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The world's first air race -

Just six years after the historic flight of the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk in North Carolina, the world's first "heavier-than-air" air race was held on May 23, 1909—the Prix de Lagatinerie, at Port-Aviation airport south of Paris, France. The pioneering French aviator Léon Delagrange (pictured) was declared the winner.

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Grande Semaine d'Aviation de la Champagne -

The first major international flying event was the ambitious Grande Semaine d'Aviation de la Champagne, held over August 22–29, 1909, at Reims in France.

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Grande Semaine d'Aviation de la Champagne -

The competition attracted the most prominent aircraft manufacturers and pilots of the era, as well as celebrities and royalty.

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Grande Semaine d'Aviation de la Champagne -

As well as confirming the viability of heavier-than-air flight, the event marked the first contest for the prestigious Gordon Bennett Trophy. Pictured in the air taking part is French aviator Louis Paulhan piloting his biplane Voisin.

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Grande Semaine d'Aviation de la Champagne -

The eventual winner of the Grande Semaine d'Aviation de la Champagne was American aviator Glenn Curtiss (pictured), who held off a challenge from Louis Blériot, famous for being the first man to fly across the English Channel.

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Los Angeles International Air Meet -

Air racing arrived in the United States in 1910 with the Los Angeles International Air Meet. The competition took place over January 10–20 at Dominguez Field, just south of Los Angeles.

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Los Angeles International Air Meet -

Among those competing was Louis Paulhan, who set a new altitude record of approximately 1,269 m (4,164 ft) in his Henry Farman biplane. He also won the event, pocketing a handsome US$19,000 in prize money, a sum equal today to around $600,000.

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Los Angeles International Air Meet -

Organizers invited pilots of monoplanes, biplanes, balloons, and dirigibles (airships), the planes providing a novel spectacle for many who'd never before set their eyes on a "flying machine."

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Los Angeles International Air Meet -

American aviator Jerome Slough Zerbe was known for his multiplane design, that while certain to turn heads was never going to be a serious contender for the top prize.

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Circuit of Europe -

The years immediately running up to the First World War saw a large number of air race competitions held in Europe, among them the grueling Circuit of Europe race. The event was marred by three fatal accidents, which claimed the lives of Pierre Princeteau, Pierre Landron, and Léon Lemartin (pictured), a professional test pilot.

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Daily Mail Circuit of Britain -

In 1911 the inaugural Daily Mail Circuit of Britain took place. A cross-country air race, the event was sponsored by the tabloid Daily Mail newspaper. The winner was French aviator Jean Louis Conneau (pictured), who flew his Blériot XI under the pseudonym André Beaumont.

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Daily Mail Circuit of Britain -

The Daily Mail Circuit of Britain was a contest for the fastest completion of a course around Great Britain. The 1913 event recorded one fatality, that of American aviator Samuel Franklin Cody. The competition was canceled at the outbreak of the First World War.

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Aerial Derby -

The Daily Mail also sponsored the Aerial Derby, first held in Great Britain in 1912, with subsequent races in 1913 and 1914. After the First World War, further races were held in 1920, 1921, 1922 and 1923. Tom Sopwith (pictured) won the inaugural event, a round London race. Sopwith became England's premier aviator, and established the first authoritative test pilot school in the world. He achieved lasting fame through designing and manufacturing aircraft, including the Sopwith Pup, a single-seater biplane fighter aircraft that entered service in 1916.

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Schneider Trophy -

Arguably the most prestigious air race ever established, the Schneider Trophy was the name given to a race for seaplanes and flying boats. The first competition was held in 1913 at Monaco. Pictured is an aerial view of the "hydro anchorage" for seaplanes participating in the inaugural race.

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Schneider Trophy -

The 1914 competition was won by British aviator Howard Pixton, who took top honors in his Sopwith Tabloid (pictured).

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Schneider Trophy -

After the First World War, the competition resumed in England, staged off Bournemouth on the south coast. Pictured is the British entry, Fairey III.

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Schneider Trophy -

Pictured is US pilot Jimmy Doolittle, who won the 1925 Schneider Trophy race in his Curtiss R3C-2. (Doolittle received the Medal of Honor for his daring raid on Japan during the Second World war). In all, the Schneider Trophy was held 12 times between 1913 and 1931. In 1981, the race was revived, in name if not in concept, by the Royal Aero Club of Great Britain. It continues to be staged to this day.

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Dole Air Race -

The Dole Air Race of 1927 is notorious for the three planes that crashed before the race, resulting in three deaths. Staged as a dash across the Pacific Ocean, from Oakland, California, to Honolulu in Hawaii, of the 15 entrants only two aircraft successfully completed the race. Pictured is Arthur G. Goebel's winning monoplane Woolaroc, which was built especially for the event.

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Orteig Prize -

More a test of endurance than a race, the Orteig Prize was a challenge thrown down to aviators to fly non-stop from New York City to Paris or vice versa. The eventual winner was Charles Lindbergh, who famously won the prize in 1927 in his aircraft Spirit of St. Louis.

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National Air Races -

The National Air Races emerged in 1924 from the National Air Meets, a competition established in 1920. Also known as Pulitzer Trophy Races, the aircraft taking part showcased rapidly developing aircraft technology, with speed and maneuverability becoming key objectives.

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National Air Races -

A series of pylon and cross-country races that have taken place in the United States since 1920, National Air Races drew the best flyers of their generation.

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National Air Races -

This 1933 image depicts a view from the grandstand at Los Angeles across the judges' area as two US Army biplanes taxi to the departure line. 

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Women's Air Derby -

In 1929 a Santa Monica to Cleveland route was started for the Women's Air Derby. Among the aviators competing was Amelia Earhart, seen here at Long Beach before the race.

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Powder Puff Derby -

The Women's Air Derby became known, rather condescendingly, as the Powder Puff Derby. Besides Earhart, other pioneering female aviators who took part in this race series included Jacqueline Cochran, seen here playing to the camera.

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Bendix Trophy -

National Air Races included a variety of events. One of these was the Bendix Trophy Race. Pictured is pilot Roscoe Turner being surrounded by journalists and well-wishers on his arrival as winner of the 1940 event after crossing the American continent in 11 hours and 40 minutes, creating a new record.

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MacRobertson Air Race -

Devised in 1934, the MacRobertson Air Race was a feat of endurance, a flight from London to Melbourne, in Australia. A one-off competition, it was won by English aviators Charles W. Scott and Tom Campbell Black in a de Havilland DH.88 Comet named Grosvenor House.

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Red Bull Air Race World Championship -

Established in 2003, the Red Bull Air Race World Championship took air racing to new heights. Competitors were tasked with navigating a challenging obstacle course in the fastest time.

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Red Bull Air Race World Championship -

Here, Péter Besenyei of Hungary is seen in action during the fifth round of the Red Bull Air Race World Series at Longleat House on August 7, 2005 in Longleat, England.

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Red Bull Air Race World Championship -

Martin Šonka of the Czech Republic performs during race day at the sixth round of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship on September 3, 2017 in Porto, Portugal. To the dismay of race fans, the competition folded in 2019.

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Reno Air Races -

The best-known competitions of the modern era are the Reno Air Races. Established in 1964 as a resumption of the National Championship Air Races, Reno is one of the few remaining venues where aircraft are flown competitively.

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Reno Air Races -

The Reno Air Races feature multi-lap, multi-aircraft races among extremely high performance aircraft on closed ovoid courses—the only closed course pylon racing event in the world. Sadly, the September 2023 meet will be the last held at Reno-Stead Airport, with no plans to resume the competition elsewhere.

Sources: (National Air and Space Museum) (U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission) (This Day in Aviation) (National Championship Air Races and Air Show)

See also: Take flight for a brief history of aviation

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