The Gordon Bennett Races

First run from Paris to Lyons in 1900, this race was for a trophy provided by the newspaper owner James Gordon Bennett of the New York Herald to help promote the motor industry. It was an open road race until 1903, when it was held on the Athy circuit in 1903. Bennett withdrew his sponsorship in 1905 due to politics, but the idea of Grand Prix racing was born.

19001901 19021903 19041905

Paris-Lyons 14 June 1900 - 565 km

Also known as the Coupe Internationale
Results 1 5 Fernand Charron Panhard 40 9h09m00, 61.11kph/38.60mph 2 7 Leonce Girardot Panhard 49 10h36m23 Retirements 2 Camille Jenatzy Snoek-Bolide Gien : several troubles 1 Rene de Knyff Panhard 40 Orleans: gearbox 4 Alexander Winton Winton Orleans: buckled wheel Did not start: 3 Eugen Benz Benz 6 Anthony Riker Winton N.B. 1) "Levegh" also started the race and finished 2nd, although he was not part of the competition. 2) Route: Paris-Grille to Picardie-Grille to Buc-Limours-Chateaulin-Orléans-Gien-Nevers-Moulins-Roanne-Lyon. 3) Race leaders: Paris-Limours : Girardot. Limours-Chateaulin: Charron. Chateaulin-Orléans: Girardot Orléans-Lyon : Charron

Paris-Bordeaux
29 May 1901 - Paris-Bordeaux: 527.1 km

1 7 Leonce Girardot Panhard 40 8h50m59, 59.53kph/37.00mph only one finisher Retirements 1 Fernand Charron Panhard 40 tyres 5 "Levegh" Mors Z crash damage 3 Selwyn Edge Napier 50 DNS - tyres N.B. Race run concurrently with another race - see here for more details.

Paris-Innsbruck
26-28 June 1902 - Paris-Innsbruck: 565.60 km

Results 1 45 Selwyn F.Edge Napier 50 11h02m52.6m 51.17kph/31.80mph only one finisher Retirements 5 René De Knyff Panhard 70 differential 170 Montague Grahame White Wolseley 30 crankshaft 1 Henri Fournier Mors Z clutch shaft 12 Leonce Girardot C.G.V. split fuel tank 171 Arthur Callan Wolseley 30 N.B. 1) Only one finisher. Edge was too far behind on time to have any chance of catching up De Knyff. However De Knyff retired 30 miles from the end. 2) Three stages, second stage (Belfort-Bregenz) cancelled. Only De Knyff, Edge and Austin completed first stage. 3) The Race run concurrently with the Paris Vienna Trail: 4) Race also called III Coupe Internationale 5) CGV are the initials of Charron, Girardot & Voigt.

Athy, Ireland
2 July 1903 - 527.040 km (64.37 km x 3 laps of Circuit A,
and 83.48 km x 4 laps of Circuit B, in order A-B-A-B-A-B-B



Results
 1  4 Camille Jenatzy             Mercedes               6h39m00s   
 2  2 Rene de Knyff               Panhard                6h50m40s
 3 10 Henri Farman                Panhard                6h51m44s
 4  6 Fernand Gabriel             Mors Z                 7h11m33s


Disqualified
    1 Selwyn Francis Edge         Napier                 9h18m48s  (push start)


Did Not Finish
    8 Baron Pierre de Caters      Mercedes               6 laps/broke rear axle
    3 Percy Owen                  Winton                 5 laps/withdrew
   11 Alexander Winton            Winton                 4 laps/withdrew
   12 Foxhall Keene               Mercedes               3 laps/bent rear axle
    7 Louis Mooers                Peerless               1 laps/tyres
    5 Charles Jarrott             Napier                 1 laps/steering, crash
    9 J. Stocks                   Napier                 0 laps/crash


Fastest Lap (A): Foxhall Keene (Mercedes)  lap 1:   46m03s  (83.870 kph)
Fastest Lap (B): Fernand Gabriel (Mors)    lap 2: 1h00m19s  (83.042 kph)
Race leaders: Foxhall Keene (1), lap 1 ; Camille Jenatzy (6), laps 2-7


N.B.
1) Race also known as IV Coupe Internationale
2) As holder of the cup, Napier was given the first two places in the English
   team. The third spot was to be decided in the English Elimination Trial known as
   The Welbeck Trials held on April 25th and 27th.
    
   25th April, Welbeck, Duke of Portland Estate. Trials consisted of:-
   - Six flying kilometre trials, 3 downhill, 3 uphill. 
   - Six standing mile trials, 3 downhill, 3 uphill.
   27th April, Dashwood hillclimb. Three trials. Distance unknown. 
   Results
     1 J. Stocks               Napier
     2 Charles Rolls           Napier           10.6 behind
     3 Mark Mayhew             Napier         1m15.0
     4 Edward Lisle            Star           2m50.4




Homburg Circuit
17 June 1904 - Taunus: 511.532 km (127.883 km x 4 laps)



Results
 1  5 Leon Théry                 Richard-Brasier        5h50m01.4, 87.69 kph
 2  1 Camille Jenatzy            Mercedes 60            6h01m29.4
 3 18 Henri Rougier              Turcat-Mery            6h47m09.8
 4  8 Baron Pierre de Caters     Mercedes 60            6h47m30.0
 5 10 Edgar Braun                Mercedes 60            6h59m47.8
 6 19 Lucien Hautvast            Pipe                   7h02m35.0
 7 12 Jacques Salleron           Mors Z                 7h15m14.2
 8  4 Vincenzo Lancia            FIAT                   7h17m51.6
 9  9 Sidney Girling             Wolseley 72            7h22m53.2
10 17 Alessandro Cagno           FIAT                   7h23m34.6
11  3 Christian Werner           Mercedes 60            7h32m13.2
12 15 Charles Jarrott            Wolseley 96            7h36m50.6

Fastest Lap: Leon Théry (Richard-Brasier), 1h26m22.2 (88.838 kph) on lap 4


Did Not Finish
    2 Selwyn Francis Edge        Napier 70              3 laps/overheating
    6 Baron Pierre de Crawhez    Pipe                   3 laps
   11 Luigi Storero              FIAT                   2 laps
   16 John Warden                Mercedes 60            2 laps
   13 Augières                   Pipe                   1 lap
   14 Fritz von Opel             Darracq                0 laps/universal joint

Did Not Start
    7 Frederic Dufaux            Dufaux                 broken wheel




Circuit d'Auvergne
5 July 1905 - Auvergne: 549.415 km (137.354 km x 4 laps)



Results
 1  1 Leon Théry                 Richard-Brasier      7h02m42.6, 77.88 kph
 2 16 Felice Nazzaro             FIAT                 7h10m09.2
 3 10 Alessandro Cagno           FIAT                 7h21m22.6
 4  7 Gustave Caillois           Richard-Brasier      7h27m06.4
 5 15 Christian Werner           Mercedes             8h03m30.0
 6 13 Arthur Duray               de Dietrich 24/28    8h05m00.0
 7  9 Baron Pierre de Caters     Mercedes             8h07m11.6
 8  8 Charles Rolls              Wolseley             8h26m42.2
 9  2 Clifford Earp              Napier               8h27m29.8
10  5 Edgar Braun                Mercedes             8h33m05.6
11 14 Cecil Bianchi              Wolseley             8h38m32.4
12  6 Herbert Lyttle             Pope-Toledo          9h30m32.0

Fastest Lap: Vincenzo Lancia (FIAT), 1h34m57 (86.795 kph) on lap 1


Did Not Finish
    4 Vincenzo Lancia            FIAT                 2 laps/engine/radiator
    3 Camille Jenatzy            Mercedes             2 laps/tyres/broke spring
   17 "Alexander Burton"         Mercedes             2 laps/tyres
   18 Joe Tracy                  Locomobile           1 lap/engine/clutch
   11 Otto Hieronymus            Mercedes             1 lap/tyres
   12 Bert Dingley               Pope-Toledo          0 laps/water pipe


N.B.
1) Race also known as VI Coupe Internationale