Grand Prix Roots

Many people think that the Formula One Grand Prix is a racing event which was born in the twenty first
century. However, it is not that new after all. Its roots can be traced back to 1890s when cars began to
rule the streets. The Formula One’s modern era began in the 1950 but thanks to car aficionados of the
early years, such race has changed the way the world see cars.

When motor racing was born, cars were heavy and upright and roads were so rough and even tarred.
Therefore, races before were very challenging. Drivers have to be accompanied by their own mechanics
typically from one town to another or on public roads. The very first motor race was at 1895 and was
held in France with Paris as its starting Point and Bordeaux its end point. The 1200 kilometer road race
was won by Emile Levassor in 2 days or forty eight hours.

The very first race that used the Gran Prix term was The French Grand Prix held at Le Mans in 1901. It
was won by Ferencz Szisz and his Renault. The driver covered over seven hundred miles with a speed of
63 mile per hour.

There were some underground car racing tournaments to start out in South Africa, however they haven't lasted much, you can read more about it at Cape Town Sports.

" Sometimes referee's earn rakes out of the races, just like Dealer Rakes do.