Duray was born in 1882 and established himself as one of Belgium's early aviation pioneers, holding Belgian pilot's licence number 3, indicating he was among the first three Belgians to fly an aircraft. After serving in the French Foreign Legion during World War I, he was granted French nationality by naturalization in 1933. American racer George Stewart later changed his name to Leon Duray in tribute to Arthur Duray, a mark of the esteem in which Duray was held within the racing world.
Between 1903 and 1904, Duray set the land speed record on three occasions driving a Gobron-Brillié "Paris-Madrid" car. On 17 July 1903 at Ostend, Belgium, he recorded 83.46 mph (134.32 km/h). On 5 November 1903 at Dourdan, France, he raised the mark to 84.73 mph (136.36 km/h). On 31 March 1904 at Nice, France, he pushed the record to 88.76 mph (142.85 km/h). These three records placed him among the fastest men on earth in the earliest years of the twentieth century.
Duray was a prolific competitor from the pre-World War I era through the early 1930s. In the period before the war he drove for marques including Darracq, De Dietrich, Lorraine-Dietrich, and Gobron-Brillié across Europe and North America. His most notable early win came at the 1906 Circuit des Ardennes, driving a De Dietrich. He also won the 1907 Moscow-to-St. Petersburg race in a De Dietrich. At the 1905 Coppa Florio he finished second, and at the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup he took third. He appeared at the 1908 American Grand Prize, at the French Grand Prix on multiple occasions, and at the Targa Florio, among many other events.
After the war Duray continued racing into the 1930s with notable endurance campaigns at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where he appeared in 1926, 1927, 1928, and 1934. He also competed at the Belgian Grand Prix, finishing fourth in 1930, and at the Spa 24 Hours. His later racing was primarily with Ariès and Amilcar machinery, often achieving class victories rather than outright wins.
Duray's career arc — from land speed record holder in 1903 to Le Mans competitor in 1934 — spans the entire formative era of motorsport. His three land speed records, achieved over a nine-month period with the same Gobron-Brillié car, remain a distinctive mark in the history of speed. His influence extended beyond racing through his aviation achievements and through the tribute paid by an American racer who adopted his name.
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