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</a></ul></div></header><main><div class=md-page-wrapper><div class=md-content id=content><div class="md-article-container template-desktop infinite-pagination"><div class="infinite-scroll-container article last"><article class="article-content content md-expanded"data-topic-id=45020><div class="pl728 toolbar-ad"></div><div class="grid gx-0"><div class=col-auto><div class="family-panel md-article-drawer position-relative d-flex border-right-sm open"><div class="drawer open"><div class="family-panel-header grid gx-0 align-items-center border-bottom bg-white"><div class=col><div class="py-15 px-20 text-truncate"><a class="font-serif font-weight-bold font-14 text-black link-blue"href=/sports/automobile-racing> automobile racing </a></div></div><div class="col-auto d-sm-none"><button class="js-sections-button btn-link btn-sm btn py-5 pl-0 pr-10 mr-10"><em class=material-icons data-icon=arrow_drop_down> </em> Sections & Media</button></div></div><div class="family-section-content ml-50 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data-target=#ref501><a href=/sports/automobile-racing#ref501> Speedway racing </a><li data-target=#ref502><a href=/sports/automobile-racing/American-European-and-international-racing> American, European, and international racing </a><li data-target=#ref503><a href=/sports/automobile-racing/American-European-and-international-racing#ref503> Grand Prix racing </a><li data-target=#ref504><a href=/sports/automobile-racing/American-European-and-international-racing#ref504> Rally driving </a><li data-target=#ref505><a href=/sports/automobile-racing/American-European-and-international-racing#ref505> Speed </a><li data-target=#ref277388><a href=/sports/automobile-racing/Winners-of-the-Daytona-500> Winners of the Daytona 500 </a><li data-target=#ref277389><a href=/sports/automobile-racing/Winners-of-the-Daytona-500#ref277389> Winners of the Indianapolis 500 </a><li data-target=#ref277390><a href=/sports/automobile-racing/Winners-of-24-Hours-of-Le-Mans> Winners of 24 Hours of Le Mans </a><li 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                </script><div class="js-qf-module qf-module border p-20 pt-0 ml-md-20 mx-auto mb-20 font-14 float-lg-right bg-white"><div class="bg-gray-100 qa-fast-facts p-10 font-14 mx-n20 mb-20 border-bottom text-center"><div class="d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center"><em class="material-icons bolt-fast-facts font-18"data-icon=bolt> </em><span class="font-weight-bold text-uppercase font-14"> Fast Facts </span></div><div><a class=summary-link href=/summary/automobile-racing> 2-Min Summary </a><a class=summary-link href=/facts/automobile-racing> Facts & Related Content </a></div></div><div class=m-n10><div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100 media-slider card-snap-slider col-100"><div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex col-100"><div class="rw-track w-100"><div class="p-10 d-inline-flex col-100"><div class="card w-100"><a class="media-overlay-link card-media d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center"style="--aspect-ratio: 4/3"data-href=/media/1/45020/4359 href=https://cdn.britannica.com/88/6088-050-8EBEFE75/Vanderbilt-Cup-Race-1906.jpg> <img alt="The Vanderbilt Cup Race of 1906"loading=lazy src=https://cdn.britannica.com/w:400,h:300,c:crop/88/6088-050-8EBEFE75/Vanderbilt-Cup-Race-1906.jpg> <button aria-label="Zoom in"class="btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white"><em class="material-icons link-blue"data-icon=zoom_in> </em></button> </a><div class="card-body p-10 font-14">automobile racing</div></div></div></div></div><button class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue"aria-label=Previous disabled><span class="material-icons md-24"data-icon=keyboard_arrow_left> </span></button><button class="next-button js-next-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue"aria-label=Next disabled><span class="material-icons md-24"data-icon=keyboard_arrow_right> </span></button></div></div><div class="text-center py-10"><a class=font-weight-bold href=/sports/automobile-racing/images-videos> See all media </a></div><div class="facts-list pt-20 border-top"><dl class="js-fact py-5 mb-10 position-relative"><dt class=d-inline>Key People:<dd class=d-inline><span class=fact-item> <a href=/biography/Niki-Lauda topicid=1943306> Niki Lauda </a> </span> <span class=fact-item> <a href=/biography/Jimmie-Johnson topicid=1015894> Jimmie Johnson </a> </span> <span class=fact-item> <a href=/biography/Sebastian-Vettel topicid=1739390> Sebastian Vettel </a> </span> <span class=fact-item> <a href=/biography/Sebastien-Loeb topicid=1015903> Sébastien Loeb </a> </span> <span class=fact-item> <a href=/biography/Jeff-Gordon topicid=239118> Jeff Gordon </a> </span></dd><button aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 position-absolute bottom-5 right-0 bg-white">... <em class="js-content link-blue"> (Show more) </em></button></dl><dl class="js-fact py-5 mb-0 position-relative line-clamp clamp-3"><dt class=d-inline>Related Topics:<dd class=d-inline><span class=fact-item> <a href=/sports/drag-racing topicid=170761> drag racing </a> </span> <span class=fact-item> <a href=/sports/Indianapolis-500 topicid=286070> Indianapolis 500 </a> </span> <span class=fact-item> <a href=/sports/sports-car-racing topicid=561065> sports-car racing </a> </span> <span class=fact-item> <a href=/sports/Grand-Prix-racing topicid=241404> Grand Prix racing </a> </span> <span class=fact-item> <a href=/sports/hill-climb topicid=265823> hill climb </a> </span></dd><button aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 position-absolute bottom-5 right-0 bg-white">... <em class="js-content link-blue"> (Show more) </em></button></dl></div><div class="text-center mt-20"><a class="btn btn-sm btn-outline-blue border"href=/facts/automobile-racing> See all facts and data → </a></div></div><span class="marker before-article"> </span><section data-level=1 id=ref1><p class=topic-paragraph><strong> <span id=ref85170> </span> automobile racing </strong> , also called <strong> motor racing </strong> , professional and amateur automobile sport practiced throughout the world in a variety of forms on roads, tracks, or closed circuits. It includes <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/sports/Grand-Prix-racing> Grand Prix racing </a> , <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/sports/speedway-racing> speedway racing </a> , <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/sports/stock-car-racing> stock-car racing </a> , <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/sports/sports-car-racing> sports-car racing </a> , <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/sports/drag-racing> drag racing </a> , <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/sports/midget-car-racing> midget-car racing </a> , and <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/sports/karting> karting </a> , as well as hill climbs and trials ( <em> see </em> <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/sports/hill-climb> hill climb </a> ; <em> see also </em> <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/sports/rally-automobile-racing> rally driving </a> ; <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/sports/gymkhana> gymkhana </a> ). Local, national, and international governing bodies, the most notable of which is the <span id=ref85171> </span> <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Federation-Internationale-de-lAutomobile> Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile </a> (FIA), divide racing cars into various classes and subclasses and supervise competitions.</p><span class="marker p1"> </span><div class="assemblies medialist slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100"><div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex"><div class="rw-track d-flex align-items-center"><div class="rw-slide col-100 px-20"><figure class="md-assembly card print-false"data-assembly-id=95358><div class=md-assembly-wrapper data-type=image><a class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media"style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"data-href=/media/1/45020/95358 href=https://cdn.britannica.com/45/98245-050-466BC2C7/Jimmie-Johnson-NASCAR-pits-auto-race-finish-November-19.jpg> <img alt="NASCAR drivers Jimmie Johnson (48) and Carl Edwards (99) driving in the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla., November 2006."data-height=1116 data-width=1600 loading=lazy src=https://cdn.britannica.com/s:690x388,c:crop/45/98245-050-466BC2C7/Jimmie-Johnson-NASCAR-pits-auto-race-finish-November-19.jpg> <button aria-label="Zoom in"class="btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white"><em class="material-icons link-blue"data-icon=zoom_in> </em></button> </a></div><figcaption class=card-body><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif">NASCAR drivers Jimmie Johnson (48) and Carl Edwards (99) driving in the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla., November 2006.</div> <cite class="credit d-block mt-5"> David Graham/AP Images </cite></figcaption></figure></div></div></div><button class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue m-20"disabled><span class=material-icons data-icon=keyboard_arrow_left> </span></button><button class="next-button js-next-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue m-20"disabled><span class=material-icons data-icon=keyboard_arrow_right> </span></button></div><span class="marker AM1 am-inline"> </span><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"> </span></section><span class="marker h2"> </span><section data-level=1 id=ref500><h2 class=h1>Early history</h2><p class=topic-paragraph>Automobile racing began soon after the invention of the <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/technology/gasoline-fuel> gasoline </a> - (petrol-) fueled <a class="md-crosslink autoxref"href=https://www.britannica.com/technology/internal-combustion-engine> internal-combustion engine </a> in the 1880s. The first organized automobile competition, a reliability test in 1894 from Paris to <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/place/Rouen> Rouen </a> , <span id=ref85172> </span> <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/place/France> France </a> , a distance of about 80 km (50 mi), was won with an average speed of 16.4 kph (10.2 mph). In 1895 the first true race was held, from <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/place/Paris> Paris </a> to <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/place/Bordeaux> Bordeaux </a> , France, and back, a distance of 1,178 km. The winner made an average speed of 24.15 kph. Organized automobile racing began in the <span id=ref85173> </span> <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/place/United-States> United States </a> with an 87-km race from <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/place/Chicago> Chicago </a> to <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/place/Evanston-Illinois> Evanston </a> , <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/place/Illinois-state> Illinois </a> , and back on <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Thanksgiving-Day> Thanksgiving Day </a> in 1895. Both early races were sponsored by <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/topic/newspaper> newspapers </a> for promotional purposes. In <span id=ref85174> </span> <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/place/Europe> Europe </a> , town-to-town races in <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/place/France> France </a> , or from France to other countries, became the norm until 1903 when authorities stopped the Paris-to-Madrid race at Bordeaux because of the large number of accidents. The first closed-circuit <a class="md-crosslink autoxref"href=https://www.britannica.com/sports/road-race> road race </a> , the <span id=ref85175> </span> Course de Périgueux, was run in 1898, a distance of 145 km on one lap. Such racing, governed by the <span id=ref85176> </span> <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Automobile-Club-de-France> Automobile Club de France </a> (founded in 1895), came to prevail in Europe except for <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/place/England> England </a> , <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/place/Wales> Wales </a> , and <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/place/Scotland> Scotland </a> . By 1900 racers had achieved speeds of more than 80.46 kph. Danger to spectators, racers, and <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/animal/livestock> livestock </a> on roads not built for the automobile, let alone racing, ultimately caused road races to decrease in number. A notable exception was the <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/sports/Mille-Miglia> Mille Miglia </a> , which was not stopped until 1957.</p><span class="marker p2"> </span><span class="marker AM2 am-inline"> </span><a class="info-module quiz-module p-5 d-block border m-sm-50 mb-30"href=/quiz/turn-up-the-heat> <div class="wrapper p-30"><div class=grid><div class="col-md-auto col-100 mb-15 mb-sm-0"><img alt="horse racing. thoroughbred racing. Jockeys in racing silks race horses on an oval grass race track."loading=lazy src=https://cdn.britannica.com/94/168094-131-BC94FDF6/horse-racing-silks-race-horses-Jockeys-grass.jpg></div><div class="col-md col-100"><div class="label text-black font-13 font-weight-bold text-uppercase">Britannica Quiz</div><div class="title font-18 font-weight-bold lh-base mb-5"href=/quiz/turn-up-the-heat>Turn Up the Heat</div><div class="font-14 text-muted lh-base">What is the inner edge of an auto-racing track called? How long is the route of the Tour de France in kilometers? Whether you bike, jog, or drive, turn up the heat (in this heat), and see if you qualify as an encyclopedic athlete.</div></div></div></div> </a><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"> </span><p class=topic-paragraph>International racing in the modern sense began after <a class="md-crosslink autoxref"href=https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-Gordon-Bennett-American-editor-1795-1872> James Gordon Bennett </a> , owner of <em> The New York Herald </em> , offered a <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/topic/trophy> trophy </a> to be competed for annually by national automobile clubs, racing three cars each that had been built of parts made in the respective countries. The Automobile Club de France organized the first <span id=ref85177> </span> Bennett Trophy races in 1901, 1902, and 1903. The event was later held at the Circuit of <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/place/Ireland> Ireland </a> (1903), the Taunus Rundstrecke in <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/place/Germany> Germany </a> (1904), and the Circuit d’Auvergne (1905). The unwillingness of French manufacturers to be limited to three cars led to their <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off"data-term=boycott href=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boycott> boycott </a> of the Bennett Trophy Race in 1906 and the establishment of the first French Grand Prix Race at <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/place/Le-Mans> Le Mans </a> in that year, the cars being raced by manufacturers’ teams. The first Targa Florio was run in <a class="md-crosslink autoxref"href=https://www.britannica.com/place/Sicily> Sicily </a> the same year and thereafter except during wartime at distances varying from 72 to 1,049 km.</p><span class="marker p3"> </span><span class="marker AM3 am-inline"> </span><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"> </span><p class=topic-paragraph>William K. Vanderbilt, the <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/place/New-York-state> New York </a> sportsman, established a trophy raced for on <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/place/Long-Island-New-York> Long Island </a> from 1904 through 1909 (except for 1907) at distances ranging from 450 to 482 km. Thereafter the race was run at <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/place/Savannah-Georgia> Savannah </a> , <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/place/Georgia-state> Georgia </a> ; <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/place/Milwaukee> Milwaukee </a> ; <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/place/Santa-Monica> Santa Monica </a> , <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/place/California-state> California </a> ; and <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/place/San-Francisco-California> San Francisco </a> until its <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off"data-term=discontinuance href=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discontinuance> discontinuance </a> in 1916. Later <span id=ref85178> </span> <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Vanderbilt-Cup-race> Vanderbilt Cup races </a> were run in 1936 and 1937 at Roosevelt Raceway, <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/place/Long-Island-Cumberland-Islands-Queensland> Long Island </a> , <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/place/New-York-state> New York </a> .</p><span class="marker p4"> </span><span class="marker AM4 am-inline"> </span><div class="marketing-INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION marketing-content"data-marketing-id=INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION><div style="margin:0 auto 20px auto;height:125px;max-width:800px;"class=bc-article-inline-dialogue></div></div><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"> </span><p class=topic-paragraph>In early racing, in both <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/place/Europe> Europe </a> and the <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/place/United-States> United States </a> , competing race cars were usually <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off"data-term=prototypes href=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prototypes> prototypes </a> of the following year’s models. After <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-I> World War I </a> , racing became too specialized for the use of production cars, though occasionally high-performance touring cars were stripped of their bodies and fitted with special seats, fuel tanks, and <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/technology/tire> tires </a> for racing. Still later stock-car racing in 1939 started with standard models modified for racing.</p><span class="marker p5"> </span><span class="marker AM5 am-inline"> </span><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"> </span></section><span class="marker h3"> </span><section data-level=1 id=ref501><h2 class=h1><span id=ref85179> </span> <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/sports/speedway-racing> Speedway racing </a></h2><p class=topic-paragraph>The first speedway purpose-built for automobile racing was constructed in 1906 at <span id=ref85180> </span> Brooklands, near Weybridge, <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/place/Surrey-county-England> Surrey </a> , <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/place/England> England </a> . The track was a 4.45 km circuit, 30 m (100 ft) wide, with two curves banked to a height of 8.5 m. Sprint, relay, endurance, and <a class="md-crosslink autoxref"href=https://www.britannica.com/sports/handicap-sports> handicap </a> races were run at Brooklands, as well as long-distance runs (1,600 km) in 1932. Twenty-four hour races were held in 1929–31. Brooklands closed in 1939. The first road racing allowed in <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/place/England> England </a> was at Donington Park, Lancashire, in 1932, but the circuit did not survive <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-II> World War II </a> . Oval, banked speedways on the Continent included Monza (outside <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/place/Milan-Italy> Milan </a> , 1922) and Montlhéray (outside <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/place/Paris> Paris </a> , 1924), both of which were attached to road circuits, using only half the track as part of Grand Prix racing. Montlhéray was also the site of many long-distance speed records.</p><span class="marker p6"> </span><span class="marker AM6 am-inline"> </span><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"> </span><p class=topic-paragraph>Possibly the best known speedway is the 4-km <span id=ref255073> </span> <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/place/Indianapolis-Indiana> Indianapolis </a> Motor Speedway at Speedway, near Indianapolis, which opened as an unpaved track in 1909 but was paved with brick for the first <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/sports/Indianapolis-500> Indianapolis 500 </a> in 1911, the race continuing thereafter except during wartime. Oval, banked board tracks, first used before World War I, were popular in the <a class=md-crosslink href=https://www.britannica.com/place/United-States> United States </a> throughout the 1920s. Both before and after that decade unpaved (dirt) tracks of half-mile and mile lengths were in use.</p><span class="marker p7"> </span><div class=assemblies><div class=w-100><figure class="md-assembly card print-false"data-assembly-id=74482><div class=md-assembly-wrapper data-type=image><a class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media"style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"data-href=/media/1/45020/74482 href=https://cdn.britannica.com/77/76677-050-30DA21AC/Racing-cars-straightaway-race-Indianapolis-500.jpg> <img alt="Racing cars heading down a straightaway during the Indianapolis 500 race."data-height=933 data-width=1383 loading=lazy src=https://cdn.britannica.com/s:690x388,c:crop/77/76677-050-30DA21AC/Racing-cars-straightaway-race-Indianapolis-500.jpg> <button aria-label="Zoom in"class="btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white"><em class="material-icons link-blue"data-icon=zoom_in> </em></button> </a></div><figcaption class=card-body><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif">Racing cars heading down a straightaway during the Indianapolis 500 race.</div> <cite class="credit d-block mt-5"> Indiana Tourism </cite></figcaption></figure></div></div><span class="marker AM7 am-inline"> </span><span class="marker MOD7 mod-inline"> </span></section><span class="marker end-of-content"> </span><span class="marker after-article"> </span></div></div></div><div class="infinite-pagination-button d-flex justify-content-center border border-top-0"><button class="js-load-next btn btn-sm btn-blue mt-30 pr-10 mb-100">Load Next Page <em class=material-icons data-icon=keyboard_arrow_down> </em></button></div></div><aside class=col-md-da-300></aside></div></div></div></div></article></div></div></div></div></main><div id=chatbot-container></div><div id=md-footer></div><iframe name=__uspapiLocator style=display:none;height:0;opacity:0;visibility:hidden;border:0;width:0;></iframe><script>__ADCMD.push( () => {
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