Louis Rigolly

Louis Rigolly (1876 - 1958), a Frenchman, was the first man to drive a car at over 100 miles per hour (160 km/h).[1]

Louis Rigolly in his car which first exceeded 100 mph in 1904

He set a record of 103.561 mph (166.665 km/h) on a beach at Ostend in Belgium on 21 July 1904, driving a 13.5 litre Gobron-Brillié[2] racing car. He covered a 1 kilometre course in 21.6 seconds, beating Belgian Pierre de Caters mark of 97.25 mph (156.51 km/h), set the previous May over the same 1 kilometre course in Ostend. The record stood for just three months. Rigolly also participated in early Grand Prix motor racing, winning the Light car class of the inaugural Circuit des Ardennes in 1902, driving a Gobron-Brillié.[3]

See also

References
  1. World Land Speed Records Archived 2007-08-31 at the Wayback Machine
  2. 1904: Gordon-Brillie driven by Louis Rigolly
  3. Sheldon, Paul (1987). A Record of Grand Prix and Voiturette Racing Volume 1. pp. 19–21. ISBN 0951243306.
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