 The following year the course would be from New York City, USA, to Paris, France, with a planned ship passage from Nome, Alaska, across the Bering Strait to East Cape, Siberia.The race, which was the first of its kind among automobiles, commenced in Times Square on February 12, 1908.Six cars representing four nations were at the starting line for what would become a 169-day ordeal (making it, in terms of time taken, still the longest motorsport event ever held).