Formula One, MotoGP originated from street road races
Winner Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton celebrates on the podium after the Belgian Formula One Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Spa on August 30, 2020.
What you need to know:
- Founded in 1904, with headquarters in Paris, the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) is a non-profit making association.
- It brings together 243 international motoring and sporting organizations from 146 countries on five continents. Its member clubs represent millions of motorists and their families.
Road racing is a form of motorsport competition held on paved surfaces.
The races can be held either on a circuit or on a street route closed to traffic.
Originally, road races were held almost entirely on public roads however, public safety concerns eventually led to most races being held on purpose built racing circuits.
Road racing origins can be traced to Western Europe and Great Britain as motor vehicles became more common in the early 20th century.
Winner Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton celebrates on the podium after the Belgian Formula One Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Spa on August 30, 2020.
After the Second World War, automobile road races were organised into a series called the Formula One World Championship sanctioned by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) while, motorcycle road races were organised into the Grand Prix motorcycle racing series now called MotoGP and sanctioned by the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM).
The success and popularity of road racing has seen the sport spread across the globe. Grand Prix road races are now held on the six continents of the world.
Other variations of road racing include; sports car racing, touring car racing, stock car racing, superbike racing, truck racing, kart racing and endurance racing.
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The Subaru Rally Team withdrew from WRC competition at the end of the 2008 season due to widespread economic recession. Subaru is reportedly working on a new subcompact hatchback for the 2020 World Rally Championship. With this redesign, the model will reportedly ride on Subaru’s Global Platform, according to Automotive News.
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The revised 2020 World Rally Championship calendar has been announced after a number of rallies were postponed, and then cancelled, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Currently set at eight rounds, it is still expected to expand before the end of the season.
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Carlos Sainz holds the record for most WRC starts along with an impressive 26 WRC wins and 96 podium finishes followed by Juha Kankkunen, Walter Rohrl, Colin McRae, Sébastien Loeb, Sebastian Osier and Tomi Machine.
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The 2020 FIA World Rally Championship is the 48th season of the World Rally Championship, an auto racing competition recognised by the federation.
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WRC Drivers’ Championship 2020: 1. Sebastien Osier 62pts, 2. Elfyn Evans 54, 3. Thierry Neuville 42, 4. Kalle Rovanpera 40.
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Did you know that….
The FIA is the governing body for world motor sport and the federation of the world’s leading motoring organisations.
Founded in 1904, with headquarters in Paris, the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) is a non-profit making association.
It brings together 243 international motoring and sporting organizations from 146 countries on five continents. Its member clubs represent millions of motorists and their families.
