Victor Rigal (22 September 1879 – June 1941) was a French racing driver.
| Victor Rigal | |
| Birth Date: | 22 September 1879 |
| Birth Place: | Paris, France |
He began his career in motorsport at the Critérium des Coeurs in 1898, on a tricycle made by De Dion-Bouton. He won the Levassor Prize for Motorcycles in 1901, and obtained the record of the kilometre in the same year at 33 seconds, at nearly 110 km/h in Achères, thanks to a twin-cylinder engine from Buchet. In 1902, he won the kilometre-long Deauville category for motorcycles at almost 125 km/h, still with the Buchet engine (32CV 4.3L),[1] with the same vehicle still allowing him in November to reach more than 124 km/h in the Parisian region on another kilometer, accomplished in 29 seconds.[2] He then took part in the Paris-Madrid Motor Race in 1903, on a Mors type Z. In 1906, he finished fourth in the Targa Florio in an Itala 35/40HP, becoming one of the official Werner drivers on tri-cars. He then returned to participate in the Italian event the following year on a Berliet, and in 1907 was hired by Darracq Motor Engineering Company.
In 1908, he won in Boulogne-sur-Mer the coast races of both Pont de Bainethun and Porte Gayole, on a Clément-Bayard on the same day.[3]
He finished 3rd in the 1912 Grand Prix de France in Dieppe on a Sunbeam, winning the Coupe l'Auto category 3 Litre.[4] He came 4th in 1908 on a Clément-Bayard, 5th in 1907 on a Darracq, and 7th in 1914 on a Peugeot EX5.
He also participated in the Grand Prix of the United States in 1908, where he finished 7th [5] and obtained places of esteem at the Cup of Carts where he is often registered.
In 1922, he won the Côte de Poix (near Amiens in Picardy) on a Panhard 20HP, then that of Saint-Martin (Boulogne-sur-Mer) the following year with the same car,[6] while during the same time Louis Rigal started his own course in motorsport. One of Victor's final races was in 1929 at the Mille Miglia in an Alfa Romeo. [7]
In 1924, Victor Rigal was appointed the Commissioner General of the Capital Rally of Deauville, organized by the ACO.
In the field of aviation, Victor Rigal was the owner of a Voisin-Antoinette biplane in the late 1900s, which he announced at the Cannes meeting. He then flew on Sommer-Gnome biplanes in 1910 which belonged to him too.