Motorsports. Is it a sport?

Yes and no.

Yes, the racing end is a sport for both the crew and driver requiring fitness and a lot of effort.

No, collecting and touring is more of a hobby. A good day in the garage is great exercise not unlike gardening. This is how the question was offered. I answered, no.

Cheers Ron

I say not really, but even auto crossing an older car for a few minutes will give you a work out if you are any bit out of shape.

I drove with a "coach" at a PCA event with my 71 BGT, and he kept telling me to give the brakes a "little tap" A little tap, what the hell is that? How do you give an MG a little tap of the brakes, all you do is make the brake lights go on and off real quick. You need to make a quick STAB, which takes effort and costs time. I just go old school and scrub off speed in the corners, let the tires do the work. Thats not mentioning the steering. He kept telling me to try different things, but I don't think he realized how a car with no p/s or p/b can fight you!

Here's me at that particular course: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oK7VGzCrzfY

Hemingway thought so.*

• I realize that his quote is a matter of conjecture, but no one knows who Barnaby Conrad was.

I've seen it attributed to Ken Purdy, too.

he kept telling me to give the brakes a "little tap"

What he may have been wanting you to do is to transfer a little weight to front tires on turn in, not to scrub off actual speed. It's very effective.

There are a lot of "sports", including many that show up every 4 years at the Olympics, that I don't feel are really sports. Racing a vintage/classic sports car MIGHT be a sport if it was done on a fairly regular basis, but just owning and driving a collector sports car is no more a sport than owning and driving a late model Civic.

<a href="">Here's my take,

I participated in competitive athletics from grade school through collage in the Pac-10. With the exception of the of practice time required in athletics, my experience in vintage racing has required more mental stamina and physical "balance". Sure we have all seen over weight drivers, but look at any NFL offensive lineman. For me it's how you approach it and want you want to accomplish. If you are serious about your vintage racing, you will prepare yourself as well as your car.

Mattmacklind, hitting the brakes isn't always about slowing the car. The instructor most likely just wanted you to get some weight onto the front wheels to aid turn-in. One day we should do a real autocross article in Classic Motorsports. Could be fun.

I'm not sure when people lost perspective on the definition of sport, but it doesn't have to be physical.

Sport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.

So racing is a sport by definition. Now, I do not consider race car drivers to be athletes. Yes, some are, and it does require dexterity and focus. But the fact that Tony Stewart can gain 50lbs after becoming a successful driver and still win races, just stands testament that you don't have to be in great physical shape.

The way the question is worded I voted no. Owning and driving do not mean competing. If there's no stopwatch or flags involved, it ain't a sport.

Then what about drifting? (Okay, that's another can of worms.)

After reading these posts it sound like the collecting/owning part is a lifestyle choice. Ya'll chose to do things like fiddle with carbs, erect "pup tent" rag tops, etc instead of driving a three ton SUV while talking on a cellphone. The competing part sounds like it is a art, like learning t'ai chi or painting. Yes you have to be somewhat fit (except for painting maybe) but it is the mental aspect you try to master. Pun intended, its the journey not the destination. Woa, that came out a little to deep this early in the morning. Sorry.

I'm with KaptKaos (and Hemingway)

There are a lot of things out there that are called "sport" that are more "game".

The various off-road events like WRC and the Paris to Dakar events require physical and mental toughness.

ANd to me there is no question that off-road motorcycle enduro (certainly a "motorsport") is one of the most physically demanding activities I can think of.

I've run the "Meteor Enduro" and "The Sandy Lane Enduro" here in the northeast and let me tell you, I'd rather run a marathon! The six-day ISDE motorcycle is one of the most challenging events on the planet. Try doing stuff like ~THIS~ for six days.

And the Alligator Enduro down in Florida is a famously tough one (see below).

I'd also say that from my very mild, entry-level experiences that ~Flying Aerobatics~ is physically tough and requires committment...and I'd say it's a motorsport.

Basically, now that I'm old, I've "retired" to vintage car racing and very mild aerobatics...much easier!

I've done 3 hour enduros solo in my Spridget.....that is physically demanding and requires a lot of focus. I'd call that more a "sport" than a game.

I have an MGB I take to car shows after I polish the fenders. That is NOT a sport.

Having been a competitive bicycle racer for most of my adult life, since the early 1980's, I ticked "no" as the way the question is worded. If it would have said "Is owning and racing a collector car a sport?" I would have said yes.

To most people bicycling is a recreation, and, sadly, I have to say it is for me now, too. A sport, in my mind, and as was said above, has rules, regulations, competitors, and a winner.

When I did actively compete I would dedicate hours a week to training, bicycle prep, diet, and getting mentally prepared for a race. Now that it is recreation for me I go out and ride 3 to 4 times a week.

I love to watch vintage cars race. I would like to race vintage cars but I don't think I will. I love to drive and drive quickly. Is motoring a "sport" for me? No. It is recreation.

aeronca65t and I are of like mind. I've ridden a bunch of enduros and the like, it is tough and demanding and very much fits in the category of 'sport' as I define it, which is that you have to push the envelope of mind and body to even be able to complete an event.

Autocross to me is a lot less physically demanding but every bit as much mentally challenging as enduro. I've never done a sprint road race or a 3 hour enduro road race but after driving LeMons for 90 minute stints I can see where a real road race could be as physically demanding as a motorcycle race. So I consider road race a sport, autocross maybe not so much. Hillclimb falls in the sport category as well, mostly because of the much higher speeds and very real danger involved.

Restoration of a car is a hobby and a time soak which helps unwind after a day of work, it's not a sport. Polishing the J-H's fenders and sitting on a chair at the car show is nowhere near a sport. It's just a really nice low stress way to spend an afternoon.

well I know that! I'm just saying that its harder to be subtle without power brakes and steering!