International racing began with the Gordon Bennett Cup. The award was established by James Gordon Bennett Jr., the French-born publisher of the New York Herald newspaper. Bennett gained popularity by providing the financial backing for Henry Morton Stanley to go into Africa to look for David Livingstone. He also won the first trans-oceanic boat race, so it was safe to say that racing and competition was in his blood. Bennett Jr. also had a flair for excitement, so setting up an award for international racing was a natural extension of who he was.
The Gordon Bennett Cup was first awarded in 1900 in France to Fernand Charron, the winner of a race from Lyon to Paris.
The Cup was consistently awarded annually until 1905, thus setting up the first international ring of automobile racing. The competition drew entrants from all over Europe, including aviator Henry Farman and American competitor Alexander Winton, who drove his own Winton automobile in the race.
Interestingly, the 1903 race was run in Ireland. As a concession to the Irish, the British utilized shamrock green as a colour as racing on the streets was illegal. The colour of green used by the British racing team became known as, you guessed it, British racing green.
Whether your interest in auto racing runs from the international circuit to the ARCA Racing circuit or just consists of racing a friend to the mailbox, learning about the history of the sport can be fascinating stuff.
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