| Racing cars began soon after the launch of | | | | The top series is the World Rally Championship |
| petrol-fuelled cars in the nineteenth century. The first | | | | (WRC), but there also regional championships and |
| race was organized by a Paris magazine Le Petit | | | | many countries have their own national |
| Journal in 1894, to determine the best performers. A | | | | championships. There are also many smaller, club-level |
| year later, the first real race was staged from Paris | | | | categories of rallies which are popular with amateurs, |
| to Bordeaux, in France. International racing began | | | | making up the ""grass roots"" of motor sports. |
| with the Gordon Bennett Cup in auto racing. Chicago | | | | The other kind of single-seater racing is kart racing. In |
| was the venue for the first auto race in the United | | | | this the small but powerful go-karts pick up speed |
| States in 1895. | | | | quickly on the small tracks. So many racing drivers of |
| It was the French who dominated the auto racing | | | | today started by driving karts as it is the cheapest |
| scene and the French automobile club ACF staged a | | | | way to get into auto racing. It has made racing so |
| number of major international races, usually from or | | | | much more accessible. Today, it is also a fully-fledged |
| to Paris, connecting with another major city in Europe | | | | international sport in its own right. |
| or France. | | | | Touring car racing is a style of road racing that is run |
| There are several kinds of auto racing the most well | | | | with production-derived racecars. The American |
| known being single-seater racing, in which specifically | | | | variant of touring car racing is called stock car racing. |
| designed cars are used. In these cars, the wheels are | | | | In drag racing, mostly popular in the United States, |
| not covered, and there are aerofoil wings in the front | | | | the objective is to complete a certain distance, |
| and rear to improve the grip of the car on the | | | | traditionally a quarter of a mile, in the shortest |
| racetrack. These races are held on specially designed | | | | possible time. Whatever the kind of auto racing, the |
| closed circuits or on special street circuits that are | | | | thrill lies in the speed. |
| closed for the duration of the event. | | | | |