July 22, 1894Reputable sourceWell documented
The First Automobile Race: Paris–Rouen
On the timeline · around July 22, 1894 ·
What happened
On 22 July 1894 the Paris newspaper Le Petit Journal ran a roughly 126-kilometre (78-mile) 'competition for horseless carriages' from Paris to Rouen, proposed by its editor Pierre Giffard. The machines averaged about 11.6 mph. Count Jules-Albert de Dion reached Rouen first in a steam tractor, but judges ruled his stoker-fed tractor-and-trailer ineligible, and the top prize was shared by the petrol cars of Panhard & Levassor and Peugeot for best meeting the contest's conditions.
Why it matters
Often called the world's first motoring competition, the Paris–Rouen trial launched the sport of motor racing and — just as importantly — became a public proving ground where makers demonstrated and improved the reliability of the young automobile.
Sources
- HISTORY. First-ever automobile race runs from Paris to Rouen · Reputable source