Motor Sports
Racing series on tarmac, dirt, oval or off-road — Formula 1, MotoGP, rally, NASCAR, endurance racing, karting and drag racing.
28 sports in motor sports.
Drag Racing
Straight-line acceleration motorsport — two vehicles race from standstill to finish line over quarter-mile (402m) or eighth-mile (201m). NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) sanctions US pro drag racing since 1951. Top Fuel dragsters reach 335+ mph (540 km/h) in under 4 seconds; fastest accelerating land vehicles.
Drifting
Judged motorsport of holding a car sideways through corners — Formula Drift is the pro world tour.
Endurance Racing
Long-distance sports car racing — races of six hours, 12 hours or 24 hours across multiple classes.
Enduro
Long off-road motorcycle race against the clock through forest special stages — the desert-rally cousin of motocross.
FIA Formula 2
One rung below F1 — spec Dallara chassis and 3.4 L V6 engine on F1 support-race weekends.
FIA Formula 3
The second rung of the F1 feeder ladder — spec chassis, 3.4 L V6, F1 support-race weekends.
Formula 1
The pinnacle of open-wheel single-seater motor racing — 20 drivers, 10 teams, 24 grands prix, one world championship.
Formula E
FIA world championship for all-electric single-seater racing cars on city street circuits.
GT Racing
Sports car racing in production-based GT3, GT4 and GT2 categories — Nürburgring 24 Hours to GT World Challenge.
Hillclimb
Time-trial motorsport up a closed public road — Pikes Peak and Goodwood Festival of Speed are the icons.
IndyCar
Premier American open-wheel motorsport — turbocharged single-seaters on ovals, road courses, street circuits. Governed by IndyCar (2008 CART/IRL merger). Crown jewel: Indianapolis 500 (since 1911) — 'Greatest Spectacle in Racing.' Speeds 235+ mph on ovals. Winners: A.J. Foyt (4× Indy 500), Mario Andretti, Rick Mears, Dario Franchitti, Alex Palou.
Karting
Open-wheel motorsport with small four-wheeled vehicles ('karts'). Modern karting invented 1956 by Art Ingels (California). Standard training ground for Formula 1 drivers — Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen all started karting. FIA-sanctioned World Karting Championship + amateur leagues globally.
Le Mans Endurance Racing
Premier endurance sports car race — 24 hours around 13.6 km Circuit de la Sarthe (France) since 1923. Teams of 3 drivers rotate. FIA WEC (World Endurance Championship) governs. Winners in Hypercar class recent: Toyota, Ferrari (2023), Porsche. Legendary marques: Porsche (19 wins), Audi, Ferrari, Ford, Bentley.
Motocross
Off-road motorcycle racing on closed dirt circuits with jumps, whoops, and berms, contested in short heats over 30-40 minutes plus 2 laps.
MotoGP
Premier class of motorcycle road racing — 1,000 cc four-stroke prototype bikes race on closed circuits worldwide at speeds exceeding 350 km/h.
Motorcycle Trials
Motorbike balance sport — cross rocks, logs and streams through observed sections without putting a foot down.
NASCAR
Premier American stock car racing series featuring 700-hp V8 cars racing on 1.5-2.66 mile oval tracks at speeds up to 200 mph, with the season culminating in a 10-race playoff.
Powerboat Racing
Motorsport on water — F1H2O tunnel-hulls on inland circuits, Class 1 offshore powerboats at sea.
Rally Racing
Point-to-point motorsport in which co-driver-navigated cars race one at a time against the clock over closed public roads of gravel, tarmac, snow, and mud across multi-day events.
Rally Raid
Multi-day off-road rally across deserts and mountains — cars, trucks, motorbikes and quads all racing at once.
Rallycross
Wheel-to-wheel motorsport on mixed tarmac and dirt circuits — 600 hp cars, 0-100 km/h in ~1.9 s.
Sidecar Racing
Two-person motorcycle racing — a "monkey" passenger climbs around the sidecar to shift weight through corners.
Speedway (Motorcycle)
Motorcycle racing on oval dirt track (300-400m) — 4 riders race 4 laps without brakes on single-gear 500cc methanol-fueled bikes. Global sport especially Poland, UK, Sweden, Denmark, Australia. FIM Speedway Grand Prix (SGP) since 1995 dominant international series. Legendary sport for extreme cornering slides.
Sprint Car Racing
Open-wheel dirt-track racing on short ovals with 900 hp cars and large overhead wings.
Superbike Racing
Motorcycle road racing on production-based sportbikes (1000cc superbikes). WorldSBK series founded 1988 by FIM as alternative to prototype MotoGP. Iconic manufacturers: Ducati, Yamaha, Kawasaki, BMW, Honda. Top riders: Carl Fogarty (4×), Troy Bayliss (3×), Jonathan Rea (6× consecutive 2015-20), Toprak Razgatlıoğlu (2021, 2024).
Supercross
Indoor stadium motocross — 450 cc bikes over triples, whoops and rhythm sections inside a football arena.
Touring Car Racing
Race saloon cars modified from road cars — WTCR, DTM, BTCC and Supercars are the marquee tours.
World Rally Championship
FIA world championship for rally cars raced against the clock over closed roads.