René Alfred Thomas (7 March 1886 – 23 September 1975) was a French

racing driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...

. Thomas was also a pioneer

aviator An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators because they a ...

. He won the 1914 Indianapolis 500.

Biography

Thomas was born on 7 March 1886 in

Périgueux Périgueux (, ; or ) is a commune in the Dordogne department, in the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. Périgueux is the prefecture of Dordogne, and the capital city of Périgord. It is also the seat of ...

, France. A leading driver in his native France, Thomas traveled to the United States to compete in the

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly shortened to Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indian ...

on four occasions. He won the 1914 Indianapolis 500 on his inaugural try driving a

Delage Delage is a French luxury automobile and racecar company founded in 1905 by Louis Delâge in Levallois-Perret near Paris; it was acquired by Delahaye in 1935 and ceased operation in 1953. On 7 November 2019, the association "Les Amis de Dela ...

. Thomas was given leave from the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

so he could continue to race. Laminated spring steel steering wheels were manufactured in the inter-war period engraved with Thomas' portrait and signature and were used particularly on Delage motorcars, but also by racing driver

Jean Chassagne Julien Jean Chassagne (26 July 1881 – 13 April 1947) was a pioneer submariner, aviator, and French racing driver active 1906–1930. Chassagne finished third in the 1913 French Grand Prix; won the Grand Prix Sunbeams 1921, 1922 TT, 1922 Touris ...

on his winning 1922 TT Sunbeam.Motor Sport & Clutton (1948), P.77 On 6 July 1924 at

Arpajon Arpajon () is a commune in the Essonne department in the Île-de-France region of northern France. The commune has been awarded three flowers by the ''National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom'' in the ''Competition of cities and village ...

, France, Thomas set a new world

land speed record The land speed record (LSR) or absolute land speed record is the highest speed achieved by a person using a vehicle on land. By a 1964 agreement between the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and Fédération Internationale de M ...

when he drove a Delage at . On 28 May 1973, Thomas returned to Indianapolis to drive his winning Delage in a series of parade laps, prior to the start of the 1973 Indianapolis 500. Although he did not drive the car himself, he did sit in the seat where the riding mechanic would sit. Thomas died on 23 September 1975 in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France, at age 89.

Aviation

Beginning around 1910 Thomas flew airplanes for the Antoinette company whose president was Leon Levavasseur.

Hubert Latham Arthur Charles Hubert Latham (10 January 1883 – 25 June 1912) was a French aviation pioneer. He was the first person to attempt to cross the English Channel in an aeroplane. Due to engine failure during his first of two attempts to cross t ...

was one of Thomas's fellow Antoinette test pilots. Thomas competed in early aviation competitions throughout Europe. In

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

Italy in October 1910 Thomas was involved in the world's first mid-air collision when his Antoinette monoplane fell onto the Farman biplane of Scottish aviator Captain Bertram Dickson. Thomas miraculously was not seriously injured but Dickson suffered internal injuries and never fully recovered, eventually dying in 1913.

Motorsports career results

Indianapolis 500 results

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, René 1886 births 1975 deaths French racing drivers Indianapolis 500 drivers Indianapolis 500 polesitters Indianapolis 500 winners Land speed record people French aviators Sportspeople from Périgueux French military personnel of World War I