Gaston Chevrolet
Encyclopedia
Gaston Chevrolet was a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

-born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 racecar champion driver and automobile manufacturer.

Early life

Born near Beaune
Beaune
Beaune is the wine capital of Burgundy in the Cote d'Or department in eastern France. It is located between Paris and Geneva.Beaune is one of the key wine centers in France and the annual wine auction of the Hospices de Beaune is the primary wine auction in France...

, in the Côte-d'Or
Côte-d'Or
Côte-d'Or is a department in the eastern part of France.- History :Côte-d'Or is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was formed from part of the former province of Burgundy.- Geography :...

 department of France where his Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

 parents had emigrated to a few years earlier, he was the younger brother of Louis
Louis Chevrolet
Louis-Joseph Chevrolet was a Swiss-born American race car driver of French descent, co-founder of the Chevrolet Motor Car Company in 1911 and later, the Frontenac Motor Corporation in 1916 which made racing parts for Ford's Model T.-Early life:Born in 1878 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, a center of...

 (1878–1941, founder of the Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...

 car company) and Arthur Chevrolet
Arthur Chevrolet
Arthur Chevrolet, was a Swiss American racecar driver and automobile manufacturer.Born in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Neuchatel, Switzerland, Arthur was the middle brother of Louis and Gaston Chevrolet...

 (1884–1946). After brother Louis emigrated to the United States and earned enough money, he sent for Gaston and Arthur to join him. Once there, Gaston worked as an automotive mechanic and joined his brothers in auto racing.

In 1916, the year after older brother Louis left the Chevrolet car company, Gaston Chevrolet became a partner with Louis and Arthur in the new Frontenac Motor Corporation
Frontenac Motor Corporation
Frontenac Motor Corporation was the joint venture of Louis and Gaston Chevrolet. Louis returned to the Indy 500 racing circuit after leaving Chevrolet in 1915...

.

Indianapolis 500

Driving a Frontenac race car, Gaston competed in the 1919 Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...

, finishing in tenth place while brother Louis finished seventh.

Gaston broke the dominance of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

an built cars in the 1920 Indianapolis 500
1920 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1920 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 31, 1920....

, winning the race in a redesigned Monroe-Frontenac. In the process, he became the first driver in the history of the 500 miles (804.7 km) race to go the distance without making a tire change.

1920 National Champion and Death

Following his May 31, 1920 victory at Indianapolis, Gaston raced in several more events. He won a 100 miles (160.9 km) match race against top racers Tommy Milton
Tommy Milton
Tommy Milton was an American race car driver best known as the first two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500. He was notable for having only one functional eye -- a disability that would have disqualified him from competing in modern motorsports.Born in St...

 (ironically, driving a Chevrolet race car) and Ralph Mulford
Ralph Mulford
Ralph Mulford was an American racecar driver active during the formative years of the auto racing....

.

With the coming of winter in late 1920, racing moved to the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...

. While competing in the last race of the season on the board track
Board track racing
Board track, or motordrome, racing was a type of motorsport popular in the United States between the second and third decades of the 20th century. Competition was conducted on oval race courses with surfaces composed of wooden planks...

 at the Beverly Hills Speedway
Beverly Hills Speedway
Beverly Hills Speedway was an American board track in Beverly Hills, California, USA. It was the home to speeding Model Ts and airplanes which cut through the airspace of Beverly Hills during the roaring 20s. Built in 1919 on what is currently the site of the Beverly Wilshire Hotel and many shops...

, Gaston was killed when his Frontenac crashed on lap 146 of the 200 lap race. Despite the crash, Gaston had accumulated enough points during the race and through the season to win the 1920 title of "Speed King of the Year" (the AAA National Champion).

Gaston Chevrolet is interred next to his brothers in the Holy Cross and Saint Joseph Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...

.

Indy 500 results




Year Car Start Qual Rank Finish Laps Led Retired
1919
1919 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1919 Liberty Sweepstakes held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 31, 1919....

41 16 100.400 6 10 200 0 Running
1920
1920 Indianapolis 500
Results of the 1920 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 31, 1920....

4 6 91.550 8 1 200 14 Running
Totals 400 14

Starts 2
Poles 0
Front row 0
Wins 1
Top 5 1
Top 10 2
Retired 0


External links

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