The Paris–Madrid race was a city-to-city motor race that began on 24 May 1903. The event was organized by the Automobile Club de France (ACF) and the Royal Automobile Club of Spain, (Spanish: Real Automóvil Club de España, RACE).
The race became well-known for the number of deaths and injuries among both drivers and spectators, and was cancelled at the end of the first leg in Bordeaux. It was the last city-to-city race of its kind to be held on open, public roads. Fernand Gabriel, driving a Mors Dauphines, was declared the winner.
Background Popularity in motor racing had been growing across Europe since the 1896 Paris–Marseille–Paris, which was the first city-to-city motor race where the winner was determined by finishing time, as opposed to reliability and overall performance in the Paris–Rouen race the previous year.
Constructors were motivated to increase the power of their cars, with speeds growing from to . The increase in power led organizers to impose a weight limit of on the "Large" class of cars. Other classes included "Light" and "Voiturettes".
Races at the time were still held on public roads, which meant drivers had to avoid poor quality road surfaces, railroad crossings, farm and household animals, bystanders, and other obstacles.
Race
To maximize the number of cars visible during daylight, the race was scheduled for 3:30 AM. However, it was delayed 15 minutes due to poor visibility. Drivers set off at one-minute intervals.
Attendance The race was heavily promoted as "one of the biggest sporting spectacles in history."
Over 100,000 spectators were present at the beginning of the race in Bordeaux, while it is estimated that millions of people watched the event from the roadside along the course.
Results by class
After starting 168th, Fernand Gabriel was the first driver overall to reach Bordeaux when the race was called off. He completed the stage in 5 hours and 14 minutes at an average speed of .
The following results were determined by the finishing order at Bordeaux. + Heavy cars Pos Driver Constructor 1 Fernand Gabriel Mors 2 Joseph Salleron Mors 3 Charles Jarrott De Dietrich
+ Light cars Pos Driver Constructor1Louis RenaultRenault2Paul BarasDarracq3PageDecauville
+ Voiturettes Pos Driver Constructor1MassonClement2Jules BarillierRichard-Brasier3Louis WagnerDarracq
Legacy
The race claimed the lives of many notable drivers, including Marcel Renault, one of the founders of Renault. His brother, Louis Renault, finished first in the light car class.
In his memoir, third-place finisher Charles Jarrott suggested that the "deplorable disasters" of the race could have been avoided with better organization.
See also 1896 Paris–Marseille–Paris Motorsport before 1906 Grand Prix motor racing
Notes
References
Sources
Further reading