Endurance racing - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Endurance racing is a form of motorsport

Motorsport

Motorsport or motorsports is the group of sports which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles, whether for racing or non-racing competition...

racing which is meant to test the durability of equipment and endurance

Endurance

Endurance is the ability for a human or animal to exert itself and remain active for a long period of time, as well as its ability to resist, withstand, recover from, and have immunity to trauma, wounds, or fatigue. In humans, it is usually used in aerobic or anaerobic exercise...

of participants. Teams of multiple drivers attempt to cover a large distance in a single event, with participants given a break with the ability to change during the race. Endurance races can be run either to cover a set distance in laps as quickly as possible, or to cover as much distance as possible over a preset amount of time.

One of the more common lengths of endurance races has been running for 1000 kilometres (621.4 mi), or roughly six hours. Longer races can run for 1000 miles (1,609.3 km), 12 hours, or even 24 hours. Teams can consist of anywhere from two to four participants per event, which is dependent on the driver's endurance abilities, length of the race, or even the rules for each event.

At club level racing, a race taking either 30 minutes or 1 hour could be considered as an endurance race.

Origins of endurance racing

Coppa Florio

Coppa Florio was an Italian car race started in 1900, and renamed in 1905 when Vincenzo Florio offered the initial 50 000 Lira and a cup designed by Polak of Paris. The cup was to be offered the manufacturer that wins four or more of the first seven races, the first race held in 1905...

was an Italian car race started in 1900, and renamed in 1905 when Vincenzo Florio

Vincenzo Florio

Vincenzo Florio, Jr. was an Italian industrialist in the wine industry of Sicily, famous for establishing the Targa Florio race....

offered the initial 50 000 Lira and a cup designed by Polak of Paris. The Brescia race visited the route Brescia-Cremona-Mantova-Brescia. In 1908, the race used the Circuito di Bologna: Bologna-Castelfranco Emilia-Sant'Agata Bolognese-San Giovanni in Persiceto-Bologna. Since 1914 most of the Coppa Florio was co-organized with the Targa Florio near Palermo

Palermo

Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...

, Sicilia, running four or five laps, 108 km each.

The Targa Florio

Targa Florio

The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973...

was an open road endurance automobile race founded in 1906- the track length of the last decades was limited to the 72 kilometres of the Circuito Piccolo delle Madonie, which was lapped 11 times.

The Mille Miglia

Mille Miglia

The Mille Miglia was an open-road endurance race which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957 ....

was an open-road endurance race which took place in Italy 24 times from 1927 to 1957.

The first 24 hour race to take place on a closed course was at Brooklands

Brooklands

Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England. It opened in 1907, and was the world's first purpose-built motorsport venue, as well as one of Britain's first airfields...

, eleven days after its opening in 1907. This incurred the wrath of local residents and would lead to the Double Twelve race. This format meant the race took place for 12 hours each between 8am to 8pm and between it, the cars were locked up

Parc fermé

Parc fermé, literally meaning "closed park" in French, is a term used to describe a secure area at a Grand Prix circuit wherein the cars are driven back to the pits post-race. According to the FIA Formula One regulations, the area must be sufficiently large and secure so as to prevent unauthorised...

overnight to prevent maintenance work from being performed on them.

Automobile endurance racing

In the beginning of formalised endurance racing, the races tended to be for sports cars

Sports car racing

Sports car racing is a form of circuit auto racing with automobiles that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built or related to road-going sports cars....

while the Grand Prix cars of the era began to evolve into the open wheel racing cars of today and ran over shorter distances. Over time sports cars began to evolve away from their roots as a production based alternative to pure-bred racing machines of Grand Prix cars, which led to the creation of GT and touring car

Touring car

A touring car, or tourer, is an open car seating five or more. Touring cars may have two or four doors. Often, the belt line is lowered in the front doors to give the car a more sportive character. They were often fitted with a folding roof and side curtains. Engines on early models were either in...

racing classes, and these classes continued to embrace the endurance format. Multiple drivers per car was an early adaptation as the rigors of endurance racing quickly overcome the abilities of most racing drivers to compete solo, although solo attempts on 24 hour races like Le Mans would continue into the 1950s.

The various endurance formats were appealing to manufacturers, not only as alternatives to the expense of Grand Prix racing, but also because of its increased relevance to road going models.

Triple Crown

In automobile endurance racing, three events have come to form a Triple Crown. They are considered three of the most challenging endurance races over the decades: the 24 Hours of Daytona

24 Hours of Daytona

The 24 Hours of Daytona, currently known as the Rolex 24 Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on a combined road course, utilizing portions of the NASCAR tri-oval and an infield...

, 12 Hours of Sebring

12 Hours of Sebring

The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport endurance race for sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, a former Army Air Force base in Sebring, Florida...

, and 24 Hours of Le Mans

24 Hours of Le Mans

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...

. Hans Herrmann

Hans Herrmann

Hans Herrmann is a former Formula One and Sports car racing driver from Stuttgart, Germany.In F1, he participated in 19 World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on August 2, 1953...

was the first in 1970 to win the three races, and Timo Bernhard

Timo Bernhard

Timo Bernhard is a sports car racer. He is currently a Porsche factory driver, but has been seconded to Audi for selected events in 2009 and 2010...

the most recent (2010). No driver has won the three events in the same year, although Hurley Haywood

Hurley Haywood

Hurley Haywood is an American race-car driver who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1977 , 1983 and 1994 and is the most successful driver at the 24 Hours of Daytona with 5 wins . He won the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1973 and 1981...

and Al Holbert

Al Holbert

Alvah Robert "Al" Holbert was an American automobile racing driver who was a five-time champion of the IMSA Camel GT series.- Life and career :...

has won the three races at least twice each.

Driver	Total Wins	Year Completed	24 Hours of Daytona 24 Hours of Daytona The 24 Hours of Daytona, currently known as the Rolex 24 Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on a combined road course, utilizing portions of the NASCAR tri-oval and an infield...	12 Hours of Sebring 12 Hours of Sebring The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport endurance race for sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, a former Army Air Force base in Sebring, Florida...	24 Hours of Le Mans 24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
Hans Herrmann Hans Herrmann Hans Herrmann is a former Formula One and Sports car racing driver from Stuttgart, Germany.In F1, he participated in 19 World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on August 2, 1953...	4	1970	1968	1960, 1968
Jackie Oliver Jackie Oliver Keith Jack Oliver, better known as Jackie Oliver, is a British former Formula One driver and team-owner from England...	3	1971	1971	1969
Jacky Ickx Jacky Ickx Jacques Bernard "Jacky" Ickx is a Belgian former racing driver who achieved 25 podium finishes in Formula One and six wins in the 24 hours of Le Mans.- Racing career :...	9	1972	1972	1969, 1972	, , , , ,
Hurley Haywood Hurley Haywood Hurley Haywood is an American race-car driver who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1977 , 1983 and 1994 and is the most successful driver at the 24 Hours of Daytona with 5 wins . He won the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1973 and 1981...	10	1977	1973, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1991	1973, 1981	, ,
A. J. Foyt A. J. Foyt Anthony Joseph Foyt, Jr., or as he is universally known as in motorsports circles, A. J. Foyt , is a retired American automobile racing driver. He raced in numerous genres of motorsports. His open wheel racing includes USAC Champ cars and midget cars. He raced stock cars in NASCAR and USAC. He won...	4	1985	1983, 1985	1985
Al Holbert Al Holbert Alvah Robert "Al" Holbert was an American automobile racing driver who was a five-time champion of the IMSA Camel GT series.- Life and career :...	9	1986	1986, 1987	1976, 1981	, ,
Andy Wallace	6	1992	1990, 1997, 1999	1992, 1993
Mauro Baldi Mauro Baldi Mauro Baldi is an Italian former Formula One driver who raced for the Arrows, Alfa Romeo and Spirit teams.He started his career in rallying in 1972 and turned to circuit racing in 1975 with the Italian Renault 5 Cup...	4	1998	1998, 2002	1998
Marco Werner Marco Werner Marco Werner is a professional racer from Germany.In his early career, Werner was Formula Opel vice-champion in 1990 and German F3 vice-champion in 1991 ....	7	2005	1995	2003, 2005, 2007	, ,
Timo Bernhard Timo Bernhard Timo Bernhard is a sports car racer. He is currently a Porsche factory driver, but has been seconded to Audi for selected events in 2009 and 2010...	3	2010	2003	2008

The last car to win all three events in the same year was the Porsche 962

Porsche 962

The Porsche 962 was a sports-prototype racing car built by Porsche as a replacement for the 956 and designed mainly to comply with IMSA's GTP regulations, although it would later compete in the European Group C formula as the 956 had...

in 1987. However, since 2003, Daytona has fallen under different rules from those used at Sebring and Le Mans, meaning that car regulations make it impossible for any racing car to win all three events.

Maker	Total Wins	Year Completed	24 Hours of Daytona 24 Hours of Daytona The 24 Hours of Daytona, currently known as the Rolex 24 Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on a combined road course, utilizing portions of the NASCAR tri-oval and an infield...	12 Hours of Sebring 12 Hours of Sebring The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport endurance race for sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, a former Army Air Force base in Sebring, Florida...	24 Hours of Le Mans 24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...	Same Year
Ferrari Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...	26	1963	5	12	9	1963, 1964
Ford	9	1966	2	3	4	1966
Porsche Porsche Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....	55	1970	22	18	15	1971, 1977, 1979, 1981—1983, 1985—1987
Jaguar Jaguar The jaguar is a big cat, a feline in the Panthera genus, and is the only Panthera species found in the Americas. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The jaguar's present range extends from Southern United States and Mexico...	10	1988	2	1	7
BMW BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...	5	1999	2	2	1

Due to the regulations, the American Le Mans Series

American Le Mans Series

The American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consists of a series of endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Teams compete in one of five classes: LMP1, LMP2 and LMPC...

' Petit Le Mans

Petit Le Mans

The Petit Le Mans is a sports car endurance race held annually at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, USA. It uses the rules established for the 24 hours of Le Mans by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest , which are slightly modified if necessary, mainly to allow additional cars to compete.The race was...

has become a third endurance event to match the regulations of Sebring and Le Mans. Audi R8 won all three races in the same year for 5 times (2000,2001,2002, 2004, 2005). Wallace and Werner are the only two drivers who have completed the original Triple Crown races of Daytona, Sebring and Le Mans, as well as the Petit Le Mans in Road Atlanta

Road Atlanta

Road Atlanta is a 2.54-mile road course located just north of Braselton, Georgia, USA. The facility is utilized for a wide variety of events, including professional and amateur sports car and motorcycle races, racing and driving schools, corporate programs and testing for motorsports teams...

Endurance Racing Series

Strong spectator figures, media interest and television coverage of endurance racing's Triple Crown events (24 Hours of Daytona

24 Hours of Daytona

, 12 Hours of Sebring

12 Hours of Sebring

The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport endurance race for sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, a former Army Air Force base in Sebring, Florida...

, and 24 Hours of Le Mans

24 Hours of Le Mans

) has led to the establishment of several endurance racing series - thereby giving teams the opportunity of running their cars in Championship events throughout the year.

The Rolex Sports Car Series

Rolex Sports Car Series

The Rolex Sports Car Series is the premier series run by the Grand American Road Racing Association. It is a North American-based sports car series that was founded in 2000 under the name Grand American Road Racing Championship to replace the failed United States Road Racing Championship...

, organised by the Grand American Road Racing Association

Grand American Road Racing Association

GRAND-AM Road Racing or GRAND-AM is an auto racing sanctioning body that was established in 1999 to organize road racing competitions in North America...

is a championship for Daytona Prototype

Daytona Prototype

A Daytona Prototype is a type of sports prototype racing car developed specifically for the Grand American Road Racing Association's Rolex Sports Car Series as their top class of car, replacing contemporary open cockpit sports cars, specifically Sports Racing Prototypes...

and GT cars. The season begins with the 24 Hours of Daytona

24 Hours of Daytona

, traditionally held in the last weekend of January or the first weekend of February. There then follows a further 11 races, typically of 250 miles distance. This formula has led to the Rolex Sports Car Series

Rolex Sports Car Series

having a large number of competitors at most events, mostly due to the ease of use and low cost of the cars in either class - while the Grand American Road Racing Association has been able to keep the competition equalized.

The American Le Mans Series

American Le Mans Series

(ALMS) is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada that has been running with Automobile Club de l'Ouest

Automobile Club de l'Ouest

The Automobile Club de l'Ouest , sometimes abbreviated to ACO, is the largest automotive group in France. It was founded in 1906 by car building and racing enthusiasts, and is most famous for being the organising entity behind the annual Le Mans 24 Hours race...

(ACO) backing since 1999, but is run by IMSA

International Motor Sports Association

The International Motor Sports Association is an American sports car auto racing sanctioning body based in Braselton, Georgia. It was started by John Bishop, a former employee of SCCA , and his wife Peggy in 1969 with help from Bill France, Sr...

. It consists of a series of endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans

24 Hours of Le Mans

. Teams compete in one of five classes: LMP1, LMP2, and LMPC for Le Mans Prototypes, and GT2 and GTC for Grand Tourer

Grand tourer

A grand tourer is a high-performance luxury automobile designed for long-distance driving. The most common format is a two-door coupé with either a two-seat or a 2+2 arrangement....

-style cars. Race lengths vary from 1 hour, 40 minutes to 12 hours.

The Le Mans Series

Le Mans Series

The Le Mans Series is a European sports car racing endurance series based around the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and run by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest . The series was originally named the Le Mans Endurance Series, but changed its name prior to the 2006 season...

(LMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series based around the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and run by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest

Automobile Club de l'Ouest

(ACO). It is similar to the American Le Mans Series

American Le Mans Series

(ALMS). The LMS is seen as a rebirth of the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) which was created by IMSA

International Motor Sports Association

and the ACO, but only ran in 2001. LMS champions and runners-up in all four categories receive an automatic entry to the following year's Le Mans 24 Hour Race.

The Japan Le Mans Challenge

Japan Le Mans Challenge

The Japan Le Mans Challenge was an endurance sportscar series based in Japan built around the 24 Hours of Le Mans that began in 2006. It was run by the Sports Car Endurance Race Operation sanctioning body and ran under the rules laid out by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest...

was an endurance sportscar series based in Japan, which ran from 2006 to 2007, and featured the Fuji 1000 km

Fuji 1000 km

The Fuji 1000 Kilometres is a sports car race held at Fuji Speedway in Oyama, Shizuoka, Japan. The race began in 1982 as a round of the World Sportscar Championship. The All Japan Sports Prototype Championship was formed in 1983, and co-sanctioned the race. The World Championship left after...

, which was eventually replaced by the Asian Le Mans Series

Asian Le Mans Series

The Asian Le Mans Series is an Asian sports car racing endurance series created by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest and based in Asia. It is the successor to the defunct Japan Le Mans Challenge which folded in 2007 after its second season...

which started with the 2009 1000 km of Okayama

2009 1000 km of Okayama

2010 1000 km of ZhuhaiThe 2009 1000 km of Okayama was the inaugural event of Automobile Club de l'Ouest's Asian Le Mans Series. It was held at the Okayama International Circuit, Japan and feature two 500 km races held on 30 October and 1 November 2009. The winning teams in each of the...

. The Intercontinental Le Mans Cup is a endurance sports car racing tournament, organised by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest, which started in 2010.

A further series was the Super Taikyu ST1 class, which has featured a 24-hour race at the Tokachi International Speedway

Tokachi International Speedway

Tokachi International Speedway is a 3.164 mile motor racing circuit in 319 Takikubo, Sarabetsu, Kawai-gun, Hokkaido 089-1573, East Japan.-Events:...

since 1996. Toyota took the win for the first time in a hybrid car in 2007.

In popular culture

Endurance motor racing has proven a popular subject for depiction in videogames, and on film. The Lee H. Katzin

Lee H. Katzin

Lee H. Katzin was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States, and became a TV director in the late 1960s, including episodes for Bonanza, Mission: Impossible and Police Story. He also directed the 1971 movie, Le Mans....

film Le Mans
Le Mans (film)
Le Mans is a 1971 action film directed by Lee H. Katzin. Starring Steve McQueen, it features footage from the actual 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans auto race....

, starring Steve McQueen

Steve McQueen

Terrence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American movie actor. He was nicknamed "The King of Cool." His "anti-hero" persona, which he developed at the height of the Vietnam counterculture, made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination...

, used real race footage, and enjoys cult status. The 1986 arcade game WEC Le Mans
WEC Le Mans
WEC Le Mans, is a sim racing arcade game released in November 1986 by Konami. It was the first video game to depict the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Lap of Le Mans is split up into 3 sections, as you pass through each of the 3 sections, the time of day changes from day to dusk, dusk to night, and night...

was the first to portray endurance racing in a videogame, while Gran Turismo 4
Gran Turismo 4
is a racing simulator for the Sony PlayStation 2 which was developed by Polyphony Digital. It was released on December 28, 2004 in Japan and Hong Kong , February 22, 2005 in North America , and March 9, 2005 in Europe , and has since been re-issued under Sony's 'Greatest Hits' line...

extended this to a real-time simulation of 24 hour events.

Motorcycle endurance racing

In the early days of endurance racing cars and motorcycles raced side by side, but the two were soon separated.

The most famous motorcycle endurance race, the Bol d'Or

Bol d'or

The Bol d'or is a motorcycle endurance race, held annually in France. Originally, it was an automobile as well as motorcycle race. The automobiles were limited to 1100cc engine capacity until the 1950s when the limit was raised to 1500cc, and later to 2000cc...

, was first run on the circuit of Vaujours

Vaujours

Vaujours is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris, in the département of Seine-Saint-Denis. Known for its wines and fruit until the end of the 19th century, Vaujours is now one of the world's premier producers of plaster of Paris.-History...

, near Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

in 1922. Only one rider was permitted per bike and there was no stopping other than for refuelling.

Motorcycle endurance racing began to expand after the second World War as new races began to emerge, among them the 24 Hour Race in Warsage, Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

in 1951, the 24 Hours of Montjuïc

Montjuïc circuit

The Montjuïc circuit is a former street circuit located on the Montjuïc mountain in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is considered among the best Formula One circuits of all time, with Autosport rating it among its ten best for their 50th anniversary of Formula One issue...

in Barcelona

Barcelona

Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...

in 1957, 24 hours in Monza

Autodromo Nazionale Monza

The Autodromo Nazionale Monza is a race track located near the town of Monza, north of Milan, in Italy. The circuit's biggest event is the Formula One Italian Grand Prix, which has been hosted there since the sport's inception....

, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

in 1959, and the Thruxton 500

Thruxton 500

The Thruxton 500 is a 500 mile motorcycle endurance race held at Thruxton Circuit, near Andover in Hampshire, United Kingdom, which is the fastest racetrack in the country...

mile endurance race at Thruxton

Thruxton Circuit

Thruxton Circuit is a motor racing circuit located near the village of Thruxton in Hampshire, England which is used to host a number of motorsport events including British Touring Cars and Formula 3 racing....

in 1960.

1960 also saw the inaugural FIM Endurance Cup. Initially made up of four races, the Thruxton 500

Thruxton 500

The Thruxton 500 is a 500 mile motorcycle endurance race held at Thruxton Circuit, near Andover in Hampshire, United Kingdom, which is the fastest racetrack in the country...

, Montjuich, Warsage and the Bol d'Or

Bol d'or

.

The popularity of motorcycle endurance racing increased in the 1970s with the arrival of four-cylinder machines from Japan. In 1976 the FIM Endurance Cup became the European Championship and in 1980 a World Championship

Endurance World Championship

Endurance World Championship is the premier worldwide endurance motorcycle racing championship. The championship season consists of a series of races held on permanent racing facilities. The results of each race are combined to determine two annual World Championships, one for teams and one for...

Notable motorcycle endurance races

Motorcycle endurance classics:

24 Hours of Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans (motorcycle race)
The 24 Hours of Le Mans Moto is a motorcycle endurance race held annually since 1978 on the Bugatti Circuit Le Mans, Sarthe, France...
24 Hours of Liège
Thruxton 500
Thruxton 500
The Thruxton 500 is a 500 mile motorcycle endurance race held at Thruxton Circuit, near Andover in Hampshire, United Kingdom, which is the fastest racetrack in the country...
Suzuka 8 Hours
Suzuka 8 Hours
The is a motorcycle endurance race held at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan each year. As the name implies, the race runs for eight hours consecutively and teams are composed of two riders and one alternate.-History:...
Bol d'Or
Bol d'or
The Bol d'or is a motorcycle endurance race, held annually in France. Originally, it was an automobile as well as motorcycle race. The automobiles were limited to 1100cc engine capacity until the 1950s when the limit was raised to 1500cc, and later to 2000cc...
Albacete 8 Hours

Notable motorboat endurance races

Six Hours of Paris (defunct)
24 Heures Motonautiques de Rouen

Note: both of these take place on the Seine River

Other forms

In addition to the annual car and motorcycle race, the Circuit de la Sarthe

Circuit de la Sarthe

The Circuit des 24 Heures, also known as Circuit de la Sarthe, located near Le Mans, France, is a semi-permanent race course most famous as the venue for the 24 Hours of Le Mans auto race. The track uses local roads that remain open to the public most of the year...

also holds 24 hour races in cycling

Cycling

Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...

, karting, truck

Truck

A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...

s and road skating

Road skating

Road skating is the sport of skating on roads, much like road cycling. It shares much with Inline speed skating....

Origins of endurance racing

Automobile endurance racing

Triple Crown

Endurance Racing Series

In popular culture

Motorcycle endurance racing

Notable motorcycle endurance races

Notable motorboat endurance races

Other forms

See also