Car Racing

Car racing is one of the most popular forms of motorsports in the world. With a huge fan following, car racing is a great hobby, especially if you have a passion for cars, speed and adventure. If you are looking to pursue it, understanding the different variations, and your skill and confidence level with each is important.

The different variations are:

Single-seater racing, the most popular version of this sport includes cars which are specially designed for high speed racing. The wheels are open, i.e. not covered, and the cars have front and rear aerofoil wings that enhance downforce, creating an adhesion to the track. This type of racing is known as Formula in Europe and Asia. The Formula One is the most prestigious of these races in which drivers, constructors of major international cars and engine manufacturers battle on technology, driver skill and talent. This is also the most expensive sport in the world with equipment and technology constantly playing on the cutting edge of science, while staying within the limits set by the ruling body, the FIA. This competition is unique in that each team is a constructor. Hence the car is manufactured and designed in-house and the engine supplied to just one team. This means that the teams have the freedom to test the limits of technology, while staying within the stipulated limits.

The other races in this category include the A1 Grand Prix, Formula Nippon, Formula Renault 3.5, etc.

Kart racing is another form of single seater racing, and the most basic of them all. This format uses a small, low cost machine on smaller tracks and is generally the starting place for most professionals in the sport. This is the best way to get a feel of car racing, especially for beginners.

Tour car racing is a form of road racing using production cars modified into race cars. The V8 Supercars and World Touring Car Championship are some of the car competitions conducted worldwide. The National Auto Sport Association is the amateur’s touring car race. Production car racing is a more-economical version of the Touring car racing. There are quite a few series the world over. Japan’s Taikyu and IMSA’s Firehawk series are some of them.

One Make racing is the race between production cars from the same manufacturer wherein all drivers have cars built by the same company. The Porsche Super cup is such format that uses only Porsche-built cars.

Stock car racing is the North American equivalent to tour car racing and is the most popularly watched sport in the country. The cars, though resembling production-based machines, are actually purpose-built racing machines conforming to extremely stringent specifications. The governing body is NASCAR and its Sprint Cup Series is the most famous.

Rallying or rally racing uses two classes of cars. One, where the cars are modified versions of production-based cars that are road safe while the second is solely based on production cars. This is generally considered the hardest form of racing where drivers are made to drive on ice, snow, mud, gravel, grass, tarmac or even sand, sometimes on the same day.

The top series is the World Rally Championship.

Whatever be your interest in car racing, understanding the rules and safety measures is important, as it can be a dangerous hobby.