Magazine spread of Britain's Gordon Bennett Cup Team, 1903

Thery, 1904 and 1905 winner

Jenatzy, 1903 winner

As one of three Gordon Bennett Cups established by James Gordon Bennett, Jr., millionaire owner of the New York Herald, the automobile racing award was first given in 1900 in France.

The trophy was awarded annually until 1905, after which the Automobile Club de France (ACF) held the first Grand Prix motor racing event at the Circuit de la Sarthe, in Le Mans.

The Gordon Bennett Cup auto races drew entrants from across Europe including future aviator Henry Farman and from the United States competitors such as Alexander Winton driving his Winton 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 of national racing colours. Reputedly as a concession to Ireland where the 1903 race was run (racing was illegal on British public roads), the British adopted shamrock green^[1] which became known as British racing green, although the winning Napier of 1902 had already worn Olive Green. 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.^[2]

Gordon Bennett Cup winners:

Year	Track	Winner	Car	Country
1900	Paris to Lyon, France	Fernand Charron, FR	Panhard	France
1901	Paris to Bordeaux, France	Léonce Girardot, FR	Panhard	France
1902	Paris, to Innsbruck, Austria	Selwyn Edge, GB	Napier	United Kingdom
1903	Athy, County Kildare, Ireland	Camille Jenatzy, BE	Mercedes	Germany
1904	Taunus mountains in Germany	Léon Théry, FR	Richard-Brasier	France
1905	Circuit d'Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France	Léon Théry, FR	Richard-Brasier	France

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• http://kildare.ie/heritage/Gordon-Bennett-Race/January-1903.asp
• Gordon Bennett Trophy video footage from historic archives
• The day the country stopped to watch the Great Race, Leinster Express
• Race results in detail
• 1903 route map and descriptive brochure
• 1903 illustrated article - The Gordon Bennet Race