Motor Racing's Strangest Races

In 1894, when the motley assortment of steam and petrol-powered vehicles lined up at the start of the trial from Paris to Rouen, motor racing's colorful history was launched. Many of the pioneering events were death-defying, transcontinental marathons, in which the competitors were obliged to negotiate basic dirt tracks, muddy bogs, fast-flowing rivers, over-zealous policemen, and a seemingly endless supply of stray dogs. They include the Frenchman who drove 25 miles in reverse; the Grand Prix where the leading drivers were so far ahead that they stopped for a meal in the pits; the Le Mans 24-hour race won by a car patched up with chewing gum; and the driver who drank six bottles of champagne on the way to winning the Indianapolis 500.