General Information
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1, is the highest class of auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). The F1 season consists of a series of races, known as a Grand Prix, held on purpose-built circuits, and to a lesser extent, former public roads and closed city streets. The results of each race are combined to determine two annual World Championships, one for the drivers and one for the constructors.
Formula One cars race at high speeds, up to 360 km/h (220 mph) with engines revving up to a formula imposed limit of 18,000 RPM. The cars are capable of pulling in excess of 5 G-forces in some curves.
Europe is Formula One’s traditional centre, where all of the teams are based, and where around half of the races take place. However, the sport’s scope has expanded significantly in recent years and Grand Prix are held all over the world. Events in Europe and the Americas have been dropped in favour of races in Asia and the Middle East – of the eighteen races in 2008, nine were held outside Europe. Formula One is a massive television event, with an average of about 55 million people worldwide watching the Grand Prix weekend coverage.
The main teams include: BMW, Ferrari, Mercedes, Renault, Toyota.
Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier championship of motorcycle road racing, which has been divided into three classes since 1990: 125cc, 250cc and MotoGP. The premier class is MotoGP, which was formerly known as the 500cc class. The motorcycles used in MotoGP are purpose built for the sport, and are unavailable for purchase by the general public because they cannot be legally ridden on public roads.
Each season consists of 12 to 16 Grands Prix contested on closed circuits as opposed to public roads. Points from these events are calculated towards the drivers’ and manufacturers’ world championships. The driver’s championship and manufacturer’s championship are separate championships, but are based on the same point system. In the current points system, points are awarded at the end of each rally to the top 15 qualifying riders as follows: 25, 20, 16, 13, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Results from all Grands Prix count towards the championships; historically, only a certain number of results counted.
The main teams include: Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Ducati.
V8 Supercars is a touring car racing category operated as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) regulations. It is the most popular motorsport in Australia, has a considerable following in New Zealand, and is steadily growing in popularity across the world where television coverage allows.
V8 Supercar events are held in all states of Australia as well as rounds in New Zealand and Bahrain. Race formats range from sprint races, with either a 100 km or 200 km race on Saturday and one 200 km race on Sunday or two; 250km races over the weekend (Adelaide and Sydney), or endurance races such as Bathurst which is run over a 1000 km race distance, and Phillip Island which is run over 500 km.
The V8 Supercars themselves are loosely based on either the Ford Falcon or Holden Commodore. Although they bear some resemblance to the production models outwardly, they are highly modified to suit the motorsport application. They are strictly governed in all aspects of performance in an effort to keep all the drivers on an even footing to create closer, more exciting racing.
Historically, the Falcon and Commodore are the two most popular passenger cars on the Australian market. Rivalry between the two makes is a major aspect of the sport’s appeal.
The Bathurst 1000 (Mount Panarama), Clipsal 500 and Phillip Island 500 are the marquee events of the V8 Supercar calendar.
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