By the time you read this, I’ll be in the sky, on my way to the 24th annual Performance Racing Industry show in Orlando, Florida. For the rest of the week the blog will be filled with racing news, race cars, parts, press conferences, etc. In preparing for the show, I’ve been thinking about racing a lot and one question has been bouncing around my head repeatedly and that question is, “What’s the most important race in the world?”
Immediately my head went to the Indy 500, Daytona 500, 12 Hours of Sebring, 24 Hours of Daytona, the US Nationals, the SCCA Runoffs, and the rest of the stuff we do here in America. Thinking that my geographic scope was too narrow there’s the Isle of Mann TT, 24 hours of the ‘Ring, LeMans, the Baja 1000, Formula One in Monaco, the Dakar Rally, the 1000 at Bathurst, and on and on and on.
There has to be a king though. There’s got to be one event that is the most important, the most significant, the grand prize of them all. What is it? Just thought of another one, the Race of Champions held over in Europe every year which pits the winners of the biggest racing series the world over against one another in spec vehicles…and yes, they include us ‘Mericans.
So what’s the right answer? What is the most important race in the world?
(This photos has not much to do with anything other than the fact that I love it. It was shot at the long dead Brooklands race couse in England)
Drag Week
Is there really anything else?
Ron
I hope it’s the Human Race, for without it there wouldn’t be any of the other races!
Long ago always awaited the Daytona 500, the Indy 500 and the US Nationals. Over the last so many years, I don’t even give them a second thought. Daytona uses cars you don’t see on Monday on the road, Indy cars are all Honda/Dallara cars and the race is about the personalities and the US Nationals has become too corporate. No thanks, I’ll stick with any of the ADRL races we enter.
Come on! 24 Hour of LE MANS!
Off-Road, the Baja 1000!
Hot Rod Magazine’s Top Speed Challenge of course.
The Bakersfield March Meet rules. Great car show, huge swap meet, 40+ nostalgia funny cars, and a fine batch of back up girls.
Note he says “Important”, not “favourite.” For a bazillion years the easy answers were the Indy 500 and the 24 Hours of LeMans, and to a lesser extent, Daytona, the Southern 500, and Sebring. For the INDUSTRY, they were the most important, because they were not only the biggest/most prestigous/highest paying, but because they featured the technology that evolved the automobile.
Nowadays? Indy sure as hell isn’t that. Daytona is definitely the most “popular” on this side of the world, but almost non-existant everywhere else.
The only race that still stands for EVERYTHING it used to be is LeMans, so I have to go with LeMans. It’s still incredibly difficult, incredibly exciting, very prestigous, and still features technological breakthroughs that make their way to road cars.
It’s not my PERSONAL favourite answer–that would be the Bathurst 1000 or the Bristol night race. 😉
NHRA U.S. NATIONALS,INDY 500
Isle of man TT
I agree with Ron Ward – it’s got to be Drag Week. Can’t wait ’til September
Hardy Handshakes – Swede
I don’t think any race is important! Not the U.S. Nationals. Not the Indy 500. Not the Daytona 500. Not LeMans either. The only important races belong to those brave men & women who race in them, win them and survive them. You could say the most important race is the oldest ones with rich history to them, but I wouldn’t!
With all the corporations that have attached themselves to these events, series and race teams like leeches attached themselves to your sikn, these race events have become more like a 3-ring circus.
Okay I know without corporate sponsers racing would be dead, however, if you can dig your way through all crap and siff through all the bull pucky and you are a true motorhead, gearhead, race fanatic, pit lizard, speed junkie or what ever you want to call yourself, just about every race is important.
Drag racing; I marval at the mechanical ability to go from a standing start to 320mph in 1,000 feet.
NASCAR; to wheel a 3200lb. stock car around a super speedway or a short track is just great fun.
Indy 500; what can you say about the 500 except tradition, it’s dripping with it.
LeMans; the ability of man and machine to run almost flat out for 24 hours, awesome!!!
Bonneville Speed Weeks; just one thing to say about that…VERY FAST!
Reno Air Races; real fast at a 1,000 feet off the ground…wild man!
In my humble opinion they are all important. Think about it, without any of them, what would you do with your weekends???
Worldwide recognition of motorsports – LeMans or Monaco
Recognition of motorsports in the US – Daytona 500
Drag Racing – Indy Nats or The March Meet
Me – Next race at the local strip