European Grand Prix
The European Grand Prix was created as an honorific title by the AIACR, the FIA's predecessor in the organisation of motor racing events. The first race to receive the title was the Italian Grand Prix, in 1923; the French Grand Prix followed in 1924 and the Belgian Grand Prix in 1925. After a hiatus in 1929, the Belgian race received the title in 1930, becoming the last race to do so before World War II.
Henri Menier
When automobiles made their debut, Henri Menier was one of the few who could afford them. He became a racing enthusiast and helped found the Automobile Club de France which would organize the 1906 French Grand Prix, the world's first Grand Prix motor racing event, at the Circuit de la Sarthe, in Le Mans. Menier took part in the 1902 Gordon Bennett Cup Paris to Innsbruck auto race and won the silver medal in the touring car category.