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In motorsport
Motorsport

Motorsport is the collection of sports which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. It was a Olympic_sports#Demonstration_sports event in the 1900 olympics....
, road racing is racing held on public roads, as opposed to at a race track
Race track

A race track is a purpose-built facility for racing of animals , automobiles, motorcycles or sportsperson. A race track may also feature grandstands or concourses....
 or off-road racing
Off-road racing

Off-road racing is a format of racing where various classes of specially modified vehicles compete in races through off-road environments....
. Different types of event exist, in both automobile racing and motorcycle racing
Motorcycle racing

Motorcycle sport is a broad field that encompasses all sporting aspects of motorcycling. The disciplines are not all "races" or timed-speed events, as several disciplines test a competitor's various riding skills....
.

racing can be of two types: in the first, car or motorcycle races are run on specially built, closed circuit courses; in the second, public road
Road

A road is an identifiable Road number, way or Trail between Location . Roads are typically smoothed, Pavement , or otherwise prepared to allow easy travel; though they need not be, and historically many roads were simply recognizable routes without any formal construction or Maintenance, repair and operations....
s are temporarily closed off for the purpose of conducting a race.






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In motorsport
Motorsport

Motorsport is the collection of sports which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. It was a Olympic_sports#Demonstration_sports event in the 1900 olympics....
, road racing is racing held on public roads, as opposed to at a race track
Race track

A race track is a purpose-built facility for racing of animals , automobiles, motorcycles or sportsperson. A race track may also feature grandstands or concourses....
 or off-road racing
Off-road racing

Off-road racing is a format of racing where various classes of specially modified vehicles compete in races through off-road environments....
. Different types of event exist, in both automobile racing and motorcycle racing
Motorcycle racing

Motorcycle sport is a broad field that encompasses all sporting aspects of motorcycling. The disciplines are not all "races" or timed-speed events, as several disciplines test a competitor's various riding skills....
.

Types of road courses

Riverside Raceway
Road racing can be of two types: in the first, car or motorcycle races are run on specially built, closed circuit courses; in the second, public road
Road

A road is an identifiable Road number, way or Trail between Location . Roads are typically smoothed, Pavement , or otherwise prepared to allow easy travel; though they need not be, and historically many roads were simply recognizable routes without any formal construction or Maintenance, repair and operations....
s are temporarily closed off for the purpose of conducting a race. Notable examples of this include the Monaco Grand Prix
Monaco Grand Prix

The Monaco Grand Prix is a Formula One race held each year on the Circuit de Monaco. Run since 1929, it is widely considered to be one of the most important and prestigious automobile races in the world alongside the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans ....
 which is conducted on the city streets of the small principality, the Mille Miglia
Mille Miglia

The Mille Miglia was an open-road endurance racing which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957 .Like the older Targa Florio and later the Carrera Panamericana, the MM made Gran Turismo sports cars like Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Maserati and Porsche famous....
, the Targa Florio
Targa Florio

The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near Palermo, Sicily. Founded in 1906, it used to be the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Championship until 1973....
, and the Isle of Man
Isle of Man

The Isle of Man , or Mann , is a self-governing Crown dependency, located in the Irish Sea at the geographical centre of the British Isles....
. The Tourist Trophy
Isle of Man TT

The Isle of Man TT Race is a Motorcycle sport event held on the Isle of Man since 1907. The race is run in a Time trial format on public roads closed for racing by the provisions of an Act of Tynwald ....
, probably the most famous motorcycle race of its type, takes place over the Snaefell Mountain Course
Snaefell mountain course

Snaefell Mountain Course or Mountain Course is a road racing circuit used for the Isle of Man TT and Manx Grand Prix Races held in the Isle of Man from 1911 and 1923 respectively....
, as well as the North West 200
North West 200

The North West 200 is a motorcycle race meeting held each May in Northern Ireland, using public roads. The circuit between the towns Portrush, Portstewart and Coleraine is considered among the fastest in the world, with speeds topping 200mph on occasion, and enters the outskirts of those towns, passing many private houses....
 in Ireland. Also the Ulster Grand Prix and at a dozen pure "closed road" circuits unique to Ireland.[(MCUI)]

A small portion of these automobile race tracks are called temporary street courses.

Of the former, closed circuit type, purpose-built race track
Race track

A race track is a purpose-built facility for racing of animals , automobiles, motorcycles or sportsperson. A race track may also feature grandstands or concourses....
s are used that, due to their irregular shapes and many turns and curves, resemble true road courses. Due to safety and insurance concerns, this style of racing has largely supplanted true road racing, particularly in Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
. Road racing is also occasionally conducted using the infield and oval
Oval track

An oval track is a dedicated motorsport circuit, primarily in the USA, which differs from a Road racing in that it only has turns in one direction, which is almost universally left....
 portions of tracks making a "roval", such as the 24 Hours of Daytona
24 Hours of Daytona

The Rolex 24 at Daytona is a 24-hour sports car racing endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida....
. Road racing has become a featured part of many racing video games.

Global road courses

Global road-racing series such as Formula One
Formula One

Formula One, abbreviated to F1, and currently officially referred as the FIA Formula One World Championship is the highest class of auto racing sanctioned by the F?d?ration Internationale de l'Automobile ....
 car racing and MotoGP motorcycle racing are almost always conducted on dedicated race tracks—with only a few exceptions. Several of these tracks are world-renowned, such as the circuits at Le Mans
Le Mans

Le Mans is a commune in France in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine , it is now the pr?fecture of the Sarthe D?partement in France, and is furthermore the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans....
, Imola
Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari

The Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari is an auto racing circuit near the Italy town of Imola, east of Bologna and east of the Ferrari factory in Maranello....
, and Silverstone
Silverstone Circuit

Silverstone Circuit is a motor racing circuit in Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire, England, named after the Silverstone in the former. It is best known as the home of the British Grand Prix, which it first hosted in 1948 and which has been held on the circuit every year since 1987....
. Recent expansion of these international series has resulted in dedicated tracks being built in Qatar
Qatar

Qatar , officially the State of Qatar , is an Arab emirate in Southwest Asia, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the larger Arabian Peninsula....
 in the Middle East
Middle East

File:GreaterMiddleEast1.pngThe Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, western Asia, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East....
, Sepang
Sepang

Sepang is a town and district located in the southern part of the state of Selangor in Malaysia. Formerly a sleepy town, Sepang has grown by leaps and bounds due to several recent developments....
 in Malaysia
Malaysia

Malaysia is a federation that consists of States of Malaysia in Southeast Asia with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government....
, and Shanghai
Shanghai

Shanghai is the List of cities in the People's Republic of China by population in China and one of the List of metropolitan areas by population in the world, with over 20 million people....
 in China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
.

North American road courses

There was a long tradition of road racing on real streets in United States. Now the most famous American road courses are all purpose-built, but some where the original tradition evolved include: Riverside International Raceway
Riverside International Raceway

Riverside International Raceway was a race track or Road racing in Riverside, California. The track was in operation from September 22, 1957, to July 2, 1989....
 at Riverside, California
Riverside, California

Riverside is a large city located in the Inland Empire in Southern California. It is also the county seat of Riverside County, California, California, United States....
 (now closed); Watkins Glen International
Watkins Glen International

Watkins Glen International is an auto race track located near Watkins Glen, New York, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake . The facility is owned by International Speedway Corporation....
 at Watkins Glen, New York
Watkins Glen, New York

Watkins Glen is a village in Schuyler County, New York, New York, United States. The population was 2,149 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Schuyler County, New York....
; Road America
Road America

Road America is a Road racing located near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, Wisconsin on Wisconsin Highway 67. It has hosted races since the 1950s and currently hosts races in the Sports Car Club of America Speed World Challenge Series, American Le Mans, ASRA and AMA Superbike series....
 at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin

Elkhart Lake is a village in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,021 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Sheboygan, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area....
; and Infineon Raceway
Infineon Raceway

Infineon Raceway, formerly Sears Point Raceway, is a road course and drag strip located on the landform known as Sears Point in the southern Sonoma Mountains near Sonoma, California, USA....
 at Sonoma, California
Sonoma, California

Sonoma is a historically significant city in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, United States, surrounding its historic town plaza, a remnant of the town's Spanish Colonialism past....
. After a few decades of such events three sons of Barron Collier
Barron Collier

Barron Gift Collier was an American advertising entrepreneur, who became the largest landowner and developer in the U.S. state of Florida, as well as, the owner of a chain of hotels, bus lines, several banks, and newspapers....
—Barron, Miles, and Samuel—founded the Automobile Racing Club of America in 1933. That organization became the Sports Car Club of America
Sports Car Club of America

The Sports Car Club of America is a club and sanctioning body supporting road racing, rallying, and autocross in the United States and was formed in 1944....
 in 1944. Throughout its history, American race car drivers such as Briggs Cunningham
Briggs Cunningham

Briggs Swift Cunningham II was an American sportsman who raced cars and yachts.He was a racing car constructor, driver and team owner; also a sports car manufacturer and automobile collector....
, Lake Underwood
Lake Underwood

Lake Underwood is an United States entrepreneur who competed in the racing of prototype automobiles and motorcycles. He is a Master craftsman who, although high performance fuel delivery and carburetor design and mechanics were his specialties, also invented automobile improvements, especially in electronics for Germany automobiles....
, Carroll Shelby
Carroll Shelby

Carroll Hall Shelby, is an American racing and automotive designer and former racing driver....
, and Mark Donohue
Mark Donohue

Mark Neary Donohue, Jr. was an USA racecar driver known for his ability to set up his own race car and drive it consistently on the absolute limit....
 were among the contestants at these road racing events.

American purpose-built road courses include: Moroso Motorsports Park, Barber Motorsports Park
Barber Motorsports Park

The Barber Motorsports Park is a large multi-purpose racing facility on a 740-acre site in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, located on the eastern fringes of the city, near Leeds, Alabama....
, Miller Motorsports Park
Miller Motorsports Park

Miller Motorsports Park is an auto racing, Motorcycle racing and kart racing facility located in Tooele, Utah....
, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a road course auto racing facility located in Troy Township, Morrow County, Ohio, Morrow County, Ohio, Ohio, United States, just outside of the village of Lexington, Ohio....
, Heartland Park Topeka
Heartland Park Topeka

Heartland Park Topeka is a multi-purpose motorsports facility located south of Topeka, Kansas.When it opened in 1989 in sports, it was the first brand-new auto racing facility to be built in the United States for 20 years....
, Lime Rock Park
Lime Rock Park

Lime Rock Park is a road racing auto racing facility located in Lime Rock, Connecticut,United States, a hamlet in the village of Lakeville, Connecticut....
, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is a paved road racing track used for both auto racing and Motorcycle sport, originally constructed in 1957 near Monterey, California, California, United States....
, Road Atlanta
Road Atlanta

Road Atlanta is a 2.54-mile road course located in Braselton, Georgia, United States, . The track has 12 turns, including the famous "esses" between turns three and five, and Turn 12, a downhill, diving turn....
, Portland International Raceway
Portland International Raceway

Portland International Raceway is located in Portland, Oregon, USA's, Delta Park complex on the former site of Vanport, Oregon, just south of the Columbia River....
, and Virginia International Raceway
Virginia International Raceway

The Virginia International Raceway is a road course located in the community of Alton, Virginia near Danville, Virginia. It is found less than a half-mile from the North Carolina/Virginia border just outside Milton, North Carolina on the banks of the Dan River....
. Additionally, Grand Prix
Grand Prix motor racing

Grand Prix motor racing has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as far back as 1894. It quickly evolved from a simple road race from one town to the next, to Endurance racing for car and driver....
-style road course racing over public streets is making something of a comeback; the most famous race of this sort currently held is the one hosted annually in Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California

Long Beach is a large city located in southern California, USA, on the Pacific Ocean coast. It is situated in Los Angeles County, about south of downtown Los Angeles....
. Other famous street circuits in North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
 include events held in St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg, Florida

St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The city is known as a vacation destination for North American and European vacationers, as well as a politically important swing state in U.S....
, and two in Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
 that were cancelled in 2008 due to the merger of Champ Car
Champ Car

Champ Car, was the name for a class and specification of automobiles used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades, primarily for use in the Indianapolis 500 auto race....
 and the Indy Racing League
Indy Racing League

The Indy Racing League, better known as IRL, is the sanctioning body of a predominantly American based open-wheel Auto racing.The League sanctions two series, the premier IndyCar Series , whose centerpiece is the Indianapolis 500, and Firestone Indy Lights, the official developmental series of the Indy Racing League....
, Vancouver, British Columbia, and Toronto, Ontario; a third, in Toronto will return in 2009 as a replacement for Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is the Capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County, Tennessee. It is the second most populous city in the state after Memphis, Tennessee....
. Airport runways figure into several part-time road courses in North America: Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, the most populous county in the state. The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately 60 miles west of the Pennsylvania border....
 hosted a Champ Car race through 2007; however, the 2008 merger with IndyCar ended that for at least one year; the St. Petersburg course uses the runway of Albert Whitted Airport
Albert Whitted Airport

Albert Whitted Airport is a small public airport in St. Petersburg, Florida, Florida, United States, located on the western edge of Tampa Bay. The airport rests east of downtown St....
 as its main straight, and Sebring International Raceway, home of the prestigious 12-hour race
12 Hours of Sebring

The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport endurance race held at Sebring International Raceway, a former United States Army Air Forces base in Sebring, Florida....
 in March, was formerly a military airfield in Sebring, Florida
Sebring, Florida

Sebring is a city in Highlands County, Florida, Florida, United States, nicknamed "The City on the Circle", in reference to Circle Drive, the center of the Sebring Downtown Historic District....
, also Edmonton, Alberta is on the runways of Edmonton City Centre Airport.

See also

  • Oval track
    Oval track

    An oval track is a dedicated motorsport circuit, primarily in the USA, which differs from a Road racing in that it only has turns in one direction, which is almost universally left....
  • Roval
  • Dragstrip
    Dragstrip

    File:DragStrip Nitrolympics 2005.jpgFile:Dragstrip.jpgFile:WIRDragStreetEliminators.jpgFile:WIRDragSnowmobileProBike2.jpgA dragstrip is a facility for conducting automobile and motorcycle acceleration events such as drag racing....


External links

see - 300 curves of Gustav Havel - traditional road race in Horice, Czech Republic. Also known as Czech Tourist Trophy. News, photos, videos, riders see - Championship Cup Series Motorcycle Road Racing - the largest sportsman motorcycle road racing organization in the United States. 60 plus events at 25 different tracks every year. see - Road Racing Drivers Club - many photographs with biographies of all ever invited to join, living and deceased see - Sports Car Club of America
Sports Car Club of America

The Sports Car Club of America is a club and sanctioning body supporting road racing, rallying, and autocross in the United States and was formed in 1944....
 - Large road racing organization in the United States, originally founded as the Automobile Racing Club of America in 1933 see - WERA Motorcycle Racing - the second largest amateur motorcycle road racing organization in the United States. WERA Road Racing is a profit corporation incorporated in Georgia in 1995; Evelyne Clarke is the CEO, CFO and Secretary. see - National Auto Sport Association
National Auto Sport Association

The National Auto Sport Association is an American motorsports organization promoting road racing and high-performance driver education.Founded in 1991, NASA hosts High Performance Driving Events , automotive Rallying, time trials, autocross and amateur, club-level automotive racing, divided amongst regionally-based chapters within the Un...
 International Sportbike Forum - The Central Archives of Road Course Photos, Videos, and discussion forums for everything related to amateur track day on Road Courses. Year-round, full facility motorsports park with a 2.2 mile road course, located in the Palm Beaches of Florida. - Australian Governing Body ] mini bike racing with emphasis to promote youth road racing, scooter racing, and mini bikes in general. see - United States Endurance Racing Association
United States Endurance Racing Association

The United States Endurance Racing Association is a road racing sanctioning body that conducts endurance and sprint race events in the United States and Canada....