In the first of a series marking the centenary of "the race that saved motorsport", Bob Montgomery outlines the importance of the race.
Almost 100 years ago - July 2nd is the exact date - a sporting event took place in Ireland which not only altered profoundly the future of that sport, but also had a lasting impact on Irish Society.
The sport was motor racing, then in its infancy, and the event was the fourth running of the Gordon Bennett Cup Race. Conceived as the first international motor race, the series of races begun in 1900 had provided a showcase for the French motor industry, the finest in the new world of automobiles.
In fact, so dominant were the French that the Gordon Bennett races were in danger of dying out from a distinct lack of interest from countries other than France.
What saved the series and changed the course of motor racing history was the unexpected victory of Selwyn F Edge in the 1902 event.
This victory was so unexpected that the French assumed, because of the official antagonism that existed in Britain towards motorists and their cars, that it would be impossible to stage the event in Britain as was required by the rules.
They were right in that there was no realistic prospect of the race been held in Britain. However, they had forgotten about Ireland.
Based in Athy, the organisers set up a closed circuit, a type which had been used only once before. Races up until this time had been held between cities. These city to city races were enormously successful but their growing popularity was shortly to turn against motor racing in the most unexpected and tragic fashion.
Meanwhile, all shades of political opinion came together in Ireland to support the race which was seen as providing a boost to Ireland's depressed economy as well as helping to establish its tourism industry.
Before it could take place in Ireland, however, it was necessary to enact legislation which would allow the speed limit of 12 mph to be suspended for the day of the race. The legislation was supported by MPs as diverse as Sir Edward Carson, John Redmond and Tim Healy, while the Northern Whig reported: "We see a wonderful blending of the Orange and Green, there is about this matter a unanimity of which some people considered Irishmen incapable."
Perhaps it was the fact that S F Edge had shown that the French could be defeated; perhaps it was just that its time had come, but whatever the reason, there was more interest than ever before in the Irish race.
Teams of three cars were entered by the Germans and by the Americans, as well as the French and of course, Britain.
Each team consisted of three cars entered by the national motor club of that country. For the first time, national colours were carried by the teams, the French cars been allocated blue, the Germans white and the Americans red, while the British choose Emerald Green in honour of Ireland where the race was to be run.
However, before the Irish race, there was the matter of the Paris to Madrid race which was to be held a few weeks earlier, on May 24th.
This was intended to be the greatest of the city to city races and attracted an entry of 176 cars as well as 59 motorcycles. Instead it was destined to become at tragedy. Spectators thronged the roads as the fastest cars passed by at speeds of over 80 mph totally unaware of the danger in which they were placing themselves.
In 1903 few people had any concept of the speed of the cars and accidents were the inevitable result. By the time the first cars arrived at Bordeaux at least 10 people - spectators, drivers and riding mechanics - were dead, and rumour had the death count much higher.
The authorities intervened and brought the race to an end, the drivers and their cars suffering the ignominy of not being allowed even to start their engines, horses towing them to the railway station for shipment back to Paris. For motor racing it seemed the end had come as public opinion would surely not allow it to take place again.
The authorities in Ireland, however, took a different view and because the Irish race was to be held on a closed circuit, with no fewer than 2,000 policemen acting as stewards, they decided it should go ahead as planned. Motor racing was on trial, but the Irish race was an outstanding success, run without problem or serious injury. As such it showed the way forward for motor racing. A German victory in the Irish race was the other factor that ensured its success as it served to continue to build international interest.
Today, Formula One racing is the direct descendant of the race in Ireland and motor racing has become a truly global sport, one which owes its genesis to the Gordon Bennett Race in Ireland 100 years ago. But the race also had wider implications for Irish society. At the time of its running, there were about 150 cars in Ireland.
The Gordon Bennett Race was part of Automobile Fortnight in Ireland, comprising of two weeks of events in Dublin, Castlewellan, Cork and Kerry as well as the race itself. Up to 1,500 cars and their occupants came to Ireland for the event and travelled throughout the country.
For many in Ireland, the events provided the first opportunity to see a car, while for the better-off the influx of cars for the event confirmed the place of the automobile in other European societies and gave a lead to Irish Society.
By the year end when registration of cars began, there were 250 cars in Ireland, and within a few years this figure had increased a hundredfold. The Irish Gordon Bennett race can be seen as the event which made us "car conscious." So now we now who to thank, or blame.
The Drivers: S F Edge - Winner 1902
SF Edge, a supreme self-publicist, engaged in many activities to popularise Napier cars and motoring generally. This included many self-generated newspaper correspondences with his friend and rival, Charles Jarrott.
However, his greatest achievement was to win the 1092 Gordon Bennett Race against great odds. He was the only driver to finish the race and it was the first time the mighty French motor industry had been defeated in a contest.
The win, at the startling average 31.9 mph, made Edge and Napier famous and set up the Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland as host of the 1903 Race.
Born in Australia in 1868, he moved with his parents to England a few years later, where he became a successful cyclist. Edge had his first ride on a car in the winter of 1895.
Gordon Bennett: The Man
Son of the millionaire owner of the New York Herald, Gordon Bennett was born in 1841 to an Irish mother, Henrietta Crean. As a young man, he spent all he got from his father, mostly on fast horses, elegant carriages, wagers and fine wine.
In 1875 he became engaged to the daughter of a prominent Baltimore family, but he behaved so outrageously at a party at her home that the engagement was ended and Bennett had to leave the country.
He moved to Paris, where he was to stay for the remaining 42 years of his life. A far-seeing publisher, he set up a Paris edition of the New York Herald and was first to introduce weather and property sections into a newspaper. In 1895 he sponsored the Paris-Rouen motor race.
The spark which led to the Gordon Bennett races was a "worthy warfare" during 1899 on the merits of French and American cars. Bennett offered the Gordon Bennett Cup to the Automobile Club de France who drew up the rules and ran the first race in 1900. Later he created a contest for balloonists, which in turn gave way to an aviation contest in 1909.
Gordon Bennett died in 1914.