When Was The Chequered Flag First Used?
Posted by Ian Temple-Heald on
When arranging a racing event, having a complete set of flags is essential for its safe organisation and running, and a specialist flag shop is the best place to get them alongside bespoke events, sponsorship, national and other assorted flags.
Whilst green, red, yellow, and black-and-white flags are well-known to racing enthusiasts, the chequered flag is a universal symbol of completion and success even outside of motorsport.
Their ubiquity has led to a persistent but unconfirmed rumour that the flag predates the motor car entirely, with one Indianapolis Star article claiming with no evidence that it was first used for a cycling race in France in the 1860s, 40 years before the creation of the Tour de France.
The first proven example of a chequered flag was in the earliest days of motorsport and was initially used as a joke.
The Third Glidden Tour
The National Reliability Runs, most commonly known as the Glidden Tours were designed to be time trial rallies where the goal was to travel long distances using the United States road network safely, as was the goal of its sponsor AAA.
They were the precursor to modern road rally events and were initially appealing to manufacturers who wanted to showcase that their new cars could handle intense real-world conditions.
Much like other rallies, the Glidden Tours were divided into stages, which were themselves divided into sections. Once a driver passed a section, an official would perform a time check to confirm they had arrived at the time they claimed and thus could ensure they were classified.
As the races were not about getting there first, the checkers were made part of the scoring process by demonstrating reliability and roadworthiness.
These officials were known as “checkers” and by 1906 they had started to identify themselves using a black and white chequerboard flag.
This signalled the end of a section and the end of a stage and would ensure that all participants made it to each stage within the time limit.
This would, rather ironically, cause several drivers to start racing more aggressively, leading to several accidents.
The First Photographed Flag
The chequered flag took off very quickly as a symbol for the end of a race, and within the same year as the 1906 Glidden Tour, the Vanderbilt Cup was the American equivalent to the Gordon Bennett Cup, becoming the first major motorsport championship in North America.
Unlike the Glidden Tour, which was held on normal roads with an aim to promote safety, the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup was held on a 30-mile street circuit on Long Island and was so popular that a Broadway musical was made based on the championship series.
The final conclusion of the race was marked by a chequered flag, and due to the attention and controversy the race entailed due to the inadequate crowd control protocols, the tradition would ultimately become universal for motorsport, and nearly every race ever since has ended with a chequered flag being waved to signal the victor.