Open-wheel racing driven by
Oscar Piastri during the
Japanese Grand Prix In single-seater (
open-wheel) racing, the wheels are not covered, and the cars often have aerofoil wings front and rear to produce
downforce and enhance adhesion to the track. The most popular varieties of open-wheel
road racing are
Formula One,
IndyCar Series and
Super Formula. In Europe and Asia, open-wheeled racing is commonly referred to as 'Formula', with appropriate hierarchical suffixes. In North America, the 'Formula' terminology is not followed (with the exception of Formula One). The sport is usually arranged to follow an international format (such as Formula One), a regional format (such as the Formula 3 Euro Series), or a domestic or country-specific format (such as the German Formula 3 championship or the British Formula Ford). Formula One is a worldwide series that runs only
street circuit and
race tracks. These cars are heavily based on technology and their aerodynamics. The speed record was set in 2016 by
Valtteri Bottas hitting 372.5 km/h (231 mph). Some of the most prominent races are the
Monaco Grand Prix, the
Italian Grand Prix, and the
British Grand Prix. The season ends with the crowning of the World Championship for drivers and constructors. IndyCar driven by
Álex Palou during the
2023 Sonsio Grand Prix at Road America In the United States, the most popular series is the
IndyCar Series. The cars have traditionally been similar to, though less technologically sophisticated than,
F1 cars, with more restrictions on technology aimed at controlling costs. While these cars are not as technologically advanced, they are faster, in part due to their lower downforce compared to Formula One cars, and also because they compete on oval race tracks, being able to average a lap at 388 km/h (241 mph). The series' biggest race is the
Indianapolis 500, which is commonly referred to as "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" due to being the longest continuously run race in the series and having the largest crowd for a single-day sporting event (350,000+). driven by
Tadasuke Makino at the 2024 Super Formula Motegi round The other major international single-seater racing series is
Formula 2 (formerly known as
Formula 3000 and
GP2 Series). Regional series include
Super Formula and
Formula V6 Asia (specifically in Asia),
Formula Renault 3.5 (also known as the World Series by Renault, succession series of
World Series by Nissan),
Formula Three,
Formula Palmer Audi and
Formula Atlantic. In 2009, the
FIA Formula Two Championship brought about the revival of the F2 series. Domestic, or country-specific, series include Formula Three and Formula Renault, with the leading introductory series being
Formula Ford. Single-seater racing is not limited merely to professional teams and drivers. There exist many amateur racing clubs. In the UK, the major club series are the
Monoposto Racing Club, BRSCC F3 (formerly ClubF3, formerly ARP F3), Formula Vee, Club Formula Ford and
Formula 4. Each series caters to a section of the market, with some primarily providing low-cost racing, while others aim for an authentic experience using the same regulations as the professional series (BRSCC F3). The SCCA is also responsible for sanctioning single-seater racing in much of North America. There are other categories of single-seater racing, including
kart racing, which employs a small, low-cost machine on small tracks. Many of the current top drivers began their careers in karts.
Formula Ford represents the most popular first open-wheel category for up-and-coming drivers stepping up from karts. The series is still the preferred option, as it has introduced an aero package and slicks, allowing the junior drivers to gain experience in a race car with dynamics closer to Formula One. The
Star Mazda Series is another entry-level series.
Indy Lights represent the last step on the
Road to Indy, being less powerful and lighter than an
IndyCar racer. electric race-car of the
Delft University of Technology Students at colleges and universities can also take part in single-seater racing through the
Formula SAE competition, which involves designing and building a single-seater car in a multidisciplinary team and racing it at the competition. This also develops other soft skills, such as teamwork, while promoting motorsport and engineering. The world's first all-female Formula racing team was created in 2006. The group was an assemblage of drivers from different racing disciplines and formed for an MTV reality pilot, which was shot at
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. In December 2005, the
FIA gave approval to
Superleague Formula racing, which debuted in 2008, whereby the racing teams are owned and run by prominent sports clubs such as
A.C. Milan and
Liverpool F.C. After 25 years away from the sport, former
Formula 2 champion
Jonathan Palmer reopened the F2 category again; most drivers have graduated from the
Formula Palmer Audi series. The category is officially registered as the
FIA Formula Two championship. Most rounds have two races and are support races to the
FIA World Touring Car Championship.
Touring car racing , featuring three Group GT3 manufacturers Touring car racing is a style of road racing that is run with production-derived four-seat race cars. The lesser use of aerodynamics means following cars have a much easier time following and passing than in
open-wheel racing. It often features full-contact racing with subtle bumping and nudging due to the small speed differentials and large grids. The major touring car championships conducted worldwide are the
Supercars Championship (Australia),
British Touring Car Championship, and
Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM).
World Touring Car Championship and the
World Touring Car Cup are proper World-level Touring Car series sanctioned by FIA with various regulations until the both Championships are Folded. The
European Touring Car Cup is a one-day event open to
Super 2000 specification touring cars from Europe's many national championships. While
Super GT traces its lineage to the now-defunct
JGTC, the cars are much more similar to
GT3 race cars than proper touring cars, and also have much more aggressive aerodynamics. The
Sports Car Club of America's
SPEED World Challenge Touring Car and GT championships are dominant in North America. America's historic
Trans-Am Series is undergoing a period of transition, but is still the longest-running road racing series in the U.S. The
National Auto Sport Association also provides a venue for amateurs to compete in home-built factory-derived vehicles on various local circuits.
Sports car racing In sports car racing, production-derived versions of two-seat
sports cars, also known as
grand tourers (GTs), and purpose-built
sports prototype cars compete within their respective classes on closed circuits. The premier championship series of sports car racing is the
FIA World Endurance Championship. The main series for GT car racing is the
GT World Challenge Europe, divided into two separate championships: the
GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup and the
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup. This series has formed after the folding of the various FIA GT championships. The prevailing classes of GT cars are
GT3,
GT4 and
GT2 class cars. GT2 cars have powerful engines, often exceeding 600 horsepower. However, they have less downforce than GT3 cars and also have less driver aids. GT3 cars are far and away the most popular class of GT cars, with premier racing series such as the
FIA World Endurance Championship and
IMSA both using GT3 as their top class of GT car. GT3 cars have more significant aero than a GT2 car, but also have less horsepower, typically falling in between 500 and 550 horsepower. GT4 class cars have very little aerodynamics and less horsepower than GT3 machinery, typically around 450 horsepower. GT4 typically serves as the last step up to premier GT-class racing. Other major GT championships include the
GT World Challenge America,
GT World Challenge Asia,
Super GT, and the
International GT Open. There are minor regional and national GT series using mainly GT4 and GT3 cars featuring both amateur and professional drivers. that took the overall victory at the
2024 24 Hours of Le Mans Sports prototypes, unlike GT cars, do not rely on road-legal cars as a base. They are closed-wheel and often closed-cockpit purpose-built race cars intended mainly for endurance racing. They have much lower weight, more horsepower and more downforce compared to GT cars, making them much faster. They are raced in the 24 hours of Le Mans (held annually since 1923) and in the (European)
Le Mans series,
Asian Le Mans Series and the
WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. These cars are referred to as
LMP (Le Mans prototype) cars with
LMH and
LMDh cars being run mainly by manufacturers and the slightly less powerful LMP2 cars run by privateer teams. All three Le Mans Series run GT cars in addition to Le Mans Prototypes; these cars have different restrictions than the FIA GT cars. Another prototype and GT racing championship exists in the United States; the
Grand-Am, which began in 2000, sanctions its own endurance series, the
Rolex Sports Car Series, which consists of slower and lower-cost
Daytona Prototype race cars compared to LMP and FIA GT cars. The
Rolex Sports Car Series and
American Le Mans Series announced a merger between the two series forming the
WeatherTech SportsCar Championship starting in 2014. These races are often conducted over long distances, at least , and cars are driven by teams of two or more drivers, switching every few hours. Due to the performance difference between production-based sports cars and purpose-built sports prototypes, one race usually involves several racing classes, each fighting for its own championship. Famous sports car races include the
24 Hours of Le Mans, the
Rolex 24 at Daytona,
24 Hours of Spa-Franchorchamps, the
12 Hours of Sebring, the
6 Hours of Watkins Glen, and the
Petit Le Mans at
Road Atlanta. There is also the
24 Hours of the Nürburgring on the famed Nordschleife track, the
Bathurst 12 Hour on the
Mount Panorama Circuit, the
Suzuka 1000 km is the International Summer Endurance Race at East Asia, and the
Dubai 24 Hour, which is aimed at GT3 and below cars with a mixture of professional and pro-am drivers.
Production-car racing Production-car racing, otherwise known as "showroom stock" in the US, is an economical and rules-restricted version of touring-car racing, mainly used to restrict costs. Numerous production racing categories are based on particular makes of cars. Most series, with a few exceptions, follow the
Group N regulation. There are several different series that are run all over the world, most notably, Japan's Super Taikyu and
IMSA's Firehawk Series, which ran in the 1980s and 1990s all over the United States.
Stock car racing for the
2015 Daytona 500 leads the field racing three-wide multiple rows back at
Daytona International Speedway in the
2015 Daytona 500. stock car on an asphalt track In North America,
stock car racing is the most popular form of auto racing. Primarily raced on
oval tracks, stock cars vaguely resemble production cars, but are in fact purpose-built racing machines that are built to tight specifications and, together with touring cars, also called
Silhouette racing cars. The largest stock car racing governing body is
NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing). NASCAR's premier series is the
NASCAR Cup Series, its most famous races being the
Daytona 500, the
Southern 500, the
Coca-Cola 600, and the
Brickyard 400. NASCAR also runs several feeder series, including the
Xfinity Series and
Craftsman Truck Series (a
pickup truck racing series). The series conduct races across the entire
continental United States. NASCAR also sanctions series outside of the United States, including the
NASCAR Canada Series,
NASCAR Mexico Series,
NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, and
NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race. NASCAR also governs several smaller regional series, such as the
Whelen Modified Tour. Modified cars are best described as open-wheel cars. Modified cars have no parts related to the stock vehicle for which they are named after. A number of modified cars display a "manufacturer's" logo and "vehicle name", yet use components produced by another automobile manufacturer. There are also other stock car governing bodies, most notably the
Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). In the UK,
British Stock car racing is also referred to as "Short Circuit Racing". UK Stock car racing started in the 1950s and grew rapidly through the 1960s and 1970s. Events take place on shale or tarmac tracks – usually around 1/4 mile long. There are around 35 tracks in the UK and upwards of 7000 active drivers. The sport is split into three basic divisions – distinguished by the rules regarding car contact during racing. The most famous championship are the
BriSCA F1 Stock Cars. Full-contact formulas include
Bangers, Bombers, and Rookie Bangers – and racing features Demolition Derbies, Figure of Eight, and Oval Racing. Semi Contact Formulas include BriSCA F1, F2, and Superstox – where bumpers are used tactically. Non-contact formulas include National Hot Rods, Stock Rods, and Lightning Rods.
One-make racing field at the
Sachsenring. One-make, or single marque, championships often employ production-based sports cars from a single manufacturer, or even a single model from a manufacturer's range. There are numerous notable one-make series from various countries and regions such as the
Porsche Carrera Cup and, previously the
International Race of Champions have fostered many distinct national championships. Single marque series are often found at the club level, where production-based cars, limited modifications, and close parity in performance make them well-suited for competitive racing. driven by
2025 Formula 2 Championship winner
Leonardo Fornaroli. There are also open-wheel, single-make chassis series, such as
Formula BMW,
Formula Renault, and
GP2, which are now defunct. These series were primarily designed to develop young driving talent and prepare them for premier championships such as
Formula One. Currently, the most well-known lower-tier single-seater championships that use spec cars are
Formula 2 and
Indy NXT, where all teams compete with standardized chassis and engines. These series maintain close competition while emphasizing driver skill and providing a clear pathway for progression to top-level motorsport. race at the
2024 Motegi round using
Dallara SF23s. However, not all one-make racing series use identical engines or powertrains. While some series are strictly single-make with standardized engines, others allow multiple manufacturers to compete, creating technical diversity within a standardized chassis. Series such as
Super Formula,
Formula E, and
IndyCar feature multiple engine suppliers even when the chassis is standardized. In the
2025 Super Formula season, all teams use the
Dallara SF23 as the spec chassis, ensuring parity in aerodynamics and overall car design. However, teams can select between engines developed by
Toyota and
Honda, each offering distinct performance characteristics, reliability, and tuning potential. This combination of standardized chassis with multiple engine options allows for competitive racing while still promoting manufacturer involvement and engineering innovation.
Drag racing in Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa launching at a
dragstrip In drag racing, the objective is to complete a given straight-line distance, from a standing start, ahead of a vehicle in a parallel lane. This distance is traditionally , though and are also common. The vehicles may or may not be given the signal to start at the same time, depending on the class of racing. Vehicles range from the everyday car to the purpose-built
dragster. Speeds and elapsed time differ from class to class. Average street cars cover the mile in 12 to 16 seconds, whereas a
top fuel dragster takes 4.5 seconds or less, reaching speeds of up to . Drag racing was organized as a sport by
Wally Parks in the early 1950s through the
National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). The NHRA was formed to discourage
street racing. When launching, a top fuel dragster will accelerate at 3.4
g (33 m/s2), and when braking parachutes are deployed the deceleration is 4 g (39 m/s2), more than the
Space Shuttle experiences. A top fuel car can be heard over away and can generate a reading equivalent to a
magnitude 1.5 to 3.9 earthquake. Drag racing is two cars head-to-head, the winner proceeding to the next round. Professional classes are all first to the finish line wins. Sportsman racing is handicapped (slower car getting a
head start) using an index (a lowest e.t. allowed), and cars running under (quicker than) their index "break out" and lose. The slowest cars, bracket racers, are also handicapped, but rather than an index, they use a
dial-in.
Off-road racing in a
Hummer H3 during a
Best in the Desert race In
off-road racing, various classes of specially modified vehicles, including cars, compete in races through off-road environments. In North America these races often take place in the
desert, such as the famous
Baja 1000. Another format for off-road racing happens on closed-course
short course tracks such as
Crandon International Off-Road Raceway. In the 1980s and 1990s, the short course was extended to racing inside stadiums in the
Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group; this format was revived by
Robby Gordon in 2013 with his
Stadium Super Trucks series. In Europe, "offroad" refers to events such as autocross or rallycross, while desert races and rally-raids such as the
Paris-Dakar, Master Rallye or European "bajas" are called "cross-country rallies".
Kart racing The modern kart was invented by Art Ingels, a fabricator at the Indianapolis-car manufacturer Kurtis-Kraft, in Southern California in 1956. Ingels took a small chainsaw engine and mounted it to a simple tube-frame chassis weighing less than 100 lb. Ingels, and everyone else who drove the kart, were startled at its performance capabilities. The sport soon blossomed in Southern California, and quickly spread around the world. Although often seen as the entry point for serious racers into the sport,
kart racing, or karting, can be an economical way for amateurs to try racing and is also a fully-fledged international sport in its own right. A large proportion of professional racing drivers began in karts, often from a very young age, such as
Michael Schumacher and
Fernando Alonso. Several former motorcycle champions have also taken up the sport, notably
Wayne Rainey, who was paralysed in a racing accident and now races a hand-controlled kart. As one of the cheapest ways to race, karting is seeing its popularity grow worldwide. Despite their diminutive size, karts of the most powerful class,
superkart (assuming a weight of 205 kg (452 lb), and a power output of 100 hp (75 kW)), can have a
power-to-weight ratio (including the driver) of 490 hp/tonne (0.22 hp/lb). Without the driver, this figure doubles, to almost 980 hp/tonne (0.44 hp/lb).
Historical racing , seen here at the 2022 event.|alt=Lady driver and a Ferrari 166 Barchetta Historic motorsport or vintage motorsport uses vehicles limited to a particular era. Only safety precautions are modernized in these hobbyist races. A historical event can be of various types of motorsport disciplines, from
road racing to
rallying. Because it is based on a particular era it is more hobbyist-oriented, reducing corporate sponsorship. The only modern equipment used is related to safety and timing. A historical event can be of a number of different motorsport disciplines. Some of the most famous events include the
Goodwood Festival of Speed and
Goodwood Revival in Britain and
Monterey Historic in the United States. Championships range from "grass root"
Austin Seven racing to the
FIA Thoroughbred Grand Prix Championship for classic
Formula One chassis. While there are several professional teams and drivers in historical racing, this branch of
auto sport tends to be contested by wealthy car owners and is thus more amateur and less competitive in its approach.
Other categories ==Scoring==