The Automobile Club de Monaco is a

motoring club Automobile associations, also referred to as motoring clubs, motoring associations, motor clubs, are organizations, either for-profit or non-profit, which motorists (drivers and vehicle owners) can join to enjoy benefits provided by the club relat ...

based in

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

. The club serves as the

governing body A governing body is a group of people that has the authority to exercise governance over an organization or political entity. The most formal is a government, a body whose sole responsibility and authority is to make binding decisions in a taken ge ...

for motorsport within Monaco, and organises the prestigious

Monaco Grand Prix The Monaco Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix de Monaco) is a Formula One motor racing event held annually on the Circuit de Monaco, in late May or early June. Run since 1929, it is widely considered to be one of the most important and prestigiou ...

and

Monte Carlo Rally The Monte Carlo Rally or Rallye Monte-Carlo (officially ''Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo'') is a rallying event organised each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco. The rally now takes place along the French Riviera in Monaco and southeast ...

. It is a member of the

Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA; en, International Automobile Federation) is an association established on 20 June 1904 to represent the interests of motoring organisations and motor car users. It is the governing body for ...

, representing Monaco as a mobility and sporting club. Founded in 1890 as an association of cyclists, the ''Sport Vélocipédique Monégasque'', the club began to incorporate motorists in 1907 and was renamed the ''Sport Vélocipédique et Automobile Monégasque''. Alexandre Noghès, the SVAM's president, started planning the principality's first international motorsport event, the

, at the behest of

Albert I, Prince of Monaco Albert I (Albert Honoré Charles Grimaldi; 13 November 1848 – 26 June 1922) was Prince of Monaco from 10 September 1889 until his death. He devoted much of his life to oceanography, exploration and science. Alongside his expeditions, Albert I ...

. The rally would start at points across Europe, and converge on Monaco to finish. The club ceased to organise cycling events following the First World War and was renamed the ''Automobile Club de Monaco'' in 1925. The ACM applied to the AIACR (the forerunner to the FIA) to be upgraded from a regional French club to a full national member, but had their application refused because no motorsport event was held entirely within Monaco's borders.Hughes, M. 2007. ''Street theatre 1929''. Motor Sport, LXXXIII/3, p. 62

Antony Noghès Antony Noghès (13 September 1890 in Monaco – 2 August 1978 in Monte Carlo, Monaco) was the founder of the Monaco Grand Prix. He also helped create the Rallye Monte-Carlo in 1911. He suggested the international adoption of the checkered flag to ...

, the son of the club's President, organised the inaugural Monaco Grand Prix in

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...

on a circuit around the streets of Monaco, and the ACM was promptly admitted to the AIACR. The Monaco Grand Prix was part of the European Championship in the 1930s, and was included in the inaugural

Formula One World Championship Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

in 1950. The Grand Prix has been held continuously since 1955, and despite minor modifications over the years, it is still largely run over the same circuit as the inaugural race in 1929. The ACM also organises the

Historic Grand Prix of Monaco The Historic Grand Prix of Monaco (also called the Monaco Historic Grand Prix depending upon the source) is a series of automotive races focussed on historic motorsport. The event is typically held biennially two weeks before the Formula One Grand ...

, a series of races for

historic History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

Grand Prix cars held over the Circuit de Monaco, and the Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique

classic rally Classic rallying, or historic rallying, is a type of road rally suitable for most standard classic cars, with no special equipment needed (the equipment allowed depends on the particular rally). These rallies are more about enjoyment than speed, and ...

. Other motorsport events held by the club include the

Monaco ePrix The Monaco ePrix is a recurring automobile race of the Formula E World Championship which takes place in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Circuit On 18 September 2014 it was announced that Formula E would be racing on a shorter version of the original M ...

and the

Junior Monaco Kart Cup The Junior Monaco Kart Cup was a kart racing event ruled by the CIK-FIA and organized by the Automobile Club de Monaco, it took place each year in Monaco. The event see young drivers compete with KF3 OK-Junior is a kart racing class for top dri ...

References

Motorsport in Monaco

Auto racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...

National sporting authorities of the FIA {{autoracing-stub