Known as “The Greatest Spectacle in College Racing,” Grand Prix was first held on May 17, 1958, in order to raise money for the Purdue Alumni Scholarship Foundation and give engineering students a chance to exercise their skills, knowledge, and enthusiasm. The idea for the race is credited to five students who decided it should be patterned after a European road course with a Le Mans start and multiple drivers. Finding sponsorship posed some difficulty, but eventually the Purdue Auto Club agreed to step in. After lengthy negotiations with university staff, the inaugural Grand Prix commenced near the current location of the France A. Córdova Recreational Sports Center. That first race proved so successful that it was featured in Popular Mechanics magazine. Competing karts were built from scratch with donated lawnmower engines that had been revamped by the student teams. After nearly three hours, James Moneyhun (ECE’59) and his team from the Gable Courts residence hall were declared the winners.

Many changes have been made to the race over the years. The 1963 Grand Prix marked the first time that the race was run for a specific number of laps. After the disbandment of the Purdue Auto Club in 1965, the Grand Prix Foundation became the sanctioning body of the race. In 1969, the student organization moved the race to a new track, northeast of Ross-Ade Stadium, which was carefully modeled after a championship go-kart track in Japan. The race was moved again in 2009 to a $1 million track in the Northwest Athletic Complex. While it resembles its predecessor, the track was made wider and safer for drivers and pit crews. The new track also allowed for an updated scoring system to be installed — one of the most advanced computer scoring systems anywhere in the world of kart racing.

The Grand Prix Foundation continues to coordinate the event today, with a primary goal of raising over $10,000 annually for student scholarships. Averaging a cost of $5,000 and with top speeds close to 50 miles per hour, each team’s kart is still built from scratch. Financial backing is provided by team-solicited sponsorships. Over 350 students participate in the race, which draws thousands of spectators every April. Eagerly anticipated by students, alumni, and the surrounding community, Grand Prix has become one of Purdue’s most notable traditions.