Eduardo Dibós Chappuis (22 June 1927 – 15 October 1973), called "Chachi", was a

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

vian racing driver and politician in the early 1970s. He was the mayor of

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

from 1970 to 1973. He was son of Eduardo Dibós Dammert. Dibós raced in the

1959 Daytona 500 The 1959 First 500 Mile NASCAR International Sweepstakes at Daytona (now known as the 1959 Inaugural Daytona 500) was the second race of the 1959 NASCAR Grand National Series season. It was held on February 22, 1959, in front of 41,921 spectator ...

, the inaugural edition of the race. He owned a very important

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and be ...

motorcar from 1961 until Jan 1965 - A 250 SWB Berlinetta Serial number 03175, believed to be the 250 GTO Prototipo vehicle. He raced this car in many races, including the 1964

24 Hours of Daytona The 24 Hours of Daytona, also known as the Rolex 24 At Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car racing, sports car Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Flo ...

finishing 10th in Class, to the likes of Pedro Rodriguez,

Phil Hill Philip Toll Hill Jr. (April 20, 1927 – August 28, 2008) was an American racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Hill won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Ferrari, and won three Grands Prix across eight seas ...

& David Piper all driving superior 250 GTO machines.

Early life and education

Dibós was born on June 22, 1927 to Eduardo Dibós Dammert and Rina Chappuis Castagnino. His father became a mayor of

Lima, Peru Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

. At an early age, he became interested in racing. He studied engineering at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

(MIT) in 1947.

Racing career

NASCAR

In 1959, Dibós, alongside fellow Peruvian driver Raul Cilloniz, traveled to Florida to compete in the inaugural running of the

Daytona 500 The Daytona 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is the first of two Cup races held every year at Daytona, the second being the Coke Zero Sugar 400, and one of three ...

. Driving the No. 37 Thunderbird for team owner Van Acker, he finished fifth in the 40-lap qualifying race, and started ninth on the day of the race. However, he fell out of the race early with a suspension issue and finished 48th. He returned later that year to compete in the inaugural Firecracker 250. He qualified third and finished fifth in what would be his final Cup race.

Peruvian circuit

As President of the Peruvian Automobile Club (ACP), Dibós was the manager of the Caminos del Inca racing competition in 1966.

Political career

On December 16, 1969, Dibós was appointed mayor of Lima. He initiated several infrastructure projects including restoring the municipal theater and constructing roads connecting to the Costa Verde.

Personal life

Dibós married Betty Silva. They had ten children, including Juan Antonio Dibós, ACP president Eduardo 'Chachito' Dibós, and actress Denisse Dibós. His brother, , is an honorary member of the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...

Death and legacy

Dibós died suddenly in

Munich, Germany Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

on October 15, 1973, at the age of 46. The cause of death was a heart attack, which cut short his mayoral term. On December 17, 2022, a monument and commemorative plaque dedicated to him were inaugurated in the Miraflores District in Lima.

References

External links

* Mayors of Lima 1973 deaths 20th-century mayors of places in Peru Peruvian racing drivers NASCAR drivers Peruvian people of French descent Peruvian sportsperson-politicians 1927 births Alarco family {{Peru-autoracing-bio-stub