Paris-Madrid race

The Paris-Madrid race of May 1903 was an early experiment in auto racing.

The race began in Versailles with 216 cars and 59 motorcycles setting out at regular intervals. The first accident occurred only 45 miles (72 km) from Paris when a woman was struck by one of the cars as she ran across the road. At Chatellerault a man and child were hit as one of the racers swerved to avoid them. The machine crashed into a crowd of spectators. Further south another car left the road and went into a group of spectators. Two people were killed in the crowd. The accidents continued throughout the day; cars hit trees and disintegrated, they overturned and caught fire. That night in Bordeaux the race was called off. Half the cars had crashed and at least eight people were dead - probably more. Many more were injured. Lady race car driver Camille du Gast (Crespin) was placed as high as 8th until she stopped to help fellow driver E. T. Stead who had crashed. She finished 45th.

Marcel Renault, one of the race drivers, and a founder of the automaker that bears his surname, died as a result of his accident. There is a memorial at the place where his accident occurred on the RN 10 road in the Poitou-Charentes region of France.

This type of race was not organized again until 1927 (Mille Miglia).

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