Racing
This article is about the speed competition. For the Argentinian football club, see Racing Club; for the Spanish football club see Racing de Santander. | Offshore inflatable racing (Thundercat class) at Ilfracombe, north Devon, England.These boats can reach 60mph |
|  | Air racing:Hungarian aerobatics pilot Peter Besenyei at speed in his Extra 300 at an air race in England |
|
A
race is a
competition of
speed. The competitors in a race try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of
time. Typically this involves
traversing some
distance, but it can be any other task involving speed.
A race to cover a certain distance may be any length, and using any means stipulated by the rules.
Running a distance is the most basic form of racing, but races are often conducted in
vehicles, such as
boats and
cars, on or with
animals such as
horses and in
aircraft.
A race may be run continuously from start to finish or may be made of several segments called
heats or
stages. A heat is usually run over the same course at different times. A stage is a shorter section of a much longer course or a
time trial.
Early records of races are evident on
pottery from
ancient Greece, which depicted running men vying for first place. A
chariot race is described in
Homer's
Iliad.
Unassisted human racing
Using only the
human body's own
muscles:
*
Amateur Radio Direction Finding*
Cross country running*
Marathon*
Orienteering*
Racewalking*
Road running*
Running*
Track running in
Athletics*
SwimmingCycle racing
Bicycle racing:
*
Track cycling, such as a
Points race*
Road bicycle racing, such as the
Tour de France*
Mountain (offroad) cyclingSki racing
Skiing with
skis, on
snow:
*
Alpine skiing such as
Slalom skiing or
Downhill skiing*
Cross-country skiingAnimal racing
Animals alone, or with human riders on the animal's back or in a conveyance:
*
Camel racing*
Dog racing**
Greyhound racing**
Dogsled racing, such as the
Iditarod*
Horse-racing, see also
United Kingdom horse-racing and
Equestrianism**
Chariot racing**
Flat racing**
Thoroughbred horse races, such as
Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing or a
Derby.
**
Trotting**
Steeplechase*
Pigeon racing*
Pig racingAircraft racing
*
Air racingMotorized racing (motorsport)
Machines powered by
motors, on
land:
*
Auto racing (also known as
automobile racing,
motor racing or
autosport)
*
Formula One,
Formula Ford,
GP2 Series (Replacement for
Formula 3000)
**
Grand Prix motor racing**
Production car racing**
Rally racing,
Drifting **
Drag racing**
Sand Drag Racing**
Road racing**
Sports car racing**
Stock car racing,
NASCAR,
**
Open wheel racing,
IndyCars,
Champ Car**
dirt speedway racing**
Sprint car racing**
Offroad racing**
Touring car racing**
Truck racing*
Kart racing*
Motorcycle racing, such as the
Isle of Man TT**
Motocross Racing**
Grand Prix motorcycle racing**
Pocketbike Racing**
Production Bike Racing**
Superbike racing*
Snowmobile racing ("land" = land or frozen lakes/rivers)
*
lawnmower racingBoat racing
Boats on
water:
*
Drag boat racing*
Dragon boat racing*
Hydroplane racing*
Jet sprint boat racing*
Offshore powerboat racing*
Outrigger Canoe racing*
Rowing*
Sailing or
yacht racing also
match race such as
America's Cup races or
team racing.
Other types
Some races involve multiple modes of transport:
*
Adventure racing*
Kinetic sculpture racingThe word
race comes from a
Viking word. This Viking word arrived in
France during the invading of
Normandy and gave the word
raz which means "swift water" in
Brittany; it can be found in "
Pointe du Raz" (the most western point of France, in Brittany), and
"raz-de-marée" (
tsunami).
A race and its name are often associated with the place of origin, the means of transport and the distance of the race. As a couple of examples, see the
Dakar Rally or the
Athens marathon.
*
Sport*
Gambling*
Totalisator*
Pacemaker*
Nuclear arms race*
Space Race*
Racing game*
Surf lifesaving
