Became an aviator for a while. Intially started off his career as a cyclist in 1904, having joined the motor industry one year earlier. In 1906, he moved to Prima and began racing their cars, before joining Delage in 1908, for whom he raced for a good while. Rene moved into aviation for a while but was badly hurt in a stunt flying crash in 1911 so concentrated on motor racing again and in 1914, won the Indianapolis 500, despite the exhaust nearly falling off towards the end. Exempt from service in the First World War as his various racing and aviation crashes had left him with one leg shorter than the other, he continued racing, however, in both Europe and the US until 1926. He then worked as a team manager, before running a garage and even dabbled in horticulture.

Biography last updated 5 Mar 2016