THE WORLD'S FIRST MOTOR RACE

It is nowadays generally accepted that the World's first motor race was the Paris-Bordeaux-Paris held in 1895 on the 11th and 12th of June.   Some 109 years later, being an eternal optimist, I decided to go up to the start finish line at the Porte Maillot and see if there was anything there that still remembered this momentous occassion.  Frankly, I wasn't that hopeful as Joe Saward hadn't mentioned anything in his 2001 article in Grandprix.com on the area and I hadn't bothered to do any real internet research other than this.  It was just something to do whilst waiting for Jane to finish a demo and before taking her out for a slap up meal of frogs legs, and yes, this is really true!

Thus I was really happy when I stumbled across a magnificent memorial to Emile Levassor who finished first in the World's first motor race.  I nearly missed it but curiosity meant that I eventually found it.

The monument to Levassor by Porte Maillot in Paris.

Emile Levassor was an engineer and partner with Rene Panhard in the early automobile manufacturing company of Panhard et Lavassor located in the Avenue d'Ivry in Paris.  They produced their first car together in 1890 and their cars are widely recognised as introducing many concepts that turned the horseless carriage into the automobile.  Emile also liked to drive and he took part in the Paris-Rouen event in 1894 that is not considered a race as it was judged not just on speed.

The early city to city races were quite epic events held on unsurfaced roads in unsophisticated vehicles and over incredible distances.  Just imagine driving from Paris to Bordeaux and back on bumpy roads rather than a modern motorway.   In 1895 Emile Lavassor drove his yellow Panhard et Lavassor with the number 5 on it for 48 hours and 48 minutes at an average speed of 24.5 kph to be the first home.  The next car finished over five hours later and third car finished eleven hours later than Emile.  This third car, also a Panhard et Levassor and driven by Koechlin was declared the winner as it complied with the rules of having 4 seats whereas the first two cars past the post had only two seats. I'm rather surprised they didn't spot that at scrutineering!   However, funnily enough it is the moral victor, Emile Levassor who is remembered today and has the memorial at the Porte Maillot.

Some of the characters we have met in earlier posts such as Leon Serpollet and Count Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat also took part but didn't finish.

A magnificent memorial to Levassor and the first motor race

Levassor should have been relieved by his co-driver in Bordeaux but as Levassor got to Bordeaux way ahead of schedule, the co-driver was still asleep in the hotel and thus Levassor had a quick break and some refreshment and set off again back to Paris.  After spending over two days behind the tiller of his car he finished back in Paris.  Quite a feat of endurance and it certainly proved the reliability of his car.

One of the next great races was the Paris-Marseilles-Paris of 1896.  Again Emile took part but was seriously injured, crashing his car whilst trying to avoid a dog.  He never fully recovered and died the following year of an embolism aged 54.

Perhaps, one of the best motor racing statues

If you want to see this memorial that was built in 1907 and the place where motor racing began, then go to Porte Maillot and head towards the Bois de Boulogne.  It is not far from the more modern looking memorial below.  If you do go, don't forget to take in the memorial to Leon Serpollet in the Place Saint-Ferdinand and also the memorial do that great French Grand Prix driver Jean-Pierre Wimille by the Porte Dauphine.  Both are only a relatively short walk away.