Road racing

In the definition of racing in North America, Street racing or Road racing is a racing event that takes place in a special arena that has curves that turn right and left. The racetrack itself is commonly referred to as the road course and is usually identical to the racing circuit which has a non-oval layout.

Included in the term of this definition are racing events that use the road circuit.

For events that use the road course track, including Formula One, IndyCar Series and Motorcycle Grand Prix.

If there is an oval circuit that has a "road course" circuit layout in it it is named roval as for example Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

How the competition takes place
A road race can consist of up to four different parts: training session, qualifying session, qualifying races and final race, as well as the Formula One.

Participants circulate the circuit assessing the characteristics of the circuit and the behavior of the car. To improve lap times, the driver modifies the different adjustment parameters of his car (suspension, tires, brakes, etc.).

In the qualifying or qualifying session, riders must lap the circuit as quickly as possible. Depending on the competition, riders can be restricted to a certain maximum number of laps and can pedal alone or simultaneously. In certain championships there is an overclassification, which requires the best qualified drivers to return, usually without the presence of their colleagues on the track.

The final race is the one that awards points for the championship, classified according to the results of the qualifying seasons. The drivers start and compete simultaneously, trying to get to the finish line as quickly as possible, once the time or laps previously stipulated have been completed. In general, the circuit has an area where teams can repair damaged cars, refuel, replace tires and, in races of endurance has the possibility to change the driver.

In some championships, before the final race there is a dispute for qualifying races, which generally last less than the last race and give the driver some points (or none). For example, in the Wagon tour tests, the drivers are divided into three groups, according to the classification results. The starting position of the last race is set according to the finish positions of the riders in the three qualifying races. Likewise, the starting position of Daytona 500 is formed according to the results of two heats, whose starting order is determined from the result of the classification round. In other cases, there is not a single final race, but two or three races. It is common for each race to correspond to a different classification lot. In contrast, at the World Touring Car Championship.

The GP2 Series uses the same system as the World Touring Car Championship, with the difference that the first race is longer and gives more points than the second.