Top 4 most popular motorsports?

mrmac

I'm just starting on a web-site project, as part of a college course, and thought I'd do it on a motor sport theme.


Initially, I want it to include four main motor sport topics:

1. Formula 1
2. WRC
3. Moto GP
4. TBC?

I'm trying to offer a wide spread of sports, to offer a greater choice, rather than stick to just one category.

I am looking for suggestions for topic 4.
I'd prefer it to be a popular American motor sport, but that's not a deal breaker.
The only other requirement, is I'd like to have four topics that are balanced through out the year, so that something is happening, in at least one topic, if possible.

Feel free to suggest a completely different top 4, as the ones I listed are only my personal choice.

Thanks in advance.

h3000

I like to try (mostly unsuccessfully) and keep up / watch these disciplines below. Maybe one might interest you for your project.

Intercontinental Rally Challenge
World Touring Car Championship
British Touring Car Championship
Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters
World Superbikes *Strong Irish interest at the moment with Eugene Laverty
GT1 World Championship
GP2 Series

mrmac

Thanks a lot for the suggestions, and especially the links.

I hope to have one Rally, and one Motorbike topic.

So which do you think is the better choice?
WRC v IRC
MotoGP v SBK

I can put up a Poll on this, if I get a few more suggestions.

djimi

If youre talking worldwide then NASCAR is one of the major players. Second biggest spectator sport in the States behind NFL.

djimi

LIGHTNING wrote: »

If you ask me I would have:

F1
WRC
MotoGP
Nascar

I would go along with this. In terms of worldwide following I dont think there are any other series that top those 4.

mrmac

I don't know much about NASCAR, but I thought there was different sub-divisions?

A quick google, shows, Sprint Cup, and Nationwide Series.
Are they two completely different disciplines, or must competitors race in both series?
Sorry for the noobness!

h3000

mrmac wrote: »

Thanks a lot for the suggestions, and especially the links.

I hope to have one Rally, and one Motorbike topic.

So which do you think is the better choice?
WRC v IRC
MotoGP v SBK

I can put up a Poll on this, if I get a few more suggestions.

WRC for the rally
MotoGP for the bikes, i really like Moto2 in particular some really excellent racing.

amacachi

mrmac wrote: »

I don't know much about NASCAR, but I thought there was different sub-divisions?

A quick google, shows, Sprint Cup, and Nationwide Series.
Are they two completely different disciplines, or must competitors race in both series?
Sorry for the noobness!

They're three different series with different cars and calenders. The Sprint Cup is the top level, then Nationwide then the Trucks. Most drivers moving to NASCAR will start in the Trucks or with better sponsorship in the Nationwide. Also a fair amount of the Nationwide Series would be on the same weekends and tracks as the Sprint Cup so a decent number of Sprint Cup competitors would compete in it to get keyed into the track for the Sprint Cup race. Some drivers compete fulltime in both series.

frostie500

mrmac wrote: »

I don't know much about NASCAR, but I thought there was different sub-divisions?

A quick google, shows, Sprint Cup, and Nationwide Series.
Are they two completely different disciplines, or must competitors race in both series?
Sorry for the noobness!

The Sprint Cup is the premier class with Nationwide at a lower level. Both series have a high crossover of drivers with Nationwide also offering younger drivers the chance to learn racing a more powerful stock car than in NASCAR's regional championships.

If your'e not very knowledgeable on it I wouldn't look to include it, at least not initially anyway, look to insure you have high quality content on the other series and watch NASCAR(or whatever your fourth choice will be) and after a while as your knowledge improves you'll be able to delve into that series in more detail

dcr22B

I know this hasn't a hope of being as popular as some other but V8 Supercars Australia is fantatsic.

Managed to get to the Bathurst 1000 in 2008 while on my honeymoon.

Link: http://www.v8supercars.com.au/

frostie500

dcr22B wrote: »

I know this hasn't a hope of being as popular as some other but V8 Supercars Australia is fantatsic.

Managed to get to the Bathurst 1000 in 2008 while on my honeymoon.

Link: http://www.v8supercars.com.au/

V8s are terrific, I'd watch them before any other type of touring car racing now, shame about the mid season break. Still though at least Philip Island is in a few weeks!

I'd say Bathurst was incredible, its one of the races on my "to do list!"

djimi

frostie500 wrote: »

The Sprint Cup is the premier class with Nationwide at a lower level. Both series have a high crossover of drivers with Nationwide also offering younger drivers the chance to learn racing a more powerful stock car than in NASCAR's regional championships.

If your'e not very knowledgeable on it I wouldn't look to include it, at least not initially anyway, look to insure you have high quality content on the other series and watch NASCAR(or whatever your fourth choice will be) and after a while as your knowledge improves you'll be able to delve into that series in more detail

Id be inclined to disagree. If doing a topic on motorsport then Id find it hard to leave out NASCAR tbh; its probably the second biggest motorsport on the planet after F1 (or maybe even bigger; Im not sure). Plus it makes for very interesting reading.

NASCAR is actually the governing body (much like the FIA) that hosts a whole load of regional and national series across the States (it even hosts an online championship on iracing.com). Id look to just concentrate on the Cup and Nationwide series, and maybe the trucks as well for starters.

TheChrisD

Maybe rather than picking a specific sport from the types, just cover them in general?
And I'm not just saying this because I'd personally choose the IndyCar Series over F1 :pac:

Would you really want to pick one of them on rallying? Rallying globally seems to be in decline looking at the number of competitors in WRC. Or maybe choose between rallying and touring car racing?

1. F1 or IRL
2. V8 Supercars or WTCC or WRC
3. Moto GP
4. NASCAR

Grim.

Motogp
f1
LMS/ALMS
V8 Supercars

frostie500

mrmac wrote: »

I'm just starting on a web-site project, as part of a college course, and thought I'd do it on a motor sport theme.

Do you mind me asking but what is the module your'e studying and what is the scope is the project? I only ask because that could greatly change what you should do with the project. Is the content the crucial element or is the design of the site what your lecturer is looking for?

If it's for content pick whatever series you are most confident in writing about and if its design pick which ever you'll enjoy filling the content with!

mrmac

Thanks everyone for all the positive suggestions and help.
This project is my way of teaching myself more about CMS (Content Management Systems), and using Drupal. The plan is to build a web site with aggregated news, gathered using rss feeds, about the four different disciplines.

There will also be a discussion forum, a photo gallery of pics taken by members, and finally a fantasy management game, per each sport! :cool:

A fair bit of work, but I'm not working to any deadlines. I only have very basic web site skills, but I'm starting a degree in applied computers in a few weeks, and will use the site as my test pad.
This should help me put a lot of different modules into practice, PHP, CSS, Javascript as well as CMS / Databases.

So far, domain has been registered, and hosting has been arranged. Still working on a design layout, and functionality, to tie everything together.

I've been reading up some more about the Nascar Sprint Cup, and I like it!

Thanks again for everyones suggestions; I'll start off with:

F1, WRC, MotoGP & Sprint Cup.

Once I can get the four disciplines working correctly, it should be easy to add extra topics, as needed. (Famous last words!)

No doubt I'll be back asking for your advice again!

djimi

NASCAR is seriously awesome; the more you get into it the more addicted youll get

SouperComputer

What's your target audience? Surely this will determine your content?

Much as I like NASCAR, comparatively speaking its not that big outside the south of the US to be fair haha. When people say NASCAR they typically refer to Sprint Cup, but NASCAR as an org stems right down to local\regional level competition. For the most part though, Sprint (Formerly Winston), Nationwide (Formerly Busch) and Camping World Trucks (Formerly Craftman) are what people know as NASCAR.

eldercaddy

NASCAR is the most choices of almost the members here.

BoB_DoG

Of the series mentioned, I only follow Moto Gp and WSB. If your going for the most popular sports with the most fans and biggest stars, then go with Gp but for exciting racing, close championship, different guys fighting for the podium every week (as opposed to 4 guys in Gps) and much more overtaking its WSB all the way. WSB is way more exciting to watch but Moto Gp has that something special, hard to pin down.. Moto 2 is great too, so close.
Also Eugene Laverty will be right there next year with the factory Yamaha team in WSB, hes got a real shot at Gps in 2012 if he does well this season.