Riding mechanics were barred in GP racing in the year 1925.I may as well use my 10,000th post to do something more worthwhile than argue in the O&CE threads
In which year were single-seaters first allowed in GP racing?
Riding mechanics were barred in GP racing in the year 1925.
In 1927 the 2nd seat was no longer obligatory. (The cars typically had metal bodywork covering the mechanic's seat space. For open-road sports car racing, the seats could be uncovered and used.)
The Maserati 26M (monopost) of 1931 was the first entirely new design to take advantage of this ruling.
The rise of closed circuit racing is basically what gave rise to the single seater.
Wasn't it the car built by Ray Harroun? The Marmon Wasp if I recall...That was the 1911 Indianapolis 500. I'm sorry, I'm really weak on this topic.1906 Vanderbilt Cup car seen below:
No, the first single seater in a major race came much later, but well prior to the svelte Maserati 26M.
A good question. The novel one-off single seater Marmon Wasp was not built by Ray Harroun, but with it he won the 1911 Indianapolis 500. It is not clear that the rules of the 1911 race specifically permitted single seaters, and none were seen again in a major race for many years. They may have been prohibited, but I'm not sure. It would take a Speedway historian to answer that. I do know that the first year single seaters were specifically permitted in the 500 was during the 1920's, when all but one of the starters were true single seaters.
Well done.