Louis Wagner

Louis Wagner
  • Surname
    Wagner
  • First name
    Louis Auguste
  • Date of birth
    05.02.1882
  • Date of death
    13.03.1960

Born in Le Pré-Saint-Gervais, north-east of Paris, this Frenchman was one of the first professional racing drivers in motorsport history. His first experience of competition came shortly before the beginning of the 20th century. From 1904, he was a member of the Darracq works team and became one of the most successful drivers of the early era. In the same year, he also started in Darracq in the Gordon Bennett Cup race held in Germany and finished in eighth place. In the USA, Wagner also won the highly remunerated Vanderbilt Cup on Darracq in 1906, and two years later he won, this time with FIAT, the American Grand Prize in Savannah/Georgia, which was held for the first time.

in 1914, Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) signed up the French star driver for a start at the Grand Prix de l'A.C.F. in Lyon. As a member of the five-strong works team, he sat there behind the wheel of the superior Mercedes 4.5-litre Grand Prix racing car. Wagner finished the triumphant race for DMG in second place behind his team-mate Christian Lautenschlager and ahead of Otto Salzer.

The Frenchman's subsequent career included a start in the Indianapolis 500-mile race in 1919, a stint as a works driver for Alfa Romeo in the 1920s and two entries in the Le Mans 24-hour race. After the Second World War, Wagner took care of the Linas-Montlhéry race track, which had been put back into operation, where he served as director.

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