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48-563: Maurice Alain Farman (21 March 1877 – 25 February 1964) was a British-French Grand Prix motor racing champion, an aviator , and an aircraft manufacturer and designer . Born in Paris to English parents, he and his brothers Richard and Henry Farman were important pioneers of aviation in Europe. A champion tandem cyclist with brother Henry, Maurice Farman began racing Panhard automobiles and won

96-537: A Grand Prix ; Formula One is also referred to as "Grand Prix racing". Some IndyCar championship races are also called "Grands Prix". Motor racing was started in France , as a direct result of the enthusiasm with which the French public embraced the motor car. Manufacturers were enthusiastic due to the possibility of using motor racing as a shop window for their cars. The first motoring contest took place on July 22, 1894, and

144-497: A European Championship , consisting of the major Grand Prix in a number of countries (named Grandes Épreuves ) was instituted for drivers in 1931 , and was competed every year until the outbreak of World War II in 1939 with the exception of the 1933 and 1934 seasons. In 1946, following World War II, only four races of Grand Prix calibre were held. Rules for a Grand Prix World Championship had been laid out before World War II, but it took several years afterward until 1947 when

192-521: A course set out in Nassau County on Long Island, New York . The announcement that the race was to be held caused considerable controversy in New York, bringing a flood of legal actions in an attempt to stop the race. The politicians soon jumped in, holding public hearings on the issue. Vanderbilt prevailed and the inaugural race was run over a 30.24 miles (48.7 km) course of winding dirt roads through

240-583: A distance of 48 miles (77 km). The 1908 race was held over parts of the new highway and much to the delight of the large crowd on hand, 23-year-old local hero George Robertson from Garden City, New York became the first American to win the event driving the American Locomobile , which was the company's first gas-powered car and designed by famed engineer Andrew L. Riker (built in Bridgeport, Connecticut) (in 1908, George Robertson (wearing #16) took

288-438: A few countries setting up races of their own, but no formal championship tying them together. The rules varied from country to country and race to race, and typically centred on maximum (not minimum) weights in an effort to limit power by limiting engine size indirectly (10–15 L engines were quite common, usually with no more than four cylinders, and producing less than 50 hp). The cars all had mechanics on board as well as

336-473: A new race, the Inaugural U.S. 500 , to be held at Michigan International Speedway the same day. In an attempt to enhance the prestige of their new event and in recognition of William Kissam Vanderbilt's place in automotive racing history, CART had a facsimile of the original Vanderbilt Cup created as the winner's trophy for the 1996 U.S. 500 . After only one running, the U.S. 500 on Memorial Day weekend

384-603: A stoker which the judges deemed to be outside of their objectives. In 1900, James Gordon Bennett, Jr. , the owner of the New York Herald and the International Herald Tribune , established the Gordon Bennett Cup . He hoped the creation of an international event would drive automobile manufacturers to improve their cars. Each country was allowed to enter up to three cars, which had to be fully built in

432-665: A way to solve the safety issue as well as improve attendance to his race. Vanderbilt formed a company to build the Long Island Motor Parkway , one of the country's first modern paved parkways that could not only be used for the race but would open up Long Island for easy access and economic development. Construction began in 1907 of the multimillion-dollar toll highway, to run from the Kissena Corridor in Queens County over numerous bridges and overpasses to Lake Ronkonkoma ,

480-713: The Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus ( AIACR ). In 1922 the Commission Sportive Internationale (CSI) was empowered on behalf of AIACR to regulate Grand Prix racing and other forms of international racing. Since the inception of Grand Prix racing, competitions had been run in accordance with a strict formula based on engine size and vehicle weight. These regulations were virtually abandoned in 1928 with an era known as Formula Libre when race organisers decided to run their events with almost no limitations. From 1927 to 1934,

528-747: The Bridgehampton Sports Car Races were billed as the Vanderbilt Cup. Upon conclusion of the SCCA-sanctioned Bridgehampton event in 1968, the Vanderbilt Cup name disappeared for 28 years. In 1996, the sport of Indy car racing had become embroiled in a "Split" between Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) and the Indy Racing League (IRL). Tony George , the owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and

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576-562: The Champ Car World Series (CCWS), continued using the Vanderbilt Cup copy. After the bankruptcy of the CCWS in 2008 its assets were purchased by the IRL, unifying the most prestigious level of American open-wheel racing under a single sanctioning body. Tony George expressed an interest in having the Vanderbilt Cup copy replace the IRL's then-current Indy car National Champion's trophy, known as

624-588: The Farman Aviation Works . He was awarded Aviator's Certificate (Brevet) no. 6 by the Aero-Club de France , issued on November 18, 1909. Maurice Farman died in Paris in 1964. Grand Prix motor racing Grand Prix motor racing eventually evolved into formula racing , with Formula One considered its direct descendant. Each event of the Formula One World Championships is still called

672-616: The Indianapolis Motor Speedway , first used in 1909 with the first Indianapolis 500-Mile Race in 1911; and the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza , in Italy , opened in 1922. In 1908, the United States of America became the first country outside France to host an automobile race using the name Grand Prix (or Grand Prize), run at Savannah. The first Grande Épreuve outside France was the 1921 Italian Grand Prix held at Montichiari . This

720-588: The Vanderbilt Cup at Long Island , New York in 1904. Some anglophone sources wrongly list a race called the Pau Grand Prix in 1901. This may stem from a mistranslation of the contemporary French sources such as the magazine La France Auto of March 1901. The name of the 1901 event was the Circuit du Sud-Ouest and it was run in three classes around the streets of Pau. The Grand Prix du Palais d'Hiver

768-557: The 1901 Pau Grand Prix , the first race ever to be called a Grand Prix. In May 1902 he won the "Circuit du Nord" race from Paris to Arras and back. He also competed in that year's Paris to Vienna race won by Marcel Renault . However, Farman's interest quickly turned to powered flight and in 1908 he bought a Voisin Model 4 biplane. In 1909 he set world's endurance and speed records. He soon began to manufacture airplanes and in 1912 merged his business with his brother's aircraft company to give

816-714: The 1901 event as: "in the Circuit du Sud-Ouest , at the meeting in Pau" ( "dans le Circuit du Sud-Ouest, à l'occasion du meeting de Pau" ). The only race at the time to regularly carry the name Grand Prix was organised by the Automobile Club de France (ACF), of which the first took place in 1906. The circuit used, which was based in Le Mans , was roughly triangular in shape, each lap covering 105 kilometres (65 mi). Six laps were to run each day, and each lap took approximately an hour using

864-511: The 1960s, in an attempt to "leverage the legacy" the of Vanderbilt Cup history and name, the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) sanctioned several events featuring tertiary levels of competition, with the exception of the 1960 event, which drew two notable drivers: Jim Rathmann and Rodger Ward . Sponsored by Cornelius Vanderbilt IV , the 1960 race was run as a Formula Junior event and held again at Roosevelt Raceway. In 1965, 1967, and 1968,

912-485: The 32 entries representing 12 different automobile manufacturers, at the 1906 event, the Hungarian -born Ferenc Szisz (1873–1944) won the 1,260 km (780 mi) race in a Renault . This race was regarded as the first Grande Épreuve , which meant "great trial" and the term was used from then on to denote up to the eight most important events of the year. Races in this period were heavily nationalistic affairs, with

960-650: The Grand Prix motor racing era included a few women who competed equally with the men: From 1925 onwards, the AIACR and later the FIA organised World and European Championships for Grand Prix manufacturers, drivers and constructors: Vanderbilt Cup The Vanderbilt Cup was the first major trophy in American auto racing . An international event, it was founded by William Kissam Vanderbilt II in 1904 and first held on October 8 on

1008-558: The IRL, announced that the top 25 entries in IRL points standings would be guaranteed starting positions in the 1996 Indianapolis 500 . That would leave only 8 "at-large" spots for the CART-based teams. On December 18, 1995 CART teams, convinced they were being deliberately locked out from the 1996 Indy 500, and the victims of a "power grab" by Tony George, announced their intentions to boycott that event. The owners, along with CART president and CEO Andrew Craig, jointly announced plans for

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1056-553: The Nassau County area. Vanderbilt put up a large cash prize hoping to encourage American manufacturers to get into racing, a sport already well organized in Europe that was yielding many factory improvements to motor vehicle technology. The race drew the top drivers and their vehicles from across the Atlantic Ocean , some of whom had competed in Europe's Gordon Bennett Cup . The first Long Island race featured seventeen vehicles and

1104-497: The cause and sponsored a 300-mile (480 km) race at the new facilities at Roosevelt Raceway . Once again, the Europeans were enticed by the substantial prize money and Scuderia Ferrari entered three Alfa Romeo racers. A lack of American competition and a less-than-exciting course layout saw the race run for only two years, both won by Europeans. The original Cup is cast of silver and measures 2.5 feet (0.76 m) in height. It bears

1152-546: The country that they represented and entered by that country's automotive governing body. International racing colours were established in this event. The 1903 event occurred in the aftermath of the fatalities at the Paris-Madrid road race, so the race, at Athy in Ireland, though on public roads, was run over a closed circuit: the first ever closed-circuit motor race. In the United States , William Kissam Vanderbilt II launched

1200-557: The driver, and no one was allowed to work on the cars during the race except for these two. A key factor to Renault winning this first Grand Prix was held to be the detachable wheel rims (developed by Michelin), which allowed tire changes to occur without having to lever the tire and tube off and back on the rim. Given the state of the roads, such repairs were frequent. Early Grand Prix cars could be technically innovative, with marques such as Peugeot using technology that would later become more widespread. A further historic confusion arose in

1248-518: The early 1920s when the Automobile Club de France attempted to pull off a retrospective political trick by numbering and renaming the major races held in France before the 1906 French Grand Prix as being Grands Prix de l'Automobile Club de France , despite their running pre-dating the formation of the Club. Hence, the 1895 Paris–Bordeaux–Paris Trail was renamed I Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France ; and

1296-462: The early 1920s), with 8 to 16 cylinder supercharged engines producing upwards of 600 hp (450 kW) on alcohol fuels. As early as October 1923, the idea of an automobile championship was discussed at the annual autumn conference of the AIACR (Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus) in Paris. However, discussion centered on the increased interest in racing by manufacturers and holding

1344-404: The extent of the aid into their hands was exaggerated in the media; government subsidies amounted to perhaps 10% or less of the costs of running the two racing teams.) The two German marques utterly dominated the period from 1935 to 1939, winning all but three of the official Championship Grands Prix races run in those years. The cars by this time were single-seaters (the riding mechanic vanished in

1392-565: The first Grand Prix motor racing event had been run on June 26, 1906, under the auspices of the Automobile Club de France in Le Mans . One of the competitors was American Elliot Shepard, the son of Margaret Vanderbilt-Shepard and a cousin of William Kissam Vanderbilt. Learning from his cousin about the success of the French Grand Prix and the rapid expansion of Grand Prix racing in other European countries, William Vanderbilt conceived

1440-648: The first European Grand Prix at Monza in 1923. The first World Championship took place in 1925 , but it was for manufacturers only, consisting of four races of at least 800 km (497 mi) in length. The races that formed the first Constructors' Championship were the Indianapolis 500 , the European Grand Prix , and the French and Italian Grands Prix. This world championship was officially cancelled in 1930 , but in 1928 –1930 no titles were awarded. Subsequently,

1488-454: The history of the sport that the grid was determined by timed qualifying rather than the luck of a draw. All the competing vehicles were painted in the international auto racing colors : French cars continued to dominate (led by Bugatti , but also including Delage and Delahaye ) until the late 1920s, when the Italians ( Alfa Romeo and Maserati ) began to beat the French cars regularly. At

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1536-673: The image of William K. Vanderbilt II driving his record-setting Mercedes at the Daytona Beach Road Course in 1904. The trophy today is stored at a Smithsonian Institution storage facility and is not available to be seen by the public. The George Vanderbilt Cup is on display at Museo Nicolis in Verona . After the 1937 event, the Vanderbilt name would not return to the United States motor racing scene for more than twenty years. During

1584-452: The newspaper and poster art promotion drew large crowds hoping to see an American car defeat the mighty European vehicles. However, George Heath won the race in a Panhard and another French vehicle, a Darracq , took the Cup the next two years straight. Crowd control was a problem from the start and after a spectator, Curt Gruner, was killed in 1906, the race was cancelled. Meanwhile, in France,

1632-454: The number of races considered to have Grand Prix status exploded, jumping from five events in 1927, to nine events in 1929, to eighteen in 1934 (the peak year before World War II ). During this period a lot of changes of rules occurred. There was a mass start for the first time at the 1922 French Grand Prix in Strasbourg. The 1925 season was the first season during which no riding mechanic

1680-560: The old AIACR reorganised itself as the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile or "FIA" for short, headquartered in Paris. It announced the new International Formula, also known as Formula 1 or Formula A, to be effective from 1947. At the end of the 1949 season the FIA announced that for 1950 they would be linking several national Formula One Grands Prix to create a World Championship for drivers, although due to economic difficulties

1728-473: The relatively primitive cars of the day. The driving force behind the decision to race on a circuit – as opposed to racing on ordinary roads from town to town – was the Paris to Madrid road race of 1903. During this race a number of people, both drivers and pedestrians – including Marcel Renault – were killed and the race was stopped by the French authorities at Bordeaux. Further road based events were banned. From

1776-600: The time, the Germans engineered unique race vehicles as seen in the photo here with the Benz aerodynamic "teardrop" body introduced at the 1923 European Grand Prix at Monza by Karl Benz . In the 1930s, however, nationalism entered a new phase when the Nazis encouraged Mercedes and Auto Union to further the glory of the Reich . (The government did provide some money to the two manufacturers, but

1824-525: The true first Grand Prix in 1906 race was renamed the IX Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France (9th). The ACF used this numbering in 1933, although some members of the Club dismissed it, "concerned the name of the Club was lent to the fiction simply out of a childish desire to establish their Grand Prix as the oldest race in the world". For the most part, races were run over a lengthy circuit of closed public roads, not purpose-built private tracks. This

1872-656: The win in this car, ahead of fellow Locomobile pilot Joe Florida in third, becoming the first United States-built car to win in international competition) . The Vanderbilt Cup was held successfully on Long Island until 1911 when it was showcased at Savannah, Georgia in combination with the American Grand Prize . The next year it moved to a racecourse in Milwaukee, Wisconsin , then for three years in California : Santa Monica in 1914 and 1916, San Francisco in 1915. The race

1920-594: The years 1952 and 1953 were actually competed in Formula Two cars. A points system was established and a total of seven races were granted championship status including the Indianapolis 500. The first World Championship race was held on 13 May 1950 at Silverstone in the United Kingdom . The Italians once again did well in these early World Championship races, both manufacturers and drivers. The first World Champion

1968-534: Was Giuseppe Farina , driving an Alfa Romeo. Ferrari appeared at the second World Championship race, in Monaco, and has the distinction of being the only manufacturer to compete in every season of the World Championship, still competing in 2024 . Italics denote that the race was also known as the European Grand Prix . For wartime events, see Grands Prix during World War II . See also: Notable drivers of

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2016-506: Was canceled after the United States joined the Allies in World War I in 1917. Some of the drivers who participated in the Vanderbilt Cup became famous names, synonymous with automobiles and racing such as Louis Chevrolet , Vincenzo Lancia and Ralph DePalma . The Vanderbilt Cup was not held again until 1936 when William Kissam Vanderbilt II's nephew, George Washington Vanderbilt III picked up

2064-569: Was discontinued. The U.S. 500 name was instead used for the July race (formerly known as the Michigan 500 ). After serving as the U.S. 500 winner's trophy through 1999, CART designated the Vanderbilt Cup as its series championship trophy in 2000. Names of U.S. 500 winners from 1996 to 1999, and the CART series champions from 2000 on-wards, were to be etched into the new Cup. Upon CART's demise in 2003 its successor,

2112-770: Was organised by a Paris newspaper, Le Petit Journal . The Paris–Rouen rally was 126 km (78 mi), from Porte Maillot in Paris , through the Bois de Boulogne , to Rouen . Count Jules-Albert de Dion was first into Rouen after 6 hours 48 minutes at an average speed of 19 km/h (12 mph). He finished 3 minutes 30 seconds ahead of Albert Lemaître ( Peugeot ), followed by Auguste Doriot (Peugeot, 16 minutes 30 seconds back), René Panhard ( Panhard , 33 minutes 30 seconds back), and Émile Levassor (Panhard, 55 minutes 30 seconds back). The official winners were Peugeot and Panhard as cars were judged on their speed, handling and safety characteristics, and De Dion's steam car needed

2160-441: Was quickly followed by Belgium and Spain (in 1924), and later spread to other countries including Britain (1926). Strictly speaking, this still was not a formal championship, but a loose collection of races run to various rules. (A "formula" of rules had appeared just before World War I , finally based on engine size as well as weight, but it was not universally adopted.) In 1904, many national motor clubs banded together to form

2208-511: Was required in a car, as this rule was repealed in Europe after the death of Tom Barrett during the 1924 Grand Prix season . At the Solituderennen in 1926 a well thought-out system, with flags and boards, giving drivers tactical information, was used for the first time by Alfred Neubauer , the racing manager of the Mercedes-Benz team. The 1933 Monaco Grand Prix was the first time in

2256-458: Was the name of the prizes awarded for the lesser classes ('Light cars' and 'Voiturettes'). The Grand Prix de Pau was the name of the prize awarded for the 'Heavy' (fastest) class. Thus Maurice Farman was awarded the Grand Prix de Pau for his overall victory in the Circuit du Sud-Ouest driving a Panhard 24 hp . In L'Histoire de l'Automobile/Paris 1907 Pierre Souvestre described

2304-589: Was true of the Le Mans circuit of the 1906 Grand Prix , as well as the Targa Florio (run on 93 miles (150 km) of Sicilian roads), the 75 miles (121 km) German Kaiserpreis circuit in the Taunus mountains, and the French circuit at Dieppe (a mere 48 miles (77 km)), used for the 1907 Grand Prix . The exceptions were the steeply banked egg-shaped near oval of Brooklands in England , completed in 1907;

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