The history of organised motorsport in the Champagne region predates the Grand Prix de la Marne itself. Motorcycle competitions on a 225-kilometre road course known as the Circuit de la Champagne à Reims, near the town of Sarcy, were held as early as 1912 and 1913. The first automobile race in the area took place on 2 August 1925 on the Circuit de Beine-Nauroy, a 20-kilometre course approximately 10 kilometres south-east of Reims, running near the Reims-Prunay airport.
In 1926 the Grand Prix de la Marne relocated to the newly established Reims-Gueux circuit and began an annual series that ran without interruption until 1931. The Reims-Gueux layout, threading through public roads on the flat Champagne plain, lent itself to very high average speeds and attracted strong entries from the major manufacturers and independent drivers of the era.
By 1932 the success and reputation of the Marne Grand Prix had grown to such an extent that the French Automobile Club chose to stage the French Grand Prix at Reims-Gueux, billing it as the XVIII Grand Prix de l'ACF. The circuit measured approximately 7.826 kilometres at that time. The arrival of the French Grand Prix effectively elevated Reims-Gueux into the top tier of European motorsport venues, though it also complicated the identity of the various races held there: the Marne Grand Prix, the French Grand Prix, and subsequent Formula One championship rounds at the circuit shared the same tarmac, and different record-keeping sources applied varying names and numbering systems to the events across the decades.
The Grand Prix de la Marne name was at times still used informally by regional sources and enthusiasts even for races officially billed as the Grand Prix de France, reflecting the deep local identification with the event.
The last Grand Prix de la Marne to be run under that name during the main prewar period was held in 1937, effectively bringing the regular series to a close. A final edition under the Marne Grand Prix designation was run in 1952, serving as something of a coda to the original series. The Reims-Gueux circuit itself continued as a major racing venue for many years, hosting French Grand Prix rounds as well as non-championship Formula One events in 1948 and 1949, before the circuit became a regular fixture on the Formula One World Championship calendar from 1950 until 1966.
The Grand Prix de la Marne was instrumental in establishing Reims as one of Europe's premier racing venues. Its early promotion of high-speed road racing on the Champagne plain, from the mid-1920s onward, laid the groundwork for Reims-Gueux's long career as a circuit celebrated for its sheer velocity and the drama it produced. The race's evolution from a regional event into the forerunner of French Grand Prix hosting represents a key chapter in the development of European motor racing between the wars.