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The 5 most spectacular motorsport night races
Does motorsport just look cooler at night? These races certainly argue the case.
Racing at night is nothing new in the likes of endurance racing, but it has now been introduced in a whole host of motorsport series, even ones without headlights.
Night racing allows events to be run in cooler temperatures, it provides a new challenge for the competitors and, maybe most importantly, they just look really, really freaking cool!
RedBull.com takes a look at five of motorsport's best night races.
Formula One Singapore Grand Prix
The stunning Marina Bay street circuit
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
Under the lights
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
The start of the 2014 Singapore Grand Prix
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
For years Formula One had been planning a night race, but in 2008 Bernie Ecclestone’s vision became a reality with the Singapore Grand Prix.
The first ever F1 night race, around the streets of Marina Bay, was a huge success providing a stunning backdrop to a thrilling race, even if the race is now best remembered for the controversial Crashgate fiasco.
Years later the Singapore Grand Prix still provides a unique challenge for the drivers and is often talked about as the toughest race on the calendar, due to the challenging circuit, the hot climate and the length of the race, which often hits the two-hour limit.
MotoGP Qatar
The circuit from the air, and the stats
© Estudio Milagro/DPPI/Pablo Bueno
In the same year that Formula One hosted its first ever night race, MotoGP did the same, with the Qatar Grand Prix taking place under the spotlights for the opening round of the 2008 season.
The Losail International Circuit had been part of the calendar since 2004, but the running of the race at night increased TV viewership and helped decrease the number of accidents and failures due to the extreme heat, with the pre-2008 races being notorious bike breakers.
MXGP Qatar
Motocross under the lights
© Ray Archer/KTM/Red Bull Content Pool
The Losail International Circuit would also play host to the inaugural night race for the Motocross World Championship and the first time the FIM series visited the Middle East.
The venue hosted the opening round of the 2013 MXGP season, with the race under spotlights becoming a unique addition to the championship calendar.
Le Mans 24 Hours
3 min
Animated history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans
Get up to speed with the iconic Le Mans 24-Hour with this animated history narrated by Mark Webber.
There’s plenty of impressive night races in endurance racing but nothing quite compares to the Le Mans 24 Hours, one of motorsport’s blue-ribbon events that has taken place annually since 1923.
The race may begin in front of some 200,000 spectators in broad daylight, but when the sun sets the drivers really earn their money, tackling the fearsome Circuit de la Sarthe – which is tough enough in daylight – in almost total darkness.
Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Abu Dhabi is F1's only twilight race
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
Nothing quite compares to Le Mans when it comes to the transition from day to night, but Formula One does come close with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina.
First run in 2009 as Formula One’s inaugural ‘twilight race,’ the event begins at dusk, at 5pm local time, and ends in darkness under the floodlights, making it a truly special race on the F1 calendar.
