1906 French Grand Prix

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The 1906 French Grand Prix was the first automobile race that took place at Le Mans on 26th June 1906.

It is considered the birth place of motor racing. ^{[citation needed]}

[edit] The Field

32 cars set off at 90-second intervals to complete 12 laps of a 64 mile circuit on the public roads to the east of the city of Sarthe. The field was led away by Fernand Gabriel's Lorraine-Dietrich.

[edit] The Race

At the end of the first lap Vincenzo Lancia's Fiat led the way with a time of 53m42secs. At the end of the second lap Paul Baras led in a Brasier. And by the end of the third it was Ferenc Szisz in his Renault AK 90CV, the most consistent of the drivers, who moved into the lead. After six laps the racing stopped with the cars going into parc ferme and the remaining six laps were completed the following day with Szisz winning for Renault, finishing 32m ahead of Felice Nazzaro's Fiat.