Motor racing in France had received a temporary setback when Mme Bos, wife of a prominent French politician, suffered a broken leg after being hit by a car while watching a race from Paris to Roubaix. Every competitor in that race was immediately arrested on criminal charges and the future of the sport appeared in jeopardy. But any mutterings of discontent were quickly forgotten as Mme Bos regained the use of her leg and the French motor industry exercised its considerable influence. The French became the envy of the world, their escapades on the road reaching the ears of American newspaper magnate Gordon Bennett, publisher of the New York Herald, and the man hitherto best known for having sent Stanley off to find Livingstone. Bennett heard about a challenge issued by Fernand Charron to American motoring pioneer Alexander Winton and, in 1899, eager to end the French monopoly of motor racing and to encourage manufacturers in other countries – especially the United States – he proposed an international event bearing his own name. Ironically, the first Gordon Bennett Trophy race in 1900 was won by a Frenchman!
The race became a mainstay of the European motor racing scene at the turn of the century. It was a competition between teams of no more than three cars from each participating country, the winning nation having to organise the following year’s event, rather like the Eurovision Song Contest, although it has to be said that was where the similarity ended. When Englishman Selwyn Edge won the 1902 event in a Napier – largely by being the only finisher – this caused some embarrassment since motor racing was illegal on English roads. The difficulty was resolved by staging the 1903 Gordon Bennett race at the Athy circuit in Ireland. The Gordon Bennett races were also significant in being the first in which national racing colours were used. For 1900, France carried blue, Germany white, Belgium yellow, and the United States red.
That inaugural competition was held on French soil between Paris and Lyons, a journey of 353 miles (568km). The French selected Panhard as their official team, much to the disgust of Mors who decided to put forward its own entrant to prove that it was the equal of the powerful Panhards. So in addition to Fernand Charron, René de Knyff and Léonce Girardot in Panhards, ‘Levegh’ (the pseudonym of Pierre Velghe) drove a supposedly non-competing Mors. The overseas challenge was to be represented by Camille Jenatzy in a Bolide for Belgium; Eugen Benz in a Benz for Germany; and Alexander Winton and Anthony Riker in Wintons for the United States, the first American cars to compete in Europe. The Benz, however, withdrew because of tyre problems and Riker’s Winton was not ready in time, leaving just five cars plus the rogue Mors.
To the embarrassment of the French, it was Levegh who set the early pace, soon building up a lead of half an hour over the three Panhards, followed by Jenatzy, with Winton a distant last. Then each car began to fall victim to problems of varying severity. De Knyff, Jenatzy and Winton all retired, Levegh was beset with mechanical difficulties, and Girardot got lost near Orléans! This left Charron in the lead even though he had bent the Panhard’s rear axle driving over a gutter, as a result of which his faithful mechanic, Henri Fournier, had to trickle oil continuously on to the chains to keep the car going.
The saying about it never being over until the fat lady sings was never more true than in those early days of motor racing. Nobody could take victory for granted. However, the fat lady was definitely clearing her throat when, just 10 miles (16.1km) from the finish in Lyons, Charron’s Panhard, powering downhill at 60mph (96.6km/h), was suddenly charged by a large dog. The animal went under the front wheels and finished up jammed in the steering, sending the car veering across a field before skidding back on to the road. There, Fournier calmly removed the dead dog before restarting the engine. But the collision had broken the water pump from its mounting, so as well as keeping a steady supply of oil on the chains, Fournier also had to hold the drive against the flywheel in order to keep the water circulating. He certainly had his hands full over those last 10 miles.
Eventually Charron struggled through to Lyons, winning from the unclassified Levegh and the geographically challenged Girardot. Panhard’s blushes were spared, but only temporarily. For the following month Mors and Levegh gained their revenge by emphatically defeating their great rivals in the Paris-Toulouse race.
The Gordon Bennett Trophy remained a fixture until 1905 before being superseded by the French Grand Prix.