Motorsports are exhilarating and exciting to watch, allowing car and bike enthusiasts to see the best vehicles and drivers on the planet compete against each other. But which Motorsports are the most popular in the UK? We have conducted keyword research to discover the most searched for Motorsports in the UK and here is what we found:
Keyword analysis using KWFinder to discover the most popular Motorsports in the UK based on average monthly search volumes.
Formula 1
Unsurprisingly, Formula 1 is by far the most popular Motorsport in the UK, generating an average of 815,000 searches per month in the UK alone. The racing series consisting of 20 drivers and 10 teams began in 1950, and the worldwide viewing statistics in 2020 reached 433 million viewers of the sport. The most popular driver, Lewis Hamilton has 385,000 searches per month, which is more searches than the other nine most popular Motorsports on this list combined.
Moto GP
The second most popular and the most popular biking race series in the UK is the MotoGP, amassing 187,000 searches on average each month in the UK. The pinnacle of road bike racing consists of both 2-stroke bikes of up to 500 cc and 4-stroke bikes of up to 990 cc competing against each other. Popular rider, Valentino Rossi, generates an average of 43,700 searches per month in the UK which is more than any of the races on this list other than the MotoGP and the F1. A recent study from MotoNation showed that while less popular than Formula 1, Moto GP viewers watched twice as much racing screen time.
Nascar
Claiming third place is Nascar, with 37,400 average searches per month which is substantial as the sport is predominantly popular in America. The majority of Nascar races are on an oval or D-shaped track with only left turns, allowing fans that are present to see more of the action as they can regularly see the whole track. One of the most popular Nascar races is the Daytona-500, which consists of 200 laps of the 2.5 mile long track (500 miles in total) held in Florida. The Daytona-500 took place in February this year and generated 22,200 searches in February in the UK alone (average 3700 searches per month in a 12 month period).
Formula E
The electric version of the Formula 1 is the fourth most searched race series in the UK, generating 27900 average searches per month. Formula E tends to have a much younger audience than Formula 1 and races can be greatly affected by fans using the “Fan Boost”. The Fan Boost allows fans to vote for their favourite driver and if the driver is in the top 3 for number of votes, they receive a “Fan Boost”, providing them with extra power to the car batteries for 5 seconds.
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 hours of Le Mans is also a very popular race in the UK. With an average of 27,000 searches per month, the racing series sees drivers compete for 24 hours and it is the ultimate test of endurance of both the drivers and the cars. Originally, the French race was set up for car manufacturers to test the quality of their cars in 1923, but since then, it has become one of the most prestigious and entertaining races in the world.
Drag Racing
Drag racing is searched 22,800 times per month in the UK and while it may not be a specific race or racing series, the popularity in the UK meant we had to include it on our list. Drag Racing is the ultimate test of speed, with usually two drivers of either motorbikes or automobiles with a straight race to the finish line, no bends or corners.
Isle Of Man TT
Coming in 7th place with 17,000 monthly searches is the Isle Of Man TT which is a prestigious road race, featuring motorbikes that can reach a top speed of 200mph on the winding streets of the Isle Of Man. The first race took place in 1907 and has run ever since, featuring the most talented motorcyclists on the planet. This race is not for the faint hearted as it is dubbed the “most dangerous bike race on the planet” by many biking enthusiasts.
MotoCross
Motocross is a bike race on rough terrain, where bikers utilise jumps and berms and the terrain is constantly changing. Race courses are between 1 and 3 miles long and no two courses are alike due to the ever changing terrain, making the sport very demanding for riders as it requires a large amount of skill. The sport generated 14,600 searches per month in the last 12 months in the UK.
WRC (World Rally Championship)
The World Rally Championship (WRC) averages 14,500 searches per month in the UK making it the eighth most popular Motosport that we discovered. It was established in 1973 and is spread across 13 rallies, covering six continents and 15 countries. Drivers and their cars must overcome the toughest terrains including snow, sand, forests, rocky mountains and more, testing both the drivers and the cars to their limits. The winners of the races are based on the time it takes to complete each section, with only one driver competing in each section at a given time. The driver with the lowest time becomes the winner of the race.
Formula 2
The second tier of the Formula 1 is the tenth most popular Motorsport in the UK with 10,600 searches per month. Similar in format to the Formula 1, the Formula 2 races the same courses and on the same weekends as F1 races. However, all F2 cars must be on a level playing field and they are significantly slower than their first division counterparts. If performing well in the F2, drivers are regularly scouted to F1 teams to show their worth in the biggest races on the planet. The Formula 3 and Formula 4 are even lower divisions but didn’t make the list in terms of search volumes with 3,800 and 1,400 searches each month respectively.
Summary: The UKs Favourite Motorsports 2021
To conclude, Formula 1 is by far the most popular Motorsport in the UK and in terms of Motorbike racing, MotoGP is miles ahead of the competition. However, we hope this article has opened your eyes to other popular Motorsports and what makes them so exciting and thrilling. We recommend giving all the sports listed a watch as they are all thrilling in their own way.
