Car championships - British rally car
Formula One events - Car rallying
Helpful facts and indispensable statistics on car racing and the Formula One Grand Prix.
Top car championship events
There are numerous car racing events which each attract a different set of motoring enthusiasts and each have a set of specific rules. The official FIA World Touring Car Championship is quite easily of the most watched car racing events the packed motor sports schedule. First held in 1987, the WTCC series is held all around the world including in prestigious locations such as Great Britain, Japan, Morocco and Spain. Other key motoring events include the Indianapolis 500 the FIA World Rally Championship and the European Touring Car Championship. The Intercontinental Le Mans Series and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series are also extremely popular auto racing events.
FIA Formula One World Championship
Formula One is without doubt one of the most stylish modern day sports to participate in. It evolved in the 1940s after the end of the Second World War and culminated in rules being drawn up, resulting in the first Formula One race taking lace in 1950. Even though the races take place in exotic venues across the globe, there is always one certainty - the motor racing companies who invest money in their teams. The most famous motor car firms are Ferrari, Renault and McLaren, although in recent years Virgin and Red Bull have competed in races. The drivers have always been the stars the audiences want to see, from the unlucky Stirling Moss through to the genius of Ayrton Senna.
Car racing
Also called motor racing, car racing is simply the racing of cars for sport and is by far one of the most popular and most watched sports in the world. It's believed auto racing began just after the very first gasoline-powered vehicle was devised and it's thought the world's first car race was created in 1894 by French magazine Le Petit Journal. The race track ran from Paris to Rouen and attracted major manufacturers like De Dion, Panhard and Peugeot as well as various private automobile owners. Although car racing continued to adapt over the following years, it wasn't until the 1930s that automobiles were built with racing solely in mind, with extreme performance vehicles from car manufacturers like Delage, Mercedes-Benz and Bugatti transforming the feel and style of car racing forever.