Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport are the global terms that are used in order to include the group of competitive sporting events that primarily involve the use of motorised vehicles. It makes no difference as to whether racing or non-racing competition are involved. The terminology may also be used to describe forms of competition of two-wheeled motorised vehicles under the banner of motorcycle racing. It includes off-road racing such as motocross.
The term ‘auto racing’ (which is also known as car racing, motor racing, or – alternatively – automobile racing) is a motorsport that involves the racing of automobiles for competitive purposes.
Auto racing has been in existence since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts and shapes were organised, with the first being recorded as early as 1867.
Many of the earliest events were, in effect, reliability trials that were aimed at proving these new machines were ultimately practical mode of transport,. However, these events soon became an important way for competing makers to demonstrate their machines. By the 1930s, specialist racing cars had been developed.
Categories of auto racing include the following:
Over the past ten years, Audi has enjoyed unprecedented success in endurance racing and has racked up several victories at the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans. In addition to the professionals, endurance racing also gives amateur “gentlemen” drivers the opportunity to enter its races. Over the years, actors such as Paul Newman as well as Patrick Dempsey have raced and experienced differing degrees of success at the series’ 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Motorcycle racing (which is also called moto racing and motorbike racing) is the sport of racing motorcycles. Major varieties of motorcycle racing include:
Other categories include hill climbs, drag racing as well as land speed record trials.
The development of motorcycle racing is largely paralleled by, and often coincided with, the development of auto racing.
There was a class for motorcycles in a lot of the old town-to-town automobile road races such as, for example, the Paris-Vienna race. The de Dion tricycle led the sport in 1897 however two-wheelers – for example the Werner soon set the stage for a totally different format of racing.
At the beginning of the 21st century, the Fédération Internationale du Motocyclisme (which was rechristened the Fédération Internationale Motocycliste [FIM] in 1949) established the international cup. This cup united five nations: Austria, Denmark, France, Germany in addition to Britain.
The first international cup race happened in 1905, long before the advent of online Bingo in the UK at Dourdan in France and the race for the Tourist Trophy (TT) became the most famous of all European motorcycle races. The first TT race happened in 1907 on the Isle of Man, on a course that which the world’s most famous for many decades thereafter.