|
As one of three Gordon Bennett Cups established by James Gordon Bennett, Jr., millionaire owner of the ''New York Herald'', the automobile racing award was first given in 1900 in France. In 1899 Gordon Bennett offered the Automobile Club de France (ACF) a trophy to be raced for annually by the automobile clubs of the various countries. The trophy was awarded annually until 1905, after which the ACF held the first Grand Prix motor racing event at the Circuit de la Sarthe, in Le Mans. The 1903 event in Ireland gave rise to the birth of British Racing Green. ==Gordon Bennett races== The Gordon Bennett Cup auto races drew entrants from across Europe, including future aviator Henry Farman, and competitors from the United States such as Alexander Winton driving his Winton automobile. Under the rules, the races were hosted in the country of the previous year's winner. As the races were between national teams, it led to the reorganisation and standardisation of national racing colours. Count Eliot Zborowski, father of inter-war racing legend Louis Zborowski, suggested that each national entrant be allotted a different colour. Britain had to choose a different colour from its usual national colours of red, white and blue, as these had already been taken by USA, Germany, and France respectively. (Italy did not adopt her famous 'Racing Red' until a red Itala won the Peking to Paris race in 1907). Reputedly as a concession to Ireland where the 1903 Gordon Bennett Cup race was run (racing was illegal on British public roads), the British adopted shamrock green〔According to (''Leinster Leader'', Saturday, 11 April 1903 ), which also states red as the color for ''American'' cars in the 1903 Gordon Bennett Cup.〕 which became known as British racing green, although the winning Napier of 1902 had already been painted olive green, and green was well-established as an appropriate colour for locomotives and machinery, in which Britain had led the world during the previous century. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Gordon Bennett Cup (auto racing)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|