3 replies to this topic

[Ray Bell]

From a post in the 'ultimate price' thread...

"Maurice (Mestivier) would later become President of the AGACI (a racing organization body centered in Île de France)."

I've done a search, Mauritius has only been mentioned twice. Once in a list of British Commonwealth countries or possessions, once in a list of abbreviations.

Ile de France was the former name for Mauritius... it was a French colony from three and possibly more centuries ago, where tobacco was grown by slave labour and Jean Fracois Galaup exposed slavery as uneconomical in the latter half of the 18th century.

It was a strategic base for the French Navy... which was why Jean Francois and his wife to be, Eleanor Broudeau, were there.

But why was there a racing organisation? Was there racing there?

[Vitesse2]

As all our French friends seem to be asleep: different Ile de France - it's a region of France which includes Paris - nothing to do with Mauritius, I'm afraid!

I wandered around their tourism website and found the local traffic map:

http://www.paris-ile...home_trafic.asp

[Muzza]

Fellows,

Vitesse 2 is correct. Île de France is the name of the region around Paris , and that's where the AGACI is (*) based. No relation with Mauritius (the island) in this case.

(*) is based or was based? Is the AGACI still active?

It is just an eerie coincidence that the names linked... Mauritius (the island), Maurice (French for Mauritius) Mestivier, Île de France (the region), Île de France (a former name for the Island of Mauritius)!

Cheers,


Muzza

P.S.: I will be out of the forum for a while for personal reasons. Will come back soon.

[Ray Bell]

Thanks guys... you live and learn, eh?