10 Best Motor Races You Need to See In Person

Every automobile enthusiast harbors a bucket list of car-related adventures to check off before they’re done. But only 10 stand out as the absolute pinnacle of motor racing, the crème de la crème that every diehard fan should witness in their lifetime. With another legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans recently wrapped up, now’s the perfect time to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and share our picks for the world’s 10 most prestigious motor races.

Monte Carlo Rally

Debut Year: 1911

Officially named Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo, this iconic rally is organized annually by the Automobile Club de Monaco. Today, it unfolds along the French Riviera, spanning the Principality of Monaco and southeastern France.

From a competitive standpoint, it has it all: wildly unpredictable conditions at each starting point (often mixing dry asphalt, wet tarmac, snow, and ice — sometimes all within a single stage). It also boasts one of the world’s most famous special stages: a 31-kilometer route between La Bollène-Vésubie and Sospel (in either direction) that winds over the Col de Turini, a mountain pass typically dotted with ice and snow during the race period, featuring steep gradients and countless hairpin turns.

Pikes Peak Hill Climb

Debut Year: 1916

Known as “The Race to the Clouds,” this is the ultimate hill climb event. As the second oldest motorsport race in the United States, it’s a time-honored tradition dating back to 1916. The 19.99-kilometer course (12.42 miles) features 156 turns, starting at an elevation of 2,862 meters (9,390 feet) and culminating at the 4,302-meter (14,115-foot) summit of Pikes Peak — America’s Mountain.

As drivers ascend, the thin high-altitude air impairs reflexes, drains muscle strength, and robs engines of 30% of their power by the top. The current record stands at 8 minutes and 13.878 seconds, set by Sebastien Loeb in 2013.

No other racecourse on Earth compares to The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, which is why teams invest hundreds of thousands of dollars and months of preparation to compete for the title of “King of the Mountain.” Conquering this event demands extraordinary focus, perseverance, and sheer courage — one misstep could send you plummeting off a cliff. It’s no wonder they call it “The Devil’s Playground.”

Isle of Man TT

Debut Year: 1907

Over a century later, thrill-seekers still flock to the Isle of Man each summer for the same reason as the gentlemen of 1907: the Tourist Trophy, more commonly known as the Isle of Man TT.

If you aim to reach the summit of motorcycle racing and aren’t afraid to stare death in the face around every curve, this is the race for you. At the age of 48, Joey Dunlop claimed his 26th and final TT victory at the turn of the millennium. The TT races were canceled only three times in history, with the 2001 edition called off due to concerns over the Foot and Mouth epidemic devastating mainland UK. 2004 marked a hat-trick of wins for John McGuinness, who last year clocked an average speed of 208.25 km/h (129.4 mph) en route to his 11th TT triumph, setting new lap and race records.

24 Hours of Nurburgring

Debut Year: 1970

The 24 Hours Nürburgring is an annual endurance race for touring cars and GT vehicles, held on the Nordschleife (“North Loop”) of Germany’s Nürburgring circuit. Running since 1970, its 25-kilometer (15.5-mile) lap allows over 200 cars and 700 drivers to participate.

Dubbed “The Green Hell,” this track is notoriously tough — many consider the event the world’s most grueling and epic endurance race. With breathtaking scenery and non-stop action, it’s an awe-inspiring spectacle that serves as the ultimate test of human skill and machine durability.

Dakar Rally

Debut Year: 1979

Formerly the Paris-Dakar Rally, this off-road endurance race follows a rally-raid format, where competitors in cars, motorcycles, and trucks tackle brutal terrain across stages spanning more than two weeks. The real challenge of Dakar? Simply finishing.

Nearly every year, some participants don’t survive, and countless others fail to complete the event. It’s unrelentingly harsh — no other rally race is as brutal or unforgiving. Stages can range from relatively short sprints to hundreds of miles per day. Unlike traditional rally cars (modified road vehicles built for high-speed winding off-road courses), Dakar machines must endure rugged, unforgiving landscapes.

Bathurst 1000

Debut Year: 1960

Leave it to the Aussies to craft an epic race for V8 Supercars — Australia’s homegrown racing series, blending elements of NASCAR and Le Mans-style competition.

The Bathurst 1000 is a 1,000-kilometer touring car race held annually on the Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales. It’s currently a championship event on the V8 Supercars calendar. V8 Supercar racing is wild, intense, and fiercely competitive — cars run nose-to-tail for the entire race. Every Australian driver dreams of winning Bathurst.

“The Great Race” is worth the trip to Australia for every petrol head on the planet. You owe it to yourself to spend a weekend in Bathurst for this unforgettable event.

Monaco Grand Prix

Debut Year: 1929

The Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix, staged since 1929 on the tight streets of Monte Carlo, is undoubtedly the most glamorous race in the world. It’s the event where celebrities clamor to be seen.

This race tests drivers more than any other on the F1 calendar. The circuit is incredibly narrow and tight, with minimal run-off areas — a single mistake almost always ends your race. This street course is packed with twists and dramatic elevation changes, lined by concrete barriers on both sides for nearly its entire length, leaving virtually no room for error.

With A-listers and nobility rubbing shoulders in the stands, it’s widely regarded as the “event of the year” — whether you’re a racing fan or not. To grasp just how tight the course is, watch the late Ayrton Senna (below) battling to navigate his car around the track back in 1990.

Daytona 500

Debut Year: 1959

Unlike most racing series, which save their most prestigious events for the middle or end of the season, NASCAR’s “The Great American Race” kicks off the calendar. The Daytona 500 is the pinnacle of stock car racing, and in North America, only the Indy 500 rivals its popularity.

Regarded as the most important and prestigious race on the NASCAR schedule, it offers the largest purse by far, with championship points equal to any other Sprint Cup event. Its status as the season opener is nearly unique in sports, where major events typically conclude the campaign rather than launch it.

Indianapolis 500

Debut Year: 1911

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway officially opened on June 5, 1909, with balloon races, followed by motorcycle races on August 14 and automobile races on August 19.

The Indianapolis 500 — often shortened to Indy 500 — is held annually at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, a suburb of Indianapolis. Taking place over Memorial Day weekend (usually the last weekend in May), it’s part of the Verizon IndyCar Series, America’s top-tier open-wheel racing championship.

Crashes at Indy are almost always spectacular, and if you haven’t hit the wall yet, the odds are you might. This race paved the way for all others, and to this day, it’s the one every driver dreams of winning. Known worldwide as “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” the Indy 500 is famous for its blistering average speeds — qualifying laps exceeding 354 km/h (220 mph) are standard. Steeped in tradition, from the winner receiving a bottle of milk to kissing the brick finish line (the venue was once fully paved with bricks and is still called the “Brickyard”), the Indy 500 and its roster of legendary winners remain America’s premier open-wheel race.

24 Hours of Le Mans

Debut Year: 1923

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is one of the world’s oldest active endurance sports car races, held annually near the town of Le Mans, France, since 1923.

Widely regarded as one of the most prestigious automobile races globally, it’s often called the “Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency.” Teams must balance raw speed with the stamina needed to complete a full 24-hour race — through rain or shine, day or night, dusk or dawn. Perhaps more than any other race, Le Mans encapsulates every aspect of motorsports in a single weekend in the French countryside. “Le Mans-style” sports car racing features multiple classes of vehicles with varying performance levels, delivering some of the most thrilling — and heart-stopping — overtakes in any racing format. Teams use multiple drivers who take turns in stints throughout the event. The 13.63-kilometer (8.469-mile) Circuit de la Sarthe combines permanent racetrack sections with public roads closed off for the race.

Prototypes showcase manufacturers’ most advanced racing technology, and Le Mans serves as the ultimate proving ground. In my honest opinion, this is the most prestigious race in the world. And with its 24-hour duration, there’s often just as much excitement off the track as on it.