User:Harrias/1904 Vanderbilt Cup

The 1904 Vanderbilt Cup was an automobile motor race held on October 8, 1904 on closed public roads on Long Island, New York. The race was organised by William Kissam Vanderbilt II, who was inspired by similar races in Europe which were motivating the car industry there to make advancements. The race lasted for over five hours and was won by a Long Island native, George Heath, who was driving for the French manufacturer, Panhard & Levassor. The only other official finisher, Albert Clément, was also driving a French car, his family's Clément-Bayard marque.

Background
Motor racing had started in France towards the end of the 19th century with a series of city-to-city races, typically based out of Paris, such as the Paris–Rouen race, often said to be the first motor race, and later the first three iterations of the Gordon Bennett Cup. French manufacturers thrived in the early events, but were soon joined by British and German marques. William Kissam Vanderbilt II, who came from a wealthy American family, was an automobile enthusiastic who had already been a patron of many of the famous European races, as well as setting a land speed record in 1902. He established the Vanderbilt Cup in an effort to motivate American car manufacturers to improve and compete with their European counterparts.

Course

 * 30.24 miles in total, but minus the two controls 28.44 miles.