23rd, Pioneering Racing Tactics Propel Szisz to Victory in Grueling Le Mans Grand Prix
Not the first motor race with a GP suffix – that was Pau in February 1901 – but the first international event so called. It ended with a Renault victory – the result of clever strategy, a sorted chassis with a tyre advantage and faster pitstops.
Much has changed since, of course. The race was held over two days – Tuesday and Wednesday – and covered 769 miles. Its circuit was 64.11 miles in length and short sections were wooden. And the winning car had a 13-litre engine – far from the largest in the field.
Created to circumnavigate the Gordon Bennett Trophy’s restrictive three cars-per-country rule, the GP attracted 34 entries, 32 of which started. Nine French marques, seven of which mustered three cars, faced sparse but stiff opposition from Italy (Fiat and Itala) and Germany (Mercedes).