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tavily_search,0.0,6.7580320835113525,"On what day, month, and year did the first Bennett Cup auto race, for a prize sponsored by New York Herald publisher James Gordon Bennett Jr., begin as five entrants departed from the Parc de Saint-Cloud, near Paris, on a 566-kilometer (352 miles) trip to Lyon?",5.0,,,,
page_scrape,6.837592363357544,7.234618186950684,,,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1900_Gordon_Bennett_Cup,9760.0,"1900 Gordon Bennett Cup | Race details Motor car race The**1900 Gordon Bennett Cup** , formally titled the**I Coupe Internationale** , was a motor race held on 14 June 1900, on public roads betweenParisandLyoninFrance. It was staged to decide the inaugural holder of the Gordon Bennett Cup, which was the first prize to be awarded for motorsport on an international level. The 568.66 km (353.35 mi) route started at Paris and headed south-west as far asChâteaudun. The route then took the competitors south-easterly, passing throughOrléans,Nevers, andRoannebefore reaching the finish at Lyon. The race was won byFernand Charron, who represented France and drove a car manufactured byPanhard.Léonce Girardot, also representing France on a Panhard, was the only other driver to finish. Five drivers had entered the race; three representing France, the maximum number any one country were permitted, one from Belgium, and one from the United States of America. Prior to 1900, automobile racing consisted of city-to-city races, organised by various national automobile clubs. The Gordon Bennett Cup was established by American millionaireJames Gordon Bennett, Jr.with the intention of encouraging automobile industries internationally through sport. Bennett had moved to Paris in 1887 and came up with the idea of an international competition between representatives of national motoring clubs. Among the principles of the competition were that each country was limited to three entries, that the race to determine the winner of the cup would be between 550 and 650 kilometres and that the race would be held annually between 15 May and 15 August. Bennett commissioned a trophy, which he offered to the custody of the Automobile Club de France (ACF) who he also entrusted to draft the technical rules for the competition, and to arrange the inaugural event. The latter responsibility would then be bestowed on the motoring club whose representative won the previous year's race. In April 1900, a race for motor-tricycles was held from Paris-Roubaix. It was marred by many incidents, including a collision between two competitors which left two spectators injured, one of whom was the wife of the Deputy for the Department of the Seine. Soon after, motor racing was banned within the Department of the Seine, which was then extended by the Ministry of the Interior to all of France. Any exception to the law was required to be made through the central government, who had the choice of whether to grant a permit to allow a race to go ahead.[1] Despite rumours of building a purpose-built race track or moving the race to Italy, the race was eventually given permission to take place on public roads over the route between Paris and Lyons. However, the final decision on whether the race should take place was not made until the afternoon of 12 June, less than two days before it was due to start, as the ACF had to persuade local authorities to allow the race to travel through their area.[2] The late confirmation of the race taking place meant that route was, in places at least, lacking in terms of both signposting and crowd control.[1]In addition, complaints were made that no map detailing the exact route was supplied to the competitors.[4]Livestock and animals encroaching onto the road would prove to be a considerable hazard during the race. Each country was limited to a maximum of three entries for the race. The cars were required to be manufactured in their entirety in the country they represented, including the tyres. The ACF racing regulations imposed a minimum weight limit—excluding fuel, tools, upholstery, wings, lights and light fittings—of 400 kilograms (880 pounds) upon each car. Each car also had to be occupied by two people at all times: a driver and a riding mechanic. In the event the combined weight of the two occupants was less than 120 kilograms (260 pounds), ballast was to be added to the car to make up the difference.[5] Germany were also due to compete in the race; Eugen Benz was entered in a car manufactured by his father Karl Benz.[7]It was powered by a two-cylinder engine which produced 15 bhp (11 kW). However, the entry was withdrawn shortly before the start, Eugen Benz citing the short notice given of the race taking place as his reason, although he had already travelled to Paris. The final entries came from the US,Alexander Wintonand Anthony L. Riker who were to drive cars bearing Winton's name.[8]Although both arrived in Paris, only one car was designed as a racer, and Riker did not start the race.[9]Winton's car was underpowered compared to its competitors, with a one-cylinder 3.7-litre (226 cu in) engine producing 16 bhp (12 kW). Uniquely amongst the cars, the Winton featuredtillersteering rather than a steering wheel.[10]The four nations were each allocated a colour, which their representatives' cars would be painted. These were blue for France, yellow for Belgium, white for Germany, and red for the USA.[9]
## Race
Competitors gathered at the start line inVille-d'Avrayon the outskirts of Paris in the early hours of the morning of 14 June 1900. The race began at 3.14 am, at the drop of the starter's flag,[11]with all five cars setting off together. Over the first five miles (8.0 km) of the race, to Versailles, there was one minute between the leader Giradot and fifth-place Winton. Giradot continued to extend his lead, and by the time the competitors reached Limours, approximately 30 km into the race, Giradot had extended his lead to three minutes over Charron in second place, de Knyff was in third, Belgium's Jenatzy in fourth, and Winton, the American, was fifth.[12] The next part of the race took the competitors from Chartres, through Bonneval to Châteaudun, a 44 km stretch of road that was largely straight. Unofficial timings yielded average speeds over this section, with the leader Giradot averaging 35.3 mph. Charron was the fastest, averaging 41.1 mph and Jenatzy averaged 36.7 mph. Top gear had failed on de Knyff's Panhard, and this slowed his speed down to an average of around 30 mph. However, Winton was by far the slowest of the five cars over this section, with an average speed of just 20 mph.[12] From Châteaudun, the route headed south-easterly towards Orléans. Along this section, atSaint-Jean-de-la-Ruelle, Charron hit a gutter that ran across the road whilst travelling at speeds in excess of 50 mph, bending the back axle of his Panhard. Spectators warned the cars that followed of the hazard, by holding a green flag 30 yards in advance to give the cars time to slow down before reaching the danger.[13]Winton became the first driver to retire from the race, stopping at Orleans with a buckled wheel. The race order at Orléans, 173 km from the start, was Giradot leading by 17 minutes from Charron, with de Knyff third and a further 39 minutes behind, and Jenatzy fourth and three minutes further back.[13] As Giradot was leaving Orléans, he swerved to avoid a horse that was in the road, and in doing so collided with a kerb stone, which damaged his Panhard's steering and broke one of the back wheels. The repairs to his back wheel took around 80 minutes, which meant that Charron assumed the race lead. de Knyff retired from the race at Glen, leaving two French cars and one Belgian car in the race.[13] Charron and Giradot ran at a similar pace as they covered the 93 km distance between Gien and Nevers, the difference between the two over the section being just two minutes in Charron's favour. Charron gained slightly more of an advantage between Nevers and Moulins, completing the section in a time approximately four minutes faster than Giradot.[14]At Moulins, with 376 of the 569 km of the race completed, Jenatzy retired from the race, his car suffered from issues with its gears and ignition, and sustained damage after colliding with five or six dogs along the route.[15] Charron arrived at the finish control point, where a small crowd waited,[nb 1]at 12:23 pm, completing the race in nine hours and nine minutes, meaning he had averaged a speed of 38.6 mph. Giradot was the only other car to reach the finish, arriving at 2:00 pm having taken one hour, thirty-six minutes and twenty-three seconds longer than Charron to complete the course.[13] Charron's victory representing the ACF meant that France were the winners of the inaugural Gordon Bennett cup race, and the country would again host the contest the following year. The race was not viewed as a successful event. The large gap between the only two cars to reach the end had made the finish an anticlimax. The limited number of entrants, that only two of them were from outside France and that the only two cars to finish were French also led to the race failing to make much of an impression internationally.[18]American periodical _The Horseless Age_ wrote at the time ""it is the impression (in the USA) that the race was very badly organized, that insufficient preparations had been made for it and that it must be looked upon as a failure"".[15] In a bid to address these concerns, the next two Gordon Bennett Cup races would be run in conjunction with another city-to-city event, which allowed the Gordon Bennett race to share resources with another race which didn't have limits on entry and hence had a much larger field of cars. The cup wouldn't be competed for in a standalone race again until the 1903 edition.
* ^Jump up to:P. M. Heldt (1900-07-04). ""The Gordon Bennett International Cup Race""._The Horseless Age_.**6**(14): 14.
* Douglas-Scott-Montagu, Edward John Barrington, 3rd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu (1963),_The Gordon Bennett Races_ , London: Cassell & Company Ltd.
Gordon Bennett Cup (auto racing) | Races
* Gordon Bennett Cup (auto racing)
1900 Gordon Bennett Cup
",1.0
page_scrape,6.838834524154663,7.47133469581604,,,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Bennett_Cup_(auto_racing),8767.0,"Magazine spread showing three Gordon Bennett Cup Teams in 1903: German Mercedes (top), USA Wintons and Peerless (middle) and British Napiers (bottom)
In automobile racing, the**Gordon Bennett Cup** was an annual competition which ran from 1900 to 1905. It was one of threeGordon Bennett Cupsestablished byJames Gordon Bennett, Jr., millionaire owner of the _New York Herald._
In 1899, Gordon Bennett offered the _Automobile Club de France_(ACF) a trophy to be raced for annually by the automobile clubs of the various countries. The competition was held until 1905, after which the ACF held the firstGrand Prix motor racingevent at a road course nearLe Mans.
The 1903 event in Ireland possibly gave rise to the birth ofBritish Racing Green.
## The Cup
The trophy given to the winner was a sculpture of a Panhard racing car driven by the Genius of Progress with the Goddess of Victory as passenger.[1]
## Gordon Bennett races
The Gordon Bennett Cup auto races drew entrants from acrossEurope, including future aviatorHenry Farman, and competitors from theUnited Statessuch asAlexander Wintondriving hisWinton automobile. Under the rules, the races were hosted in the country of the previous year's winner. As the races were between national teams, it led to the reorganisation and standardisation ofnational racing colours. CountEliot Zborowski, father of inter-war racing legendLouis Zborowski, suggested that each national entrant be allotted a different colour. Britain had to choose a different colour from its usualnational coloursof red, white and blue, as these had already been taken by USA, Germany, and France respectively.
Reputedly as a concession to Ireland where the1903 Gordon Bennett Cuprace was run (racing was illegal on British public roads), the British adoptedshamrock green[2]which became known asBritish racing green, although the winning Napier of 1902 had already been painted olive green, and green was well-established as an appropriate colour for locomotives and machinery, in which Britain had led the world during the previous century.
### 1900 Gordon Bennett Cup
Main article:1900 Gordon Bennett Cup
The international motor car race from Paris to Lyons for the Gordon Bennett Cup took place on 14 June 1900. The start from Paris was made at 3 o'clock in the morning and Charron was the first to reach Lyons, arriving at 12:23 p.m. M. Girardot finished second at 2 o'clock.[3]
### 1901 Gordon Bennett Cup
Main article:1901 Gordon Bennett Cup
In 1901 the Gordon Bennett Cup race was run in conjunction with the Paris-Bordeaux race on 29 May over a distance of 527.1 km. The race was won by Henri Fournier driving a Mors with a time of 6h 10m 44s. The first of the Gordon Bennett Cup contestants was Leonce Girardot, driving a Panhard with a time of 8h 50m 59s.[4]
### 1902 Gordon Bennett Cup
Main article:1902 Gordon Bennett Cup
The1902 Gordon Bennett Cupwas run over a distance of 565 km from Paris to Innsbruck in conjunction with the Paris-Vienna motor car race. The race started in Paris on 26 June. Competing were 30 heavy cars, 48 light cars, six voiturettes, three motorcycles, and three motorcyclettes. Each nation was allowed to nominate up to three cars to compete for the Gordon Bennett Cup, but only six entries were received, three French and three British. The Automobile Club of Great Britain announced that car No. 160 driven by Mr White, and car No. 45, made byNapier & Sonof London with Dunlop tyres, driven by Mr Edge would represent the club.[5]The Timesannounced on June 30 that Edge had won the Gordon Bennett Cup.[6]It was announced in Vienna on 1 July that M. Marcel Renault had won the Paris-Vienna race, with M. Henri Farman second.[7]
### 1903 Gordon Bennett Cup
Main article:1903 Gordon Bennett Cup
English team -on Napier- before 1903 Gordon Bennett Trophy (l. to r. J.W. Stocks, Ch. Jarrott and S.F. Edge). Circuit map for the 1903 Gordon Bennett Trophy
On Thursday, 2 July 1903 the Gordon Bennett Cup was the first international motor race to be held in Ireland, an honorific toSelwyn Edgewho had won the 1902 event in the Paris-Vienna race driving aNapier. TheAutomobile Club of Great Britain and Irelandwanted the race to be hosted in the British Isles, and their secretary,Claude Johnson, suggested Ireland as the venue because racing was illegal on British public roads. The editor of the _Dublin Motor News_ ,Richard J. Mecredy, suggested an area inCounty Kildare, and letters were sent to 102 Irish MPs, 90 Irish peers, 300 newspapers, 34 chairmen of county and local councils, 34 County secretaries, 26 mayors, 41 railway companies, 460 hoteliers, 13 PPs, plus theBishop of Kildare and Leighlin, Patrick Foley, who pronounced himself in favour. Local laws had to be adjusted, ergo the 'Light Locomotives (Ireland) Bill' was passed on 27 March 1903. Kildare and other local councils drew attention to their areas, whilstQueen's Countydeclared _That every facility will be given and the roads placed at the disposal of motorists during the proposed race._ Eventually Kildare was chosen, partly on the grounds that the straightness of the roads would be a safety benefit. As a compliment to Ireland the British team chose to race inShamrock greenwhich thus became known asBritish racing greenalthough the winning Napier of 1902 had been painted Olive green.[8][9][10]
WikiMiniAtlas
The official timekeeper of the race was Mr. T. H. Woolen of the Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland. Ninety one Chronographs for timing the race were supplied by the Anglo-Swiss firm Stauffer Son & Co. ofLa Chaux-de-Fondsand London. Competitors were started at seven-minute intervals and had to follow bicycles through the 'control zones' in each town. The 328 miles (528 km) race was won by the famous BelgianCamille Jenatzy, driving a Mercedes in German colours.[8][13]
### 1904 Gordon Bennett Cup
Main article:1904 Gordon Bennett Cup
reported the 1904 Gordon Bennett motor race took place in Germany on 17 June over 342 miles (550 km), consisting of four laps of a course in the neighbourhood of Homburg.[14]From Saalburg the course ran north to Usingen, where there was a control point (an inhabited or built up area where the cars had to travel slowly under the supervision of course officials) then through Graefenwiesbach to Weilburg, where there was a second control point, then past Allendorf and Obertiefenbach to Limburg. This section was reported to be the best part of the course for high speed and in practice some cars travelled at 150 km/h (93 mph). At Limburgh there was another control, then the course ran through Kirberg to Neuhof, where there was a very bad turn, and then to Idstein where there was another control. It then ran through Glashuetten to Koenigstein (control), then via Friedrichshof and Oberursel (control) to Homburg (control) and back to Saalburg.
### 1905 Gordon Bennett Cup
Main article:1905 Gordon Bennett Cup
Gordon Bennett course 1905 – France
In 1905, reported on the last of the six Gordon-Bennett Cup Races, which took place in France on 5 July over a 137 km mountainous circuit in the Auvergne near to Clermont-Ferrand. After four circuits of the course, a total of 548 km, which he completed in 7hr 2min 42sec, an average speed of 77.78 km/h, the Frenchman Léon Théry on a 96 hpRichard-Brasierwon for the second year in a row. Lancia on aFIATfor Italy was fastest over the first two laps, but broke down with radiator problems during his third lap. Théry eventually came in first ahead ofNazzaro, also on a FIAT, who finished in 7hr 19min 9sec.[18]
The race took place on the doorstep of the Clermont-Ferrand headquarters ofMichelin, and cars fitted with Michelin tyres took the first four places.[20]
## Gordon Bennett Cup winners
**a.** According to _Leinster Leader_ , Saturday, 11 April 1903, Britain had to choose a different colour to its usual national colours of red, white, and blue, as these had already been taken by Italy, Germany, and France respectively. It also stated red as the color for _American_ cars in the 1903 Gordon Bennett Cup.
* According to _Leinster Leader_ , Saturday, 11 April 1903, which also states red as the color for _American_ cars in the 1903 Gordon Bennett Cup.
* Forix 8W – _Britain's first international motor_ race by Brendan Lynch, based on his Triumph of the Red Devil, the 1903 Irish Gordon Bennett Cup Race. 22 October 2003
* The Gordon Bennett races – the birth of international competition. Author Leif Snellman, Summer 2001
* Bleacher report, The Birth of British motor racing
* _Gordon Bennett Motor Race 1903_ - kildare
* 1903 illustrated article – _The Gordon Bennet Race_
Gordon Bennett Cup (auto racing)
Races
* Gordon Bennett Cup (auto racing)
* Auto racing trophies and awards
Gordon Bennett Cup (auto racing)
",2.0
page_scrape,6.839599132537842,8.14946985244751,,,http://www.goldenera.fi/gb00.htm,9153.0,"**FIRST GORDON BENNETT RACE**
**Charron on the Panhard wins the Gordon Bennett Race**
**The Gordon Bennett Cup was the first international motor race, also called ""Prix Internationale"". The race was staged annually in Europe between 1900 and 1905. Only five starters were at the first race, a 3-car team from France with Charron, Girardot and de Knyff, all with 24 hp Panhard cars, one Belgian Snoeck-Bolide for Jenatzy and the American Winton with his own car. The 566 km (353 mi) race from Paris to Lyon, started very early at 3:14, passing through Versailles, Limours, Chartres, Bonneval, Châteaudun, Ormes and Orléans after 173 km. All five cars reached that place but Winton and de Knyff withdrew. Now only Charron, Girardot and Jenatzy were racing. When the latter retired at Gien, 236 km, only the Panhard cars of Charron and Girardot passed through Nevers, Moulins, La Palisse, Roanne and reached Lyon. Charron on Panhard won for France and the trophy went to the ACF of France.** **Gerald Rose: A Record of Motor Racing >** In October 1899, it became known that Mr. James Gordon Bennett, the proprietor of the New York Herald [with its Paris edition (ed.)], who had followed with interest the development of the automobile from the very first run to Rouen in 1894, had offered to the Automobile Club de France a Trophy, which was to be competed for under somewhat unusual conditions. [James Gordon Bennett was one of the founder-members of the ACF. (ed.)] It was understood that the main principle underlying the gift was that the prize was to be annually raced for, not by private drivers or manufacturers, but by the Automobile Clubs of the various countries, so that the donor had really founded an international Challenge Trophy. The Gordon Bennett race regulations consisted of 24 articles. The international trophy was contested between the established national clubs of each country which could enter teams of only three cars, which had to be constructed in every detail in the country they represented. The car's maximum weight was not restricted. Cars had to have at least two seats side by side, carrying two people of at least 70 kg weight; in case the weight was less, it had to be made up with ballast. Any qualified club wishing to take part in the race had to deposit 3,000 francs with the ACF before the 1st of January 1900. All trophy races should take place between 15 May and 15 August. The smallest race distance had to be 550 to 650 km, 342 to 403 mi. To better differentiate between the competing nations, cars had to be painted for the first time in different colors: France in blue, Belgium yellow, America red and Germany white. The artful massive Gordon Bennett trophy depicted a racing Panhard, steered by the Genius of Progress with the Goddess of Victory upright upon the seat, ready to hand the award to the victor. The expensive honor prize was worth 12.000 francs, made of silver, weighing not much less than 17 kg (37 lbs.) and was executed by the Paris silversmith André Aucoc. **Lord Montagu of Beaulieu: The Gordon Bennett Races >** The French who were probably the only nation with anything to eliminate, held no eliminating trials. Instead, the ACF balloted for their representatives, the winner being de Knyff, with 32 votes, second place going to Charron, with 25 votes, and the third position to Girardot, with 15 votes. They also voted for a team of reserves, the chosen chauffeurs being Chasseloup-Laubat, Lemaître, and Huiller. The selection of the three drivers soon caused opposition in the newspapers since all three drove Panhard cars, which was an unjustified preference of a single company. Hardly had the voices calmed down when a campaign against autocar racing caused a great dilemma. The Sporting Committee of the ACF had a dilemma having to deal with the campaign against autocar racing that it seemed impossible to run off the race in France. **The Autocar p610 >** The committee had to face the attitude of the various local authorities that it did not know up to the very last moment whether the race could be held on the day fixed. When at length all the necessary permissions had been obtained, the committee informed the competitors about 24 hours before the start, but as the representatives of the four countries participating had been told to hold themselves in readiness it was supposed that this notice, short as it was, would have been amply sufficient. In any event, the committee was certainly wise in taking early advantage of the permissions given, for had there been any delay it is quite possible that some of the scores of local authorities whose good graces have to be secured would have withdrawn their sanction, as had been the case on several previous occasions. The short notice, however, did not please the German and Belgian competitors, who complained that they did not get their cars ready.as they had not sufficient time. **Race:** The two Belgian Bolide cars of de Caters and Levebvre did not appear. One day before the start, Michaud from the Belgian Bolide Company explained that they would not start, because the race organizer had not adhered to the regulations, which stated that the exact race date would be decided by all participating clubs. But this did not happen, instead they had been notified only the day before the race, so that they could not prepare the cars in such a short time. We knew about the race prohibition from the government and for this reason we are not ready for this contest. And for that same reason, the Bolide speaker was asking also for postponement of the starting date. However, Jenatzy, who also protested and started with a Bolide which he said was not the one he had intended driving in the race because it was not yet ready. Levegh on a 4-cylinder 7.3-L Mors, who protested for being excluded from the French team, decided to drive simultaneously but as unofficial competitor. Eugen Benz, starting as Eugen, with a German Benz was present but explained that he could not start because his tires for the wheels had not yet been completed. At the same time, he protested about the short time allowed to prepare for the race. As a result, only five cars appeared at the start. There was no starting order for the five cars, which were sent away by the starter Count de Chasseloup-Laubat, who was the only representative of the organizing committee present. The chronometer of Edouard Perrodil was marked at 3:14 on Thursday morning, when the signal was given at Montretout on the Paris-Versailles-road, at the entrance of the Parc de Saint Cloud. Despite the early hour about 200 people were present, some were carrying lanterns. The scene was very picturesque in the semi-obscurity of dawn. **Orléans, 173 km** was the next place where the times of arrival were also unofficial. The independent Levegh (Mors) passed Orléans after 5h25m. Girardot arrived at 5h53m but had damaged his steering gear when he had gone off the road to avoid a horse. Le Vélo reported that Girardot arrived in a hurry at 5h53m, took the rue d'Illiers which ended in the center of the city, then turned onto the Place du Maritrol, turned again and followed the quays to the road to Gien. Meanwhile, the race commissioner in Orléans was waiting for the competitors at the Hôtel du Berry, on the boulevards, quite opposite to the route followed by Girardot. Charron reached the town at 6h10m, slowing up to show his rear axle. When travelling at about 90 km/h Charron's car struck a drain running across the road, in Saint-Jean-de-la-Ruelle, 3 km from Orléans and his car literally flew up into the air, fortunately coming down again on the four wheels. Charron confessed that for once in his life he knew what it was to be seized with fear. The rear axle was so badly bent that he drove slowly, and it took some time to find a blacksmith to put it straight. De Knyff turned up at 6h49m, at walking pace. His fourth speed gear broke shortly after leaving Chartres, so he withdrew. Jenatzy came up three minutes later with several punctures and two broken spark plugs. He complained about the malfunction of his clutch, but immediately set off again. Winton reached Orléans at 8:30. He had dropped out with a buckled front wheel and a rear tire had left the rim. Winton declared his intention to withdraw from the race and would return to Paris until he could get a new tire. **Nevers, 322 km** Charron appeared ahead of Girardot while Jenatzy with the Bolide burst his two front tires at Chevreuse which ended his race. At 11h25m René de Knyff was driving slowly from Orléans, to abandon the race at Nevers, and returned to Paris. Thus, only the two Panhard cars were left in the race with the following times: The Gordon Bennett Trophy thus remained with the French club. It was extremely unfortunate that the unforeseen series of accidents changed the race into a walk over for the French motorists. In the evening, the Automobile Bicycle Club of Lyon entertained the two successful ""chauffeurs"". At the time the first Gordon Bennet race was not only poorly organized it was considered a failure and an unimportant event. GORDON BENNETT INDEX
",3.0
page_scrape,6.840338706970215,12.813967943191528,,,https://www.gtmotorsports.org/gordon-bennett-cup-1900-1905/,11734.0,"# Gordon Bennett Cup: 1900-1905
**The Gordon Bennett Cup** , held for cars between**1900 and 1905** was the first international racing series. Stemming from an idea by American newspaper magnate, James Gordon Bennett Jr., the Gordon Bennett Cup was set to champion the international auto industry – by allowing national automobile clubs representing France, Germany, Great Britain, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, the United States and Italy to nominate three entries each.
[00:00:00]Brake Fix’s History of Motorsports series is brought to you in part by the International Motor Racing Research Center, as well as the Society of Automotive Historians, the Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Argettsinger family. The Gordon Bennett Cup by Dr. Pal Nagyesi. Pal Neghesi is an award winning automotive historian, publisher, editor, and museum professional.
He’s also been the publisher of such books as Thomas Ulrich’s 1902 Diditrik and the Paris Vienna Race and the Alice mit Motor, Die Standard Gutbräude Story, which won the 2023 Kugno Award for Books in Language Other Than English from the[00:01:00]SAH. He’s also an advisor to private collectors and museums in Hungary, Germany, and the Netherlands.
The Gordon Bennett Cup, held for cars between 1900 and 1905, was the first international racing series. Stemming from an idea by American newspaper magnate James Gordon Bennett Jr., the Gordon Bennett Cup was set to champion the international auto industry by allowing national automobile clubs representing France, Germany, Great Britain, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, the United States, and Italy to nominate three entries each.
Ladies and gentlemen, dear viewers, my name is Dr. Pála Négyesi. I’m a Hungarian born motoring historian, publisher, and author.[00:02:00]This presentation will be about the Gordon Bennett Cup, which put motorsport into an international context. It was the first organized motorsport event for a lot of different nations and A few months ago, we were in a fortunate position to learn a lot about this race, and I would like to share some of the things which we learned.
So when Dieter Dressel, owner of the Central Garage Museum, in Germany, Bad Homburg approached us with this idea that in 2024, it will be 120 years since the 1904 Gordon Bennett race started from Bad Homburg, there should be a book, there should be a website. So we put together a website and in the process, We have acquired a lot of photos, a lot of interesting materials, some of which I will show.
A little bit about Mr. Dressel, who’s an extremely nice private collector, and because of the[00:04:00]1904 Gordon Bennett Cup, he amassed a huge collection of materials related to the event, which he was kind enough to share with us. And the Central Garage Museum, which was opened in 2007, in place of Opel dealership in Bad Homburg, hosts very nice temporary exhibitions.
And he’s restoring the Schleierwagen, which was a Mercedes based streamlined German car from 1930. So together we built the Gordon Bennett Cup website, gordonbennettcup. racing, which features a lot of photos, some of those which have not been published[00:05:00]before, biography of the racers, short introduction to the cars, and a couple of other bits.
We have a complete index. What’s really interesting is if you look around the published resources you can see that in many cases there are a lot of mistakes and the mistakes are very easy to make in a race like the Gordon Bennett Cup because in part this was part of many cases of other races so for example in 1901 there was a Paris Bordeaux race the Gordon Bennett Cup was part of that in 1902 the Paris Vienna race and It’s part of that.
And from 1903 and 1904, there were elimination trials. So before the race, they selected who will participate. Over the years, some of these elimination trial participants morphed into career racers in the mind of some of the authors. There are several books on the Golden Bell Cup. One of the best known was written many years ago by Lord Montagu,[00:06:00]together with Michael Sedgwick, who was the librarian at the Beauty Museum, and it’s a great book, but we went back to the contemporary race reports featured in various German English and French magazines to try to get a complete picture of what really happened.
What was the importance of the Gordon Bennett Cup? Why is it relevant today? Because it is still relevant today. The origins of the Gordon Bennett Cup go back to 1899. When Alexander Winton, who was the biggest manufacturer of motor cars in America at the time, decided to challenge the French manufacturers, claiming that his cars would beat any French cars over a distance of 1, 000 miles.
His call was heard, and one of the French racers, Fernand Charon, accepted the challenge and deposited 2, 000 francs with the Paris office of the[00:07:00]New York Herald. The New York Herald was a very well known daily, which was owned by James Gordon Bennett Jr., who was a very well known playboy, sportsman, and newspaperman.
He constantly sought new ways of speeding up news gathering and news distribution on an international scale. This race between Winton and Sharon never took place, but it gave Gordon Bennett an idea that there should be a race, after all, between[00:08:00]the great nations. And you have to remember. that this was the time when national identities were forged, in many cases through wars, so this was a more calm and restrained way to share and highlight national identity.
But, as is often the case, some people took it too far, like The second, the German emperor who went out of his way to make the 1904 extremely spectacular. He spent 95,000 race mark, which is about three 40 euros on the grand stand alone for. Gordon Bennett set up an international cup, commissioned very well known French jeweler André Aoukoc to design this beautiful cup, which is today in the Paris offices of the Automobile Club, and he chose a racing Panhard, steered by the[00:09:00]genius of progress, with the goddess of victory upright upon the seat.
There were several stipulations regarding the race. Its distance would be not less than 550 and not more than 650 kilometers. The cost of race organization was divided amongst the participating clubs. One of the most important aspects of the criteria was that the entrance and drivers representing a national club had to be members of that club, but the cars[00:10:00]themselves had to be made in their entirety.
The 1903 race, which was held in Ireland, by that time, city to city races were cancelled. First, the city to city[00:11:00]races, which started with the 1894 Paris Rouen Tour, this included some of these, as I mentioned previously, the Gordon Bennett Cup, but as cars became much faster, the road conditions were still dire, so lots of dust.
And they had these enormous engines. So This was not a very safe sport. For example, the Panhard and Levassor was one of the first which featured steering wheel and[00:13:00]later produced an engine with the cylinders were cast individually. Previously, they were cast in pairs. By the 1902 race engine power was increased to acclaim, 50 horsepower, but in reality, it was closer to 70 horsepower.
It was also recognized that there is air streaming along the underside of the car, so at least the gearbox was covered by a fairing. Beneath the 100 liter petrol tank there was also a water tank. Both Panhard and[00:14:00]Levassor and Morse did not race after 1903. One of the best known British entrants which actually won the 1902 Gordon Bennett Cup was Napier, which was part of the Paris Vienna race, and it was driven by Edge.
who was a dealer but also a marketing man. This had a 6. 4 liter engine with 45 horsepower. Each cylinder had four automatic intake valves. The radiator was extra large and made by a company that normally produced steam powered buses. It had a 180 liter petrol tank and it weighed And 33 kilos. It’s claimed that it was the first British racing car to be painted British racing dream.
There are a lot of stories which can be told and lots of great stories, which you can read on the website. This is just, uh, a short overview.[00:15:00]Naturally, Mercedes was at the forefront of, uh, racing and they prepared. and made a lot of effort for the Gordon Bennett Cup. And unfortunately, they managed to only win once, the 1903 race in Ireland, where Camille Iannazzi managed to win.
This car was powered by a 66 kilowatt, 90 horsepower engine. The problem was that the fire destroyed most of the works in June 1903. Eventually, less powerful cars were entered, and Kamilianacsi won the[00:16:00]1903 race with an average speed of 97. 2 kilometers per hour, which is quite impressive. And this is one of the most interesting cars of the whole race because this was previously not very known, the brand Richard Brazier.
And this was the only car in the 1904 race which had an engine smaller than 10 liters. 9. 9[00:17:00]liters, actually. It was taken from a motorboat. It had a maximum horsepower of 85. Who raced these cars? These were sometimes factory drivers, sometimes foremen, sometimes wealthy aristocrats. Sometimes the designers and builders of the vehicles themselves.
Just like many others, he started as a bicycle racer, then switched to cars, and he won the 1905 Gordon Bennett race. The[00:18:00]only small wrinkle in that saying that he won the race is that actually the 1902 Gordon Bennett Cup was finished by only one person. And after the 1903 Gordon Bennett race, he went into more long distance record racing.
Who won the 1904 and the 1905 races, who was nicknamed le because no one else could drive as fast so consistently. 1904 was the first year with Richard Braier. He won 19 0 4, 19 0 5. Gordon Bennett’s Cup. Then he tried to beat his own race without success, then returned to Richard Baier that unfortunately died of the E in 1909.
1905, the last Gordon Bennett Cup. So this was a closed track, and actually this was the forerunner of the Grand Prix races, which started in[00:19:00]1906 with the French Grand Prix. And I’m very proud to say that the first Grand Prix in France was won by a Ferenc Cis, who was of Hungarian origin. Thank you very much for your attention.
You can see my email address, but also there is a link below the presentation. You can send your questions, which I will be very happy to answer. Thank you. This episode is brought to you in part by the International Motor Racing Research Center. Its charter is to collect, share, and preserve the history of motorsports, spanning continents, eras, and race series.
The Center’s collection embodies the speed, drama, and camaraderie of amateur and professional motor racing throughout the world. The Center welcomes serious researchers and casual fans alike to share stories of race drivers, race series, and race cars captured on their shelves and walls and brought to life through a regular calendar of public lectures and special events.
#### _This episode is sponsored in part by: The International Motor Racing Research Center (IMRRC), The Society of Automotive Historians (SAH), The Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Argetsinger Family – and was recorded in front of a live studio audience._
## **_Michael R. Argetsinger Symposium on International Motor Racing History_**
* _Walt Hansgen: His Life and the History of Post-war American Road Racing (2006)_
International Motor Racing Research Center- PRESERVING & SHARING THE HISTORY OF MOTORSPORTS. Our mission is to collect, preserve and share the global history of motorsports.
The Significance of 1908 & the Vanderbilt Cup
### Sim Racing Success Stories of Trailblazing Women
### The Evolution of Women-Only Racing
",4.0
page_scrape,6.841102361679077,13.471763134002686,,,https://gordonbennettcup.racing/1900-2/,2613.0,"## **1900 Gordon Bennett Cup**
After a failed race between Alexander Winton and Fernand Charron, Gordon Bennett dispatched the Cup intended for the winner at the offices of Automobile Club de France in Paris (seePrelude) with the intention of setting up a new racing series.
The Gordon Bennett Cup, which its instigator called _Coupé Internationale,_ was to be a competition between recognized national automobile clubs initially representing France, Germany, Great Britain, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, the United States and Italy. Each nations were allocated a colour, which their representatives’ cars would be painted. These were blue for France, yellow for Belgium, white for Germany, and red for the USA. Later on Great Britain received green, Italy black, Austria black and yellow and Switzerland red and yellow.
Any club wishing to take part in the race was required to deposit the sum of 3,000 francs with the A.C.F. before 1 January 1900. The actual race was to be held sometime between 15 May and 15 August. The race distance would be not less than 550 nor more than 650 kilometers. The cost of race organization would be divided amongst each of the participating clubs. As usual the devil was in the details. As Lord Montagu of Beaulieu (with the help of Michael Sedgwick) put it: “Not only were the entrants and drivers representing a national club to be members of that club, but the cars themselves had to be made _in their entirety_ in the country whose colours they wore. Finally, each nation’s representation was restricted to a team of not more than three vehicles. Therein lay contention, for it was obvious that this rule would give a small country with one or two effective manufacturers parity with a large industrial state supporting forty such concerns”.
**The 1900 Cup**
Despite a disappointing first edition, judging from the list of vehicles entered in the event, the international character of the race was effectively well confirmed, not noly through the representativeness of the teams taking part in the event (America, Germany, Belgium, France), but also through cosmopolitan and multilingual media coverage.
The Gordon Bennett Cup races have long fascinated Dieter Dressel, owner of theCentral Garagemuseum in Bad Homburg, Germany. The 1904 Gordon Bennett Cup started from Bad Homburg. As the anniversary approaches Mr. Dressel together with dr Pal Negyesi, editor ofRare & Unique Vehicles, Thomas Ulrich, a German motoring historian and other experts decided to dedicate a website to the first real racing series as a preparation for a book about the 1904 Gordon Bennett Cup.
",5.0
page_scrape,9.099889993667603,9.511389017105103,,,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Bennett_Cup_(auto_racing)#bodyContent,8767.0,"Magazine spread showing three Gordon Bennett Cup Teams in 1903: German Mercedes (top), USA Wintons and Peerless (middle) and British Napiers (bottom)
In automobile racing, the**Gordon Bennett Cup** was an annual competition which ran from 1900 to 1905. It was one of threeGordon Bennett Cupsestablished byJames Gordon Bennett, Jr., millionaire owner of the _New York Herald._
In 1899, Gordon Bennett offered the _Automobile Club de France_(ACF) a trophy to be raced for annually by the automobile clubs of the various countries. The competition was held until 1905, after which the ACF held the firstGrand Prix motor racingevent at a road course nearLe Mans.
The 1903 event in Ireland possibly gave rise to the birth ofBritish Racing Green.
## The Cup
The trophy given to the winner was a sculpture of a Panhard racing car driven by the Genius of Progress with the Goddess of Victory as passenger.[1]
## Gordon Bennett races
The Gordon Bennett Cup auto races drew entrants from acrossEurope, including future aviatorHenry Farman, and competitors from theUnited Statessuch asAlexander Wintondriving hisWinton automobile. Under the rules, the races were hosted in the country of the previous year's winner. As the races were between national teams, it led to the reorganisation and standardisation ofnational racing colours. CountEliot Zborowski, father of inter-war racing legendLouis Zborowski, suggested that each national entrant be allotted a different colour. Britain had to choose a different colour from its usualnational coloursof red, white and blue, as these had already been taken by USA, Germany, and France respectively.
Reputedly as a concession to Ireland where the1903 Gordon Bennett Cuprace was run (racing was illegal on British public roads), the British adoptedshamrock green[2]which became known asBritish racing green, although the winning Napier of 1902 had already been painted olive green, and green was well-established as an appropriate colour for locomotives and machinery, in which Britain had led the world during the previous century.
### 1900 Gordon Bennett Cup
Main article:1900 Gordon Bennett Cup
The international motor car race from Paris to Lyons for the Gordon Bennett Cup took place on 14 June 1900. The start from Paris was made at 3 o'clock in the morning and Charron was the first to reach Lyons, arriving at 12:23 p.m. M. Girardot finished second at 2 o'clock.[3]
### 1901 Gordon Bennett Cup
Main article:1901 Gordon Bennett Cup
In 1901 the Gordon Bennett Cup race was run in conjunction with the Paris-Bordeaux race on 29 May over a distance of 527.1 km. The race was won by Henri Fournier driving a Mors with a time of 6h 10m 44s. The first of the Gordon Bennett Cup contestants was Leonce Girardot, driving a Panhard with a time of 8h 50m 59s.[4]
### 1902 Gordon Bennett Cup
Main article:1902 Gordon Bennett Cup
The1902 Gordon Bennett Cupwas run over a distance of 565 km from Paris to Innsbruck in conjunction with the Paris-Vienna motor car race. The race started in Paris on 26 June. Competing were 30 heavy cars, 48 light cars, six voiturettes, three motorcycles, and three motorcyclettes. Each nation was allowed to nominate up to three cars to compete for the Gordon Bennett Cup, but only six entries were received, three French and three British. The Automobile Club of Great Britain announced that car No. 160 driven by Mr White, and car No. 45, made byNapier & Sonof London with Dunlop tyres, driven by Mr Edge would represent the club.[5]The Timesannounced on June 30 that Edge had won the Gordon Bennett Cup.[6]It was announced in Vienna on 1 July that M. Marcel Renault had won the Paris-Vienna race, with M. Henri Farman second.[7]
### 1903 Gordon Bennett Cup
Main article:1903 Gordon Bennett Cup
English team -on Napier- before 1903 Gordon Bennett Trophy (l. to r. J.W. Stocks, Ch. Jarrott and S.F. Edge). Circuit map for the 1903 Gordon Bennett Trophy
On Thursday, 2 July 1903 the Gordon Bennett Cup was the first international motor race to be held in Ireland, an honorific toSelwyn Edgewho had won the 1902 event in the Paris-Vienna race driving aNapier. TheAutomobile Club of Great Britain and Irelandwanted the race to be hosted in the British Isles, and their secretary,Claude Johnson, suggested Ireland as the venue because racing was illegal on British public roads. The editor of the _Dublin Motor News_ ,Richard J. Mecredy, suggested an area inCounty Kildare, and letters were sent to 102 Irish MPs, 90 Irish peers, 300 newspapers, 34 chairmen of county and local councils, 34 County secretaries, 26 mayors, 41 railway companies, 460 hoteliers, 13 PPs, plus theBishop of Kildare and Leighlin, Patrick Foley, who pronounced himself in favour. Local laws had to be adjusted, ergo the 'Light Locomotives (Ireland) Bill' was passed on 27 March 1903. Kildare and other local councils drew attention to their areas, whilstQueen's Countydeclared _That every facility will be given and the roads placed at the disposal of motorists during the proposed race._ Eventually Kildare was chosen, partly on the grounds that the straightness of the roads would be a safety benefit. As a compliment to Ireland the British team chose to race inShamrock greenwhich thus became known asBritish racing greenalthough the winning Napier of 1902 had been painted Olive green.[8][9][10]
WikiMiniAtlas
The official timekeeper of the race was Mr. T. H. Woolen of the Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland. Ninety one Chronographs for timing the race were supplied by the Anglo-Swiss firm Stauffer Son & Co. ofLa Chaux-de-Fondsand London. Competitors were started at seven-minute intervals and had to follow bicycles through the 'control zones' in each town. The 328 miles (528 km) race was won by the famous BelgianCamille Jenatzy, driving a Mercedes in German colours.[8][13]
### 1904 Gordon Bennett Cup
Main article:1904 Gordon Bennett Cup
reported the 1904 Gordon Bennett motor race took place in Germany on 17 June over 342 miles (550 km), consisting of four laps of a course in the neighbourhood of Homburg.[14]From Saalburg the course ran north to Usingen, where there was a control point (an inhabited or built up area where the cars had to travel slowly under the supervision of course officials) then through Graefenwiesbach to Weilburg, where there was a second control point, then past Allendorf and Obertiefenbach to Limburg. This section was reported to be the best part of the course for high speed and in practice some cars travelled at 150 km/h (93 mph). At Limburgh there was another control, then the course ran through Kirberg to Neuhof, where there was a very bad turn, and then to Idstein where there was another control. It then ran through Glashuetten to Koenigstein (control), then via Friedrichshof and Oberursel (control) to Homburg (control) and back to Saalburg.
### 1905 Gordon Bennett Cup
Main article:1905 Gordon Bennett Cup
Gordon Bennett course 1905 – France
In 1905, reported on the last of the six Gordon-Bennett Cup Races, which took place in France on 5 July over a 137 km mountainous circuit in the Auvergne near to Clermont-Ferrand. After four circuits of the course, a total of 548 km, which he completed in 7hr 2min 42sec, an average speed of 77.78 km/h, the Frenchman Léon Théry on a 96 hpRichard-Brasierwon for the second year in a row. Lancia on aFIATfor Italy was fastest over the first two laps, but broke down with radiator problems during his third lap. Théry eventually came in first ahead ofNazzaro, also on a FIAT, who finished in 7hr 19min 9sec.[18]
The race took place on the doorstep of the Clermont-Ferrand headquarters ofMichelin, and cars fitted with Michelin tyres took the first four places.[20]
## Gordon Bennett Cup winners
**a.** According to _Leinster Leader_ , Saturday, 11 April 1903, Britain had to choose a different colour to its usual national colours of red, white, and blue, as these had already been taken by Italy, Germany, and France respectively. It also stated red as the color for _American_ cars in the 1903 Gordon Bennett Cup.
* According to _Leinster Leader_ , Saturday, 11 April 1903, which also states red as the color for _American_ cars in the 1903 Gordon Bennett Cup.
* Forix 8W – _Britain's first international motor_ race by Brendan Lynch, based on his Triumph of the Red Devil, the 1903 Irish Gordon Bennett Cup Race. 22 October 2003
* The Gordon Bennett races – the birth of international competition. Author Leif Snellman, Summer 2001
* Bleacher report, The Birth of British motor racing
* _Gordon Bennett Motor Race 1903_ - kildare
* 1903 illustrated article – _The Gordon Bennet Race_
Gordon Bennett Cup (auto racing)
Races
* Gordon Bennett Cup (auto racing)
* Auto racing trophies and awards
Gordon Bennett Cup (auto racing)
",2.0
page_scrape,9.812034606933594,10.17488145828247,,,http://www.goldenera.fi/gb01.htm,5540.0,"**SECOND GORDON BENNETT RACE**
**Girardot on Panhard wins the second Gordon Bennett Race**
**The second Gordon Bennett Race was held in May of 1901. Initially there were nine entries, but as Germany and England pulled out, only three French cars were left racing for the cup. So, Girardot and Charron on 40 hp Panhard cars and a 55 hp Mors for Levegh made up the Gordon Bennett convoy, racing together with over 60 contenders of the Paris-Bordeaux race, but the Bennett cars had preference of the large field. At the Paris morning start, delayed till 4:00 a.m., Levegh was leading Charron and Girardot. At Limours, 27 km, Charron fell behind with valve problems. Getting to Vendôme, 163 km, Charron retired due to his valves while Levegh (Mors) was leading Girardot (Panhard) by 20 minutes. At Châtellerault, 289 km, Levegh dropped out after he struck a gulley running across the road, smashing the front of his low ground clearance Mors. Girardot, leading the Gordon Bennett race, was handicapped with a clutch problem having been passed by the seven front runners of the Paris-Bordeaux field, but he finished in ninth place. Girardot won the Gordon Bennett Cup for France, thus it remained with the French team, the ACF. Although, the 1901 Gordon Bennett race was considered a complete fiasco.** As the 1901 Gordon Bennett race had not yet attracted sufficient international interest by itself, the ACF decided to combine the latter with the major Paris-Bordeaux contest which attracted over sixty entries. The Gordon Bennett regulations were updated with minimum weight of 650 kg, following the introduction of the voiture légère / light car category, while the color of the British car was red and not green as required by the rules. **Gerald Rose: A Record of Motor Racing >** As no foreign Club had taken advantage of the opportunity to challenge Charron's victory (in 1900), it fell to France (Sporting Committee of the ACF) to organize for the second time the race for the Gordon Bennett Trophy. The first thing to be settled was the representative team, and early in January the ACF chose – not by ballot this time – Charron, Girardot, and Levegh, in other words, two Panhard and a Mors. Then came the question of the time and place of the race... and ...decided that the Gordon Bennett should be run concurrently with Paris-Bordeaux, the competitors for the international trophy having precedence of start over the other drivers. The German _Deutscher Automobil-Club_ decided to give two places to Mercedes after the firm won at Nice in March. The Benz company pulled out of the trials, declaring that they had not been given sufficient notice to get their cars ready. Then Dürkopp withdrew for the same reason and eventually Mercedes also pulled out, stating that the notice given by the Club was far too short. Then the independent touring driver Tischbein was considered with a 35hp Mercedes but was ultimately withdrawn and the German entry failed. England's Club,_Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland_ , wanted to have an eliminatory inspection of racing cars representing England still being built. But of the four Napiers, only one was completed in time for inspection while the M.M.C. car was built but not sent for inspection. So, only one car, the English Napier, was going to oppose the French champions. The _Automobile Club de France_ was the organizer of this event. **Race:** The Napier of Edge did not qualify as his English tires had failed on the trip to Paris and he replaced them with French Michelins. This did not permit the car as a competitor for the Gordon Bennett race though Edge could compete in the open race. Leading the procession of cars was the French Gordon Bennett team starting ahead of the 17 Heavy Cars of Paris-Bordeaux, headed by Edge in the rejected Napier, followed by 18 Light Cars, 10 Voiturettes and 19 Motorcycles. The start was in the west of Paris at St. Cloud, Seine-et-Oise where René de Knyff, de Chasseloup-Laubat and Huet continued with procedures and as a result the 3:30 early morning start was delayed by half an hour. It was already daylight when Mr. Huet, official timekeeper of the ACF, dispatched Charron at four o'clock amid cheers and then at two-minute intervals Levegh who simply flew away with his powerful Mors car and Girardot who also made a good impression. Edge was next away at 4:15, the only foreigner in the Paris-Bordeaux race. **Ruffec, 388 km** After sweltering heat in the afternoon, the surviving competitors ran into a violent thunderstorm over the Ruffec district, which thoroughly soaked those unfortunate competitors who were behind. Many of them gave up the race for this reason but Girardot continued in his position. 1. | 1. | 1. Girardot was first – and last – in the Gordon Bennett race, winning the trophy for France. So, it remained with the French team, the ACF, who therefore would have to organize the third race.**Gerald Rose >** The Gordon Bennett was a complete fiasco; the only driver to finish was Girardot, the ninth man in the open race, and his speed average was only 37 mph [59.5 km/h], slower than previous year's pace. **Primary sources researched for this article:** Allgemeine Automobil-Zeitung, Berlin Allgemeine Automobil-Zeitung, Wien Der Motorwagen, Berlin L'Auto-Vélo, Paris La France Automobile, Paris La Locomotion Automobile, Paris Le Vélo, Paris Motor Age, Chicago The Autocar, London**Special thanks to:** Adam Ferrington Robert Dick Marco Kieser Gerald Rose:_A Record of Motor Racing_ GORDON BENNETT INDEX
",3.0
page_scrape,9.91436243057251,10.42585277557373,,,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1900_Gordon_Bennett_Cup#bodyContent,9760.0,"1900 Gordon Bennett Cup | Race details Motor car race The**1900 Gordon Bennett Cup** , formally titled the**I Coupe Internationale** , was a motor race held on 14 June 1900, on public roads betweenParisandLyoninFrance. It was staged to decide the inaugural holder of the Gordon Bennett Cup, which was the first prize to be awarded for motorsport on an international level. The 568.66 km (353.35 mi) route started at Paris and headed south-west as far asChâteaudun. The route then took the competitors south-easterly, passing throughOrléans,Nevers, andRoannebefore reaching the finish at Lyon. The race was won byFernand Charron, who represented France and drove a car manufactured byPanhard.Léonce Girardot, also representing France on a Panhard, was the only other driver to finish. Five drivers had entered the race; three representing France, the maximum number any one country were permitted, one from Belgium, and one from the United States of America. Prior to 1900, automobile racing consisted of city-to-city races, organised by various national automobile clubs. The Gordon Bennett Cup was established by American millionaireJames Gordon Bennett, Jr.with the intention of encouraging automobile industries internationally through sport. Bennett had moved to Paris in 1887 and came up with the idea of an international competition between representatives of national motoring clubs. Among the principles of the competition were that each country was limited to three entries, that the race to determine the winner of the cup would be between 550 and 650 kilometres and that the race would be held annually between 15 May and 15 August. Bennett commissioned a trophy, which he offered to the custody of the Automobile Club de France (ACF) who he also entrusted to draft the technical rules for the competition, and to arrange the inaugural event. The latter responsibility would then be bestowed on the motoring club whose representative won the previous year's race. In April 1900, a race for motor-tricycles was held from Paris-Roubaix. It was marred by many incidents, including a collision between two competitors which left two spectators injured, one of whom was the wife of the Deputy for the Department of the Seine. Soon after, motor racing was banned within the Department of the Seine, which was then extended by the Ministry of the Interior to all of France. Any exception to the law was required to be made through the central government, who had the choice of whether to grant a permit to allow a race to go ahead.[1] Despite rumours of building a purpose-built race track or moving the race to Italy, the race was eventually given permission to take place on public roads over the route between Paris and Lyons. However, the final decision on whether the race should take place was not made until the afternoon of 12 June, less than two days before it was due to start, as the ACF had to persuade local authorities to allow the race to travel through their area.[2] The late confirmation of the race taking place meant that route was, in places at least, lacking in terms of both signposting and crowd control.[1]In addition, complaints were made that no map detailing the exact route was supplied to the competitors.[4]Livestock and animals encroaching onto the road would prove to be a considerable hazard during the race. Each country was limited to a maximum of three entries for the race. The cars were required to be manufactured in their entirety in the country they represented, including the tyres. The ACF racing regulations imposed a minimum weight limit—excluding fuel, tools, upholstery, wings, lights and light fittings—of 400 kilograms (880 pounds) upon each car. Each car also had to be occupied by two people at all times: a driver and a riding mechanic. In the event the combined weight of the two occupants was less than 120 kilograms (260 pounds), ballast was to be added to the car to make up the difference.[5] Germany were also due to compete in the race; Eugen Benz was entered in a car manufactured by his father Karl Benz.[7]It was powered by a two-cylinder engine which produced 15 bhp (11 kW). However, the entry was withdrawn shortly before the start, Eugen Benz citing the short notice given of the race taking place as his reason, although he had already travelled to Paris. The final entries came from the US,Alexander Wintonand Anthony L. Riker who were to drive cars bearing Winton's name.[8]Although both arrived in Paris, only one car was designed as a racer, and Riker did not start the race.[9]Winton's car was underpowered compared to its competitors, with a one-cylinder 3.7-litre (226 cu in) engine producing 16 bhp (12 kW). Uniquely amongst the cars, the Winton featuredtillersteering rather than a steering wheel.[10]The four nations were each allocated a colour, which their representatives' cars would be painted. These were blue for France, yellow for Belgium, white for Germany, and red for the USA.[9]
## Race
Competitors gathered at the start line inVille-d'Avrayon the outskirts of Paris in the early hours of the morning of 14 June 1900. The race began at 3.14 am, at the drop of the starter's flag,[11]with all five cars setting off together. Over the first five miles (8.0 km) of the race, to Versailles, there was one minute between the leader Giradot and fifth-place Winton. Giradot continued to extend his lead, and by the time the competitors reached Limours, approximately 30 km into the race, Giradot had extended his lead to three minutes over Charron in second place, de Knyff was in third, Belgium's Jenatzy in fourth, and Winton, the American, was fifth.[12] The next part of the race took the competitors from Chartres, through Bonneval to Châteaudun, a 44 km stretch of road that was largely straight. Unofficial timings yielded average speeds over this section, with the leader Giradot averaging 35.3 mph. Charron was the fastest, averaging 41.1 mph and Jenatzy averaged 36.7 mph. Top gear had failed on de Knyff's Panhard, and this slowed his speed down to an average of around 30 mph. However, Winton was by far the slowest of the five cars over this section, with an average speed of just 20 mph.[12] From Châteaudun, the route headed south-easterly towards Orléans. Along this section, atSaint-Jean-de-la-Ruelle, Charron hit a gutter that ran across the road whilst travelling at speeds in excess of 50 mph, bending the back axle of his Panhard. Spectators warned the cars that followed of the hazard, by holding a green flag 30 yards in advance to give the cars time to slow down before reaching the danger.[13]Winton became the first driver to retire from the race, stopping at Orleans with a buckled wheel. The race order at Orléans, 173 km from the start, was Giradot leading by 17 minutes from Charron, with de Knyff third and a further 39 minutes behind, and Jenatzy fourth and three minutes further back.[13] As Giradot was leaving Orléans, he swerved to avoid a horse that was in the road, and in doing so collided with a kerb stone, which damaged his Panhard's steering and broke one of the back wheels. The repairs to his back wheel took around 80 minutes, which meant that Charron assumed the race lead. de Knyff retired from the race at Glen, leaving two French cars and one Belgian car in the race.[13] Charron and Giradot ran at a similar pace as they covered the 93 km distance between Gien and Nevers, the difference between the two over the section being just two minutes in Charron's favour. Charron gained slightly more of an advantage between Nevers and Moulins, completing the section in a time approximately four minutes faster than Giradot.[14]At Moulins, with 376 of the 569 km of the race completed, Jenatzy retired from the race, his car suffered from issues with its gears and ignition, and sustained damage after colliding with five or six dogs along the route.[15] Charron arrived at the finish control point, where a small crowd waited,[nb 1]at 12:23 pm, completing the race in nine hours and nine minutes, meaning he had averaged a speed of 38.6 mph. Giradot was the only other car to reach the finish, arriving at 2:00 pm having taken one hour, thirty-six minutes and twenty-three seconds longer than Charron to complete the course.[13] Charron's victory representing the ACF meant that France were the winners of the inaugural Gordon Bennett cup race, and the country would again host the contest the following year. The race was not viewed as a successful event. The large gap between the only two cars to reach the end had made the finish an anticlimax. The limited number of entrants, that only two of them were from outside France and that the only two cars to finish were French also led to the race failing to make much of an impression internationally.[18]American periodical _The Horseless Age_ wrote at the time ""it is the impression (in the USA) that the race was very badly organized, that insufficient preparations had been made for it and that it must be looked upon as a failure"".[15] In a bid to address these concerns, the next two Gordon Bennett Cup races would be run in conjunction with another city-to-city event, which allowed the Gordon Bennett race to share resources with another race which didn't have limits on entry and hence had a much larger field of cars. The cup wouldn't be competed for in a standalone race again until the 1903 edition.
* ^Jump up to:P. M. Heldt (1900-07-04). ""The Gordon Bennett International Cup Race""._The Horseless Age_.**6**(14): 14.
* Douglas-Scott-Montagu, Edward John Barrington, 3rd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu (1963),_The Gordon Bennett Races_ , London: Cassell & Company Ltd.
Gordon Bennett Cup (auto racing) | Races
* Gordon Bennett Cup (auto racing)
1900 Gordon Bennett Cup
",1.0
page_scrape,10.774945497512817,11.058823347091675,,,http://www.goldenera.fi/gb01.htm#map,5540.0,"**SECOND GORDON BENNETT RACE**
**Girardot on Panhard wins the second Gordon Bennett Race**
**The second Gordon Bennett Race was held in May of 1901. Initially there were nine entries, but as Germany and England pulled out, only three French cars were left racing for the cup. So, Girardot and Charron on 40 hp Panhard cars and a 55 hp Mors for Levegh made up the Gordon Bennett convoy, racing together with over 60 contenders of the Paris-Bordeaux race, but the Bennett cars had preference of the large field. At the Paris morning start, delayed till 4:00 a.m., Levegh was leading Charron and Girardot. At Limours, 27 km, Charron fell behind with valve problems. Getting to Vendôme, 163 km, Charron retired due to his valves while Levegh (Mors) was leading Girardot (Panhard) by 20 minutes. At Châtellerault, 289 km, Levegh dropped out after he struck a gulley running across the road, smashing the front of his low ground clearance Mors. Girardot, leading the Gordon Bennett race, was handicapped with a clutch problem having been passed by the seven front runners of the Paris-Bordeaux field, but he finished in ninth place. Girardot won the Gordon Bennett Cup for France, thus it remained with the French team, the ACF. Although, the 1901 Gordon Bennett race was considered a complete fiasco.** As the 1901 Gordon Bennett race had not yet attracted sufficient international interest by itself, the ACF decided to combine the latter with the major Paris-Bordeaux contest which attracted over sixty entries. The Gordon Bennett regulations were updated with minimum weight of 650 kg, following the introduction of the voiture légère / light car category, while the color of the British car was red and not green as required by the rules. **Gerald Rose: A Record of Motor Racing >** As no foreign Club had taken advantage of the opportunity to challenge Charron's victory (in 1900), it fell to France (Sporting Committee of the ACF) to organize for the second time the race for the Gordon Bennett Trophy. The first thing to be settled was the representative team, and early in January the ACF chose – not by ballot this time – Charron, Girardot, and Levegh, in other words, two Panhard and a Mors. Then came the question of the time and place of the race... and ...decided that the Gordon Bennett should be run concurrently with Paris-Bordeaux, the competitors for the international trophy having precedence of start over the other drivers. The German _Deutscher Automobil-Club_ decided to give two places to Mercedes after the firm won at Nice in March. The Benz company pulled out of the trials, declaring that they had not been given sufficient notice to get their cars ready. Then Dürkopp withdrew for the same reason and eventually Mercedes also pulled out, stating that the notice given by the Club was far too short. Then the independent touring driver Tischbein was considered with a 35hp Mercedes but was ultimately withdrawn and the German entry failed. England's Club,_Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland_ , wanted to have an eliminatory inspection of racing cars representing England still being built. But of the four Napiers, only one was completed in time for inspection while the M.M.C. car was built but not sent for inspection. So, only one car, the English Napier, was going to oppose the French champions. The _Automobile Club de France_ was the organizer of this event. **Race:** The Napier of Edge did not qualify as his English tires had failed on the trip to Paris and he replaced them with French Michelins. This did not permit the car as a competitor for the Gordon Bennett race though Edge could compete in the open race. Leading the procession of cars was the French Gordon Bennett team starting ahead of the 17 Heavy Cars of Paris-Bordeaux, headed by Edge in the rejected Napier, followed by 18 Light Cars, 10 Voiturettes and 19 Motorcycles. The start was in the west of Paris at St. Cloud, Seine-et-Oise where René de Knyff, de Chasseloup-Laubat and Huet continued with procedures and as a result the 3:30 early morning start was delayed by half an hour. It was already daylight when Mr. Huet, official timekeeper of the ACF, dispatched Charron at four o'clock amid cheers and then at two-minute intervals Levegh who simply flew away with his powerful Mors car and Girardot who also made a good impression. Edge was next away at 4:15, the only foreigner in the Paris-Bordeaux race. **Ruffec, 388 km** After sweltering heat in the afternoon, the surviving competitors ran into a violent thunderstorm over the Ruffec district, which thoroughly soaked those unfortunate competitors who were behind. Many of them gave up the race for this reason but Girardot continued in his position. 1. | 1. | 1. Girardot was first – and last – in the Gordon Bennett race, winning the trophy for France. So, it remained with the French team, the ACF, who therefore would have to organize the third race.**Gerald Rose >** The Gordon Bennett was a complete fiasco; the only driver to finish was Girardot, the ninth man in the open race, and his speed average was only 37 mph [59.5 km/h], slower than previous year's pace. **Primary sources researched for this article:** Allgemeine Automobil-Zeitung, Berlin Allgemeine Automobil-Zeitung, Wien Der Motorwagen, Berlin L'Auto-Vélo, Paris La France Automobile, Paris La Locomotion Automobile, Paris Le Vélo, Paris Motor Age, Chicago The Autocar, London**Special thanks to:** Adam Ferrington Robert Dick Marco Kieser Gerald Rose:_A Record of Motor Racing_ GORDON BENNETT INDEX
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