Stock car racing

In America, stock car events are arguably the number one type of auto challenge. Usually held on a big oval track, stock cars look like production cars, but that’s only skin deep. At their heart are purpose-built machines, constructed to tight specifications. The largest stock car governing body is NASCAR. The Sprint Cup Series is NASCAR’s premier series, its most famous events being the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400. However, this isn’t all they oversee and there are lesser series that NASCAR governs which are no less exciting to follow.

Drag racing

Next in line for popularity would have to be drag racing. Here, the objective is to get to the end of a straight-line track from a standing start (traditionally ¼ mile), before the guy in the lane next to you – simple! Drag racing was organized as a sport by Wally Parks in the 1950s through the creation of the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association). The NHRA was formed as an organized response to discourage the dangerous activity of street racing.

Single-seat racing

Single seat cars are also known as open wheel cars and the best known type is Formula One. In the USA, our twist on this type of event is currently the Indy Car Series, and previously CART. The cars are typically less sophisticated than F1 vehicles and there are more restrictions on technology (to control costs); but the competition is every bit as exciting!

Touring car racing

Touring car events are road racing done with vehicles that are built up from production models. Here, “rubbing” is racing due to the small speed differentials and big grids. The SCCA’s SPEED World Challenge Touring Car and Grand Touring championships are the “big dog” in North America touring car racing. America’s historic Trans-Am Series is the “grand-daddy” road racing series. So these are the events to lookout for if road racing is your thing.

Sports car racing

Sports car racing involves cars that are built up from production sports car models, as well as prototype sports cars, competing within classes on closed circuits. These races are often held over long distances, at least 1,000 km (621 mi), and cars are driven by teams of drivers, switching every few hours. Famous American sports car races include the 24 Hours of Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 1,000-mile Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.

Off-road racing

In off-road racing, various classes of modified vehicles, including cars, compete in an off-road environment. In North America these challenges often take place in the desert, such as the famous Baja 1000.

Gosh! I’m out of space and I haven’t even touch on Production car racing, Historic car racing, kart racing (aka karting), Rally racing or the likes of The Pikes Peak Hillclimb which was a demanding challenge for participants in the years 1947-1955 and 1965-1969.

As my last, parting factoid, I want you to know that an American race track in West Allis, Wisconsin; the “Milwaukee Mile” holds the distinction of being the oldest motor racing track in the world, Auto races have been held there since 1903. Yup, that’s true! In the 1800′s, this venue starting life as a one-mile (1.032 mile to be exact) horse racing track. Later, it operated as a dirt track for cars (until 1953) and then was paved in 1954. The track has held events sanctioned by major sanctioning bodies, such as the USAC, NASCAR, CART/Champ Car World Series and the Indy Car Series.

Royalty-free clipart illustration of a digital collage of auto racing icons, on a white background. The PNG version includes a transparent background. Please note – the preview image above is a low-resolution preview. Final image quality is much higher and watermark-free. The high resolution version can be used for both personal and commercial projects after you order the royalty-free license.

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The Ginetta-Zytek hybrid racer from Corsa Motorsports combines two things we love best: high technology and auto racing. The gas-electric car ran again last weekend at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, and we corralled driver Johnny Mowlem to ask the biggest question we’ve had since the car made its American Le Mans Series debut earlier this season:

What’s it like to drive?

“Cool!” Mowlem told us by phone after Friday’s practice session in the car, called the 09HS. You could almost see him smiling as he said it with his British accent. His enthusiasm for the car was infectious, and it’s easy to see he’s a big believer in the technology.

Le Mans–style racing has become the place where enviro-friendly ideas like biofuels and hybrid drivetrains are put to the test. The successes of the Audi and Peugeot diesels at Le Mans are well known, and here in the states the American Le Mans Series has ushered in a series of initiatives to make racing greener and the technology more relevant to cars the rest of us drive.

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To say that Michael Schumacher is a controversial figure is a minor understatement. There is no disputing that he is the all time winner in races and championships in the sport. There is also no disputing that he is ruthless, views the rules of the sport as negotiable and is not a very good loser. All that being said, I love him because he brings spit and fire to a sport where drivers are all too often safe in what they say in the name of pleasing sponsors.

Schumacher’s return has met with one rather interesting problem – he hasn’t been very good. In truth, the Mercedes evolution from the original Brawn car hasn’t been up to snuff. At best, it is the fourth fastest team on the grid, which means the drivers should logically be finishing between sixth and tenth in most races. This is what Schumi has done for the most part. Given this, why is everyone criticizing him. The answer is his teammate.

Nico Rosberg has long been touted as an immense talent. I’ve doubted it in the past, but there is no disputing the fact he has put in some
tremendous performances this year. In the races prior to Barcelona, he regularly out qualified and finished his esteemed teammate. He finished
with duplicate third and fourth place finishes in the first four races, but then learned what it means to be Schumacher’s teammate.

The team launched a new car in Barcelona. The goal was to remove the understeer by going with a longer wheelbase preferred by Schumacher. Suddenly, Michael was out pacing Nico and he started picking up more points as Rosberg fell out of the point in Barcelona before barely getting into them in Monaco. There is no doubt regarding who is the number one driver in Mercedes!So, does any of this tarnish Schumacher? Not really. The car is not competitive, so it is difficult to know why people think he should be winning. He has a three year contract, so let’s see what happens as the season progresses and next year. Schumacher is excellent at developing cars, so it is way too early to write off his comeback. He will never be as dominant as he was before, but he could certainly be racking up wins again in the not to distant future.

Vehicles such as Hondas that are imports are commonly recognized for their racing capability because of the engine not unlike a racing engine of sorts. Consequently you won’t be surprised when you see a Honda on the racing track. Street racers typically modify their vehicles with racing engines to top their racing performance on the streets against others that are fans of the sport. This is perhaps the most commonly recognized function for racing engines besides professional car racing.

If you are unsure of which types of racing engines would work best for your motor vehicle, it’s a good idea to get into a vehicle enthusiasts group. You can do this locally or online and the folks there can help you make these decisions. You can what’s more locate reviews concerning particular vehicles and which type of racing engines work best for them.

Another alternative is to go to the vehicle manufacturer’s website to dig up as much information regarding the vehicle and the possibilities surrounding installing a racing engine in it. After all is said and done, you can without difficulty turn a standard consumer vehicle into a racing car with some hard cash, a nice new paint job, and some great options in regard to racing engines.