Endurance racing (motorsport)

Coppa Florio was an Italian car race started in 1900, and renamed in 1905 when Vincenzo Florio offered the initial 50 000 Lira and a cup designed by Polak of Paris. The Brescia race visited the route Brescia-Cremona-Mantova-Brescia. In 1908, the race used the Circuito di Bologna: Bologna-Castelfranco Emilia-Sant'Agata Bolognese-San Giovanni in Persiceto-Bologna. Since 1914 most of the Coppa Florio was co-organized with the Targa Florio near Palermo, Sicilia, running four or five laps, 108 km each.

The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race founded in 1906- the track length of the last decades was limited to the 72 kilometres of the Circuito Piccolo delle Madonie, which was lapped 11 times.

The Mille Miglia was an open-road endurance race which took place in Italy 24 times from 1927 to 1957.

The world's first organized 24-hour automobile race event was held on a 1-mile oval track at Driving Park, Columbus, Ohio on July 3–4, 1905.[1] Beginning on the afternoon of July 3, four cars from Frayer-Miller, Pope-Toledo, Peerless and White Steamer raced for a $500 silver trophy. The winning Pope-Toledo car covered 828.5 miles. A protest was filed by the Frayer-Miller and Peerless teams, alleging the Pope-Toledo was not owned by the driver, instead sent from the factory with an engine built for racing.[2]

The first 24-hour race to take place at a dedicated motorsport venue was at Brooklands, eleven days after its opening in 1907. This incurred the wrath of local residents and would lead to the Double Twelve race. This format meant the race took place for 12 hours each between 8 am to 8 pm and between it, the cars were locked up overnight to prevent maintenance work from being performed on them.[3]

The 2001 Dakar Rally saw competitors cover a distance of 10,739 kilometres (6,673 mi) with a winning time of 70 hours over 20 days with three classes of cars, motorbikes, and trucks.[4] The 1992 Paris–Cape Town Rally covered a distance of 12,427 km. The 1994 edition saw competitors return to Paris, for a distance of 13,379 km.[5] The Expedition Trophy, first held in 2005, runs from Murmansk to Vladivostok, for a total distance of 12,500 km. The 1908 New York to Paris Race covered a distance of over 16,000 km, taking 169 days from February 12 to July 30.[6]

The inaugural Willhire 24 Hour, Snetterton, 1980

Driving under safety car in 2007 Mil Milhas Brasil

The 2007 24 Hours of Silverstone

In the beginning of formalised endurance racing, the races tended to be for sports cars while the Grand Prix cars of the era began to evolve into the open wheel racing cars of today and ran over shorter distances. Over time sports cars began to evolve away from their roots as a production based alternative to pure-bred racing machines of Grand Prix cars, which led to the creation of GT and touring car racing classes, and these classes continued to embrace the endurance format. Multiple drivers per car was an early adaptation as the rigors of endurance racing quickly overcome the abilities of most racing drivers to compete solo, although solo attempts on 24 hour races like Le Mans would continue into the 1950s.

The various endurance formats were appealing to manufacturers, not only as alternatives to the expense of Grand Prix racing, but also because of its increased relevance to road going models.

Triple Crown

In automobile endurance racing, three events have come to form a Triple Crown. They are considered three of the most challenging endurance races over the decades: the 24 Hours of Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring, and 24 Hours of Le Mans.[7] Phil Hill was the first in 1964 to win the three races, and Timo Bernhard the most recent (2010). No driver has won the three events in the same year (Ken Miles lost the chance to win all three events when a problem with the Ford team orders for a photo finish made him lose the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans; he died two months later testing the Ford J-car.); Hurley Haywood and Al Holbert have won the three races at least twice each.

Bold on year indicate at which race the driver achieved his Triple Crown.

Driver	Total Wins	Year Completed	24 Hours of Daytona	12 Hours of Sebring	24 Hours of Le Mans
Phil Hill	6	1964	1964A	1958, 1961	1958, 1961, 1962
Dan Gurney	3	1967	1962B	1959	1967
Hans Herrmann	4	1970	1968	1960, 1968	1970
Jackie Oliver	3	1971	1971	1969	1969
Jacky Ickx	9	1972	1972C	1969, 1972	1969, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1981, 1982
Hurley Haywood	10	1977	1973, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1991	1973, 1981	1977, 1983, 1994
A. J. Foyt	4	1985	1983, 1985	1985	1967
Al Holbert	7	1986	1986, 1987	1976, 1981	1983, 1986, 1987
Andy Wallace	6	1992	1990, 1997, 1999	1992, 1993	1988
Mauro Baldi	4	1998	1998, 2002	1998	1994
Marco Werner	7	2005	1995	2003, 2005, 2007	2005, 2006, 2007
Timo Bernhard	4	2010	2003	2008	2010, 2017

In the early days of endurance racing cars and motorcycles raced side by side, but the two were soon separated.[8] The most notable motorcycle endurance race was the Bol d'Or, first run on the circuit of Vaujours, near Paris in 1922.[8] Only one rider was permitted per bike and there was no stopping other than for refuelling.[8]

Motorcycle endurance racing began to expand after the second World War as new races began to emerge, among them the 24 Hour Race in Warsage, Belgium in 1951, the 24 Hours of Montjuïc in Barcelona in 1957, 24 hours in Monza, Italy in 1959, and the Thruxton 500 mile endurance race at Thruxton, Hampshire, England in 1960.[8]

1960 also saw the inaugural FIM Endurance Cup initially made up of four races, the Thruxton 500, Montjuich, Warsage, and the Bol d'Or.[8]

The popularity of motorcycle endurance racing increased in the 1970s with the arrival of four-cylinder machines from Japan. In 1976 the FIM Endurance Cup became the European Championship and in 1980 a World Championship.[8]

Endurance races last for an extended period, ranging from 30 minutes up to 24 hours or more, for one or more drivers. In general, consistency, reliability, and pit strategy is of greater importance than all out speed.

As well as the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race for automobiles there is also a 24 hours event for karts which takes place at the kart circuit Alain Prost at Le Mans, France.[12] This race has taken place since 1986 and its winners list include four times Champ Car champion Sébastien Bourdais (in 1996).

Endurance racing is also considered a more affordable way of getting into karting. In South Africa, the Prokart Africa 24 Hour Endurance race is held annually and lasts 24 hours with multiple classes participating. This event is hosted by the Prokart SSS Club [13] near Johannesburg. The most popular class runs the Honda GX390 Four Stroke engine, which is both affordable and durable, keeping running costs to a minimum. The Prokart Super Single Series, also known as Prokart SSS, has been running for more than 20 years and has proven to be a very popular entry platform for drivers of all ages who want to get into karting. Many clubs worldwide have taken onto Four Stroke Endurance Karting for this very reason, since Two Stroke karting can be very expensive. Add the reliability of Four Stroke engines and you have a perfect recipe for endurance racing.

• In addition to the annual car and motorcycle race, the Circuit de la Sarthe also holds 24 hour races in cycling, karting, trucks, and road skating.[10]
• A unique[11] event involving an endurance race between lawn mowers takes place in the United Kingdom, called the "BLMRA 12 Hour Race".

• 24 hour mountain bike races
• Endurance World Championship
• Gran Turismo (racing)
• Greenpower
• Rally raid
• Sports car racing
• Pedal Car Racing

^A Was known as the Daytona 3 Hour Continental, up to 1964.

^B Was known as the Daytona 2000, up until 1965 before becoming a 24 hour race following that year.

^C The race was shortened to 6 hours, partly over concerns that the 3 liter formula one engined prototypes were not reliable enough for the entire 24 hours.[12]