As soon as humanity figured out how to make four wheels move without the help of a horse, they raced those contraptions. In fairness, they raced the horses, too.
Watching rubber squeal on dirt or asphalt is essential to the motoring experience, and here are some of the earliest photos we could find of the earliest racers making it happen.
1
Vanderbilt Cup Race
Racing in 1906.
2
John Cobb in his Napier-Railton 17th May 1937, Surrey, England
The car once set a lap with an average speed over 140 mph.
4
Gordon Bennett Cup
French Eliminating Trials, 1905
5
Old Dominion Speedway
Manassas, Virginia 1952. The first drag stretch east of the Mississippi.
6
Grand Prix de l’Automobile Club de France
Racing in 1907.
7
Early Dragster
Popping a wheelie.
8
Jules Goux, Lion-Peugeot, Boulogne
Racing in 1910.
9
Vanderbilt Cup Race
Racing in 1910.
10
Early Dragster
Wheel spin and wheelies.
11
Circuit des Ardennes
Racing at the future cycling track, 1907.
12
Two Drivers
Better than one.
14
Driver William K. Vanderbilt II
He was once cited for "operating a steam boiler without an engineer’s license," because there was not yet a law agains speeding.
15
Wheel Spinning
Do early motorcycles work?
16
Racing Hard
A local dirt track.
17
1915 Indy 500
Ralph de Palma in the lead, and the eventual winner.
18
Lions Drag Stretch
Stay on the ground!
19
Dario Rests
At the 1914 French GP.
20
Driver C.H. Lund
This Rainier had a 45-hp engine.
