladiator bicycle factory, Alexandre Darracq began operating from a plant in the Parisian suburb of Suresnes...
in a voiturette
Voiturette
Voiturette is a word mostly used to describe a miniature automobile; however, it has several nuanced meanings, depending largely on the usage date.-History:...
class race at the Circuit des Ardennes
Circuit des Ardennes
The Circuit des Ardennes was an auto race held annually at the Circuit de Bastogne, Bastogne, from 1902 to 1907. It was the first major race to run on a closed course instead of from one city to another.- Winners of the Circuit des Ardennes :...
at Bastogne
Bastogne
Bastogne Luxembourgish: Baaschtnech) is a Walloon municipality of Belgium located in the province of Luxembourg in the Ardennes. The municipality of Bastogne includes the old communes of Longvilly, Noville, Villers-la-Bonne-Eau, and Wardin...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. Wagner was one of the drivers for the Darracq team in the 1904 Gordon Bennett Cup
Gordon Bennett Cup in auto racing
As one of three Gordon Bennett Cups established by James Gordon Bennett, Jr., millionaire owner of the New York Herald, the automobile racing award was first given in 1900 in France....
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
that finished 8th and in 1905 at the Circuit d'Auvergne in Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne region, with a population of 140,700 . Its metropolitan area had 409,558 inhabitants at the 1999 census. It is the prefecture of the Puy-de-Dôme department...
, he was eliminated in the first round.
Competing in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Louis Wagner won the Vanderbilt Cup
Vanderbilt Cup
The Vanderbilt Cup was the first major trophy in American auto racing.-History:An international event, it was founded by William Kissam Vanderbilt II in 1904 and first held at a course set out in Nassau County on Long Island, New York. The announcement that the race was to be held caused...
of 1906
1906 Vanderbilt Cup
Just like the elimination race this race was stopped as the crowd invaded the course.- Classification :...
driving a Darracq model 120 over a Long Island racecourse. He finished 5th in the 1907 Kaiserpreis
Kaiserpreis
The Kaiserpreis auto race, named after Emperor Wilhelm II, was held in 1907. Like his brother's Prinz-Heinrich-Fahrt held from 1908 to 1911, it was a precursor to the German Grand Prix....
in Germany but the following year in Savannah
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
won the first ever United States Grand Prix driving a Fiat
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
.
Driving a Mercedes
Mercedes-Benz in motorsport
Throughout its long history, Mercedes-Benz has been involved in a range of motorsport activities, including sportscar racing and rallying, and is currently active in Formula Three, DTM and Formula One.-Early history:...
, Louis Wagner finished second to Christian Lautenschlager
Christian Lautenschlager
Christian Friedrich Lautenschlager was a German Grand Prix motor racing champion.Born in the village of Magstadt, Baden-Württemberg, Germany near Stuttgart, Christian Lautenschlager was 14 years old when he began training for a career as a machinist at a company in Stuttgart...
in the 1914 French Grand Prix
French Grand Prix
The French Grand Prix was a race held as part of Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One automobile racing championships....
at Lyon. He competed in the 1919 Indianapolis 500
1919 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1919 Liberty Sweepstakes held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 31, 1919....
driving a Ballot
Ballot (automobile)
Ballot was a French automobile manufacturer who made cars between 1921 and 1932.The Ballot brothers, Edouard and Maurice, founded their company in 1905. Before World War I they manufactured automobile and marine engines. The company was re-founded as Etablissements Ballot SA in 1910.Edouard...
but went out with a broken wheel on lap 45. In 1924 he drove for the Alfa Romeo
Alfa Corse
Alfa Corse is the name of Alfa Romeo's factory racing team. Throughout the years, Alfa Corse has competed in various forms of motorsport, from Grand Prix motor racing to touring car racing....
team, in a P2
Alfa Romeo P2
The Alfa Romeo P2 won the inaugural Automobile World Championship in 1925, taking victory in two of the four championship rounds when Antonio Ascari drove it in the European Grand Prix at Spa and Gastone Brilli-Peri won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza after Ascari died while leading the intervening...
alongside Antonio Ascari
Antonio Ascari
Antonio Ascari was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing champion.Antonio Ascari was born near Mantua, in the Lombardy region of Italy, as the son of a corn dealer. He began racing cars at the top levels in Italy in 1919, using a modified 1914 Fiat...
and Giuseppe Campari
Giuseppe Campari
Giuseppe Campari was an Italian opera singer and Grand Prix motor racing driver.-Racing career:Born Giuseppe Campari near the city of Lodi southwest of Milan, as a teenager he went to work for the Alfa Romeo automobile company...
. In 1926, Wagner teamed up with Robert Sénéchal to drive a Delage 155B
Delage
Delage was a French luxury automobile and racecar company founded in 1905 by Louis Delage in Levallois-Perret near Paris; it was acquired by Delahaye in 1935 and ceased operation in 1953.-History:...
to victory in the first ever British Grand Prix. In August he won the Grand Prix de la Baule in a Delage 2LCV. In addition to Grand Prix racing, Wagner also competed in the 24 hours of Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
endurance race.
Aviation
Wagner switched from automobiles to flying airplanes in 1910. He worked for the HanriotHanriot
The Hanriot company was a French aircraft manufacturer.Following pioneering work, mainly with monoplanes, René Hanriot established a new company, Aeroplanes Hanriot et Cie in 1914...
company flying their monoplanes.
Louis Wagner died in 1960 at the age of 78 in Montlhéry
Montlhéry
Montlhéry is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France. It is located from Paris.Inhabitants of Montlhéry are known as Montlhériens.-History:...
, France.
Indy 500 results
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External links
- Louis Wagner wins the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race (VanderbiltCupRaces.com)