The challenge started at Ricardo's Shoreham technical centre, in Sussex, UK, and is raising funds for local, national and international causes, including UNICEF, Aktion Familie, Engineers without Borders, Cancer Research UK and Teach for India.
Each Ricardo100 Global Challenge team is driving a vehicle significant in Ricardo's first century – ranging from electric and hybrid cars to a natural gas-powered truck, performance motorcycles and a McLaren 12C sports car.
The relay is now due take in many of Ricardo's global offices and technical centres, as well as places of particular significance to the company.
These include the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah where, in 1936, the Flying Spray took the world diesel land speed record, powered by a Ricardo single sleeve-valve compression-ignition development of the Rolls-Royce Kestrel aero engine.
The Utah Flats are also where, in 2006, the JCB Dieselmax took the same record at 350.092 mph, with two JCB off-highway engines designed and upgraded with Ricardo for the purpose.
"This event is a fantastic celebration of a century of achievement for the Ricardo company," states Ricardo plc chief operating officer Mark Garrett.
"It is also a reflection of the innovative engineering skills, hard work and dedication of its employees, and of their generous commitment to give something back to the communities in which they work, through the charities for which they are raising money," he continues.
"I wish all of the teams the very best for the two months of the Ricardo100 Global Challenge and look forward to welcoming the final team as they return to Shoreham two months from now."