Charles Moran (racing driver)

Charles Moran Jr. (May 27, 1906 in New York City – June 7, 1978 in Teasdale, Utah) was an American racecar driver and managing partner of Francis I. DuPont, brokerage firm. He was born in New York City, son of Charles Moran, naval historian, and Martha Adams. He attended St. George's School in Newport, R.I., and Princeton University. He graduated from Columbia University. In 1928, driving a Rallye, he finished 4th in the 24-hour race at Baldoux, the Bol d'Or, driving the full 24 hours without relief. For the next year and a half he campaigned this car in Spa, San Sebastien, Madrid, Geisberg.^[1] He was the first American to race at LeMans in 1929, in a DuPont, with co-driver Alfredo Luis Miranda; he raced the same car at Indianapolis in 1930 with George Reed in the mechanics seat.^[2] In 1932 he gave up racing, joined DuPont Motors as an engineer, and then moved to a related enterprise, the brokerage firm of Francis I. DuPont, where he became managing partner in the 1950s. In 1935 he married Josephine Taylor; they had two children, Charles Moran III(1936) and David Taylor Moran(1940). Charles Moran Jr. served in the O.S.S.in England and France in 1944-5.^[3] In 1949 he resumed racing, this time in sports cars (Bugatti, MGs, Cunninghams, A. C. Bristol, Lotus, Ferrari) in SCCA events and again at Le Mans, with his Ferrari 212 (1951, finishing 16th, 1952 DNF)^[4] and with his Cunningham C4Rx coupe, co-driver John Gordon Bennett (1953, finishing 10th).^[5] He became Secretary of the Sports Car Club of America in 1952-3 and President in 1954-5.^[6] He was a member of the Commission International Sportive and the American representative at the Federation Internationale d'Automobile. He chaired the Board of Trustees at St. George's School 1958-62.^[7]

Indy 500 results

References