History
Upon the completion of the first successful petrol fuelled automobile, the sport of racing was born. 1894 was the first year for organized racing. The Paris
magazine “Le Petit Journal” described it as a reliability test to determine the best performance between builders. It was not until a year later in 1895 where the first staged race was held. The race was designed to send drivers from Paris, France
to Bordeaux, another small town in France. Emile Levassor was the first over the line, but due to a technicality, was afterwards
disqualified when his car did not meet certain specifications.
The first ever race in North America took place in Chicago, Illinois on November 2nd 1895. The
course was approximately fifty four miles or 87.5 kilometers. Frank Duryea placed
the winning time at ten hours and 23 minutes. He beat out three gas-powered and
two-electric powered cars to claim first prize. Ever since then, Europeans and
North Americans alike, have never stopped racing automobiles. We have been racing cars for the better part of 110 years, now
and there is no apparent stop on the horizon.
