Thursday 2nd July 1903

The fourth Gordon Bennett Cup began. It was the first international motor race to be held in Ireland, being run over seven laps (327.5 miles) of the Athy Circuit in County Kildare, which consisted of closed roads. Belgian Camille ‘Red Devil’ Jenatzy, representing Germany won the race, driving a Mercedes, at an average speed of almost 50 mph. Frenchman René de Knyff and Anglo-Frenchman Henry Farman, both driving Panhard et Levassors and representing France, finished in second and third places respectively, taking a little over 10 minutes longer to complete the course than Jenatzy.