or drivers and fans around the world, speed is the biggest attraction. This is true of almost every racing series. Competition, talent, victory and heartbreak also keep fans coming back for more, but the sheer adrenaline of seeing a car go as fast as possible is probably the most intoxicating element.
Top speeds vary between series depending on power, aerodynamics and technology. Even the skill of individual drivers - figuring out how to brake as late as possible - plays a role. So how do the various series compare? At the same time, if you know of other racing cars, please add them in the comment area!
1, official 1
Maximum race speed: 372.5 kilometers
Record Holder: Valtteri Bottas
Top speed: 397.36 km/h
Acceleration: 0-100 km/h - about 2.6 seconds
It takes approximately 2.6 seconds for an F1 car to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h. This may seem slow considering their top speed, but since most of their speed comes from aerodynamics (the faster a car goes, the better), they can't unleash their full power from a standstill.
Valtteri Bottas currently holds the F1 race's top speed record, reaching 372.5 km/h at the 2016 Mexican Grand Prix. While it's certainly fast, the F1 car isn't the fastest single-seater - that honor belongs to the IndyCar. While F1 isn't as fast in a straight line, the series' focus on downforce and cornering speed means F1 cars are generally faster throughout the lap.
Both F1 and IndyCar race at the Circuit of the Americas, and on its debut at the track in 2019, the IndyCar's pole position time was 1 minute 46.018 seconds, with an average speed of 186.349 km/h. At the same time, Valtteri Bottas' F1 pole position time in 2019 was 1 minute and 32.029 seconds, averaging 206.374km/h.
While 372.5 km/h is the fastest speed in the race, the top speed of an F1 car is much higher. This record is held by Honda, who took their RA106 to the Bonneville Salt Flats in the United States, which is famous for speed running, in an attempt to break 400 km/h. They were unsuccessful but achieved a top speed of 397.36 km/h, claimed to be the top speed of an F1 car.
2. IndyCar
Top speed: 381.391 km/h
Record Holder: Ali Luyendyk
Acceleration: 0-100km/h about 3 seconds
Indy cars achieved the highest speeds in motorsport, reaching 380 km/h at the end of some straightaways. While that's more than at any time in F1, Indy cars tend to take longer to reach that speed.
IndyCar's top speeds are achieved on the largest speedways ovals, where the cars run with the lowest downforce. In 2020, Marco Andretti took pole position for the Indy 500 with an average speed of 327.32 km/h in four laps, although this is still some distance from the most expensive record.
Ali Luyendyk averaged 381.391 km/h and his four-lap time of 2 minutes, 31.908 seconds in qualifying for the 1996 Indy 500 remains unmatched today.
Indy cars use more downforce on street and road courses, and while this makes them faster in the tighter corners of those tracks, their top speed naturally decreases. William Steven Power won the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio in 2020, with the Australian driver averaging 183.429 kilometers per hour during the 90-minute race, well below the speeds you'd see on the oval.
3. Motorcycle Grand Prix
Top speed: 363.6 km/h
Record Holder: Jorge Martin
Acceleration: 0-100 km/h in about 2.6 seconds
Jorge Martin holds the motorcycle Grand Prix top speed record in the official race, reaching 363.6 km/h on a Pramac Ducati at Mugello during the 2022 Italian Grand Prix.
He beat the previous fastest speed of 362.4 km/h recorded by John Zarko at the Luofan International Circuit in FP4 at the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix. MotoGP is significantly faster than the MotoGP 2 and Moto3 classes with top speeds in excess of 295 km/h and 245 km/h.
Like F1, the MotoGP bike can accelerate from 0-100km/h in around 2.6 seconds, but the bike takes longer to reach 300km/h - around 11.8 seconds from standstill. Once again, the F1's cornering speed gives it a significant advantage, even on tracks with few turns.
Valtteri Bottas' pole position time of 1 minute and 2.939 seconds in qualifying for the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix was far ahead of Vinales' pole position of 1 minute and 23.450 seconds in the MotoGP Grand Prix of the same year.
4. Nascar
Top speed: just over 321 km/h
Acceleration: 0-100 km/h 3.4 seconds
In a historic shift for the sport, starting in 2020, NASCAR's premier series will be called the NASCAR Cup Series. Since the 1980s, NASCAR has been aggressively limiting the top speeds of its cars as a safety measure due to numerous accidents that injured spectators and drivers.
The weight of the car also works against them when it comes to outright top speed. In terms of speed, NASCAR is undeniably behind the other two popular competitions, IndyCar and Formula 1. Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota vehicles are fast in their own right, but what competes with them is their weight, which on average is around or even more than 1,360 kilograms (3,000 pounds).
Despite being powered by V-8 engines, the average top speed of a NASCAR vehicle is just over 321 kilometers per hour, which is much slower than the top speeds of F1 and Indy cars. Each of these heavyweight powerhouses can run for as much as $200,000, although there are also reports of costs as high as $300,000. However, they do provide good value for money as the competition covers 804 kilometers and most seasons consist of 36 races and 4 exhibition games.
5、Top Fuel
Top speed: approximately 530 km/h/329 mph
Acceleration: 0-530 km/h 3.7 seconds
The Hot Rod Association (NHRA) was founded in 1951: Drag racers at the time could hit 225 km/h in about nine seconds, an acceleration some modern, road-legal supercars could achieve with ease.
Today, however, NHRA's drag racing series features some of the fastest accelerating cars in the world. The top category is Premium Fuel, in which cars are powered by supercharged fuel-injected engines based on the Chrysler Hemi design. Consuming 15 gallons of nitromethane fuel in seconds, the TopFuel dragster is capable of reaching speeds in excess of 531 km/h and can travel the 1,000-foot drag strip from a standstill in 3.7 seconds.
In 2019, Brittany Force set the fastest run record in NHRA history with a time of 3.569 seconds and a top speed of 544.23 km/h on his machine.
The next level up from TopFuel are the fun cars, and while they use the same power source, they have shorter wheelbases and tend to be more similar to production cars. The fun car can also top 531 km/h and does the run in just 3.8 seconds.
6, official 2
Top speed: 335 km/h
Acceleration: 0-100/hour 2.9 seconds
F2 cars tend to have lap times 10 to 15 seconds slower than F1 cars. Taking the 2020 Spanish Grand Prix as an example, Lewis Hamilton took pole position with a time of 1 minute 15.584 seconds, while Callum Ilott set the benchmark in F2 with a time of 1 minute 28.381 seconds.
Comparing two disciplines on the same track (in this case, the same weekend) gives a clear picture of the disparity between the two. The design of the F2 cars is simpler than that of the F1 cars, allowing drivers to take a step towards becoming the world's premier single-seater series.
The F2 car is powered by a 3.4-litre V6 Mecachrome engine and has a top speed of approximately 335km/h in the low-drag setting using DRS at Monza. 0-100km/h takes about 2.9 seconds, while 0-200km/h takes 6.6 seconds.
7, official 3
Top speed: 300 km/h
Acceleration: 0-100 km/h 3.1 seconds
The F3 cars were once again a step slower, but they were still able to reach a top speed of around 300 km/h. Acceleration is also slightly milder (relatively speaking), with 0-100km/h estimated at 3.1 seconds and 0-200km/h in 7.8 seconds. That's still faster than you'd get from a typical road-going supercar, which puts performance into perspective.
The F3 race car is powered by a 3.4-liter six-cylinder Mecachrome engine that produces approximately 380 horsepower. The race cars are designed with a focus on cost-effectiveness and competitiveness to create close races rather than pursuing outright speed.
With some of the world's best racing teams on board, and the hottest junior racing talent from across the globe filling their racing seats, F3 promises to be one of the most exciting championships in motorsport, and in that regard, it starts with Black Delivered in peach form.
8, Official E
Top speed: 280 km/h
Acceleration: 0-100 km/h 2.8 seconds
The second-generation car currently racing in Formula E has a top speed of 280km/h, which is slower than most top single-seater series cars. However, as a car designed to race on tight street circuits and unable to reach the dizzying speeds of an F1 or Indy car, its performance cannot be compared to that of an F1 car.
Formula E's core philosophy is to bring sustainable electric racing into the city, giving the series a different priority for pure speed without compromising the excitement of the races. Formula E cars do enjoy acceleration comparable to F1 and motorcycle racing, completing 0-100 km/h in 2.8 seconds.
This innovation means the car will have zero carbon emissions, maintaining the championship’s status as the first sport to be certified as net zero carbon emissions since its inception. All carbon fiber broken parts will be recycled through an innovative process in the aerospace industry to create new fiber that can be reused in other applications.
9、DTM
Top speed: about 300 km/h
Acceleration: 0-100 km/h 3 seconds
The Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters - or DTM as it is commonly known - is a touring car series based in Germany, but with a calendar that visits several different European circuits during the season. Like many series, the 2020 schedule was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, although it still managed to host nine race weekends (two races each), including the season opener in Spa, Belgium.
Robin Frijns took pole position for Audi in the first qualifying session of the year, posting a time of 2:05.625; a considerable distance behind Lewis Hamilton's 1:41.252 in 2020 F1 .
Despite this difference, the 2020 DTM car was the fastest ever, breaking 300km/h in the speed trap. This follows the introduction of the "Level One Rules" shared with the Japanese Super GT series. Previous regulations had V8-powered DTM cars operating at 270 km/h, but the switch to a four-cylinder turbo engine has resulted in a significant improvement in performance.
10、WTCR
Top speed: about 260 km/h
Acceleration: 0-100 km/h 4.5 seconds
The World Touring Car Cup (which until 2018 was known as the World Touring Car Championship) consists of cars that comply with TCR regulations. These must be based on four- and five-door production cars with sales of more than 5,000 units per year, powered by 2.0-liter turbocharged engines. As is the case with many series, WTCR employs performance balancing measures to ensure races are close throughout the field.
Power is capped at 360 hp (365 HP), and speeds typically reach 260 km/h. In 2020, Esteban Grilli claimed pole position at the Hungaroring in a time of 2 minutes 5.705 seconds at an average speed of 125.5 km/h, albeit in wet conditions.
Although WTCR is a category for teams rather than manufacturers, some drivers enjoy support from car brands. These additional resources can give them a performance advantage over less well-funded rivals throughout a season-long campaign, making the WTCR trophy important in encouraging wider participation and recognizing achievement.
11. World Rally Championship
Top speed: about 200 km/h
Acceleration: depends on surface
In 2017, a stage of the WRC Rally Sweden was canceled due to concerns that the latest generation of cars - with more power, better aerodynamics and center differentials - were considered too fast. unsafe. Ott Tänak completed Stage 9 with an average speed of 85.65 mph (137.84 km/h), and FIA rally director Jarmo Mahonen said at the time that anything over 80.78 mph (130 km/h) /hour) are “too fast”.
These speeds are nothing compared to what you see in other forms of motorsport, although in that sense track driving versus rally racing is really like comparing apples to oranges. Rally drivers have much less grip, and driving around the same track lap after lap is a very different challenge than having a co-driver quickly describe each corner to you in a matter of minutes.
Kris Meeke set the World Rally Championship's highest average speed record when driving a Citroën DS3WRC at the 2016 Rally Finland with an average speed of 126.62 km/h.
12. V8 supercar
Top speed: about 300 km/h
The Supercars Championship is an Australia-based touring car category held annually in New Zealand, with previous occasional events in China, the United States and the United Arab Emirates.
Regulations state that cars must be based on front-engine, rear-wheel drive production vehicles with four seats and sold in Australia, and in 2020, the field consists only of the Ford Mustang GT and Holden Commodore.
The Bathurst 1000 - a 1,000km race - is the pinnacle of the Supercars championship calendar, with Scott McLaughlin setting a lap record of 2 minutes 3.378 seconds in 2019, equivalent to 181.29km/h the average speed. 6.213 kilometers track. On the Conrod Straight, the top speed of a car is usually around 300 km/h.
13. World Championships
Top speed: about 345 km/h
Starting in 2021, the World Endurance Championship will be divided into four categories: Supercar, LMP2, LMGTEPro and LMGTEAm. This represents a significant shift from the outgoing structure, which has seen LMP1 cars (and more specifically hybrids in this class) push the boundaries of speed in recent years.
Kobayashi set the lap record during qualifying for the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans when he recorded a time of 3 minutes 14.791 seconds around the 13.626km La Salle circuit in his Toyota TS030 Hybrid. The average speed was 251.9 km/h.
After Porsche withdrew from the WEC at the end of 2017, it developed an unrestricted version of its prototype race car called the 919 Hybrid Evo. The modified car broke multiple lap records, including 1 minute 41.77 seconds at Spa-Francorchamps, before being beaten by Lewis Hamilton in qualifying for the 2020 Belgian Grand Prix. It also broke the 35-year-old lap record set by Stefan Bellov at the Nürburgring in 2018, completing the Nordschleife in 5 minutes and 19.546 seconds at an average speed of 234.67 km/h. Lap, almost a minute faster than the previous best speed.
14. Super Trophio
Top speed: 325 km/h
Acceleration: 0-100 km/h 3.2 seconds
Lamborghini Super Trofeo is an international racing series. The Lamborghini Super Trofeo is a manufacturing championship organized by the Lamborghini Corse Squadron. This series only involves Huracan models from 3 continental series: Europe, Asia and North America. All three continental series have a common format: 6 double races of 50 minutes each, taking place on the most prestigious circuits in the world, culminating in a world final decided by the Lamborghini World Champion.
Since 2013, the Lamborghini World Finals have kicked off every Super Trofeo season. Every year, drivers from all continental championships travel to different circuits to compete in two 50-minute Sprint races, with the overall winner crowned the Lamborghini World Champion. As the biggest racing weekend of the year, the Lamborghini World Finals is a true motorsport festival that attracts fans and owners from all over the world.
The production version of the Lamborghini Huracan is based on the road-going supercar - its 5.2-liter V10 engine is said to produce 620 horsepower. 0-62mph takes 3.2 seconds, 0-124mph is done in 9.9 seconds, and the top speed is 202mph.
15. Isle of Man TT
Top speed: about 322 km/h
The Isle of Man TT is known as one of the most dangerous races in the world, with riders often chasing speeds of up to 300km/h on parts of the Snaefell Mountain route.
In 2015, Kawasaki rider James Hillier briefly hit 331.5km/h on his Ninja HR2, doing so on the Surby Straight - a stretch of public road - during a parade lap , the speed limit for daily cars is 50-65 km/h.
The overall lap record is held by Peter Hickman, who in 2018 drove a BMW S1000RR to an average speed of 217.989 km/h around the 60-kilometer track. Hickman set the benchmark race on the final lap of his six-lap TT Senior.
