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    Senior Member Stan Reid's Avatar
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    Exclamation Firsts and Lasts in Motorsports

    The place to post firsts and lasts in motorsports so for a start off maybe the first event that could be considered a motorsport:

    It was on July the 27th of 1811 and it was a race between two steamboats. At Albany NY, the Hope under Captain Bunker and the Clarmont under Captain Bartholomew squared off in a one on one race. Hope took the early lead and essentially won the event when Bunker put a block on Bartholomew as he tried to make an inside pass at a bend in the river. The result was also the first motorsports accident which ended the contest although no one was hurt and neither craft was seriously damaged.
    This is my opinion and to the best of my knowledge, that is, if I'm not joking

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    Senior Member Stan Reid's Avatar
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    The first land based motor race I can find, and it's only half so, was the race between the steam locomotive Tom Thumb and a horse drawn rail car. It happened in Maryland on August 28 of 1830. The horse got off to an early lead but Peter Cooper, who was at the controls of Tom Thumb, got the boiler pressure up and passed the horse. Shortly afterward, a belt began to slip on the engine and the horse took the lead back and went on to the win.
    Last edited by Stan Reid; 26th January 2016 at 01:35.
    This is my opinion and to the best of my knowledge, that is, if I'm not joking

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    Senior Member Stan Reid's Avatar
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    The first auto race, of a sort, was apparently a contest between two steam carriages on the roads outside of Manchester, England on August 30 of 1867. A machine owned by Isaac Boulton and purportedly driven by his son James came in first at the end of the eight mile event over Daniel Adamson's car, perhaps driven by a Mr. Schmidt.
    This is my opinion and to the best of my knowledge, that is, if I'm not joking

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    Senior Member Stan Reid's Avatar
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    It looks like the first air race happened in Germany on September 18 of 1908. The contest was between two dirigibles, one commanded by Major Von Parceval and the other by Major Gross. Neither airship made it to the destination but Gross got the farthest so I suppose he would be considered the winner.
    This is my opinion and to the best of my knowledge, that is, if I'm not joking

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    Senior Member Stan Reid's Avatar
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    I think the Opel RAK.1 car might have been the first racing car with a wing(s) in 1928.
    Last edited by Stan Reid; 20th April 2016 at 22:39.
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    Senior Member Stan Reid's Avatar
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    The first and last time a motorcycle held the land speed and overall speed record:

    In January 1907, Frank Curtiss on his V-8 motorcycle broke the automobile and absolute speed record set a year earlier by Frank Marriott. At Ormand Beach, Florida, he was clocked at 136.36 miles per hour. The record was not broken until August 1918 when Roland Rohlfs hit 163 mph with a airplane in level flight.
    This is my opinion and to the best of my knowledge, that is, if I'm not joking

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    Senior Member Stan Reid's Avatar
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    As far as I can find, the first driver who died as the result of an accident in an auto race may have been Emile Levassor who was seriously injured in a crash in the 1896 Paris-Marseille-Paris Race. He survived several months but did eventually die of his injuries.
    This is my opinion and to the best of my knowledge, that is, if I'm not joking

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    Senior Member Stan Reid's Avatar
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    The first twin engine car entered into the Indy 500 was the Twin-Coach Special driven by Paul Russo in 1946. It had two 89 cubic inch supercharged 4 cylinder Offenhauser Midget engines. One engine mounted in the fashion of a rear engine racer and drove the rear wheels. The other engine was mounted in the front and drove the front wheels in the fashion of a front drive Indy type car. Russo qualified the car in the middle of the front row but spun on some oil on the 16th lap and hit the wall; finishing in 33rd and last place.

    The last twin engine car entered in the Indy 500 was the Valvoline Special driven by Bill Cheesbourg in 1966. It had two 121 cubic inch Porsche flat six engines. One was mounted in the rear in the fashion of a rear engine racer and drove the rear wheels. The other engine was mounted in the nose of the car, ahead of the front axle, and drove the front wheels. Cheesbourg practiced the car but it was about 9 mph too slow to make the field.
    Last edited by Stan Reid; 13th March 2016 at 02:12.
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    Senior Member Stan Reid's Avatar
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    The first person to operate a motor vehicle at a speed above 100 kph was Engineer John Pemberton at the controls of the steam locomotive Antelope in 1848. During the second half of the 26 mile speed run through Massachusetts, he averaged 65.0 miles per hour which converts to 104.6 kilometers per hour-And it's a new land speed record!
    Last edited by Stan Reid; 25th January 2016 at 01:42.
    This is my opinion and to the best of my knowledge, that is, if I'm not joking

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    Senior Member Stan Reid's Avatar
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    The first person to operate a motor vehicle over 100 miles per hour was Engineer Charles Hogan who, at the controls of the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad #999 locomotive, reached 102.8 mph (165.4 kph) on May 9 of 1893. Hogan hit his speed while traveling through Upstate New York.
    Last edited by Stan Reid; 25th January 2016 at 01:30.
    This is my opinion and to the best of my knowledge, that is, if I'm not joking

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