19 replies to this topic

[MrAerodynamicist]

In the history of motorsport, whats the most miles ever completed in a single race? (Both for a circuit race and a cross country stage rallies?)

[Redliner]

To be honest I have no idea, but certainly the longest racing event I have taken part in was the Cross Country running at my old school, that went on for seemingly days, wile we were chased by dogs, chained together, while people shot at us. . . . NO THE FLASHBACKS!!!!!

[Vitesse2]

The longest road race must surely be the New York- Paris race of 1908, and I'd guess the longest circuit race would be one of the runnings of the Spa 84 Hours Touring Car Race ....

[rdrcr]

Perhaps another candidate would be the Paris to Peking Race of 1907.

I hear they are recreating this event, albeit over a different route, but it still will be around 12,000 miles in a single event.

I wonder what the longest Paris to Dakar event had for total miles -- including the special stages that they have to run?

[Buford]

I ran a SCCA National one year in a Mini Cooper. It was for a certain number of laps that would be about a half hour running time. But it poured rain while we were on the pace lap and everybody was on slicks. So we all ran in the rain on slicks and it was wild to say the least. It went for the full number of scheluled laps so it ended up being almost two hours. All the rest of the races that day were shortened to 1/2 hour. But I think our race, two hours in the rain on slicks was the longest race ever. At least it seemed like that from my seat!

[scheivlak]

Originally posted by rdrcr
Perhaps another candidate would be the Paris to Peking Race of 1907.

Can't be longer than than New York-Paris, as this race included New York-San Francisco, and after an excursion to Alaska to acknowlegde that it was unfit for racing, did a part in Japan that not everybody covered and then went on from Wladiwostok to Paris....

see:
http://www.automuseu...1907thomas.html
http://www.visualnet...s/mh-e103xc.htm
(good ol' google...)
there must be host of crazy stories behind these brief reports.

And finally about a re-run this year (!) :
http://www.countrydo.....0to Paris.htm

scheivlak

[rdrcr]

Well the New York to Paris race by one report was 12,427 land miles, not including another 10,000 miles of sea travel. Which, IMO wouldn't count as the cars are stationary.
Another has the race at 13,341

The Paris to Peking race was approx. 12,000 miles long. I haven't found an exact number of land miles to compare...

The Paris to Peking race was won by Prince Scipione Borghese, who fielded a 7 liter Itala. The prince took just 60 days to complete the 12,000-mile trek.

The New York to Paris race took George Schuster 6 months to complete, The significant water crossings no doubt took a great deal of time.

[ehagar]

Originally posted by Vitesse2
I'd guess the longest circuit race would be one of the runnings of the Spa 84 Hours Touring Car Race ....

There was the 84 Hour Nürburgring too in 1968! Was this an endurance series or something?!? Sounds insane!

[scheivlak]

Originally posted by rdrcr
Well the New York to Paris race by one report was 12,427 land miles, not including another 10,000 miles of sea travel. Which, IMO wouldn't count as the cars are stationary.
Another has the race at 13,341

The Paris to Peking race was approx. 12,000 miles long. I haven't found an exact number of land miles to compare...

The Paris to Peking race was won by Prince Scipione Borghese, who fielded a 7 liter Itala. The prince took just 60 days to complete the 12,000-mile trek.

The New York to Paris race took George Schuster 6 months to complete, The significant water crossings no doubt took a great deal of time.

There never was a Paris to Peking race; it was Peking to Paris. For quite a big part the route went pretty straightforward along the Transsiberian railway - in fact Borghese used it as a road for quite a big part of his race. So that can never ever be 12.000 miles.... I guess Peking-Paris is shorter than Wladiwostok-Paris alone!

[2F-001]

84 hours aroundthe Nordschleife sounds like the latter incarnation of the Marathon de La Route.

Some hardy souls set out to retrace the Peking-Paris route in '97 (in a Volvo Amazon - not quite the period car, I know).
A friend bought me a book about it at Christmas. Not read yet, but will report on anything interesting...

[rdrcr]

Originally posted by scheivlak


There never was a Paris to Peking race; it was Peking to Paris. For quite a big part the route went pretty straightforward along the Transsiberian railway - in fact Borghese used it as a road for quite a big part of his race. So that can never ever be 12.000 miles.... I guess Peking-Paris is shorter than Wladiwostok-Paris alone!

Right you are, I've misnamed the event...

[Frank de Jong]

Originally posted by Vitesse2
The longest road race must surely be the New York- Paris race of 1908, and I'd guess the longest circuit race would be one of the runnings of the Spa 84 Hours Touring Car Race ....

Well, as far as I know the Spa race was always 24 hours. The Nurburgring 84 hours, however did take place in the late 60's, as stated before.

[David McKinney]

I believe the Nürburgring 84hr race was a descendant of the Marathon de la Route, and at least initially had some sort of regularity element, which makes it more a rally than a race.

[Darren Galpin]

What about the London-Mexico Rally? That went down through Brazil and South American before heading northwards (10,000 miles in total). The London-Sydney Marathon Rally was 10,500 miles long.

[Vitesse2]

Originally posted by Frank de Jong

Well, as far as I know the Spa race was always 24 hours. The Nurburgring 84 hours, however did take place in the late 60's, as stated before.

OOPS!! Spa sounded wrong somehow ... I was tired, it was late ....



And David is correct, it was a descendant of the Marathon de la Route ...

[MrAerodynamicist]

anyone put a mile/km figure to those 48hour races?

[FEV]

In 1969 the rallymen trio of Kallström, Barbasio and Fall covered 322 laps of the Ring to win the Marathon de la Route on their Lancia HF. This makes 9119,380 km (5666 miles). Not as impressive as the worldwide point-to-point races, but it must be in one of the few Marathon de la Route held on the Ring that we must look for to find the record distance for a race taking place on a closed course.

[Vitesse2]

And 322 laps would presumably mean they found the right racing line ....

[Don Capps]

Aren't we forgetting those incredible South American races? There were events that went 10K km/ 6K mi and then spun off another race! I haven't read much about them lately, but I recall Leo Levine writing about them in Ford: The Dust and the Glory.

[anjakub]

Don, you are absolutely correct.
About South American Gran Premio see: http://www.atlasf1.c...ght=Gran Premio