Paul Baras (May 14, 1870 – November 6, 1941) was a road racing cyclist and racing driver from France. He competed in several early Grand Prix motor races, and held the world land speed record between November 1904 and January 1905.
Born in
Orchies
Orchies (; nl, Oorschie) is a commune in the department of Nord in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France.
Orchies is the biggest town of the Pévèle. It is especially known for its ''Musée de la chicorée'', the museum of chicory.
...
, France, Baras originally competed in cycling events including placing third in the 1894 Grand Prix de Paris Sprint. He switched to racing cars, initially in hill-climbs.
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Baras set the world land speed record on November 13, 1904. Driving a Darracq 100 hp, he completed the flying kilometer in twenty-one and two-fifths of a second to give an average speed of .
CYCLING NOTES BY DEMON. Otago Witness , Issue 2659, 1 March 1905, Page 59
In 1906, he participated in the
1906 French Grand Prix, inaugural French Grand Prix, and led the early stages of the race. He eventually finished seventh, although he also had the fastest lap of the race. The following year, he finished third in the French Grand Prix. In 1908 he retired after three laps of the race.
1908 French Grand Prix
The 1908 French Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race held at Dieppe on 7 July 1908.
Formula Changes
The race was run under a new formula agreed in Ostend in 1907. There was no fuel consumption limit, but the cars had a minimum weight of 110 ...
File:Paul Baras vers 1900 1.jpg, Baras in 1900.
File:Paul Baras vainqueur sur voiture légère à la côte de Gaillon 1901 (La Vie au Grand Air du 1er décembre 1901).jpg, Gaillon 1901.
File:Paul Baras au départ sur Darracq, sixième du Paris-Vienne 1902.jpg, Paris-Vienne 1902.
References
1870 births
1941 deaths
Cyclists from Hauts-de-France
French male cyclists
French racing drivers
Sportspeople from Nord (French department)
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