What types of racing cars are there? What types of races are there? A guide to the five main types of motorsport

It replaced Formula 3000 (which in turn was an effective replacement for Formula 2).

Racing series such as Formula 3 and GP2 are described as subsidiary series, ranking below Formula 1 in the rankings of single-seater racing. There are two main forms of racing formulas: an open formula, which allows choice of chassis and/or engine, and a controlled or specification formula, which relies on a single supplier for the chassis and engines. Formula 3 is an example of an open formula, while Formula BMW is a controlled formula. There are some exceptions, such as Formula Ford, which uses an open chassis formula but restricts engine use to a single supplier.

Major auto racing series

Formula 1

In 1946, during the revival of Grand Prix competition after the end of the Second World War, the FIA ​​was responsible for defining the standardized rules of Formula One. The first race held under the early Formula 1 regulations was the non-championship Grand Prix in Turin in September 1946. The first official world championship for racing car drivers was held in 1947, and in 1950 the first Formula One World Championship was introduced.

Formula 2

Formula 2 regulations were first defined in 1947 as a form of B racing, lower than Formula 1. It had the status of the European Championship, was replaced by Formula 3000 in 1985, but was returned in 2009 as FIA Formula 2.

Formula 3

It was developed by the FIA ​​as the third most powerful class after Formula 1 and Formula 2. Formula 3 championships are held in various countries; there is no single world championship. As a rule, the championships are attended by young riders who want to move up to higher classes.

Formula 3000

A class of open-wheel vehicles that existed from 1985 to 2009. In the FIA ​​hierarchy, the series occupied a place between Formula 1 and Formula 3. The category received its name for the engine displacement, which was 3000 cm3.

Formula 5000

Racing formula used by various racing series in different countries ah all over the world from 1968 to 1982. It originally emerged as an attempt to unite low-cost series whose cars did not fit into any known formulas. The number “5000” indicates the maximum engine capacity in cubic centimeters.

IndyCar

The most prestigious series of open-wheel cars in North America. The championship was created in 1994 as a cheaper and all-American alternative to the CART series.

Formula Holden

Australia's fastest racing series for open-wheel cars. The championship was held from 1989 to 2007 (due to a lack of applications, the 2008 championship is not held). The pilots compete in outdated Formula 3000 cars.

Champ Car

Champ Car is an American open-wheel car championship that has been held since 1979. Successor to the USAC Championship.

Recent history

Formula categories sanctioned by the FIA ​​and located in a class below Formula 1 have experienced two important stages evolution. The first occurred in 1985 when Formula 3000 was introduced as a modern replacement for Formula 2. Formula 3000 retained the open approach to the chassis, but used a single engine type, the 3.0 from Cosworth. Later, the use of the Lola chassis with engines developed by Judd from supplier Zytek was approved. The second stage of evolution occurred in 2005 when Formula 3000 was replaced by the GP2 series. At the same time, it was allowed to use only one chassis from Dallara and a 4.0 engine from Renault.

Racing outside Europe

Japan

The prestigious Japanese formula racing championship is Formula Nippon, which is equivalent to GP2 and its predecessors. It began in 1973, using the rules of Formula 2, and from 1987 to 1996 - the rules of Formula 3000. Since 1996, Formula Nippon has used chassis and engines built to its own set of rules. Until 2009, the use of Lola chassis and engines from manufacturers Honda and Toyota was allowed, and since 2009 the only chassis manufacturer is the American company Swift Engineering.

East Asia

The racing culture in East Asia is relatively young, but has in its short history included championships such as the Formula BMW, Formula 3 series and the Asian GP2 Series (until 2012). Formula BMW was first introduced in 2003 by Motorsport Asia Limited and replaced the earlier Asian Formula 2000 Championship. Having existed until 2008, the Asian Formula BMW was transformed into Formula BMW Pacific. Since 2008, cars built for the European Formula Renault have been used in the Formula Asia and Asian GP2 series. Since 2012, it was decided to combine GP2 Asia with the main GP2 championship.

Notes

The world has produced many great racing cars. Every once in a while a car comes along that inspires the world of sports for years to come. The glory of the exploits of these cars and the racers who drove them remains for centuries. Films are made about them, stories are written, historical facts are conveyed by word of mouth. Throughout the long history of motoring, there have been race cars that have been innovative, superior, beautiful or iconic.

Formula 1, DTM, Rally - in each different types there were their own iconic cars, the ingenious inventions of engineering have no boundaries. We present to the site's readers 10 cars that we believe are the most legendary in the world of racing. We consider rating them a useless exercise; it is impossible to compare them, since their significance is directly related to different disciplines of motorsports.

Let's leave everything as it is, just state the facts and present the Top 10 most legendary of all time in alphabetical order.

Audi Sport Quattro S1 E2

In the early 1980s, Audi largely dominated rally racing with its various versions of Quattro race cars, although the A1, A2 and Sport Quattro were formidable cars for their rivals, the crowning glory of Audi's rally efforts was the Sport Quattro S1 E2.

Powered by a 2.1 liter turbocharged five-cylinder engine that produced 470 hp, the S1 E2 was a true monster outgrown of the legendary Group B rally that managed to take the art of rallying to a new level. As if this were not enough, the madmen “boosted” their charge to 600 hp. Probably a sign from above was the Group B ban, which did not allow this rally heavyweight to enter the competition.

Auto Union Type C/D Hill Climb and Type C Streamliner

In the mid-30s of the 20th century, Auto Union (which was part of) led successful program Grand Prix, in which racing cars Type A, B, C and D took part. What made these cars unusual for that time was the mid-central engine position. Cars Type A, B and C came with a 16-cylinder engine, Type D had a more modest 12-cylinder block.

Of the total number of unusual Auto Unions, two special Auto Union Type cars stand out. First of all, it was a fully faired model. Built on the Type C, the Streamliner was ultra-designed to gain maximum benefit from the 560 strong engine Type C. While testing the car for the Grand Prix on the Autobahn (yes, you read that right, they didn’t bother with safety back then, they set speed records right on public roads), the Streamliner reached 400 km/h, and this was in 1937!

The following year, the same crazy engineers decided to build a Type D racing car with a Type C engine for hill-climbing racing. To make sure all the gigantic power went to the asphalt, the car was equipped with a set of dual tires that were installed on each side at the rear of the car.

Chaparral 2J

In the wild world of Can-Am racing, Chaparral has redefined the standard approach to gain an advantage over all competitors. On previous models of the company's racing cars, massive aerodynamic wings were used for this, but later the engineers decided to have a lot of fun. Chaparral came up with an ingenious way to obtain optimal downforce, regardless of the speed at which it was moving new car 2J. It “stuck” to the canvas using a vacuum.

Two fans were installed in the rear of the car, they were driven by the snowmobile engine, and sucked air from under the bottom of the car. The skirts along the sides of the car were always located one inch from the ground thanks to the special suspension design. The 2J actually had some decent downforce. In this it beat many of its competitors, but the 2J was terribly unreliable and was subsequently banned from racing for one year.

Ford GT40

The history of racing is constantly evolving, and at every stage of development we can see our superheroes among the cars. Some we will probably never forget. Became one of them. The supercar was conceived after Ford's unsuccessful attempt to acquire Ferrari. The GT40 was built to knock Ferrari out of their own game - endurance racing. By 1966 the goal was achieved, the GT40 finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans. The GT40 will win for the next three years.

Four different versions of the GT40 were made: Mark I, II, III and IV. The Mark I used Ford's 4.9-liter V8, while the Mark II, III and IV featured the larger 7.0-liter V8. To this day, the GT40's exterior design is one of the most recognizable in motorsport history.

Lancia Stratos HF

In the 1970s, Lancia began a partnership with Bertone to create a new rally car. To get maximum traction to the rear wheels, Lancia decided to use an exotic layout with a centrally mounted engine. At the heart of the Stratos HF was a 2.4-liter V6 borrowed from the Ferrari Dino.

More like a rally car than a rally car, the Stratos HF proved to be very successful in rally racing. He won the 1974, 1975 and 1976 World Rally Championships. Although another Lancia enjoyed even more rally success ten years later, it did not have the same visual impact that the Stratos HF was able to achieve.

Mazda 787B

Over the years, many cars have achieved Le Mans podium finishes and only a few have been able to do so more than once. So what makes the 787B so special? This is a classic story of an underdog becoming a winner. First of all, the 787B is the only Japanese car ever winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. To this day, much more powerful Japanese manufacturers such as Toyota, Nissan or Honda have never been able to repeat this feat.

Secondly, the Mazda 787B is the only car to win Le Mans. The four-rotor engine turned out to be not only an excellent instrument of victory, but also sounded like a heavenly harp. The 787B was not the fastest car at Le Mans, but it won thanks to its reliability and excellent fuel consumption, it was economical. Yes, I owed my victory to reliability and efficiency; power in racing cars is not the main thing.

McLaren MP4/4

1988 saw the formation of perhaps the best racing duo in Formula 1 history. This was the year that Iron Senna joined Alain Prost in the team. That same year, Honda became McLaren's engine supplier, installing a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine in the new McLaren MP4/4.

To say that McLaren dominated the 1988 season would be an understatement. Of the 16 races that took place that year, McLaren took 15 pole positions and won 15 races! Senna, Prost and McLaren newcomer Gerhard Berger would continue their winning runs over the next few years. But none of the Marlboro-painted cars that followed the M4/4 would be as dominant in racing.

Porsche 917

The Porsche 917 is an unusual car, because it achieved success in two. The 917 was originally designed for endurance racing and competed in many races such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The 917 continued its success by winning the legendary race in 1970 and 1971, but 1972 brought an unpleasant surprise to the racing car when the Le Mans rules changed, automatically rendering the 917 obsolete.

Instead of relegating the car to the margins of racing history, Porsche turned its attention to the Can-Am racing series. By adding a turbocharger to its big V12, the 917 produced around 850 hp. and surprisingly won the new championship in 1972. In 1973 the engine was enlarged and the 917 could now produce 1,500 hp. The car completely dominated the next season, but a change in Can-Am rules in 1974 once again marked the Porsche 917's place in racing history.

But in the memory of fans, he did not move to a landfill; on the contrary, he went to the museum of glory. Many consider the 1973 Porsche 917 to be the most powerful racing car ever built.

Suzuki Escudo Dirt Trail

The Pike Peak International Hill Climb competition is amazing. There are essentially no holds barred in Pike Peak hill racing, and competitors can compete against each other however they please. The competition allows drivers, engineers and manufacturers to reach the limits of automotive engineering and technology. From 1992 to 2011, the mountain climb was dominated by Nobuhiro "Monster" Taima, who won the tournament nine times, including six in a row, from 2004 to 2011.

Conceived as an idea in 1995. The car was named Suzuki Escudo Dirt Trail, the car became the owner of two turbocharged 2.5-liter V6 engines - one installed in the front, the other in the rear of the car. Total power - 981 hp. The power went to all four wheels. , created every downforce known to man, the Escudo was a monster made to control a monster. He may not be the best fast car, has ever stormed the hill, but he is simply one of the craziest stormtroopers.

Cementing the legacy was the inclusion of the Suzuki Escudo Dirt Trail into the Gran Turismo franchise.

Tyrrell P34

How to get more grip while racing? It's very simple to add wheels. Along with the huge rear wheels, the main distinguishing feature of the Tyrrell P34 was its four small front wheels. This move, strange at first glance, not only managed to reduce drag and increase the front contact patch, but also allowed us to “acquire” additional braking force.

Prepared for the 1976 racing season, the six-wheeled mutant proved its racing competence with 10 podium finishes. He even won the Swedish Grand Prix that year with Tyrrell's impressive 1st and 2nd place finishes. The car went into sharp decline in 1977, and advances in aerodynamics made the six-wheel design redundant from the 1978 season onwards.

The Tyrrell's trademark six wheels made it one of the most recognizable cars in motorsport, but it did not make it the most successful.

If you're tired of football, don't rush to throw away the TV.

Beds, toilets, balloons, lawnmowers, even coffins and pumpkins - everything that serves as a racing car! But the most popular are still cars. But which ones and how exactly to compete in them is also a matter of huge choice. Together with the Discovery Channel, we will talk about the five main types of auto racing. What is it for? Yes, besides, “Speed ​​Week” is nearing its finale on the Discovery Channel. Its heroes are ready to strike sparks from the track for the sake of victory.

No. 1. Circuit racing

IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, photo Mercedes-AMG

Route:

closed racing track with a complex configuration and a lot of turns.

On paper, the conditions are simple: you need to drive a few laps faster than your opponents and successfully navigate the corners. But in reality, all these hairpins, apexes, eskies and chicanes bring a lot of adrenaline to the pilots and spectators. Circuit racing is the same thing that everyone dreams of: speed, race cars with a lot of buttons, overalls that are not resistant to burning fuel, the roar of engines, the squeal of tires... In general, it’s quite masculine music.

Formula 1 is the legendary circuit racing of the design class on open-wheel cars, which originates from British horse racing. This is a world championship where everything is the best: the fastest cars, the biggest budgets, the most successful drivers and the coolest engineering teams fighting for their constructors' championship. The stages are called Grand Prix, to access each of them you need to meet many conditions, and participation itself is the dream of any racer. This year the fight also promises to be hot, although Formula 1. There is no one higher than the stars of these races in motorsport: Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, Rubens Barrichello, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen... The names speak for themselves.

NASCAR is the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing, which gave its name to the NASCAR Cup Series, the main auto racing championship in the United States, the ancestor of which is considered to be illegal bootlegger racing. Hidden under light bodies stylized as civilian cars most powerful engine, and the pilot is reliably protected by a safety cage. At each of the 36 racing stages of the year, cars constantly turn left on the circuit and try not to crash into the grandstand or opponents. Wheel explosions, pile-ups from many cars, crashes into a concrete wall at speed and fights after the finish - this is all NASCAR. And the coolest driver is Richard “The King” Petty, who not only made these races famous, but also made them financially successful.

The Indy 500 (also the Indianapolis 500 and The 500) claims to be the oldest regular auto race on the planet (though we think it's Sicilian Targa Florio), one of the most prestigious circuit races in the world, dating back to 1911. The cars travel a distance of 500 miles along a track nicknamed the “old brick house”: for a long time the covering was made of bricks, which now remain only on the start-finish line. On Pole Day, after qualifying races, the order of drivers at the start is determined; on Push Day, the losers are eliminated. Before the race, the track owners say “Gentlemen, start your engines!” (and ladies, if present). Broadcasts of the Indy 500 races on TV are watched by millions of viewers from different countries, and already at the end of May you will be able to see everything with your own eyes, including a unique tradition: the leader at the finish line drinks not champagne, as in other races, but milk. But he gets a million dollars as a reward, so he can be patient.

Here it is, the famous track in Indianapolis. Photo: Doug Mathews/www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com

No. 2. Rally

Route:

Mostly public roads are closed.

asphalt, soil, gravel, ice, snow, sand, stones.

Any rally is both an exam and a lottery. On the track there are races on regular roads, special stages and even super special stages - they are more difficult, and this is where there is a serious struggle for skill and time. There are no seasonal barriers, so it is not always clear in advance what kind of surface the pilots will encounter on their way from point A to point B. In rallying, of course, there is detailed description route - a transcript voiced by the navigator. But the fact that they kindly inform you about a springboard or a pit ahead doesn’t make it any easier. The main competition in this category is the WRC (World Rally Championship), a world rally championship under the auspices of the FIA, which is held at any time of the year.

Russian Rally Championship- a sequel to the Soviet racing series, the main tournament project of the Russian Automobile Federation and the opportunity to receive, along with the title of the best driver in the country, a pass to big motorsport. The conditions are generally simple: your car has all the documents in order, and you yourself removed the yellow “U” sticker from the rear window a long time ago, received an RAF license and are ready to go through all the stages with maximum profit.

At this point we will also mention rally raids, although they have little in common with rallies. The length of such races is measured in thousands of kilometers, they often pass through the territory of several countries and last for weeks. You can read our report on the Silk Way rally raid.

Dakar is a former rally-raid "Paris - Dakar", which is now held in South America, an annual transcontinental marathon in which professionals and amateurs participate in different classes, from cars to ATVs and trucks (in the latter, the traditional favorite is the Russian KAMAZ-master team). Each participant has a navigator, a GPS tracker in case of emergency, and a “legend” - a map to follow. Cheaters are removed from the race in disgrace, but this happens rarely - there are few who want to go into the foggy future over dunes and stones. The winner will be the one who comes first and does not break down along the way - both literally and figuratively. Throughout the days of the race, drivers and cars work to the limit of their capabilities, and all breakdowns have to be repaired at night instead of well-deserved hours of sleep. That is why in Dakar, riders are often taken from the track to a hospital bed - to recuperate.

KAMAZ-master at Dakar. Photo: Eric Vargiolu/DPPI

Budapest - Bamako(or Great African Run) is the world's largest amateur rally from Hungary to Mali with the motto "Anyone, Anything, Anyhow". There are no conditions: the composition of the crew, the type of transport, the accuracy of the route and time are not important, and you can even walk to the finish line. The main thing is to help starving African children and other poor people along the way. No, this is not a bearded joke, but the meaning of the whole action: rally participants, for example, donated an ambulance to a hospital in Mali, dug a well in a village, bought medicine for a clinic in the slums, textbooks for children and bicycles for women who have a long commute to work. For the best help there is a Mother Teresa award - not that everything is done for her sake, but it’s nice, right?

Run Budapest - Bamako, 2016. Photo: BudapestBamako

No. 3. Trophy

Ladoga Forest Trophy, 2017. Photo: www.ladoga-trophy.ru

Route:

rugged terrain.

swamps, rivers, windfall, virgin snow, mud.

Trophy raid pilots don’t count Russian roads trouble: when the RAF Committee chooses a route according to the principle “the worse, the better”, it has more than enough options. This is the territory all-wheel drive, high ground clearance, mud wheels and differential locks. Pilots on prepared SUVs, motorcycles and ATVs must complete the obstacle course without delays, mistakes or breakdowns. The last condition is not easy to fulfill: on linear and navigational special stages, the probability of accidents and forced stops exceeds 146%, so crews are equipped in advance with shovels, hijacks, winches, cables and fearless navigators who are ready to climb waist-deep in mud. Trophy is one of the few tournaments where it is customary to help a competitor: if he drowns in a swamp because you passed by, no victory will fix this.

Expedition-Trophy- the world's longest winter car rally, in which cold and logic tasks are added to the pristine off-road conditions. You need to navigate, drive, overtake, look for route points and live in camp conditions for two whole weeks, moving from Murmansk to Vladivostok. In 2015, they decided to hold the race once every five years, and if everything goes according to plan, the next one will take place in 2020. The promised prize for the winner is 100 thousand dollars. There are smaller analogues of the Expedition-Trophy abroad: in Croatia (Croatia-Trophy), New Zealand (Outback Challenge), Ukraine (Ukraine-Trophy) and Malaysia (Rainforest Challenge).

Expedition-Trophy, 2015. Photo: expedition-trophy.ru

Ladoga Trophy - a raid with start and finish on St. Isaac's Square in St. Petersburg. Participants on advanced motorcycles, trophy bikes, ATVs and off-road vehicles must travel a 1,200 km long track, of which difficult special stages take 150-400 km, depending on the route in the legend. “Ladoga” has nine categories, including ATVs, sports and tourism; this year the trophy raid in Karelia and the Leningrad region will take place from May 26 to June 3.

Ladoga Forest 2017

Susanin Trophy is an international raid made in Kostroma, which is supported by local media and the regional administration, and the list of one hundred participating crews includes Belarusian, Georgian, Kazakh and Russian teams from different cities. One of the public’s favorite features is “spectator points”: these are banners that jeepers must reach at a time specified by the legend and touch them with their hand without leaving the car. The navigator takes a proof photo, and the audience can get into the frame and at the same time into the history of the trophy raid. Like the Budapest - Bamako rally, the Susanin Trophy has a charitable component: since 2009, participants have been helping one of the orphanages in the region, and every year a new one.

No. 4. Endurance racing

24 Hours of Le Mans, 2017

Route:

closed circuit racing tracks.

The name speaks for itself: you need to demonstrate not only skill, but also fortitude of spirit and body. And technology! Like mere mortals, pilots have needs like food and sleep, but during racing, road, speed and adherence to the rules come first. The world championship features two prototype classes and two touring classes - GT. At pit stops, the pilots change and check the condition of the cars: it is necessary to pass the track first in its class, but breakdowns interfere, which sometimes take an hour or more to fix.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans (24 Heures du Mans) is the world's oldest endurance race, which has been held in France at the Sarthe circuit since 1923. The winner is the crew that was able to cover the greatest distance in 24 hours, because the goal of this race has always been one - to determine the most reliable and economical car. The race is held in the summer, and the heat is often a problem, but no difficulties are stopping those who want to wear the symbolic “Triple Crown” of endurance racing, having also won the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. By the way, the Le Mans race is also part of the triple combo of all motorsport: victory in it, Formula 1 and IndyCar races. The authority of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is such that victory in this race is considered by many drivers and teams to be more important than victory in the entire world championship.

The 24 Hours of Spa is an annual race of the Royal Automobile Club of Belgium on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, the second oldest after the French daily driver's race. It was first held in 1924. Racers race along a seven-kilometer ring, trying to protect the car and get ahead of their rivals, overcoming weather conditions, fatigue and hunger. “24 Hour Spa” is not at all the spa that the girls talk about: you won’t be able to relax.

24 Hours of Nürburgring- a race that has existed since 1970 and is held with the support of the largest German car club in Europe (and in the world!), ADAC. It’s not for nothing that the Nürburgring Nordschleife is called the “Green Hell” - it is one of the most dangerous tracks in the world. 220 sports cars get to the start line on the Nordschleife, which is divided into three groups. There are about eight hundred riders, three to six people per crew, each of whom has the right to spend no more than two and a half hours behind the wheel. By the way, the racer Sabine Schmitz conquered the “Green Hell” in 1996, and a year later she took up its challenge again - and won.