Motorsports are just fantastic examples of human engineering and courage. From speeding on highways and water to shifting gears on racing circuits, these machines take the concept of high speed and technology to the next level. Here are 20 of the fastest motorsports and their highest recorded top speeds.
20. Electric Racing Kart — 101.3 mph (163 km/h)
A breakthrough event for sustainable racing was held in Gotlandring, Sweden, in 2023. This venue served as the stage for achieving a new milestone: the world record for the fastest e-racing kart in the commercial market. The kart, driven by Swedish Go-Kart driver Leo Obrant, achieved a top speed of 101. 3 mph ( 163 km/h).
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19. World Rally Championship (WRC) — 118 mph (190 km/h)
The World Rally Championship (WRC) cars are designed specifically for high speed and performance on different surfaces. Kris Meeke won the 2016 Rally Finland, which turned out to be the fastest rally in the championship, with an average speed of 78.7 mph (126,62 km/h). Their top speeds are limited to 190 km/h due to safety concerns.
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18. Isle of Man TT Superbike— 135 mph (322 km/h)
The Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy) is a motorcycle race in which riders try to compete on a narrow, dangerous track. During the 2023 Superbike race, Peter Hickman reached the top speed of 200 mph (322 km/h) during the Superbike event.
17. V8 Supercars — 186 mph (300 km/h)
The Australian Supercars are front-wheel driven, V8-engined cars derived from production cars. The Bathurst 1000, the championship’s flagship race, experienced the lap record being smashed by James Golding in a record of 1m59.838s with a top speed of around 186 mph (300 km/h) in 2022.
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16. NASCAR — 212 mph (341 km/h)
Bill Elliott established the NASCAR top speed record during qualifying in 1987 at Talladega Superspeedway with a speed of 212 mph (341 km/h).
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15. MotoGP — 225.9 mph (363.6 km/h)
The fastest speed recorded in MotoGP was set by Jorge Martín in the Pramac Racing Ducati, reaching a speed of 226 mph (363,6 km/h) in the 2022 Italian Grand Prix at Mugello.
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14. Formula 1 — 234 mph (376 km/h)
The current record speed of a Formula 1 car in a race is 234 mph 376 km/h, as driven by Valtteri Bottas in the Mercedes W11 in the 2016 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
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13. IndyCar — 241 mph (388 km/h)
The maximum speed of IndyCar racing is 241 mph (388 kmh), achieved by Gil de Ferran in the 2000 Indy 500, at the Auto Club Speedway in California.
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12. Le Mans Prototype (WM-P88) — 252 mph (405 km/h)
The Le Mans Prototype class set amazing overall speed with the Peugeot 2.8 V6 Turbo engine, which hit a top speed of 251 mph ( 405 km/h) at the Circuit de la Sarthe in 1988, driven by Roger Dorchy.
11. Electric Motorcycle (Voxan Wattman) — 254 mph (408 km/h)
Piloted by the six-time motorcycle racing world champion, Max Biaggi, this electric motorcycle became the fastest electric motorcycle in November 2020.
10. Red Bull Air Race — 265 mph (426 km/h)
In the Red Bull Air Race, specially built for racing aircraft can reach speeds of up to 265 mph (426 km/h), with the added challenge of weaving through obstacles.
9. Koenigsegg Agera RS — 277.87 mph (447.19 km/h)
In November 2017, the Koenigsegg Agera RS hit quite an impressive speed of 277,87 mph (447,19 km/h) on a highway in Nevada, USA. This enabled it to be named the world’s fastest production car at the time of its release before the record set by the Agera RS was broken by the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+.
8. SSC Tuatara — 295 mph (475 km/h)
Larry Caplin’s Tuatara achieved top one-way speed of 295 mph (475 km/h) across 2.3 miles (3.7 km) at Space Florida on May 14, 2022. This was confirmed after using speed measurement systems: Racelogic VBOX GNSS and Life Racing GPS together with a Racelogic technician.
7. Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+—304 mph (490 km/h)
The Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ became the world’s first hypercar capable of steering at speed in excess of 300 mph. It attained a top speed of 304 mph (490 km/h) in 2019 at Volkswagen’s test facility in Ehra-Lessien, Germany.
6. Hydroplane Racing — 317.6 mph (511 km/h)
Ken Warby, in the Spirit of Australia in 1978, clocked 317.6 mph (511 km/h) on the waters of Blowering Dam in Australia. This set a world water speed record that has not been beaten to this date.
5. Top Fuel Dragster — 338 mph (539 km/h)
The NHRA’s Top Fuel Dragsters are currently the quickest accelerating vehicles and get to 338 mph (539 kmh) in merely 3.7 seconds after traveling up to one-quarter mile. The current world record holder is Brittany Force, achieved in 2022.
4. Electric Car (Venturi Buckeye Bullet 3) — 341 mph (549 km/h)
The Venturi VBB-3 has the electric land speed world record of 341 mph (549 km/h) set at Bonneville in 2016. This electric vehicle is a fine example of the top speed of electric propulsion.
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3. FIM World Motorcycle Speed Record — 376.363 mph (605.697 km/h)
This unique vehicle is called the Ack Attack and it was created to break the two-wheel FIM Land Speed World Record, which at the moment is 376, 363 mph (605,697km/h), set at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 2010 with rider Rocky Robinson.
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2. Bloodhound LSR — 628 mph (1,010 km/h)
A jet-powered car named Bloodhound LSR set a record for the fastest car in November 2019 and achieved 628 mph (1,010 kmh) in South Africa. According to the team, it has not achieved its maximum speed potential yet.
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1. Thrust SSC—763 mph (1,228 km/h)
Thrust SSC, the SuperSonic Car, is at present the official holder of the world record for the fastest land vehicle that achieved a speed of 763 mph (1,228 kmh) over one mile (1.6 km). Driven by Andrew Greenwood, it was the first car to attain supersonic speed on the earth on 15 October 1997 at Black Rock Desert, Nevada.