Motorsports Are More Than Just Accidents and Explosions

"I want to see some schmuck with his hair on fire running around punching his own head trying to put it out! I want to see the pits explode! I want to see a car doing a 200MPH cartwheel!" shouted comedian George Carlin as to the only reasons to watch motorsports. For many people, not the spirit of competition or the advancement of automobile technology, but accidents and explosions are the raison d'etre of motorsports. On the contrary and unbeknownst to them, there are many heart pounding and jaw dropping reasons to follow the action on the race track other than only when things go wrong.

#1 The Locations
For global auto racing series like Formula 1, each race is held in a different country - 19 countries total, from Monte Carlo to Malaysia. Every few weeks, the teams, drivers, cars, crews, and other equipment move and reassemble to take on a new location. In contrast to basketball where the action takes place on the same wooden flooring in the same featureless stadiums, the circuits of F1 tracks are all different and present drivers new challenges and fans the opportunity to see the same sport in a new light each race.

#2 Transfer of Automobile Technology
The majority of teams who build the cars that race in Formula 1 also build the cars that regular people drive to work, home, school, or the store every day. Companies like BMW, Lotus, Renault, Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren build race cars as well as consumer cars. Ceramic brakes, engine management electronics, and direct fuel injection are just some of the advances made in motorsports that have carried over to everyday cars.

#3 The Fans
Their endurance and dedication to catch the thrill of the race is unwavering. Whether waking up in the wee hours of the night to watch a Formula 1 race live on the other side of the world, to holding 24-hour parties to view the 24 Hours of LeMans race, to the subculture of NASCAR fans, motorsport enthusiasts are a passionate bunch.

While accidents and explosions are inherent in the pursuit of winning and fast driving, the real thrill of auto racing comes from the variety and challenges of its locations, the transfer of automobile technology and above all, the fans.