Endurance racing is a form of motorsport racing which is meant to test the durability of equipment and endurance of participants. Teams of multiple drivers attempt to cover a large distance in a single event, with participants given a break with the ability to change during the race. Endurance races can be run either to cover a set distance in laps as quickly as possible, or to cover as much distance as possible over a preset amount of time.
43-506: The Mercedes-Benz W194 (also called 300 SL ) is an endurance racer produced by Mercedes-Benz for the 1952 Sportscar racing season, its first after World War II. Powered by the 3.0 litre SOHC straight-6 M194 engine , it ran off an impressive string of victories that included 24 Hours of Le Mans , Bern - Bremgarten , the Eifelrennen at Nürburgring , and Mexico's Carrera Panamericana . Only ten W194s were made. This led to
86-465: A Mercedes-Benz team and though not for sale received multiple offers of US$ 15 million in 2012. Endurance racing (motorsport) One of the more common lengths of endurance races can be running for 500 kilometres (310 mi), or roughly 3 hours, or 1,000 kilometres (620 mi), or roughly 6 hours. Longer races can run for 1,000 miles (1,600 km), 12 hours, or even 24 hours. Teams can consist of anywhere from two to four drivers per event, which
129-455: 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. 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. 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
172-515: A distance of over 16,000 km, taking 169 days from February 12 to July 30. 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
215-460: A high level of strength. Since it enveloped the passenger compartment traditional doors were impossible, giving birth to the model's distinctive gull-wing arrangement. Like the production 300 SL "Gullwing" it birthed, the W194 used a variant of the overhead cam straight 6 M186 engine introduced with the flagship four-door 300 (W186 "Adenauer") luxury tourer in 1951. Its M194 engine received
258-531: A job as a factory driver for an Austrian company that produced the French Amilcar , and later became a dealer for the brand. Hoffman's dealers made requests through him, both for existing models and new types they thought their customers would purchase in the booming post-war American market. The most famous result of Hoffman's suggestions is the Mercedes-Benz 300SL "gullwing". More than 80% of
301-725: A loop race starting and finishing in Ensenada. The Intercontinental GT Challenge is world sports car racing endurance series run by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation , like the GTWCEEC. Its rule set is similar to GTWCEEC, although it is centred on internationally renowned endurance races that are often part of multiple championships, such as the Bathurst 12 Hours and the Nürburgring 24 Hours , which belong to
344-548: A real-time simulation of 24 hour events. In the 2018 stealth video game Hitman 2 , a level takes place amidst an endurance race in Miami, Florida , with a target being a racer in the event. In the early days of endurance racing cars and motorcycles raced side by side, but the two were soon separated. The most notable motorcycle endurance race was the Bol d'Or , first run on the circuit of Vaujours , near Paris in 1922. Only one rider
387-429: A reasonably comfortable ride and markedly better overall handling. However, the rear swing axle , jointed only at the differential , not at the wheels themselves, could be treacherous at high speeds or on imperfect roads due to extreme changes in camber . The enormous fuel tank capacity also caused a considerable difference in handling depending on the quantity of fuel on board. In 1952, the W194 scored overall wins at
430-500: Is credited with changing the company's image in America from a manufacturer of solid but staid luxury automobiles to one capable of rendering high-performance sports cars. The W194 is regarded by some as the most important post-World War II Mercedes-Benz made. It is unknown how many of the original 10 W194s manufactured remain. Only one never raced, Chassis #00002, which served as a parts and training car. It has been fully restored by
473-617: Is dependent on the driver's endurance abilities, length of the race, or even the rules for each event. 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
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#1732782542809516-662: 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. This race has taken place since 1986 and its winners list include four times Champ Car champion Sébastien Bourdais (in 1996). 24 Heures Motonautiques de Rouen - take place on the Seine River Max Hoffman Maximilian Edwin Hoffman (12 November 1904 – 9 August 1981),
559-408: Is one of the most prestigious off-road races in the world. The race was founded by Ed Pearlman in 1967 and is sanctioned by SCORE International . The Baja 1000 allows various types of vehicles and classes to compete on the same course at the same time. The course has remained relatively the same over the years, with about every event being either a point-to-point race from Ensenada to La Paz , or
602-512: Is related to the former Japan Le Mans Challenge that turned into the older Asian Le Mans Series (which was cancelled after one season). The GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup (GTWCEEC) is a European sports car racing endurance series run by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation . It is similar to the ELMS, but only uses performance-balanced GT3 cars instead of prototypes and holds generally shorter races, although some races are exceptions, such as
645-637: The 24 Hours of Le Mans , in Bern - Bremgarten , in the sportscar race of the Eifelrennen at the Nürburgring , and in Mexico's Carrera Panamericana . It also managed second and fourth places at its first outing, the Mille Miglia in 1952 and won the Rally Stella Alpina in 1955 in its last edition. These successes, especially those on the high speed open road races, were rather surprising as
688-503: The 24 Hours of Spa , which the series is centred on. One of the key emphases of the series is being friendly for amateur and gentlemen drivers, and there are numerous non-pro classes in addition to the premier GT3 Pro class. The series began in 2011 and saw increased involvement in 2012 and 2013 . The Baja 1000 is an annual Mexican off-road motorsport endurance race held on the Baja California Peninsula . It
731-624: The Automotive Hall of Fame in 2003. Both his home in Rye, New York, and Park Avenue Jaguar showroom in Manhattan were designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright . Hoffman was born on 12 November 1904 in Vienna , Austria, to a Catholic mother and Jewish father. His father owned a bicycle manufacturing business, where Hoffman worked when growing up. He developed enough skills to get
774-537: The GT World Challenge Australia and Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie championships respectively. Endurance motor racing has proven a popular subject for depiction in video games, and on film. The Lee H. Katzin film Le Mans , starring Steve McQueen , used real race footage, and enjoys cult status. The 1986 arcade game WEC Le Mans was the first to portray endurance racing in a videogame, while Gran Turismo 4 and 5 extended this to
817-483: The M194 engine was fitted only with carburetors (triple 2-barrel Solex), producing 175 hp (130 kW), which was not only less than the competing cars by Ferrari and Jaguar , but also less than the fuel-injected 300 SL road car developed from it and introduced two years later 1954. Low weight and low aerodynamic drag made the W194 fast enough to be competitive in endurance races. Daimler-Benz's official importer in
860-480: The 300SL's total production of approximately 1400 units were sold in the US, making it the first Mercedes-Benz widely successful outside its home market and thoroughly validating Hoffman's seat-of-the-pants prediction. Its success is credited with changing the company's image in America from a manufacturer of solid but staid luxury automobiles to one capable of rendering high-performance sports cars. During World War II, when
903-750: 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
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#1732782542809946-616: The US, New York Mercedes distributor Max Hoffman , suggested to company management in Stuttgart that a street version of the W194 would be a commercial success, especially in America. The result was an icon, the 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing (W198). More than 80% of the vehicle's total production of approximately 1400 units were sold in the US, making the Gullwing the first Mercedes-Benz widely successful outside its home market and thoroughly validating Hoffman's prediction. The 300 SL
989-538: The United States. Hoffman played an instrumental role in popularizing Porsche vehicles in the United States. In the mid-1950s, one third of Porsche's overall production was sold on the US market by Hoffman. Notably, Hoffman's vision for a cheaper, racier version of the Porsche 356 led to the creation of the iconic Porsche 356 Speedster. He also set a significant milestone by establishing the Porsche emblem, which
1032-461: The WSCC and ELMS/AsLMS below. The series features both Le Mans Prototypes and GT cars. The 24 Hours of Le Mans is included as a feature race, while the other races are 6 hours long and take place in countries all over the world such as Bahrain, Brazil, Japan, and the United States. The WEC is considered a revival of the defunct World Sportscar Championship which ended in 1992. An early championship
1075-560: The World Endurance Championship in 2012, the series has dropped LMP1 and now features LMP2 as its premier category, in addition to LMP3 and GT categories. The Asian Le Mans Series (AsLMS) is an Asian sports car racing series run by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). It uses the same car categories and regulations as the ELMS, and also provides automatic entries to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The series
1118-446: 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
1161-677: The establishment of several endurance racing series — thereby giving teams the opportunity of running their cars in Championship events throughout the year. The FIA World Endurance Championship is an international sports car racing series organized by both the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). It supeceded the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup , run in 2010 and 2011, and uses similar rules to
1204-537: The expense of Grand Prix racing, but also because of its increased relevance to road going models. 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 . Strong spectator figures, media interest and television coverage of endurance racing's Triple Crown events ( 24 Hours of Daytona , 12 Hours of Sebring , and 24 Hours of Le Mans ) has led to
1247-626: The factory with an engine built for racing. The first 24-hour race to take place at a dedicated motorsport venue was at Brooklands in England, 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. The 2001 Dakar Rally saw competitors cover
1290-433: The high-output triple two-barrel Solex carburetor setup from the exclusive 300 S (W188) coupe/cabriolet. Designed with an innovative diagonal aluminium head (that allowed for larger intake and exhaust valves) and canted at a fifty-degree angle to the left to fit under the W194's much lower hoodline, it produced 175 hp (130 kW) in racing trim, considerably up from the 300's 150 hp (112 kW). Maximum torque
1333-416: The iconic Mercedes 300 SL W198 Gullwing road car in 1954. The W194 was succeeded by the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR in 1955. The racing W194 300 SL was built around a mere 140-150 pound welded SAE 4130 steel tube spaceframe chassis to offset the relatively underpowered M194 engine . Designed by Daimler-Benz's chief developing engineer, Rudolf Uhlenhaut , the metal skeleton saved weight while still providing
Mercedes-Benz W194 - Misplaced Pages Continue
1376-761: The inaugural FIM Endurance Cup initially made up of four races, the Thruxton 500 , Montjuich , Warsage , and the Bol d'Or . 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 . Motorcycle endurance classics: 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
1419-503: The old European Le Mans Series which was created by IMSA and the ACO, but only ran in 2001. LMS champions and runners-up in all four categories receive an automatic entry to the following year's 24 Hours of Le Mans. All races used to be 6 hours long, but the format was changed to 3 hours in 2013 to differentiate it further from the WEC; currently, it has been reextended to 4 hours. With the debut of
1462-434: The private market for cars was very slow in the United States, Hoffman used his intuition for possibilities and market niches to start creating jewelry for women, using metallized plastic. He started this business with just 300 dollars, and even in wartime, he earned a small fortune from it. Once the war was over, Hoffman returned to following his true passion for fast and luxurious automobiles. From 1950 until 1953, Hoffmann
1505-478: The unique Daytona Prototypes and Daytona-spec GT cars. The series is considered to be the successor of the defunct IMSA GT Championship as well as the American Le Mans Series and Rolex Sports Car Series that merged to form it. The European Le Mans Series (ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series run by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The ELMS is seen as a rebirth of
1548-520: Was 207 N⋅m (153 lb⋅ft). Top speed was approximately 160 mph (257 km/h). A fuel-injected version of the M194, the M198 , was developed two years later for the introduction of the production 300SL in 1954. Aerodynamics played an important role in the 2497 pound car's speed. Unlike many cars of the 1950s, steering was relatively precise and the four-wheel independent suspension allowed for
1591-428: Was an American importer of luxury European automobiles during the 1950s. Known equally for his acumen and influence, Hoffman was instrumental in development and refinement of several iconic luxury sports cars, including the Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing , Porsche 356 Speedster , and V-8 powered BMW 507 roadster. Hoffman's contributions to both automobile development and sports car racing earned him induction into
1634-637: Was designed and furnished by Frank Lloyd Wright a few years after Hoffman had commissioned Wright to design and build his Jaguar Hoffman Auto Showroom at 430 Park Avenue in Manhattan . In 1982 Marion O. Hoffman established the non-profit Maximilian E. and Marion O. Hoffman Foundation Inc. in West Hartford , Connecticut, in memory of her husband. The organization donates to groups, mostly in Connecticut, that further education, medicine and
1677-434: Was designed by Ferry Porsche at Hoffman's urging. Furthermore, Hoffman facilitated Porsche's success in the US by arranging for several Porsche 356 cars to race in various events, resulting in significant victories and increased popularity for the brand in the country. Some of the dealers, such as Lake Underwood and his team's machine engineer, Dick DeBiasse , were especially influential on Hoffman. The Max Hoffman House
1720-540: Was held on a 1-mile oval track at Driving Park , Columbus, Ohio on July 3–4, 1905. 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
1763-595: Was permitted per bike and there was no stopping other than for refuelling. 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. 1960 also saw
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1806-743: Was the Australian Endurance Championship , held since 1981. The WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (WSCC) is a US sports car racing series organized by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). The season begins with the 24 Hours of Daytona , traditionally held in the last weekend of January or the first weekend of February. There then follows a further 12 races, including the famed 12 Hours of Sebring , 6 Hours of Watkins Glen and Petit Le Mans . The WSCC includes Le Mans Prototypes and Le Mans-spec GT cars and formerly featured
1849-411: Was the importer and distributor for Volkswagen for the eastern United States. He was also the importer and sole distributor for BMW from the mid-sixties until selling his business to BMW of North America in 1975. Alfa Romeo was also imported to the United States by Hoffman starting from the mid-1950s. The Giulietta Spider was born by request of Hoffman. In 1961 Alfa Romeo started importing cars to
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