The top 8 automotive competitions
In today’s piece, we want to give visibility to some of the leading car competitions that are overshadowed by the long shadow that Formula 1 casts over them; we want to give visibility to some of the top car competitions that are overshadowed by Formula 1.
Around the world, there are many motor competitions held in various locations, each of which may or may not significantly impact the media or a particular territory (international or national).
Regrettably, some do not enjoy the strength and popularity necessary to keep themselves regularly involved in the competition scene due to a lack of sponsors and brands.
This is necessary to maintain themselves. We mustn’t lose sight that many professionals who compete in categories such as the WEC or the WTCR hold the same professional driver’s license as any driver who competes for an F1 team.
Despite everything, we must not forget this fact.
Even sometimes, it is more worthwhile to be an official driver for Toyota, Audi, or any other generalist manufacturer that guarantees particular security; than not being a part of a team in which the driver is nothing more than a number and they can get rid of him whenever they want for a variety of reasons.
In other words, it is more worthwhile to be an official driver for Toyota, Audi, or any other generalist manufacturer that guarantees particular security.
Similar to the case with the professionals who compete in Formula One and make up the grid.
Do we need to bring up the matter of Force India in 2019?
Fortunately, interest in other competitions is booming thanks to specific internet platforms’ visibility, which shortens distances (as much as possible) with Formula 1.
Which other international competitions are available for your viewing pleasure?
Next, we will go over other international competitions you can watch if you have grown tired of Mercedes’ hegemony and Lewis Hamilton’s overlapping dominance in Formula 1.
If you are one of those people, keep reading.
As you will see, there is life outside of Formula One, such as the most famous rally competition in the world, which subjects its competitors to a very high level of danger, or the World Endurance World Championship, which hosts the most famous race of all time, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Both of these competitions expose their participants to a very high level of danger.
Without further ado, here is a rundown of the top ten most significant automotive competitions currently broadcast live worldwide.
First and foremost, the World Touring Car Cup (WTCR)
Due to the high costs involved, this competition has undergone several name changes over the years.
Despite this, it has always walked a fine line between success and failure, but since 2017, it appears it has already resumed its popularity under the World Touring Car Cup.
The current competition, contested at the international level (the FIA’s fourth worldwide competition), places the most generalist manufacturers on the asphalt to compete for victory (SEAT, Honda, Volkswagen, BMW, etc.).
The fact that the cars that race have the appearance of the models we see every day on the street are the single most appealing aspect of the event.
This brings to mind the “big brothers” who compete every weekend in two different races.
As a worldwide competition organized by the FIA, the World Touring Car Cup ranks only behind Formula One, the World Rally Championship, and the World Endurance Championship.
2. The IndyCar Series
Undoubtedly, the IndyCar series is the most critical single-seater category in the United States.
It first appeared in 1996 under Indy Racing League and competed only on oval-shaped racetracks.
But beginning in 2005, due to its growing popularity, competitions started taking place on permanent oval and street circuits.
IndyCars can reach speeds of up to 386 kilometers per hour and be developed specifically to compete on oval tracks; as a result, they have lower levels of downforce and higher levels of air resistance than F1 cars.
The Indianapolis 500 (indeed, it sounds familiar), in which our two-time world champion, Fernando Alonso, has participated, is the most important event of the competition.
“National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing,” or NASCAR, stands for “National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing.”
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is currently the most commercially successful automobile racing series on the American continent.
It is, in point of fact, the most crucial stock car competition that can be found anywhere in the world.
One of this competition’s most notable and well-known races is the Daytona 500, which takes place on an oval track similar to that used for the Indianapolis 500.
This is another feature that sets this competition apart from the Indianapolis 500.
The bodywork and technology of Nascar cars aren’t anything to write home about, but their engines make them stand out (they have to meet specific requirements and specifications).
However, to ensure that all drivers compete on a level playing field, the cars used in the race are built by specialized companies that are required to adhere to the regulations set forth by NASCAR.
After completing their careers in Formula One’s premier class, maneuvers, including the well-known Colombian driver Juan Pablo Montoya, have decided to move on to NASCAR.
3. Formula E
One of the most recent competitions to emerge in the field of motoring is this one.
Most of the races in Formula One Electric take place on urban circuits in several of the most iconic cities worldwide.
It started its journey in September 2014 and was born to promote and encourage the use of electric vehicles.
Furthermore, the cars that compete in this modality are “experiments” that come out of the R&D laboratories of the electric sector. This event was held in the United Kingdom.
In this context, it should be noted that one of the competitions confers the highest possible score toward the FIA Superlicense.
In the company’s early days, McLaren was responsible for supplying the primary electrical systems for all single-seaters.
These days, however, thanks to the positive response from fans, each team mounts its engine, and the level of competition increases with each passing season.
Even though the drivers are not as well known as the stars of F1, the races are much more equal than those of the premier class, where Max Verstappen barely reaches second or third place against the absolute hegemony of Hamilton’s reign.
Despite this, the races are much more competitive. In addition, it is always interesting to watch races that take place on urban circuits and to see different cars compete. In a nutshell, a race that still has a ways to go; make sure you keep an eye on it!
4. W Series
The W Series is the most recent competition to make its way to the circuits, and it does so with permission from Formula E.
Beginning in 2019, the W Series intends to give a voice to female participation in motorsport by utilizing a road map comparable to Formula E (promoting an idea).
Participation is restricted to and open only to women, and even though it was only their first season, they already had 18 women behind the wheel.
The engine performance is much lower than that of F1, so the chassis used is the Tatuus T.318 from Formula.
These cars have turbocharged four-cylinder engines that are 1.8 liters in capacity, 6-speed gearboxes from Sadev, and a halo.
We have the deepest of hopes that with the introduction of the W Series, more doors will be opened to a world that men currently dominate.
While this may appear to be a step in the wrong direction at first because it demonstrates a form of discrimination, we are confident that in the future, women will hold prominent positions in any of the queen categories, such as F1 or WEC.
The winner will receive approximately 435,000 dollars, and the remaining prize money (about 1.3 million euros) will be divided among the remaining competitors in the grid based on their classification.
All of this with the primary intention of advancing the careers of talented women. Gas!
5. World Endurance Championship (WEC)
It is possibly the most prestigious championship, and numerous automobile manufacturers have earned their current reputation by competing in it.
There have been a lot of races that have been a part of this competition, and many of them have names that are somewhat recognizable even to this day, such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which is the most well-known one, the 24 Hours of Daytona, and the Carrera Panamericana (among many others).
In fact, in 2019, an outstanding film with a stellar cast was released about the intense competition between Ferrari and Ford to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans (Matt Damon and Christian Bale).
Without going too far into detail, the World Endurance Championship comprises prototype sports cars and grand tourers fitted with the most up-to-date hybrid technology.
In addition, you can appreciate various concepts and philosophies, given that each manufacturer follows its criteria, offering multiple performances during the tests.
And perhaps most importantly, it provides a significant parity between the drivers and teams competing in such a problematic sporting discipline.
The World Endurance Championship (WEC) is a physically demanding competition; it extracts the maximum performance from each driver, and the action is guaranteed to be filled with spectacular moments and memorable sequences that cannot be compared to those in any other competition.
Because the heroic and the dramatic take control of the situation, an atmosphere rich in feeling and adrenaline is produced, which causes all viewers to tremble.
Drivers such as Nico Hülkenberg and Max Webber have described the experience as exceptionally challenging.
6. Annual World Rallycross (RX)
Because it is run on mixed circuits that include both asphalt and dirt, the sport of rallycross is one of the most distinctive forms of competitive motorsport.
This relatively new sport, which debuted in 2014 and has quickly gained traction in Europe and the United States, is comprised of a series of elimination heats, a final, and repechage finals (the winner goes directly to the final).
Each heat consists of between three and ten circuits, and the drivers can take a predetermined shortcut or a detour at the beginning of each heat.
Approximately ten drivers are competing at a time.
Without a doubt, a competition that does not disappoint in any way, not only for the fact that it is the only one that combines two distinct types of asphalt but also for the fact that it is highly dynamic and, at the same time, very entertaining for the spectator due to the elimination rounds, which provide the required level of excitement in each game.
7. The World Rally Championship, also known as the WRC
If Formula 1 is considered the most prestigious form of circuit racing, then the World Rally Championship (WRC) is unquestionably at the top of its game in rallying.
Each rally in the World Rally Championship lasts approximately three days and is split between 15 and 25 different stages.
The World Rally Championship is comprised of 14 separate events in the overall competition calendar.
Because the race is run “against the clock,” that is, in a format in which the drivers are required to finish a stage in the shortest amount of time possible, it is customary for a start to be staggered so that each car begins the race at a different instant.
The stages are closed to traffic, and depending on the section, the conditions may involve gravel, mud, snow, ice, or asphalt. The conditions may also change throughout the stages.
In general terms, the cars are very similar to the street models (which is always fun), and the generic manufacturers are fully involved in the world championship.
Additionally, these vehicles reach (in some sections) “spectacular speeds leaving some of the most shocking photographs of the motor world,” as stated in the previous sentence.
8. Dakar Rally
The Dakar Rally is the most well-known international rally competition held anywhere in the world, and it is also the one that has resulted in the loss of the most lives (63 total) since it was first held.
It began in 1978 due to an interesting anecdote involving a French race car driver named Thierry Sabine.
Sabine spent six days in the desert of Ténéré, and the ordeal inspired what is now Formula 1, one of the most well-known racing competitions on the planet.
Since the location of the race has changed over the years for various political, cultural, climatological, and other reasons, the course of the race has also changed.
They have been changed until the very last second; the most well-known example is the relocation of Dakar to South America in 2008 due to the threat of terrorism in that region.
Despite this, the decision was made in 2020 to move the competition to Saudi Arabia, which will take place at least five years from now.
This event is regarded as one of the world’s most challenging and hazardous rallies. Competitors compete in one of five categories: cars, motorcycles, trucks, quads, and side-by-side.
One stage will take place each day, and there will be at least “one special stage,” which can occur either on the track or outside.
The total distance traveled is well over a thousand kilometers, and the race duration is between ten and fifteen days.
The total time spent in the “special stage” is added to produce the final tally for the classification system.
Because of the breadth of the terrain, these stages call for navigation, which the organization provides, and the starting order is determined by how long it takes competitors to complete the timed section.
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