What was the last automobile event of the Olympics like?

Racing drivers fighting for the gold medal at the Olympic Games? The story seems far-fetched but it did happen in the past. Although it no longer has, or at least for the moment, its place among other disciplines, motorsport had its chance in the last century.

Introduced during the Paris Olympic Games in 1900, the second of the modern era, motorsport is divided into two parts: endurance events, contested in Paris and its suburbs for courses of around 800 kilometers and different categories (heavyweight, light weight, touring cars, etc.), and the speed race, organized in three stages (Paris-Toulouse-Paris).

Unfortunately, the discipline was not unanimously accepted and disappeared after the ban on motorized sports by the IOC (International Olympic Committee) in 1912. By chance, or not really, motorsport made its comeback as " demonstration sport » in 1936 on the occasion of the Berlin Olympic Games. Under Nazi influence, the event took place from July 22 to 30 and all means were put in place so that Germany would logically triumph.

A vintage rally-raid

The race is then contested in the form of a rally across German territory where 60 cities act as “ passage control ". Each of them corresponds to a quantity of points according to a scale established before the competition. The goal of this eight-day marathon is to pass through different German checkpoints to justify your route and thus accumulate as many points as possible.

Member of the only British crew entered in the car event, Betty Haig, aboard a Singer Le Mans 1500, left Britain from Dover and landed at Ostend in Belgium.

Once in Germany, the Englishwoman passes through Cologne and Bavaria until reaching the Austrian border before heading for the AVUS, a semi-permanent circuit west of Berlin today integrated into the German motorway system. , theater of arrival. On site, German drivers like Huschke von Hanstein, representative of BMW, are expected first, but it is indeed the Briton who crosses the finish line alone.

Victorious, Betty Haig will never have the right to her lap of honor at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. With the local drivers and manufacturers beaten, the German authorities simply decided to cancel it, preventing the Briton from celebrating the ultimate victory in motorsport at the Olympics in front of the public.

The Olympics by Stéphane Ratel

Since the Berlin Olympic Games and the “ demonstration » 85 years ago, cars never appeared again during the Olympics. The idea was mentioned a few times but never saw the light of day.

Only the FIA ​​Motorsport Games organized by SRO (Stéphane Ratel Organisation) come closest to the Olympic model. In a series of disciplines (GT, F4, karting, rally, etc.), the drivers compete representing their country with the objective of winning as many medals as possible. The next edition will take place in 2024, in Valencia (Spain).

In the meantime, the only way to see motor racing at the Olympics is none other than… virtual. Indeed, the Gran Turismo 7 game was used during the 2021 Olympic Virtual Series and the 2023 Olympic Esports Week. With a title for France last year, thanks to Kylian Drumont! It is also possible that simracing will be part of the first Esports Olympic Games, organized in Saudi Arabia in 2025. Perhaps a first step towards the return of real motorsport to the Olympics? The IOC is currently evaluating a possible return of motor sports for the XXXIV Olympiad, in Los Angeles in 2028.

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