February 12, 1908: The Day the Great Race Began
Ray Hahn
March 9, 2020
The Race was sponsored by the NEW YORK TIMES and LA MATIN, a sister newspaper in Paris. The torturous New York to Paris route crossed three continents and amounted to over 22,000 miles in 169 days. The Thomas Flyer Team of Buffalo, New York won with a comfortable margin of 26 days. The feat has never been equaled. The Thomas Team will hold this world record forever. It was retired in 2008; 100 years after the race ended.