Aviation races began in 1911 with numerous competions in France. Many other events were soon arranged. The following are some important races organised during the early days.
Below are some resources for further information on these races.
| |
Winner |
Nationality |
Aeroplane |
kms/hr (mph) |
______________________________________________________________________
| 28 August 1909 |
Gordon Bennett Trophy at Reims, France |
20 (12) |
| |
Glenn Curtiss |
American |
Curtiss 'Golden Flyer' |
75 (47) |
| 29 October 1910 |
Gordon Bennett Trophy at Belmont Park, NY |
100 (62) |
| |
Claude Grahame-White |
British |
Blériot monoplane |
98 (61) |
| 30 October 1910 |
Statue of Liberty race |
56 (35) |
| |
Claude Grahame-White |
British |
Blériot XI monoplane |
|
| 21 May 1911 |
Paris - Madrid race |
1,407 (874) |
| |
Jules Védrines |
French |
Morane-Borel monoplane |
93 (58) |
| 28 - 31 May 1911 |
Paris - Rome |
1,484 (922) |
| |
André Beaumont |
French |
Blériot XI monoplane |
70 (44) |
| 18 June 1911 |
Circuit de l'Europe |
(1,010) |
| |
André Beaumont |
French |
Blériot XI monoplane |
42 (26) |
| 1 July 1911 |
Gordon Bennett Trophy at Eastchurch, England |
150 (93) |
| |
Charles Weymann |
British |
Nieuport II monoplane |
126 (78) |
| 22 - 26 July 1911 |
Daily Mail Circuit of Britain race |
1,698 (1,055) |
| |
André Beaumont |
French |
Blériot XI monoplane |
72 (45) |
| 8 June 1912 |
First Aerial Derby around London |
130 (81) |
| |
Tom Sopwith |
British |
Blériot XI monoplane |
94 (59) |
| 9 September 1912 |
Gordon Bennett Trophy at Chicago, Illinois |
200 (120) |
| |
Jules Védrines |
French |
Deperdussin monoplane |
169 (105) |
| 16 April 1913 |
First Schneider Trophy race for seaplanes |
280 (174) |
| |
Maurice Prévost |
French |
Deperdussin monoplane |
74 (46) |
| 16-30 August 1913 |
Daily Mail Seaplane Circuit of Britain Race |
2,480 (1,540) |
| |
Harry Hawker
(did not finish) |
British |
Sopwith Type C floatplane |
77 (48) |
| 20 September 1913 |
Second Aerial Derby around London |
153 (95) |
| |
Gustav Hamel |
British |
Morane-Saulnier monoplane |
121 (75) |
| 29 September 1913 |
Gordon Bennett Trophy at Reims, France |
200 (120) |
| |
Maurice Prévost |
French |
Deperdussin monoplane |
201 (125) |
For the Gordon Bennett Trophy races:
Blue Ribbon of the Air by Henry Serrano Villard (Smithsonian, 1987)
The First Air Race by Owen S Lieberg (Doubleday, 1974)
Wikipedia
For the 1911 races:
Mes Trois Grandes Courses by André Beaumont (Hachette, 1912)
For the Aerial Derby races:
The "Daily Mail" Flying Prizes 1907-1919 by Paul Wittreich (Trafford, 2006)
For the Scheider Trophy races:
Schneider Trophy Races
