Content deleted Content added
Citation bot (talk | contribs) Alter: url. URLs might have been anonymized. | Use this bot. Report bugs. | Suggested by AManWithNoPlan | #UCB_CommandLine |
|||
Line 25:
A type of hybrid between the purism of [[open-wheeler]]s and the familiarity of touring car racing, this style is often associated with the annual [[24 Hours of Le Mans]] endurance race. First run in 1923, Le Mans is one of the oldest motor races still in existence.<ref name=":0" /> Other classic but now defunct sports car races include the Italian classics, the [[Targa Florio]] (1906–1977) and [[Mille Miglia]] (1927–1957), and the Mexican [[Carrera Panamericana]] (1950–1954). Most top class sports car races emphasise endurance (typically between 3 and 24 hours), reliability, and strategy, over pure speed. Longer races usually involve complex pit strategy and regular driver changes. As a result, sports car racing is seen more as a team endeavour than an individual sport, with team managers such as [[John Wyer]], [[Tom Walkinshaw]], driver-turned-constructor [[Henri Pescarolo]], [[Peter Sauber]] and [[Reinhold Joest]] becoming almost as famous as some of their drivers.
The prestige of storied marques such as [[Porsche]], [[Audi]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.audi.com/en/audisport/history.html|title=Audi Sport|access-date=2017-11-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201030831/http://www.audi.com/en/audisport/history.html|archive-date=2017-12-01|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Chevrolet]], [[Ferrari]], [[Jaguar (car)|Jaguar]], [[Bentley]], [[Aston Martin]], [[Lotus Cars|Lotus]], [[Maserati]], [[Lamborghini]], [[Alfa Romeo]], [[Lancia]], [[Mercedes-Benz]], and [[BMW]] is built in part upon success in sports car racing and the [[World Sportscar Championship]]. These makers' top road cars have often been very similar both in engineering and styling to those raced. This close association with the 'exotic' nature of the cars serves as a useful distinction between sports car racing and touring cars.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Brooklyn |first=Billie B. |url=https://books.google.
The [[12 Hours of Sebring]], [[24 Hours of Daytona]], and 24 Hours of Le Mans were once widely considered the [[trifecta]] of sports car racing. [[Ken Miles]] would have been the only driver to ever win all three in the same year, but an error in Ford's [[team orders]] at [[1966 24 Hours of Le Mans|1966 Le Mans]] cost him the win.
| |||