Birabongse Bhanudej (Paperback)

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles Prince Birabongse Bhanudej Bhanubandh (15 July 1914, Bangkok, Thailand - 23 December 1985, Barons Court Station, London) better known as Prince Bira of Siam (now Thailand), or by his nom de course B. Bira, was a Formula One and Grand Prix motor racing driver who raced for the Maserati, Gordini, and Connaught teams, among others. A child of H.R.H. Prince Bhanurangsi Savangwongse, Prince Birabongse came to Europe in 1927 to complete his education in England at Eton and Cambridge University. Bira first raced with his cousin H.R.H. Prince Chula Chakrabongse's team, White Mouse Racing, driving a Riley Imp at Brooklands in 1935. It was in this car that Bira established the national motor racing colours of Siam: pale blue with yellow. He also established residence near Geneva (Switzerland) and later in the south of France. This explains his activity in smaller, more local type events. Later in the same year, Prince Chula gave him one of the new ERA voiturette racing cars - R2B, which was nicknamed Romulus. Bira finished second in his first ever race in Romulus, despite needing to stop for repairs.