Racing

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This article is about the speed competition. For the sport commonly referred to in the United Kingdom, as "racing", see horse racing. For the football (soccer) clubs starting with Racing, see Racing Club
Offshore inflatable racing (Thundercat class) at Ilfracombe, north Devon, England.These boats can reach 60 mph
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, against an objective criterion, usually a clock. 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.

Running a distance is the most basic form of racing, but races are often conducted in vehicles, such as boats, cars and aircraft, or with animals such as horses.

A race may be run continuously from start to finish or may be made of several segments called heats or stages (stages are also known as legs). 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.


Contents

Types of racing

Unassisted human racing

Using only the human body's own muscles:

Cycle racing

Bicycle racing:

Ski racing

Skiing with skis, on snow:

Animal racing

Ostrich racing

Animals alone, or with human riders on the animal's back or in a conveyance:

Aircraft racing

Motorized racing (motorsport)

Machines powered by motors, on land:

Boat racing

Boats on water:

Other types

Some races involve multiple modes of transport:

Etymology

The 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, as in a mill race; 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.

External links

  • Grandprix-Live.com - Covers all the major Grand Prix motorsport championships, including Formula One, MotoGP, Nascar, IRL, WSBK, WRC Rally and many more.

See also

Wikipedia content modification information:

  • This page was last modified on 21 November 2008, at 16:39.

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