It appears that a desire to race is an integral part of human genetic make-up, although there is no scientific evidence to support this. However, foot races date back to ancient times and are still popular today. As societies became more sophisticated, different means of transportation were developed. And races always followed the inventions.

The ancient Romans held chariot races. Pioneer Americans had chuck wagon races. The Eskimos conducted dog sled races. All types of boats are raced. So it is no surprise, that once the automobile was invented, the sport of racing would follow. Early automobile races were held on open roads used by regular traffic. The cars raced from one city to another and onlookers lined up along side the roads to watch the competitions.

Roads were originally built for horses and horse drawn coaches. They were dirt and full of potholes. In rainy weather, they became muddy. These road conditions certainly presented a challenge to early race drivers. Tires constantly had to be changed as drivers attempted to navigate the washboard surfaces. In the dawn of automotive racing speed was not a factor. The goal was to get the car from point A to point B and arrive intact. The first automobile race winner had a speed of 17 kilometers per hour.

In the beginning France was dominant in the racing field and it was here that the Grand Prix developed. France was also the locale of the tragic 1903 road race in which many drivers and pedestrians were killed or seriously injured. This event abruptly ended open road racing as the French government stopped the race after the first lap and promptly prohibited further races over open roads.

From then on, racing was conducted on closed circuit roads set up for the race. Finally, planned racing tracks were constructed. The first racing track, designed for top speeds of 130 miles per hour, was constructed at Brooklands, which is close to London. Today, the most famous track race is the Indianapolis 500 in the United States. The French Grand Prix continues to be the world’s most famous road race.

The early racing cars were equipped with large engines and were heavy. The car with the largest engine had the best chance of winning the race. Racing officials recognized that this was an unfair advantage. As a result, they decided to group racing cars into categories according the engine size. Each category or class is called a formula.

Modern racing has also become highly specialized. We have various categories such as drag racing, speed racing, off-road racing and even Kart racing. Historical racing is also popular although this is usually limited to wealthy car owners.