One of the world's most popular spectator sports, it is also perhaps the most thoroughly commercialized.
Virtually as soon as the motor vehicle was invented, speed trials and races were instituted. With the enthusiastic support of manufacturers who saw these events as opportunities to promote their wares, soon most industrialised nations saw the introduction of some form of racing.
In the early days of racing, most tracks were simply closed-off roads, and competitor and spectator safety precautions were minimal. As ever, the racing machines were pushed to the limits of performance, and many races were as much a trial of reliability as speed.
The 1930's perhaps started the radical differentiation of racing vehicles from high-priced road cars, with Auto Union and Mercedes-Benz constructing massively-powerful, streamlined vehicles that produced up to 450 kilowatts with the aid of multiple superchargers, and weighed less than 750 kilograms (the maximum weight permitted, in a rule diametrically opposed to current racing regulations). Extensive use of aluminium alloys was required to reach the light weight, and in the case of the Mercedes, the paint was removed to squeeze the vehicle under the weight limit.
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