Automobile racing or motorsport racing began soon after the invention of cars in the 1880s, with the first organised competition conducted in 1894. Consequently, international car racing began in 1901 when the Automobile Club de France organised the first Bennett Trophy races in 1901 to 1903, following James Gordon Bennett’s offering of a trophy to be competed annually by national automobile clubs.

Motorsport competitions continued to gain momentum in the 21st century, with car racing enthusiasts anticipating a multitude of tournaments. This sport also attracted the attention of sports bettors who follow car competition series, resulting in Singapore betting sites offering varied betting markets for different races.

 

Motorsport Basics

Drivers have two goals in a motor racing competition: (1) reach the finish line after the set number of laps, and (2) collect the most points throughout the season or championship.

In general, motorsport competitions have preliminary or qualifying rounds where points are awarded to or deducted from drivers at the end of each race. These points enable organisers to determine drivers or teams who will win titles in the competition. For instance, drivers are provided points if they finish in the top 10 placements and achieve the fastest lap.

 

Types of Motorsports

Motorsport racing, in the modern sense, is not limited to racing around a track. Automobile racing competitions are split into six major categories:

Open-Wheel Racing

Open-wheel racing, also known as formula racing, is the type of auto racing where race cars have their engines positioned in the back of the vehicle and the wheels uncovered outside the car’s body. This type of motorsport event happens on nonuniform street circuits and race tracks.

Among the most recognised open-wheel racing competitions are the IndyCar series and Formula 1 series.

 

Sports Car Racing

In this type of car racing, drivers use vehicles derived from production-level sports cars. They can either be Grand Touring (GT) cars (i.e., two-seat vehicles produced by companies like Ferrari, Ford, and Porsche) or sports prototype automobiles, which are non-production and purpose-built cars for competing in closed-circuit racing competitions.

Famous sports car racing series include the FIA World Endurance Championship, International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), SUPER GT, and Le Mans.

 

Stock Car Racing

Stock car racing is the most popular form of motorsport racing in the U.S., with the NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) known as the dominant force in this auto racing industry.

Races in the stock car racing industry are generally exclusively held on oval racetracks where cars with stock appearances and customised specifications are pushed to drive at speeds over 200 mph.

 

Drag Racing

Drag racing is a head-to-head competition in which the main objective of drivers is to go as fast as possible to reach the end of the straight street or track. Cars involved in this form of motorsport vary – from purposely built automobiles for drag racing to modified production vehicles.

A multitude of draft racing events are arranged by a variety of leagues, including the National Auto Sport Association (NASA), International Hot Rod Association (IHRA), and National Hot Rod Association (NHRA).

There are also local leagues organising drag races in their own areas, such as the American Drag Racing League (ADRL), Australian Drag Racing Association (ADRA), and European Drag Racing Summit (EDRS).

 

Rally Racing

Rally racing is the type of motorsport racing that takes place on off-road tracks and lasts a single day, several days, or even weeks, depending on the event’s scope. Events in rally motorsport can include various classes of off-road cars and motorcycles.

In this type of motorsport, the main objective is to get from one point to another in the fastest possible time, as the race winner is determined based on the collective time of a team.

Some well-known rally racing events are the Dakar Rally, Safari Rally, Monte Carlo Rally, and Acropolis Rally.

 

Touring Car Racing

Touring car racing is the type of motorsport racing that requires participants to drive standard-looking automobiles with heavily modified specifications and wheels enclosed and protected by the car chassis. Moreover, competitions in this type of car racing vary from sprints (short distances) to endurances (long distances that usually take three hours or more).

Touring car racing events are prevalent in multiple countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, and the UK. And the most popular series are the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM), Supercars Championship (SC), and World Touring Car Cup (WTCC), among others.

 

Motorsports Betting Markets

With the plentiful number of racing events worldwide and the varying mechanics of each motorsport classification, bookmakers are able to provide a more varied betting market option. Such include:

Race Winner – A bet that determines which driver/team will win.

Championship Winner – This bet type guesses which driver/team will win a championship or series.

To Qualify in Pole (Driver) – The bet that predicts which driver will qualify for a pole position.

Fastest Lap (Driver) – A type of bet that guesses which driver will achieve the fastest race lap.

Dual Forecast – This bet type enables punters to wager on a pair of drivers they think will finish in the top two placements.

Head to Head (HTH) (Race) – A bet which enables bettors to guess which driver/team will have the higher finishing position or completes the most race laps.

Head to Head (HTH) (Qualifying) – This type of bet lets bettors guess which driver/team will have the highest finishing position driver at the end of the qualifying session.

Best of the Rest – A bet that predicts which driver/team has the best-placed driver in a race.

Top Score Team – A bet which enables punters to predict which team will acquire the highest combined points of both drivers in the same team.

First to Retire – The bet type that allows bettors to predict which driver/team will be the first to achieve Retirement in the race, including in the Formation Lap.

 

Where can you bet on motor racing events?

Singaporeans can leverage Singapore Pools odds or utilise international websites like 88ProBet to get in on the action in motorsports events.

88ProBet is the ultimate destination for motorsport enthusiasts looking for a reliable Singapore online betting platform. Our online betting website follows international gaming standards and offers a broad range of online sports betting markets to safeguard supreme betting experience for our clients and the online gaming community. Register for an account here to start wagering on motorsport betting markets.