Birabongse, Prince Bhanubandh

A grandson of King Mongkut, Prince Birabongse Bhanudej Bhanubandh of Siam was educated at Eton and Cambridge. He became involved in automobile racing in the 1930s, and singlehandedly established Thailand’s racing colors. Initially competing under the pseudonym of “B. Bira”, Bhanudej became best known as Prince Bira. He started racing internationally in 1935, when he lived in the south of France and Genève, Switzerland. In 1936 he won the Couple de Prince Rainier in Monte Carlo and won four other races that year in ERAs.

Between 1950 and 1954, he competed in 19 Formula One World Championship races, scoring championship points on three occasions for a career total of eight. His best result was in the 1950 Swiss Grand Prix, in which he finished fourth in a Maserati. He also won the 1955 New Zealand Grand Prix, a lesser race. Returning to Thailand in 1955, he switched attention to a different hobby: sailing. He represented his country four times at the Olympics, although never with any success. Prince Bira was also instrumental in getting the Fireball World Championships to Thailand in 1978. Bira, who died of a heart attack in the London Underground in 1985, is remembered for his exploits by the Bira International Circuit outside Pattaya, and the Prince Bira Memorial Regatta, held since 1990.