Endurance racing (motorsport)

All you want to know about Endurance racing (motorsport)

Endurance racing is a form of motorsport which is meant to test the durability of equipment and endurance of participants. Teams of multiple drivers attempt to cover a large distance in a single event, with participants given a break with the ability to change during the race. Endurance races can be run either to cover a set distance in laps as quickly as possible, or to cover as much distance as possible over a preset amount of time.

One of the more common lengths of endurance races has been running for 1000 km, or roughly six hours. Longer races can run for 1,000 miles (1,600 km), 12 hours, or even 24 hours. Teams can consist of anywhere from two to four participants per event, which is dependent on the driver's endurance abilities, length of the race, or even the rules for each event.

At club level racing, a race taking either 30 minutes or 1 hour could be considered as an endurance race.

Contents

Origins of endurance racing

The first 24 hour race to take place on a closed course was at Brooklands, eleven days after its opening in 1907. This incurred the wrath of local residents and would lead to the Double Twelve race. This format meant the race took place for 12 hours each between 8am to 8pm and between it, the cars were locked up overnight to prevent maintenance work performed on it.[1]

Automobile endurance racing

In the beginning of formalised endurance racing, the races tended to be for Sports Cars while the Grand Prix cars of the era began to evolve into the Open wheel racing cars of today and ran over shorter distances. Over time Sports cars began to evolve away from their roots as a production based alternative to pure-bred racing machines of Grand Prix cars, which led to the creation of GT and Touring Car racing classes, and these classes continued to embrace the endurance format. Multiple drivers per car was an early adaptation as the rigors of endurance racing quickly overcome the abilities of most racing drivers to compete solo, although solo attempts on 24 hour races like Le Mans would continue into the 1950s.

The various endurance formats were appealing to manufacturers, not only as alternatives to the expense of Grand Prix racing, but also because of its increased relevance to road going models.

Triple Crown

In automobile endurance racing, three events have come to form a Triple Crown. They are considered three of the most challenging endurance races over the decades: the 24 Hours of Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring, and 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ken Miles came close to winning all three events in the inaugural year for the 24 Hours of Daytona, but would lose out at Le Mans due to an error in his team orders, relegating him to second.

The last car to win all three events in the same year was the Porsche 962 in 1986. However, since 2003, Daytona has fallen under different rules from those used at Sebring and Le Mans, meaning that car regulations make it impossible for any racing car to win all three events. Drivers are still able to run all three events, although none have yet won all three in the same year.

Due to the regulations, the American Le Mans Series' Petit Le Mans has become a third endurance event to match the regulations of Sebring and Le Mans.

Notable automobile endurance races

Driving under safety car in 2007 Mil Milhas Brasil.

Some of the more famous endurance races include:

Motorcycle endurance racing

In the early days of endurance racing cars and motorcycles raced side by side, but the two were soon separated.

The most famous motorcycle endurance race, the Bol d'Or, was first run on the circuit of Vaujours, near Paris in 1922. Only one rider was permitted per bike and there was no stopping other than for refuelling.

Motorcycle endurance racing began to expand after the second World War as new races began to emerge, among them the 24 Hour Race in Warsage, Belgium in 1951, the 24 Hours of Montjuich in Barcelona in 1957, 24 hours in Monza, Italy in 1959, and the Thruxton 500 mile endurance race at Thruxton in 1960.

1960 also saw the inaugural FIM Endurance Cup. Initially made up of four races, the Thruxton 500, Montjuich, Warsage and the Bol d'Or.

The popularity of motorcycle endurance racing increased in the 1970s with the arrival of four-cylinder machines from Japan. In 1976 the FIM Endurance Cup became the European Championship and in 1980 a World Championship.

Notable motorcycle endurance races

Motorcycle endurance classics:

See also

References

  1. ^ "Brooklands creates a new "double twelve"", Daily Telegraph (2007-12-07). Retrieved on 2 March 2008. 
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endurance_racing_(motorsport)"

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