Charles Faroux
{{short description|Motorsport official, race director and french carom world champion, born 1872, died 1957}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Charles Faroux
| image = File:Charles_Faroux_en_1939.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Faroux in 1939
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1872|12|29}}
| birth_place = Noyon
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1957|2|9|1872|12|29}}
| death_place = Neuilly-sur-Seine
| nationality = French
| other_names =
| occupation =
| years_active =
}}
File:Charles_Faroux_at_the_1922_French_Grand_Prix_(2).jpg
File:Charles_Faroux,_World_Championship_45-2,_1922-May_02.jpg
Charles Faroux (29 December 1872 – 9 February 1957) was a French motorsport official, race director of the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 1923 to 1956, and three-time world champion at carom billiards.
Early life and career
Charles Faroux was born on December 29, 1872,{{Cite web |title=Information about Charles Faroux from historicracing.com |author=hr |work=historicracing.com |date= |access-date=5 November 2022 |url= https://www.historicracing.com/driverDetail.cfm?driverID=1682 |quote=December 29, 1872 }} as the son of a sheep trader and spent much time traveling until he was 28 years old.{{cite book|title=BnF Catalogue général|url=http://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb14977094k|last=Faroux|first=Charles|via=catalogue.bnf.fr|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161014005947/http://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb14977094k|archive-date=14 October 2016|url-status=live|access-date=30 September 2016}} He visited the United States and spent several months in Alaska. There he came in touch with journalism for the first time and on his return to France in 1900, he began working as a journalist for the automobile magazine l'Auto. A trained mechanical engineer, he became interested in automotive engineering and motorsport and was also active as a racing driver. In 1908, he participated in the Coppa Florio, where he broke down with a defect in his Motobloc model. During World War I, Faroux served in the French army and fought at the Battle for Verdun. He saw the end of the war as a technician for Hispano-Suiza, where he was responsible for the supply of aircraft engines.{{Cite web |title=Great cars: The 20/80 hp Lorraine Dietrich |work=Motor Sport |access-date=9 August 2019 |url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/september-1997/97/great-cars-2080-hp-lorraine-dietrich |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160506020156/http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/september-1997/97/great-cars-2080-hp-lorraine-dietrich |archive-date=6 May 2016 |url-status=live |date=7 July 2014 }}
= Motorsport =
Faroux became internationally known through the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which he established in 1923 together with Georges Durand and Emile Coquille.{{Cite web |title=M. Charles Faroux |work=Motor Sport |access-date=9 August 2019 |url= https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/person/m-charles-faroux }} Durand and Faroux developed the first set of technical regulations. For more than three decades, the race director was often the last and many times the sole authority when it came to deciding which team to race.{{Cite web |title=historicracing.com |url=http://www.historicracing.com/driver_detail.cfm?driverID=1682 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324033722/http://www.historicracing.com/driver_detail.cfm?driverID=1682 |archive-date=24 March 2016 |access-date=9 August 2019}} Between 1929 and 1955, Faroux was also a starter at the Grand Prix of Monaco.{{Cite web |title=THE 5th GRAND PRIX DE MONACO |work=Motor Sport |date= 7 July 2014|access-date=9 August 2019 |url= https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/june-1933/26/5th-grand-prix-de-monaco }}
=Carom billiards=
Faroux was one of the best carom billiards players in the 1900-1920s. In 1905, he competed in his first world carom billiards championships, and at the 1907 event reached second place, which he accomplished again in 1910. In 1912 and 1919, he won the world championship title in this discipline. Since his motorsport interest often overlapped with the carom billiards interest, producing scheduling conflicts, he said in April 1926 that he would play in the world championships rather than the Targa Florio. In 1927, he competed in his last world championship, winning that event, and afterwards devoted all of his time to motorsport.
{{Cite book|title=Deutsche Billard-Zeitung|volume=6. Jahrgang|pages=694–697|issue=2}}
{{Cite book|title=Enzyklopädie des Billardsports|date=2009|publisher=Heinrich Weingartner|isbn=978-3-200-01489-3|edition=1.|volume=1|pages=156}}
Personal life
In 1953, Faroux became a Knight of the Legion of Honour.{{Cite web |title=Matters of moment |work=Motor Sport |access-date=9 August 2019 |url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/january-1953/7/matters-moment |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170930081533/http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/january-1953/7/matters-moment |archive-date=30 September 2017 |url-status=live |date=7 July 2014 }}{{Cite book |title=Builders and Drivers of Sports Cars |date= 27 March 2014|access-date=9 August 2019 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=aINuBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT364 |isbn= 9788896365489|last1= Markmann|first1= Charles Lam|last2= Sherwin|first2= Mark|publisher= Edizioni Savine}} Faroux died in 1957 in Neuilly-sur-Seine near Paris.{{Cite web |title=Information about Charles Faroux from historicracing.com |author=hr |work=historicracing.com |date= |access-date=5 November 2022 |url= https://www.historicracing.com/driverDetail.cfm?driverID=1682}}
Championships and accomplishments
- Balkline-45.2 World Championships
- Winner: 1912, 1919
- Runner-up:1907, 1910, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1927
- Semi-finals:1914, 1920
- Balkline-45.1 World Championships
- Winner:1927
- Balkline-45.2 European Championships
- Runner-up:1926
References
{{reflist|refs=
{{citation|surname1=Heinrich Weingartner, Dieter Haase|title=Enzyklopädie des Billardsports|edition=1.|volume=1|publisher=Heinrich Weingartner|location=Wien|at=p. 156|isbn=978-3-200-01489-3|date=2009|language=de
}}
{{citation|author=Robert Court, Robert|title=Deutsche Billard-Zeitung|volume=6. Jahrgang|issue=2|location=Köln|at=pp. 694–697|date=1 June 1926|language=de
}}
}}
External links
{{Commons category|Charles Faroux}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Faroux, Charles}}
Category:French carom billiards players
Category:French racing drivers
Category:Knights of the Legion of Honour