Motor racing is one of the most popular activities in the world today, with some great movies and not so great films dedicated to sport.
While it doesn’t get the numbers that many other sports, such as football, basketball, and cricket get, it is hugely popular all around the world, with most major nations having at least one major motor racing event.
Competitive racing has its roots in the late 1800s, when the first car race was held in France, and managed to draw in a major crowd, as well as quite the bit of publicity.
Since then, numerous organizations have formed, with the sole purpose of sponsoring racing events. Among them, the most popular are NASCAR and Formula 1.
While NASCAR is the most popular motorsport sanctioning company in the United States, Formula 1 enjoys much greater popularity worldwide. However, events held under both of these companies absolutely dominate betting sites. For those to whom it sounds appealing, you can bet on sports on this website.
The popularity of motorsport has caught the eye of quite a few filmmakers and producers. For a long time, racing films have been made, which have attracted quite an audience, or have become cult classics in their own right. Let’s take a look at a few of the best racing movies ever made.
Death Race 2000
Death Race 2000 is a 1975, low-budget, sci-fi, racing film, which over time has become a cult classic among fans of sci-fi, horror, or just cheesy action. The film takes place in the fictionalized year of 2000, where America has fallen to a dictatorship, and violence is the main attraction.
In this world, the most popular sport, is the Death Race, a motorsport event, in which not only must the winner come in at first place, but also must kill as many people on the way as possible.
The main character, a driver named Frankenstein, is looking to win the race, and end the regime. Death Race 2000 was remade in 2008, however, the remake is not nearly as entertaining, or as memorable as the original.
Le Mans ‘66: Ford v Ferrari
Directed by James Mangold, Ford v Ferrari (or La Mans ’66) is a fictionalized telling of the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans race held in France.
American and British engineers are tasked, by Henry Ford himself, to create a machine capable of defeating the Italian Ferrari team, who have been dominating the race for most of its existence. The film stars Matt Damon, Christian Bale and a plethora of other talented actors, who all bring their A game.
The Fast and Furious Series
From Oscar-nominated films to action extraordinaire, Fast and Furious is one of the most popular action series in the world today. Going strong since 2001, The Fast and the Furious series is the story of an undercover cop, Brian O’Conner, who while on duty, becomes enamoured with the underground world of street racing.
The original film’s stars Paul Walker and Vin Diesel, though different actors have starred alongside Diesel after Paul Walker’s tragic death in 2013.