Driving big hunks of metal as fast as possible has been one of the most thrilling forms of entertainment since the first organized race in 1894, where 102 drivers took on the challenge of getting their cars from Paris to Rouen. This 80-kilometer race was won by Jules-Albert de Dion after 6 hours and 48 minutes at a blistering average speed of 11 miles per hour (including an hour-and-a-half lunch break). Since then, cars have gotten faster, race distances longer, and the competition much more varied and exciting. Here are a few of the most popular motorsports series today.
Formula 1 (F1) is considered to be the pinnacle of motorsport in many respects. It is an international competition with budgets of hundreds of millions of dollars. 10 teams of two drivers compete in as many as 24 races on road courses around the world in a season. Each team and their drivers are fighting to rise to the top of the standings and win both the Drivers’, awarded to the single driver with the most points, and Constructors’, awarded to the team with the most collective points across their two drivers, championships. F1 is unique in its cars’ cutting-edge aerodynamics, incredibly efficient and powerful engines, and elite driver talent. For a good reference of what F1 cars typically look like, think of Francesco Bernoulli from the movie Cars 2.
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, better known as NASCAR, on the other hand, is a wholly American motorsports series. Teams compete with cars that are meant to resemble the production cars available to the public but with modifications that turn them into racing beasts with over 750 horsepower and top speeds of over 200 miles per hour. Although they rarely reach these speeds during races, these cars are incredibly quick, and with top drivers behind the wheel, they lead to intense competition despite the simple oval track layout. Lightning McQueen and the Piston Cup resemble a NASCAR race and car pretty well.
IndyCar is another open-wheel series, similar to F1, based in the United States. However, they have bigger engines (because America loves big engines, duh) and run races at road, street, and oval tracks. This diversity in track layouts forces the drivers and teams to be flexible in their strategies and driving styles. IndyCar is also a spec series, meaning that the teams are incredibly limited in their freedom with modifying the cars — each car is essentially identical, meaning driver skill and team strategy play massive roles in the outcomes of each race.
World Rally Championship (WRC) is the world’s premier rallycross series. This means that drivers tackle off-road, forest, dirt, and snow-packed courses across 13 countries with their co-drivers in some of the most dangerous and intense racing possible. Each rally is broken into 15 to 25 stages that each team must complete in the shortest time possible, driving between the stages in their competition cars on public roads. Teams have 2 days prior to the actual competition to drive the courses at reduced speeds and record pace notes to prepare for the races, which often include blind turns, jumps, drifting, and even night racing.
Of course, there are many more motorsports series that I wish I could dive into, but I am unfortunately limited to a certain word count for this article. I know, I’m bummed too. But anyway, those are some of the most popular and exciting motorsports series in the world today. Give them a shot, and hopefully, you’ll like them as much as I do! (I even got Claire from “Dear Claire and Ethan” and “Girl-ish Talk” to care about Formula 1!)
