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It's time to rumble along the tracks

Tyres screeching, dust flying about, the tang (strong pungent smell) of burnt fuel filling up the air, spectators watching with their hearts pounding. All of this, more or less, would start to fuel your imagination of a motor car race.

If it has by now, this article is surely going to make the car-crazy children out there, highly excited. Yes. We are going to take you on a tour of the nuts and bolts of the gruelling sport of motor car racing.When it comes to car racing, it's not just speed that matters although it is one of the key factors, in any kind of racing. Each type of racing focuses on a particular skill of the driver as well as the capabilities of the vehicle.

The first ever motor car race in history can be tracked to 1894. This competition included factory vehicles from Karl Benz's Benz, Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach's DMG. The trend of motor car racing which originated from France, spread thereafter across the United States, to the rest of the world.

Since the racers did not practise proper safety measures, there were many fatal accidents during this era. Lightweight cars were recommended in order to achieve the relatively high speeds and they were not allowed to have a weight of more than 750kg.

Well, that was a mere glimpse into history. But, we are sure it is the latest stuff that you are looking for.

The following can be considered as the common motor car racing categories: Rally Racing, Touring Car Racing, Stock Car Racing, Single-seater Racing, Ice Racing, Drag Racing, Drifting Sports Car Racing, Off-road Racing, Hill Climbing, and Kart Racing.

Touring Car Racing

This type of racing which is common in Europe, involves highly modified production cars and it is comparatively slower than the sports car racing or the single-seater racing, which we will be focusing on in our next Sports track page. The rules in this type of racing may vary (differ) from country to country.

Races take place on conventional (customary) racing tracks which are called road courses. Many touring car series include one or more 'endurance' races apart from short 'sprint' races, which last for anything from 3 to 24 hours and are a test of reliability and pit crews, as much as car and driver speed.

The World Touring Car Championship which was started in 2005 is the main event in this category.

Rally Racing

Rally racing uses especially modified cars where the drivers and the co-drivers rally at some point and then leave the place at regular intervals to reach a particular point, rather than in a circuit race format where you race for a specific number of laps.

Rallying can be divided as stage rallies and road rallies. Stage rallying is the type which holds the race on stretches of road closed for traffic. The track may be rugged and may vary from asphalt (black, hard substance used on road surface), mountain passes to rough forest tracks, from ice and snow to desert sand, and the speed of the vehicle is the primary concern.

Road rallying is the original form of the sport, where the race is held on highways open for traffic. Since it is not possible to close down the roads for the sake of the race, the race is held for long distances and the emphasis (stress) is on accurate time keeping, navigation and reliability of the car, rather than sheer speed as in the above type.

It is held in every climatic condition, irrespective of (not taking into account) what time of year it is. This becomes more complex (complicated) when surface conditions of the track change drastically from stage to stage, and this leads to situations where you would see cars whirling out of corners, and go flying over bumps.

The drivers and their co-drivers can explore the track in advance in order to have a better idea of the roads, and the co-drivers help the drivers to choose the best possible way to reach the destination. The proper interaction between the driver and co-driver is vital (necessary) in this sport and it is not for the faint-hearted (weak). The World Rally Championship is the major event in this category.

Stock Car Racing

This is similar to Touring Car Racing and it is basically the American version of the same. These races are held on banked, oval - shaped asphalt tracks, which would be ranging from about 0.8 to 4.2 km in length, but are also held occasionally on conventional racing circuits, also known as road courses.

Ovals shorter than one mile (1.6 km) are called short tracks, whereas unpaved short tracks are called dirt tracks and longer ovals are typically known as super speedways.

Races are generally 300-1000 km in length. The premier organisation for stock car racing in the United States is known as NASCAR which stands for National Association of Stock Car Automobile Racing.

The name 'stock car' itself explains that there are no extreme modifications (changes) from the basic factory shape, in contrast to custom built racing cars. As in the touring car racing, American family sedans are modified and used in this category. Fans of faster racing types say that stock car racing is for less sophisticated people. But, you have the right to have your own taste, don't you?

Compiled by Aravinda Dassanayake and Janani Amarasekara.