Top 10 Car Racing Championships

First came the invention of cars and then began car racing. The first cars were raced in Paris in 1887 and since then there has been no looking back. The races happened within cities and from one city to another. Only in the 1900s were the first racing circuits built. And then arrived the car racing championships, which are popular throughout the world. These championships are managed by varied organizations based in the countries where they operate. In the sports category, car racing has a major audience viewership. Today there are many types of car races which are undertaken like the Formula One races, touring car races, production car races, stock car racing, kart racing, etc. Given below is a list of top 10 car racing championships held across the globe:

1. FIA Formula One World Championship:

This is a car racing championship of the highest class. The best and the fastest cars from all over the world participate in this championship. The races are called Grands Prix, which are run on specially built circuits or on public roads. The reason it is called formula series is because there are certain rules set out for the racers and their cars. Only participants adhering to these rules are allowed to participate. It has a huge audience throughout the world. Because of its huge popularity, it also succeeds in getting huge sponsorships for the racing events.

2. FIA World Rally Championship:

This championship is a series of 2 to 4 days events. The tracks on which the racers drive are some of the toughest in the world. That is why this championship is considered to be a great challenge to the participants.

3. WTCC FIA World Touring Car Championship:

This is again an international car racing championship. The first championship race was held in the year 1987. It is promoted by Eurosport. This championship series is expanding very rapidly to cover many countries. It is also creating a game franchisee which will reach every nook and corner of the world and will broaden the number of target audience for the championship. The participation numbers, numbers of viewers and its popularity is on a growing spree. It is at the third place after the Formula One and the World Rally Championship.

4. American Championship Car Racing:

This is a national car racing event in the U.S. the cars raced are single seater and the racers are professionals in their fields. These have been similar to formula one cars and they are popularly known as Indycars. These cars are not as technology-driven as the F1 cars. But this is because there was a need to cut costs in order to increase participation. The Indianapolis 500 – mile race is one of the most important events of this national championship.

5. Le Mans Series:

This is an European sports car racing championship. It is managed by the Automobile Club de l’Quest. It was decided to keep the championship Europe based rather than international. This was done to attract many sportscar teams to the series. This championship has been expanding throughout Europe year – by – year.

6. British Touring Car Championship:

This championship is held every year in the U.K. The BTCC has always updated its rules and regulations to bring about better and low cost car designs and engines. It has also tried to remove the performance disparities between the cars participating in the events. It has a good television coverage throughout the U.K. and also across Europe and Australia.

7. FIA GT3 European Championship:

This is a sports car racing championship that is targeted to amateur drivers. This car racing series commenced in the year 2006. It solved two purposes. It increased the participation of manufacturers in motorsports and secondly helped amateur drivers in Europe.

8. The Rolex Sports Car Series:

This originated in the year 2000 under the name Grand American Road Racing Championship. The origins of this championship is in North America. The name was changed when Rolex became their sponsorer in the year 2002. The year 2003 was very important in their history as the Daytona prototypes were developed which replaced the old sports racing prototypes (SRP). This event is specially broadcasted by Speed channel.

9. Asian Touring Car Championship:

As the name suggests these races take place amongst the Asian countries. It is annual event that is held in these countries. It was earlier called Asian Touring Car Series. The circuits raced on are at Malaysia, China and Indonesia.

10. FIA GT1 World Championship:

This is a sports car racing competition which is developed by the Stephane Ratel Organisation. This group is involved in supporting and promoting such car racing series. The circuits that these races have been held are Yas Marina Circuit, Silverstone circuit, Paul Ricard, Potrero de los Funes circuit, etc. It is regulated by the FIA. The cars used in these races are grand tourer automobiles that are specially designed for driving for long distances.

These are the top 10 car racing championships taking place all over the world. The cars used in here are the ones which use modern technology. This technology costs a lot of money and this factor prevents many racers from participating in these series. Hence many of these championships are changing the norms of racing so that they get the maximum participation.

Car racing has been a favorite since a very long time. Even today car racing events have a huge audience and are watched world over.