Paris-Berlin

The Automobile Club de France chose Berlin as its international destination for the major city-to-city race in 1901. The 110 cars and ten motorcycles left the start at Champigny-sur-Marne and drove through Champagne country and the Ardennes and into Germany. The race was held over three days with stages from Paris to Aix-la-Chapelle (Aachen), then to Hanover, and finally from Hanover to Berlin. There was tragedy south of Reims when a young boy was killed when he stepped in front of one of Charles-Henri Brasier’s Mors. Dust, punctures and stray dogs provided familiar hazards in these early days of the sport. Henri Fournier’s Mors led after the first day of competition but Léonce Girardot was ahead by the time they reached Düsseldorf. However, Fournier retook the advantage by the end of day and beat the Panhard driver to Berlin by almost an hour.