Track racing, as the name suggests, involves racing cars in a defined closed field. It can be further categorized into formula races, sedan races, sports car races, GT endurance races, short track rallies, off-road races, straight line races, and so on. Non-course racing is basically a race course that is not closed, and is mainly divided into rally, cross-country and mountaineering races, beach races, dirt races and so on.
Let's take a look at the characteristics of the different races.
Formula Car Race
This is a kind of automobile race. Race cars must be built according to the program specified in the technical rules for vehicles established and issued by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), including the structure of the body, length and width, minimum weight, working volume of the engine, number of cylinders, fuel tank capacity, electronic equipment, and distance and size of tires.
Formula cars are built with different programs at all levels. The programs belonging to formula car racing are F1, F-3000, F-3, Formula Asia, Formula Unlimited, Formula Ford, Formula Renault, Formula Karting and so on.
Formula 1 (F1/Formula 1)
Grand Prix Formula One (Grand Prix Formula One abbreviation: F1) Grand Prix is currently the world's fastest, most expensive, the highest technical competition, but also the highest level of competition in the Formula One automobile race. The world's first race was held on the race track in 1900 in France's Meuron. The modern Formula One World Championship was started in 1950 at Silverstone Circuit in the UK, and now holds 16 races a year, organized by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA).
It was originally defined as "a vehicle with at least four wheels not in line, at least two of which are used for steering and at least two of which are used for driving". A more specific definition is a formula car with a cylinder volume of 3.5 liters, approximately 600 horsepower, and a top speed of 315 kilometers per hour. The term "formula" is taken to mean a certain format, i.e. the weight, length, width, distance between tires and size of the car are strictly defined. Of all the formula cars, Formula 1 is the most advanced.
The so-called "formula" cars are those built according to standards set by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). These standards for "formula" car length, width, weight, engine power, displacement, whether to use a supercharger and tire size and other technical parameters are strictly regulated. The FIA is responsible for the coordination of the Formula One races. They are responsible for formulating the rules of the race, drawing up the schedule of the race and choosing the venue for the race.
The FIA requires F1 cars to be powered by naturally aspirated engines with a displacement of 3L, 12 cylinders or less, and without superchargers.
The chassis of the F1 cars is made of carbon-fiber, which is very lightweight and sturdy. The chassis of the car race is very low, the minimum ground clearance is only 50-70 millimeters. Compared with ordinary cars, F1 cars have a lot of unique places, its body is thin and long, body height is very low, wide wheels are extremely conspicuous, and is completely exposed, that is, the so-called "open wheel" (Open Wheel).
Each F1 car is a masterpiece of the world's leading automakers. The value of one of these cars is more than seven million dollars, not even less than the value of a small airplane.F1 car competition, not only is the courage of the driver, driving skills and wisdom of the competition, behind it is also carried out between the major automobile companies science and technology competition. Ford Motor Company on the image of the car competition than the "high-tech Olympics". In the car competition launched a new type of racing car, from design to manufacture are cohesive with the efforts of many developers, and represents a company and even a country's latest level of high-tech. Automobile competition is also the quality of scientific and technological personnel in various countries. It is reported that Germany has about 2,000 professionals directly engaged in the design, manufacture and research of racing cars, the United States has about 10,000 people; and Japan has the most, estimated at nearly 20,000 people.
All the drivers who take part in the F1 competition are the elite of the world's motorsports scene, who have been selected by thousands of people. Every driver must go through a number of levels of selection, such as the small car race, Formula 3 (F3) car race, etc., before he can enter the F1 competition, which can be said to have passed through five hurdles and six generals, and it is not easy to become the world champion. He must be battle-hardened, with a combination of racing skills, talent and fighting spirit.
According to FIA regulations, there are no more than 100 drivers in the world who can qualify to drive a Formula One car each year. All drivers must hold a "Super License" issued by the FIA, and only a handful of the best drivers qualify for the finals each year.
The F1 competition chooses 16 venues each year with very different geographic conditions. Some are located on high plateaus where the air is thin to test the drivers' physical fitness; some are street circuits where the roads are relatively narrow and winding and drivers will crash if they don't get it right; some race tracks have wide roads but also have up and down slopes to test the drivers' skills; and others are built in lush forests where the tracks have big undulations and it is difficult for the drivers to control the cars. Because of the frequent accidents that occur in racing, FISA requires all host countries to have sufficient grass buffer zones at their race tracks. Ambulance crews at each race track must also be spread out throughout the field, trying to run in and save lives at the first sign of trouble.
Each car is tested three days before the race, and the starting grid is then organized according to test lap times. Typically, 28-30 cars are timed during the test session, but only the top 26 cars are selected for the race. At the start of the official race, each driver starts from a starting position not far from each other according to grid position. Points are awarded for finishing in the top 6. First place is 10 points, second is 6 points, and third through sixth are 4 to 1 points, respectively.
Formula 3 (F3/Formula 3)
One of the Formula 3 car track racing disciplines. The cars used are four-wheeled, exposed, single-seat, track-only formula cars, similar in appearance to Formula 1 cars but smaller, weighing a minimum of 455 kg, and equipped with four-cylinder, naturally-aspirated petrol engines with a total working volume of 2 liters and an output of about 170 hp.
Formula 3000 (F3000/Formula 3000)
3.0-liter formula car race. One of the formula car track racing programs. There are competitions such as the International Grand Prix. The car used is a four-wheeled, exposed, single-seat, track-only formula car equipped with an 8-cylinder, naturally-aspirated gasoline engine with a total working volume of 3 liters and an output of approximately 475 horsepower.
Formula Renault (Formula Renault)
Formula Renault 2000 is the world's most famous and popular type of formula car, the race is promoted and developed by the French Renault Group, the formula car is manufactured by the Italian company TATUUS, the class of single-seater racing cars with 200HP, the maximum speed of one hour can reach 260 kilometers per hour. The combination of good performance and affordability has ensured the popularity of Formula Renault 2000 cars worldwide, with more than 700 of these 2000 cars being built each year. Formula Renault 2000 gives young people all over the world who are passionate about motorsport an environment in which they can learn and improve their driving skills and their physical and mental conditioning, paving the way for them to become the stars of the future in the sport's premier race, F1. In the four years since Formula Renault 2000 was first held in 2000, it has already succeeded in launching Lechner (McLaren), Massa (Sauber) and Klein (Jaguar) onto the F1 stage.
Formula ASIA
One of the formula car track racing programs, limited to Asia. The car used is a four-wheeled exposed single-seat pure track racing car, body specifications similar to Formula 3, equipped with a "Ford" 4-cylinder naturally-aspirated gasoline engine with a total working volume of 2 liters, with an output of about 160 horsepower. In recent years there has been the emergence of Formula BMW Asia, a more popular formula car in Asia.
Rally
The road conditions in a rally are very complex, with each particular section of road being a course, for example one course is full of twisting and winding mountain roads, and another is a dirt road in a shady forest. The rally cars all follow the same route, but they don't start at the same time; instead, they go one after the other, with each car at different stages having its time recorded by a marshal, and the one with the shortest total time is the winner.
The convoys of large rallies often consist of dozens of crew members and a variety of means of transportation, including motorcycles to relay messages, trucks to carry spare parts, medical vehicles, and sometimes even helicopters.
Race cars are different from the ordinary cars that run on the streets, and although they look the same, the cars that compete in domestic competitions are required to be small cars with an annual production of 2,500 or more, and to have at least two sets of modifications: safety modifications and technical modifications.
WRC World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship (WRC), or WRC for short, is a series of fourteen stages held in various countries around the world. The word "Rally" is taken from the English word "Rally", which has the meaning of rally. The word "rally" is taken from the English word "rallies," which means "gathering." It means that the participating cars must follow the driving routes stipulated in the competition documents and arrive at each closed road section or pit area within a specified time to carry out the stipulated competitions and repairs for a specified period of time. Since the race not only tests the driver's level, but also the cooperation of the navigator, the performance of the vehicle and the power of maintenance. Therefore, Wheeless is an incredibly complex and comprehensive test for both drivers and teams. The stages of the Rally are all kinds of temporary closed roads, including mountainous and hilly roads, gravel roads, mud roads, ice roads, etc., as well as deserts, the Gobi, grasslands, etc., which cannot be closed. The Rally takes the form of an interval start, with one-minute intervals for world-class seeded competitors and two-minute intervals for other competitors. The participating cars are all prototype cars produced by major automobile manufacturers with an annual production of more than 2,500 cars, but they must be modified to various degrees to participate in the race. Cars with unlimited modifications, known as Group A cars, can be modified in almost every way, except for the exterior and the original logo. The standard Group A cars are as strong as tanks, but they are very expensive and can only be achieved by professional racing teams that are directly sponsored by automobile manufacturers. The so-called professional racing teams are just like those famous NBA teams and soccer teams, where both players and staff members have the task of competing in the races every year and live off the income from the races. The limited modifications are called Group N cars, which only allow safety modifications and limited performance modifications, and the internal engine must be maintained at the same standard as that of a civilian car, and no modifications are allowed. Because of the relatively low cost of modifications, Group N cars are mostly used by amateur teams and individual competitors. Amateur teams and individual competitors have their own regular careers, and only show up at the track during races.
The above Group A, N or S cars can be driven on ordinary roads. Each car must carry both a driver, and a navigator. The driver just drives and gives full play to his high level of driving, while the navigator's job is much more complicated, not only to arrange some life chores during the race, but also to indicate the correct direction and route for the driver on each day of the race, and to provide timely and accurate road conditions in front of him during the race, so that the driver can accurately operate without seeing the road conditions in front of him. It can be said that a pair of well-coordinated players, the navigator is an extension of the driver's line of sight, regardless of the curve or steep slope ahead, as long as the navigator reported in a timely and accurate manner, the driver can be assured that the same driving. During the race, single-car intervals are taken, and after running the required dozen to two dozen stages, the one with the least time wins according to the total time of all stages combined with the penalty records of whether there is any overtime or early check-in at each rally point. As a result, rally scoring is also the most complex. If you compare a Formula 1 car with a rally car, the former has higher speeds, up to 300 kilometers or more in a straight line, but the vehicle always stays honestly on the ground. Rally, on the other hand, generally reaches a maximum average speed of more than one hundred kilometers per hour and more than 200 kilometers per hour in a straight line. Although the vehicle speed is not as fast as F1, the vehicle will bring up rolling smoke when driving through, and there will be jumps, side sliding, water rushing and other beautiful images, which are more appreciated. In addition, rally requires drivers to have very comprehensive driving skills, not only to have the technology of high-speed driving on asphalt, but also to have the ability to drive at high speed on gravel roads, dirt roads, dirt roads, ice and snow roads and other complex road conditions. Therefore, the test of rally to drivers is not found in other event competitors. Therefore, the special charm of rally is an important reason to attract many competitors to participate.
Rallies are mainly divided into two main forms: one is to start from A place, to reach the end of the B place, lasted five or six days or even more than ten, twenty days of straight-line, long-distance marathon rallies (Granada - Dakar Rally, 555 Hong Kong and Beijing Rally and the Paris-Moscow-Ulanbaatar-Beijing Rally belongs to this kind of competition), this kind of competition is only held once a year, and each time lasts This kind of competition is held only once a year and lasts from five days to more than twenty days; the other is a series of championship events that travel in different directions but return to the same place every day and last for two to three days, which are held several times or dozens of times every year in different countries and regions. If the starting and returning points of each day are regarded as the center of a circle, then the route of each day's driving is radiated outward from the center of the circle, the shape of which is like a plum blossom, so this type of rally is also known as "plum blossom-type" rally, and the WRC is this type of competition. The WRC is held in fourteen stages throughout the year in various countries around the world, with each stage producing a pair of driver and navigator stage champions, and the pair of drivers and navigators with the highest total points from all stages in the year becoming the WRC World Champions of the current year.
Drag Racing
One of the automobile racing events. The race is divided into 12 - 14 classes according to different models and engine capacity, and is held on two straight asphalt tracks 1500 meters long and 15 meters wide side by side, with the actual distance of the race being 1/4 mile or 1/8 mile. The race is conducted in groups of 2 cars in several rounds of elimination until a winner is crowned. The race starts at a fixed point, accelerates, and the time from the starting line to the finish line is measured electronically to determine the score.
Using specially designed and manufactured piston or jet cars, fueled by gasoline, methanol or kerosene, the cars weigh 500-1000 kilograms. The engine of the "TAFC" class has a volume of 8930cc, an output of 2500hp and a speed of 382km/h; the engine of the "TFD" class has a volume of 8127cc, an output of 5000hp and a speed of 460km/h; and the "Jet" class has a volume of 8127cc, an output of 5000hp and a speed of 460km/h; and the "Jet" class has a volume of 8127cc and an output of 460km/h. The "Jet Fever" class has an engine output of 10,000 hp.
Grand Touring Car
Also known as "GT". It is a type of automobile race. It is a long-duration car race. The race vehicles are divided into two categories: touring cars and sports prototypes, and are divided into several levels according to the engine volume. In the race, each car can have 2-3 drivers and take turns driving.
The annual International Endurance Series is divided into 11 races, held around the world. The races usually last 8-12 hours and the results are assessed by the number of laps completed. Some of the more famous races are: Le Mans (France) 24 hours endurance race, Suzuka (Japan) 8 hours endurance race.
Indy Car
A type of automobile race. There is a world championship. This car race originated in the United States, originally the American Automobile Association sponsored championship. 1978 by 18 Indy teams jointly established the "Indy Championship Racing Teams, Inc.", set up a race management organization to organize a series of car races, the development of a unique race rules. 1979 held the first race, and it became not governed by the Federation of International Automobile Racing car races.
The overall structure of the cars used in the races is similar to that of a Formula 1 four-wheeled exposed single-seat track car, but with an 8-cylinder turbocharged methanol-fueled engine with an operating volume of 2.6 to 3.4 liters and an output of 700 to 850 horsepower. The race distance ranges from 320 kilometers to 800 kilometers, depending on the race course.
Karting
An automobile racing program. Formula karting, international A, B, C, E class and popularization of six categories, *** 12 levels. The use of light steel tube structure, simple manipulation, no body shell, assembled with 100CC, 125CC or 250CC gasoline engine 4-wheeled single-seat miniature racing car, low center of gravity, in the zigzag loop route, the race speed strong sense.
Karting is the most elementary form of Formula One racing in the world, which began in 1940. It is regarded as the cradle of "F-1" as many famous Formula 1 drivers started their careers in karts.
Land-Speed Record (LSR)
An automobile event in which the highest speed record is set by a single car starting from a certain field or road. There are 10 classes, A - J***, according to the working volume of the car's engine.
The highest speed record for a tire-driven car today was set by the Summer Brothers in November 1965, at 660 km/h; the highest speed record for a jet engine-powered car was set in 1983 by Briton Richard Noble, driving his self-designed Thrust II car in Nevada, USA. Thrust II car in the United States on the Salt Lake in northwestern Nevada to create, the speed of 1019.89 kilometers per hour. Its engine output totaled 60,000 horsepower.
Rally Cross
One of the automotive road racing disciplines. It is an automobile race held on the highways and natural roads of a country allowing an expedition to that country. Races that pass through the territories of several countries and have a total length of more than 10,000 kilometers or are transcontinental are called marathon cross-country races. Unless specifically authorized by the FIA, the duration of a cross-country race may not exceed 15 days, and the race must take place during daylight hours. A single-car start is used. The race rests for a minimum of 18 hours after every 10 stages.
The distance of each stage shall be determined, but the maximum length of each stage shall not exceed 350 kilometers for cross-country races and 800 kilometers for marathon cross-country races. All-wheel drive cars registered with the FIA must be used.
In 1996, the FIA introduced the World Cup system for off-road racing for the first time, and some of the more famous races include the Paris-Dakar Off-Road Race, the Tunis International Motorcycle Race, the Paris-Moscow-Beijing Marathon Autocross, and the Desert Challenge in the United Arab Emirates.