The 21st Century Olympic Sport: Auto Racing

Every two years the world is graced with the sporting competition known as the Olympics. Born during the Greek Empire, it has come to represent the pinnacle of athletic achievement.

During the Summer Games 26 sports are contested over the course of roughly two weeks. Each of those sports tests a particular skill set an athlete has spent years developing.

The "classical" sports such as Archery and Croquet have been supplemented with sports such as BMX in recent years. The creation of competitions like the X Games has helped to open the door to new and different sports.

In fact, one of the most enviable aspects of the Olympics is its ability to evolve with the athletic climate as the years progress.

So why is it that auto racing is so often overlooked when athletics is considered?

Does it not take years of skills to deftly pilot a Formula 1 race car around the tight turns of Monaco? Does it not takes years of skill to pilot a 3400 pound stock car in a pack of 40+ cars at 200 mph for four hours?

What about driving off road for 1000 miles in a truck which may lack windows, let alone air conditioning, through the desert?

We have witnessed drivers climb out of their cars and collapse due to sheer exhaustion upon the completion of a race.

If that does not demonstrate athletic ability, it is debatable if an accurate description exists of the word.

Futhermore, driving a car around a half mile track with 36 degrees of banking or flying around a 180 degree turn on a track in the middle of the woods tests not only physical skill, but mental tenacity.

So why is it that auto racing is so often overlooked when the Olympics are considered?

Surely there is a way to test various drivers abilities on a common field. The Race of Champions has laid the groundwork for just that.

It would, perhaps, have to be a triathlon type event testing multiple auto racing disciplines. Or you could sub-divide it into skills test such as a NHRA-type reaction time events, testing a drivers abilities to their fullest.

Auto racing is one of the biggest sports in the world, yet is never considered in the same breath as classical sports.

Yes, an automobile is involved, but think of it as an extension of the athlete in question. In Badminton you have to control only a racket, something which acts but almost never reacts.

An automobile, on the other hand, reacts to almost any input and the athlete in question must know when and how to adjust for it. It adds a degree of difficulty that you find in no other sport.

How thrilling would it be to see drivers like Jimmie Johnson, Lewis Hamilton, and Sébastien Loeb banging door to door in the last 100 meters for the gold medal. No other Olympic sport could claim such a thrilling fight to the finish.

So why is it that auto racing is not in the Olympics?

Does anyone have a clear answer?