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Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of two-wheeled motorised vehicles under the banner of
motorcycle racing Motorcycle racing (also called moto racing and motorbike racing) is the motorcycle sport of racing motorcycles. Major varieties include motorcycle road racing and off-road racing, both either on circuits or open courses, and track racing. Ot ...
, and includes off-road racing such as motocross. Four- (or more) wheeled motorsport competition is globally governed by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA); and the
Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM; en, International Motorcycling Federation) is the global governing/sanctioning body of motorcycle racing. It represents 116 national motorcycle federations that are divided into six regiona ...
(FIM) governs two-wheeled competition. Likewise, the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM) governs
powerboat racing Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wate ...
while the
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale The (; FAI; en, World Air Sports Federation) is the world governing body for air sports, and also stewards definitions regarding human spaceflight. It was founded on 14 October 1905, and is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. It maintai ...
(FAI) governs air sports, including aeroplane racing. All vehicles that participate in motorsports must adhere to the regulations that are set out by the respective global governing body.


History

In 1894, a French newspaper organised a race from Paris to Rouen and back, starting city to city racing. In 1900, the Gordon Bennett Cup was established. Closed circuit racing arose as open road racing, on public roads, was banned. Aspendale Racecourse in Australia in 1906 was the first dedicated motor racing track in the world. Following World War I, European countries organised Grand Prix races over closed courses. In the United States,
dirt track racing Dirt track racing is a form of motorsport held on clay or dirt surfaced oval race tracks often used for thoroughbred horse racing. Dirt track racing started in the United States before World War I and became widespread during the 1920s and 1930s ...
became popular. After World War II, the Grand Prix circuit became more formally organised. In the United States,
stock car racing Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...
and
drag racing Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, most c ...
became firmly established. Motorsports ultimately became divided by types of motor vehicles into racing events, and their appropriate organisations.


Racing

Motor racing is the subset of motorsport activities which involve competitors racing against each other.


Open wheel racing


Formula racing

Formula racing is a set of classes of motor vehicles, with their wheels outside, and not contained by, any bodywork of their vehicle. These have been globally classified as specific 'Formula' series - the most common being Formula One, and Formula Two. Many others include the likes of
Formula 3 Formula Three, also called Formula 3, abbreviated as F3, is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One driv ...
, Formula Ford,
Formula Renault Formula Renault are classes of formula racing popular in Europe and elsewhere. Regarded as an entry-level series to motor racing, it was founded in 1971, and was a respected series where drivers can learn advanced racecraft before moving on to hig ...
and Formula Palmer Audi. However, in North America, the
IndyCar INDYCAR, LLC, is an American-based auto racing sanctioning body for Indy car racing and other disciplines of open wheel car racing. The organization sanctions five racing series: the premier IndyCar Series with its centerpiece the Indianapolis ...
series is the most followed open-wheeled racing series. Former 'Formula' series include Formula 5000, GP2 and GP3.


=Formula One

= Formula One is a class of single-seat and
open-wheel An open-wheel single-seater (often known as formula car) is a car with the wheels outside the car's main body, and usually having only one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, sports cars, stock cars, and touring cars, which have thei ...
Grand Prix closed course racing, governed by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), and currently organized by the privately owned company Formula One Group. The formula regulations contain a very strict set of rules which govern vehicle power, weight, size, and design. The rules do allow for some variation, however.


= Formula E

=
Formula E Formula E, officially the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, is a single-seater motorsport championship for electric cars. The series was conceived in 2011 in Paris by FIA president Jean Todt and Spanish businessman Alejandro Agag, who is ...
is a class of open-wheel auto racing that uses only electric-powered cars. The series was conceived in 2012, and the inaugural championship started in Beijing on 13 September 2014. The series is also sanctioned by the FIA and races a spec chassis/battery combination, with manufacturers allowed to develop their own electric power-trains. The series has gained significant traction in recent years.


=IndyCar Series

= A series originated on June 12, 1909, in Portland, Oregon at its first race. Shortly after,
Indianapolis Motor Speedway The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an automobile racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Verizon 200, and and formerly the home of the United State ...
opened in 1909 and held races that ranged from . Its premier race is the Indianapolis 500 which began on May 11, 1911, and a tradition was born. Today,
IndyCar INDYCAR, LLC, is an American-based auto racing sanctioning body for Indy car racing and other disciplines of open wheel car racing. The organization sanctions five racing series: the premier IndyCar Series with its centerpiece the Indianapolis ...
operates a full schedule with over 20 teams and 40 different drivers. The current schedule includes 15 tracks over the course of 17 races per season. Will Power was crowned the current champion of the
IndyCar INDYCAR, LLC, is an American-based auto racing sanctioning body for Indy car racing and other disciplines of open wheel car racing. The organization sanctions five racing series: the premier IndyCar Series with its centerpiece the Indianapolis ...
Series in September 2022.


Enclosed wheel racing

Enclosed wheel racing is a set of classes of vehicles, where the wheels are primarily enclosed inside the bodywork of the vehicle, similar to a North American 'stock car'.


Sports car racing

Sports car racing is a set of classes of vehicles, over a closed course track, including GT sports cars, and specialized racing prototypes. The premiere race is the
24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance r ...
which takes place annually in France during the month of June. Sports car racing rules and specifications differentiate in North America from established international sanctioning bodies.


Stock car racing

Stock car racing Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...
is a set of vehicles that race over a speedway track, organized by NASCAR. While once stock cars, the vehicles are now purpose-built, but resemble the body design and shape of production cars. Bootleggers throughout the
Carolinas The Carolinas are the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina, considered collectively. They are bordered by Virginia to the north, Tennessee to the west, and Georgia to the southwest. The Atlantic Ocean is to the east. Combining Nort ...
are often credited for the origins of NASCAR due to the resistance during prohibition. Many of the vehicles were modified to increase top speed and handling, to provide the bootleggers with an advantage toward the vehicles local law enforcement would use in the area. An important part to the modifications of stock cars, was to increase the performance of the vehicle while also maintaining the same exterior. Many legends in NASCAR originated as bootleggers in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, like Junior Johnson. Organized
oval racing Oval track racing is a form of closed-circuit motorsport that is contested on an oval-shaped race track. An oval track differs from a road course in that the layout resembles an oval with turns in only one direction, and the direction of traf ...
began on Daytona Beach in Florida as a hobby, but quickly gained interest from all over the country. As oval racing became larger and larger, a group gathered in hopes to form a sanctioning body for the sport. NASCAR was organized in 1947, to combine flat track oval racing of production cars. Daytona Beach and Road Course was founded where land speed records were set on the beach, and included part of A1A. The highlight of the stock car calendar is the season-opening
Daytona 500 The Daytona 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is the first of two Cup races held every year at Daytona, the second being the Coke Zero Sugar 400, and one of three ...
, also nicknamed 'The Great American Race' which is held at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. NASCAR has now held over 2,500 sanctioned events over the course of 70 seasons.
Richard Petty Richard Lee Petty (born July 2, 1937), nicknamed "The King", is an American former stock car racing driver who raced from 1958 to 1992 in the former NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notabl ...
is known as the king of NASCAR with over 200 recorded wins in the series and has competed in 1,184 races in his career.


Touring car racing

Touring car racing is a set of vehicles, modified street cars, that race over closed purpose built race tracks and street courses.


Off-road racing

Off-road racing is a group of vehicles that specialize in off-road racing and are modified street cars that can race on close purpose-built off-road tracks and courses. Off-road racing is popular all over the world. Premier off-road events include the Dakar Rally and the
Baja 1000 The Baja 1000 is an annual Mexican off-road motorsport race held on the Baja California Peninsula. It is one of the most prestigious off-road races in the world, having attracted competitors from six continents. The race was founded by Ed Pearl ...
desert race. Series like the National Off-Road Racing Association (NORRA) which was founded in 1967, sanctions events utilizing off-road vehicles racing through the Baja Desert. The first event sanctioned by the organization was the 1967 Mexican 1000 rally that began in Tijuana and ended in
La Paz La Paz (), officially known as Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Spanish pronunciation: ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With an estimated 816,044 residents as of 2020, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities ...
. Since the 1990s, the FIA has relentlessly pushed for off roading and other off-tarmac racing to be strictly governed by their regulations and standards. This move was done in order to curb the extensive damage to both human life and equipment that unregulated off-roading had caused. Al
FIA member countries
have now passed legislation stating that any vehicle that partakes in off-roading, be it a local level or recreational level, must comply with basic Class 1 FIA
rally racing Rally or rallye may refer to: Gatherings * Demonstration (political), a political rally, a political demonstration of support or protest, march, or parade * Pep rally A pep rally or pep assembly is a gathering of people, typically students ...
standards, in order to ensure the safety of the participants and equipment.


Other racing

Motor sports which involve competitors racing against each other include: *
Air racing Air racing is a type of motorsport that involves airplanes or other types of aircraft that compete over a fixed course, with the winner either returning the shortest time, the one to complete it with the most points, or to come closest to a prev ...
* Auto racing (car racing) * Motor rallying * Rallycross *
Motorcycle racing Motorcycle racing (also called moto racing and motorbike racing) is the motorcycle sport of racing motorcycles. Major varieties include motorcycle road racing and off-road racing, both either on circuits or open courses, and track racing. Ot ...
* Kart racing * Oval track racing * Banger racing * Motorboat racing * Drone racing * Hovercraft racing *
Lawn mower racing Lawnmower racing is a form of motorsport in which competitors race modified lawnmowers, usually of the ride-on or self-propelled variety. The original mower engines are retained, but blades are removed for safety. The sport attracts all ages, an ...
* Radio-controlled model racing *
Slot car racing Slot car racing (also called slotcar racing or slot racing) is the competitive hobby of racing with powered miniature autos (or other vehicles) which are guided by grooves or slots in the track on which they run. Slot cars are usually models ...
* Snowmobile racing * Truck racing *
Drag racing Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, most c ...
* Sprint car racing


Non-racing disciplines

Forms of motorsport which do not involve racing include
drifting Drifting may refer to: *Drifting (motorsport) *Pipe drift or drifting, measuring a pipe's inner roundness Film * ''Drifting'' (1923 film), a film directed by Tod Browning * ''Drifting'' (1982 film), the first Israeli gay-themed film * ''Drifting'' ...
,
demolition derby Demolition derby is a non-racing motorsport usually presented at county fairs and festivals. While rules vary from event to event, the typical demolition derby event consists of five or more drivers competing by deliberately ramming their vehic ...
, regularity rally, motorcycle trials, gymkhana, freestyle motocross, and tractor pulling.


Race organisation

Racing events are governed by Race Officials. In preparation for the race, a Race Committee is formed, senior officials such as Race Director, Clerk of the Course, Chief Steward are established. Race Officials are typically members of the country's motorsport governing organization and represent its rules and regulations. Throughout the racing event, Race Officials are responsible for logistics, supporting services, safety, participant scrutineering, race judging, arbitration, and any other decision making. After the race, the Race Officials are responsible for resolving any issues that may have arisen during the race. Parties can appeal its decisions to the country's motorsport governing organization.


Olympics

Motorsport was a demonstration event at the
1900 Summer Olympics The 1900 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1900, link=no), today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad () and also known as Paris 1900, were an international multi-sport event that took place in Paris, France, from 1 ...
.


See also

* Electric motorsport * International Motorsports Hall of Fame * List of motorsport championships *
Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame The Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame is a walk of fame located on South Pine Avenue in the downtown waterfront area of Long Beach, California, to recognize those who have made a major contribution to auto racing in Long Beach. The project was ...
* Motorsports Hall of Fame of America


Notes


References

*


External links

*
Formula 1 (F1)Motorsports Association (UK)World Rally Championship (WRC)
{{Authority control Racing Individual sports Sports by type