Origins of Rally Racing Part 1: Origin, Evolution, and Iconic Moments

1984 Paris-Rouen Race

There are  not too many sports that will get your adrenaline pumping like rally. During one event you can be racing along a dirt and gravel road through the woods, and the next be sliding around corners on an iced over path. Sure, it’s intense sport, but did it always kick ass and take names? The answer is yes, kinda.  

During the first part of a three-part series we will discuss how rally began and became the sport that it is today. From its humble beginnings of a one-man race, to 2,000+ mile race, to the world-wide sensation it is today.   

The first rally race, for lack of better terms, would have occurred in 1887. When a French cycling magazine organized the first automotive race, but a man by the name Count Albert de Dion was the only man who bothered to show up. So, he raced himself and won.  

In 1894 the Le Petit Journal, a Parisian newspaper who was known for creating contests for profit, planned the Paris-Roren race which would become known as the first multi-participant race. They were able to convince more than 100 drivers to pay the 10-franc fee but come race day, only 26 show up. After qualifiers, 5 drivers were disqualified from the race, setting the stage for a 21-driver race.  

This race was made up of a steam tractor that towed a carriage behind it, a gas-powered motorcar, a Peugeot, an 8-seater, a 4-ton steam behemoth, and a steam-powered tricycle. This motley crew of drivers puttered to begin their trek from Paris to Rouen. The vehicles roared to life, averaging 10 mph, creating a massive spectacle that drew massive crowds alongside the roads. 

The next day, at the awards ceremony, the drivers of the Peugeot and Panhard & Levassor cars were tied in first by the judges who loved their “practicality and reliability.” Count Albert de Dion finished first, however was bumped to 2nd place by the judges on a technicality. Third place went to Maurice le Blant who drove a steam carriage that could carry nine passengers. 

Panhard & Levassor

The very next year in 1895, a massive event called the Paris-Bordeaux-Paris race was held that stretched over 730 miles. The organizers of this race had a lot more time to iron out the creases and weren’t just motivated by a 10 franc per racer profit. Which allowed it to go off without a hitch.  

Across the Atlantic the first race in the U.S. was occurring from Chicago to Waukegan and back again, and that was all it took for a global obsession to take root. 

In 1911 the Monte Carlo Rally was the first race to coin the term, “rally,” to describe the type of race that went from point A to point B. The race consisted of broken up “stages” on the way to the mountain, where the final stage was on the mountain itself. Introducing the idea of stages into rally. 

Because this race was held on public roads that were not closed for the event, the race was not driven at full speed. However, a lead car would drive the route, and the drivers were scored by how closely they followed the time set by the lead car.  

The Monte Carlo Rally is still held today, however the name has been changed to, “road rally,” and is ran as a stage rally at full speed. The Monte Carlo Rally is the longest running event and is a part of the World Rally Championship, or the WRC. 

The original form of rally racing (from point A to point B) was taking hold of the world’s fascination of cars and going fast. Within the next few years, the popularity of the sport was exploding. By the early 1900’s cars were being driven at these races at more than 80 mph. As the cars got faster and more intricate so did the races. 

Over the next century the cars became absolute beasts, the stages became intense, and events could stretch thousands of miles. Rally is the oldest motorsport in the books, which is why its story is so freaking insane. 

Next week in Part 2 of Origins of Rally, we will talk about how the Dakar Rally came into existence (which spanned two continents and a dessert), how the cars began to evolve into the motorized monsters we love, and how the WRC became the organization that it is today.  

Until then keep your rubber spinnin’.