Motorsport over long distances and time periods
Endurance racing
is a form of
motorsport
racing 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 can be running for 500 kilometres (310 mi), or roughly 3 hours, or 1,000 kilometres (620 mi), or roughly 6 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 drivers per event, which is dependent on the driver's endurance abilities, length of the race, or even the rules for each event.
Origins
[
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]
Coppa Florio
was an Italian car race started in 1900, and renamed in 1905 when
Vincenzo Florio
offered the initial 50 000 Lira and a cup designed by Polak of Paris. The Brescia race visited the route Brescia-Cremona-Mantova-Brescia. In 1908, the race used the Circuito di Bologna: Bologna-Castelfranco Emilia-Sant'Agata Bolognese-San Giovanni in Persiceto-Bologna. Since 1914 most of the Coppa Florio was co-organized with the Targa Florio near
Palermo
, Sicilia, running four or five laps, 108 km each.
The
Targa Florio
was an open road endurance automobile race founded in 1906- the track length of the last decades was limited to the 72 kilometres of the Circuito Piccolo delle Madonie, which was lapped 11 times.
The
Mille Miglia
was an open-road endurance race which took place in Italy 24 times from 1927 to 1957.
The world's first organized 24-hour automobile race event was held on a 1-mile oval track at
Driving Park
,
Columbus, Ohio
on July 3?4, 1905.
[1]
Beginning on the afternoon of July 3, four cars from
Frayer-Miller
,
Pope-Toledo
,
Peerless
and
White Steamer
raced for a $500 silver trophy. The winning Pope-Toledo car covered 828.5 miles. A protest was filed by the Frayer-Miller and Peerless teams, alleging the Pope-Toledo was not owned by the driver, instead sent from the factory with an engine built for racing.
[2]
The first 24-hour race to take place at a dedicated motorsport venue was at
Brooklands
in England, 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 8 am to 8 pm and between it, the cars were
locked up
overnight to prevent maintenance work from being performed on them.
[3]
The
2001 Dakar Rally
saw competitors cover a distance of 10,739 kilometres (6,673 mi) with a winning time of 70 hours over 20 days with three classes of cars, motorbikes, and trucks.
[4]
The
1992 Paris?Cape Town Rally
covered a distance of 12,427 km. The
1994 edition
saw competitors return to Paris, for a distance of 13,379 km.
[5]
The
Expedition Trophy
, first held in 2005, runs from Murmansk to Vladivostok, for a total distance of 12,500 km. The
1908 New York to Paris Race
covered a distance of over 16,000 km, taking 169 days from February 12 to July 30.
[6]
Automobile endurance racing
[
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]
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
[
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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
.
[7]
Endurance racing championships
[
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]
Strong spectator figures, media interest and television coverage of endurance racing's Triple Crown events (
24 Hours of Daytona
,
12 Hours of Sebring
, and
24 Hours of Le Mans
) has led to the establishment of several endurance racing series ? thereby giving teams the opportunity of running their cars in Championship events throughout the year.
The
FIA World Endurance Championship
is an international sports car racing series organized by both the
Automobile Club de l'Ouest
(ACO) and the
Federation Internationale de l'Automobile
(FIA). It supeceded the
Intercontinental Le Mans Cup
, run in 2010 and 2011, and uses similar rules to the WSCC and ELMS/AsLMS below. The series features both
Le Mans Prototypes
and GT cars. The
24 Hours of Le Mans
is included as a feature race, while the other races are 6 hours long and take place in countries all over the world such as Bahrain, Brazil, Japan, and the United States. The WEC is considered a revival of the defunct
World Sportscar Championship
which ended in 1992.
An early championship was the
Australian Endurance Championship
, held since 1981.
The
WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
(WSCC) is a US sports car racing series organized by the
International Motor Sports Association
(IMSA). The season begins with the
24 Hours of Daytona
, traditionally held in the last weekend of January or the first weekend of February. There then follows a further 12 races, including
the famed
12 Hours of Sebring
,
6 Hours of Watkins Glen
and
Petit Le Mans
. The WSCC includes
Le Mans Prototypes
and Le Mans-spec GT cars and formerly featured the unique
Daytona Prototypes
and Daytona-spec GT cars. The series is considered to be the successor of the defunct
IMSA GT Championship
as well as the
American Le Mans Series
and
Rolex Sports Car Series
that merged to form it.
The
European Le Mans Series
(ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series run by the
Automobile Club de l'Ouest
(ACO). The ELMS is seen as a rebirth of the old European Le Mans Series which was created by
IMSA
and the ACO, but only ran in 2001. LMS champions and runners-up in all four categories receive an automatic entry to the following year's 24 Hours of Le Mans. All races used to be 6 hours long, but the format was changed to 3 hours in 2013 to differentiate it further from the WEC; currently, it has been reextended to 4 hours. With the debut of the World Endurance Championship in 2012, the series has dropped LMP1 and now features LMP2 as its premier category, in addition to LMP3 and GT categories.
The
Asian Le Mans Series
(AsLMS) is an Asian sports car racing series run by the
Automobile Club de l'Ouest
(ACO). It uses the same car categories and regulations as the ELMS, and also provides automatic entries to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The series is related to the former
Japan Le Mans Challenge
that turned into the older Asian Le Mans Series (which was cancelled after one season).
The
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup
(GTWCEEC) is a European sports car racing endurance series run by the
Stephane Ratel Organisation
. It is similar to the ELMS, but only uses performance-balanced
GT3
cars instead of prototypes and holds generally shorter races, although some races are exceptions, such as the
24 Hours of Spa
, which the series is centred on. One of the key emphases of the series is being friendly for amateur and gentlemen drivers, and there are numerous non-pro classes in addition to the premier GT3 Pro class. The series began in
2011
and saw increased involvement in
2012
and
2013
.
The
Baja 1000
is an annual Mexican
off-road
motorsport endurance race held on the
Baja California Peninsula
. It is one of the most prestigious
off-road races
in the world. The race was founded by
Ed Pearlman
in 1967 and is sanctioned by
SCORE International
. The Baja 1000 allows various types of vehicles and classes to compete on the same course at the same time. The course has remained relatively the same over the years, with about every event being either a point-to-point race from
Ensenada
to
La Paz
, or a loop race starting and finishing in Ensenada.
[8]
The
Intercontinental GT Challenge
is world sports car racing endurance series run by the
Stephane Ratel Organisation
, like the GTWCEEC. Its rule set is similar to GTWCEEC, although it is centred on internationally renowned endurance races that are often part of multiple championships, such as the
Bathurst 12 Hours
and the
Nurburgring 24 Hours
, which belong to the
GT World Challenge Australia
and
Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie
championships respectively.
In popular culture
[
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]
Endurance motor racing has proven a popular subject for depiction in video games, and on film. The
Lee H. Katzin
film
Le Mans
, starring
Steve McQueen
, used real race footage, and enjoys cult status. The 1986 arcade game
WEC Le Mans
was the first to portray endurance racing in a videogame, while
Gran Turismo 4
and
5
extended this to a real-time simulation of 24 hour events.
Motorcycle endurance racing
[
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]
In the early days of endurance racing cars and motorcycles raced side by side, but the two were soon separated.
[9]
The most notable motorcycle endurance race was the
Bol d'Or
, first run on the circuit of
Vaujours
, near
Paris
in 1922.
[9]
Only one rider was permitted per bike and there was no stopping other than for refuelling.
[9]
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
Montjuic
in
Barcelona
in 1957, 24 hours in
Monza
,
Italy
in 1959, and the
Thruxton 500
mile endurance race at
Thruxton
,
Hampshire
, England in 1960.
[9]
1960 also saw the inaugural FIM Endurance Cup initially made up of four races, the
Thruxton 500
,
Montjuich
,
Warsage
, and the
Bol d'Or
.
[9]
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
.
[9]
Notable motorbike endurance races
[
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Motorcycle endurance classics:
Kart endurance racing
[
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]
Endurance races last for an extended period, ranging from 30 minutes up to 24 hours or more, for one or more drivers. In general, consistency, reliability, and pit strategy is of greater importance than all out speed.
As well as the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race for automobiles there is also a 24 hours event for karts which takes place at the kart circuit Alain Prost at Le Mans, France.
[11]
This race has taken place since 1986 and its winners list include four times Champ Car champion Sebastien Bourdais (in 1996).
Endurance racing is also considered a more affordable way of getting into karting. In South Africa, the
Prokart Africa 24 Hour Endurance
race is held annually and lasts 24 hours with multiple classes participating. This event is hosted by the Prokart SSS Club [13] near Johannesburg. The most popular class runs the Honda GX390 Four Stroke engine, which is both affordable and durable, keeping running costs to a minimum. The Prokart Super Single Series, also known as Prokart SSS, has been running for more than 20 years and has proven to be a very popular entry platform for drivers of all ages who want to get into karting. Many clubs worldwide have taken onto Four Stroke Endurance Karting for this very reason, since Two Stroke karting can be very expensive. Add the reliability of Four Stroke engines and you have a perfect recipe for endurance racing.
Motorboat endurance racing
[
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]
Notable motorboat endurance races
[
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]
24 Heures Motonautiques de Rouen - take place on the
Seine River
Other forms
[
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]
See also
[
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]
Notes
[
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]
- ^A
Was known as the
Daytona 3 Hour Continental
, up to 1964.
- ^B
Was known as the
Daytona 2000
, up until 1965 before becoming a 24 hour race following that year.
- ^C
The race was shortened to 6 hours, partly over concerns that the 3 liter formula one engined prototypes were not reliable enough for the entire 24 hours.
[13]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Richard E., Barrett (2005),
Columbus 1890-1910
, Arcadia Publishing, p. 82,
ISBN
9780738539621
, retrieved
2014-08-10
- ^
Albert, Julie (2013-04-07).
"Endurance car racing started here"
.
The Columbus Dispatch
. Retrieved
2014-08-10
.
- ^
"Brooklands creates a new "double twelve"
"
.
Daily Telegraph
. 2007-12-07. Archived from
the original
on 2008-02-09
. Retrieved
2008-03-02
.
- ^
"Rally hopes to dodge war zones"
.
BBC Sport
. 30 December 2000
. Retrieved
2009-02-28
.
- ^
"Archived copy"
(PDF)
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 2016-10-06
. Retrieved
2016-01-27
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
link
)
- ^
"The Great Auto Race of 1908"
.
thegreatautorace.com
. Retrieved
8 April
2018
.
- ^
Ryan, Nate (2011-06-08).
"Joey Hand goes for sports-car Triple Crown in Le Mans"
.
USA Today
.
- ^
"The Baja 1000 for Beginners"
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
"A Short History of Endurance"
. fim-live.com
. Retrieved
16 September
2018
.
- ^
Bol d'Or website
[1]
Archived
2016-09-13 at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
a
b
"Les Courses ? Calendrier LE MANS, WEC, ELMS, ALMS"
. Lemans.org. 2012-06-20. Archived from
the original
on 2012-06-24
. Retrieved
2012-08-05
.
- ^
"Lawn Mower Endurance Race Drives English Sports Fans Crazy"
. Huffington Post. 2011-09-26
. Retrieved
20 March
2013
.
- ^
"1972 Daytona 6-Hour Continental ? Peter Revson and Alfa Romeo"
. Sportscardigest.com. 30 June 2009
. Retrieved
2013-07-21
.
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Defunct races are indicated in
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