How The Car Racing Sport Began
Car racing, also known as automobile racing, is one of the world’s most loved sports. Its humble beginnings can be traced back to creation of the first automobiles. The adrenaline rush that it brings to the drivers and the spectators is just one of the reasons why car racing is loved by many. With man’s love for speed, the world of car racing has never turned back.
Pioneers Of Car Racing
The first car racing was held on April 28, 1887, in Paris, under the supervision of Monsier Fossier, a publications editor. The track spanned from Bois de Boulogne to Neuilly Bridge, which was a total of 2 kilometers. The only participant (and eventual winner) of the race was Georges Bouton. He drove a car he had built with Albert, the Comte de Dion.
What is considered to be the first car racing competition was held on July 22, 1894. The magazine Le Petit Journal organized the race from Rouen to Paris. To boost his magazine’s publicity, Pierre Giffard advertised it as a “competition for horseless carriages.” He called the cars as less dangerous, easy to navigate, and considerably inexpensive. A total of 102 “racers” joined the car racing competition. Manufacturers such as De Dion, Panhard, and Peugeot joined the game.
Jules-Albert de Dion clocked in with the fastest time of 6 hours and 48 minutes. His running speed was 19 kilometers an hour. After him were 2 Peugeot and Panhard drivers. Although De Dion was the fastest, Panhard and Peugeot cars were named as the winners because of the car’s handling, safety, and speed.
The June 1895 Paris-Bordeaux-Paris race of 1,178 kilometers is what other historians consider as the first car racing event. There were 92 drivers who ran the race. Emile Levassor, who drove a Panhard 1205cc car, finished first with a time of 48 hours and 47 minutes.
The first car racing event held in the United States was held on November 28, 1895. It was organized by the Chicago Times-Herald, and heavy publicity of the race drew attention from Americans. Frank Duryea bested 5 other drivers with a time of 10 hours, 23 minutes. He ran an 8748-kilometer course from the south of Chicago to Evanston, Illinois.
In March 1897, the “Speed Week” was held at Nice, France. This was considered the first regular car racing location. A lot of car racing events were held in Nice, including the first hill climb and what appears to be the first ever drag race.
The first international car racing event was the Gordon Bennett Cup, wherein countries battled for the trophy.
Ernest Montaut and his wife Marguerite followed the development of car racing in Europe. They created posters and the Mabileau et Cie, which featured car racing events, and other racing competitions.
The early car racing circuit was put to a halt in 1903 when Marcel Renault was killed in Angouleme while he was running a Paris-Madrid race. Nine deaths prompted the French government to stop the Bordeaux race and prohibit open-road racing.