The Bol d'Or was first organised by Eugene Mauve in 1922 as a race open to both motorcycles and automobiles, with the car class limited to an engine capacity of 1,100 cc. The capacity limit for automobiles was later raised to 1,500 cc and subsequently to 2,000 cc. In its early decades the race took place on a clay track at a site spanning Vaujours, Clichy-sous-Bois and Livry-Gargan, measuring 5.126 km in length.
Prior to 1953 only a single rider per machine was permitted. The record holder for victories in the solo-rider era is Frenchman Gustave Lefèvre, who won the race seven times, completing the 24-hour distance on a Norton Manx at an average speed of 107 kilometres per hour. From 1954 to 1977 teams were permitted two riders. In the interests of rider safety this was subsequently increased to three riders per motorcycle, which remains the rule today.
The race has been held at numerous venues across its long history. From 1923 to 1936 it ran on the Loges track in Saint-Germain-en-Laye; from 1937 to 1939 and again after the Second World War at Linas-Montlhéry. No race was held from 1938 to 1946 due to wartime conditions and its aftermath, and again from 1961 to 1968.
From 1971 to 1977 the Bol d'Or was held at the Le Mans Bugatti circuit. It then moved to Circuit Paul Ricard, where it remained for 22 years from 1978 to 1999. At the turn of the millennium the event transferred to Magny-Cours, remaining there until 2014. Since 2015 it has been hosted primarily at Circuit Paul Ricard, with the September slot becoming the event's established position in the calendar from 2016 onward.
When the race departed Le Mans in 1978, the 24 Heures du Mans motorcycle race was established to fill the gap, meaning the two events coexisted for some years as separate 24-hour motorcycle endurance events — both originally at or near Le Mans.
Each team fields a single motorcycle shared by three riders, balancing the demands of sustained speed against the mechanical endurance required to complete a full 24-hour distance. The event runs through the night, requiring teams to manage tyre strategy, fuel stops, and rider changeovers, as well as the challenges of racing in darkness.
The Bol d'Or sits within the wider FIM Endurance World Championship alongside other marquee events such as the 8 Hours of Suzuka and the Spa 24 Hours. Endurance racing as a discipline has historically had a strong Francophone dimension: the three principal events are held in France (at Le Mans and Magny-Cours) and in French-speaking Belgium at Spa-Francorchamps, and the most successful teams and riders have frequently been French.
Notable competitors from beyond France have nonetheless made their mark. In 1970, 1971, and 1992 all-British teams won the race outright. British rider Terry Rymer achieved consistent results at the Bol d'Or across multiple decades. In the 1970s, Grand Prix names including Phil Read and Neil Tuxworth — who later led Honda Racing UK — competed in the event.
The Mead and Tomkinson racing team fielded a machine known as "Nessie" at the Bol d'Or on at least one occasion, a bike featuring hub-centre steering — a radical departure from conventional front forks that attracted considerable attention in the paddock and among spectators.
The Bol d'Or is accompanied by a motorcycle rally, carnival, and a range of motorcycle-related entertainment alongside the main endurance race. Several support competitions run concurrently, including La Tasse d'or (the Golden Cup), a race reserved for motorcycles of less than 50 cc; the Bol d'Or Classic, reserved for historic motorcycles; and the Bol d'Argent (the Silver Bowl), an amateur competition that takes place before the main event.
The 2016 edition of the Bol d'Or was its 80th running, a milestone that illustrated the event's remarkable longevity across more than nine decades of motorcycle sport. From its origins as a shared motorcycling and motoring contest on a clay track near Paris, the Bol d'Or has grown into a centrepiece of the FIM Endurance World Championship and one of the most iconic 24-hour motorcycle races in the world.