Motor Sport World Introduction - Zhuhai International Circuit

General Introduction

Q: What is motor racing?
A: Motor racing is a competition involving motorized vehicles. There are many types of motor racing, circuit racing, rallying, hillclimbs, autocross, cross-country rallying, time trial, etc.

History

Q: When did motorsport begin?
A: Motorsport began more than 100 years ago. It began with races on public roads from one city to another. Many drivers got killed as it was too dangerous and then circuits were built specifically for racing.

Q: When was the first race?
A: The first ever motor race was held on 20th April 1887 in Paris.

Q: Who was the winner of the first race?
A: Count Jules de Dion won on his steam quadricycle. He was the only entrant.

Q: What is the oldest yet still running motor race in the world?
A: The Indianapolis 500 in the USA. It was first run in 1911. 2006 was the raceâ€™s 90th anniversary. No race was run in 1917-1918 and 1942-1945 due to World Wars I and II.

Q: When was the first year of the World Drivers' Championship?
A: Formula One existed since 1946 when the FIA standardized the rules. The World Drivers' Championship was first organized in 1950.

Q: Who was the first World Drivers' Champion?
A: Giuseppe Farina of Italy.

Q: Who is the most successful driver?
A: Michael Schumacher of Germany, with 7 World Drivers' Championships and 91 wins.

Q: Who is the most successful rider?
A: Giacomo Agostini from Italy has an all time record of 15 world titles (8 in 500cc and 7 in 350cc) and 122 wins.

Q: What was the biggest crash in motorsport history?
A: It was probably Pierre Levegh's crash at Le Mans in 1955. His car crashed into the grandstands and killed himself and 82 spectators, while another 100 plus were injured. After the crash, Mercedes Benz stopped all of its motorsport programs for 30 years and Switzerland banned motorsport nationally. This is recorded in motorsport history as the "œLe Mans disaster"?.

Q: What is the Triple Crown of motorsports?
A: The three most historical races are sometimes considered the Triple Crown of motorsports: the Indianapolis 500, the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Monaco Grand Prix. Only British driver Graham Hill has won all three races.

Q: What is the biggest motorsport event in the world?
A: The Indianapolis 500 is the biggest motorsport event in the world in terms of attendance, on race day as many as 350,000 people attend the race. It is also the biggest single day sports event in the world. In Europe, the biggest motorsport event is the Le Mans 24 Hours race, 235,000 people turned up for 2006.

Motorsport Regulatory Bodies

Q. What are the regulatory bodies for motorsport?
A. The FIA governs 4 wheels motorsport worldwide and the FIM does the same thing for two wheels.

Q. What is the FIA or FIM?
A. The Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) are the governing and sanctioning body for motorsport in the world. They set the regulations for motorsport and punishes those who disobey the regulations accordingly.

Q. What are the FASC and the CMSA?
A. FASC is the Federation of Automobile Sports of China. It is the governing and sanctioning body for motorsport in China. It is recognized by the FIA and uses FIA's motorsport regulations. CMSA stands for Chinese Motorcycle Sports Association and it governs all kinds of motorcycle sports in China.

The HKAA and ACMC is the equivalent of FASC and CMSA in the Hong Kong and Macau SARs respectively. HKAA and ACMC govern both 4 wheels and 2 wheels motorsports.