It's been one hundred years since seventeen men, in six of the most innovative automobiles from France, Germany, Italy and the United States, left Times Square in New York and headed for the finish line in Paris, France. The recreation of “The Greatest Auto Race”of 1908, was supposed to begin next month, but has been postponed after the permits required to travel through China were unexpectedly recalled and put on hold.

This year more than thirty vintage roadsters and specially built vehicles were due to depart New York on May 30th and hopefully arrive at the Eiffel Tower on August 2nd after traveling 18,843 miles. No explanation was given for why China pulled its permission, but Great Race Sports chief executive, Bill Ewing, said in a press release, "Great Race Sports is hard at work exploring all options to run this race in honor of the 100th anniversary,"

The original 1908 race organizers, to prove that the newly invented automobile was a durable machine, purposely made this the longest, toughest race ever run, by requiring the teams to drive the entire distance westward from New York City to Paris without the use of a boat. The only way this could be done was to schedule the race during the dead of winter when the narrow body of water between Alaska and Russia froze over.

Now it seems that politics may be making this making this the toughest race ever.