International Racing Federation

The International Racing Federation (IRF) is a voluntary association that governs both the operation of numerous racing series globally as well as representing the interests of motorists, vehicle manufacturers, and road safety around the globe; though it is much better known publicly for its activities as the former. As an international organization, the IRF maintains offices in 39 countries worldwide with a rotating headquarters.

The IRF is best known for the Relay Circuit Motorsport series and Stock Racing series, which it administrates, licenses, and arbitrates. In addition to its oversight of racing and advocacy for numerous issues, the IRF also has international administration over the certification of land speed record attempts. The IRF has recognition as a sporting association from a majority of other international sporting associations.

History
The International Racing Federation (IRF) was founded at the beginning of the 20th century explicitly to govern international automobile races. The beginning of automobile racing ultimately began with the invention of the automobile as even the earliest models of motor vehicles competed for top speeds. Professional motorsports briefly preceded the advent of commercial cars, and competitions quickly expanded beyond national borders necessitating standardization or at the very least oversight. The IRF would fulfill this role, though it remains and has always been a voluntary federation. No national or international laws mandate the management or rulings of the IRF in any particular competition. The IRF's first role in motorsports was simply to assure the safety of both tracks and vehicles involved in races. It wasn't until the 1920s that the IRF also began to regulate prizes and wins through the control of prize money and the standardization of point attribution for every race. In the early days of motorsports, when there were few if any distinctions between stock cars and open-wheeled racecars, the IRF counted points from all categories toward a single World Drivers Championship even if the races were in different types, including rally racing, hillclimbing, endurance racing, oval racing, and grand prix circuit racing. In this era, a driver who would compete in every single IRF-governed event would be the exception, and events could even coincide. It wouldn't be until 1950 that the IRF would separate categories between stock racing, grand prix racing, and endurance racing, each with separate championships, standardized regulations for the series rather than per race, and set calendars. In 1999, the IRF acquired and merged the International Motorcycle Racing Federation (IMRF) into its existing organization and began administering the Moto Racing series as the IMRF had since 1949. All current records and standards in the 50 years before the IRF's acquisition have been maintained by the newer administration.

Relay Circuit Motorsport
Relay Circuit Motorsport, also known as Relay Circuit racing, is the name given to the open-wheeled category of races governed by the IRF. There are five divisions of races, Division I-V.

Division I, also known as R1, is the most prestigious and competitive. R1 cars are the fastest regulated road-course racing cars in the world, drivers must have a valid Super License, and it is the most expensive sports league in the world.

R2 is the penultimate step in the motorsport career and is designed to make racing relatively affordable for the teams and to make it an ideal training ground for R1. R2 has made it mandatory for all groups to use the same chassis, engine, and tire supplier, so that actual driver ability is reflected. While significantly slower than R1, the R2 championship cars are, on average, 15% faster than most other circuit racing vehicles.

R3-R5 are known as the junior league of R1 and R2, but they form an essential step for many prospective R1 drivers.

First held in 1949, the R1 Grand Prix Series is the oldest continuous racing series in the world. Held biannually from March to November, the calendar tours the globe over sixteen events. Races are stored on a variety of circuits with varying conditions. This creates diverse experiences and challenges for drivers and fans each race weekend for the duration of each series. One of the fastest series in the world, the open-wheeled cars may be outdone in a straight line by other vehicles, but carry immense speed into corners and can lap a circuit faster than any other. Vehicles in Grand Prix Racing may reach speeds as quickly as 380 km/h (236 mi/h). The series is the highest level of open-wheeled racing and is considered one of the most prestigious sports around the world. With a global audience, thousands of fans attend events in person while others watch television feeds translated into approximately a dozen languages. The cumulative live viewership of the 2030 season surpassed 60 billion.

Placement Points Value
2025 Technical Specifications
 * Engine (majors) 2-litre V6 turbocharged engine and two Energy Recovery Systems (ERS) with ~800 hp.
 * Exhaust: Single exhaust with a central exit
 * Intake: Variable length intake system
 * Chassis
 * Fuel capacity: 150 L; according to IRF Grand Prix Racing regulations, 100 kg of fuel is equivalent to 130–140 L per race
 * Gearbox: 8-speed, fixed ratio
 * Front downforce wing: Maximum width of wing increased from 1,700 mm to 1,950 mm
 * Rear downforce wing: Shallower rear wing flap
 * Car weight: Minimum weight increased by 49 kg, up from 602 kg to 651 kg
 * Length: Minimum of 5,000 mm and maximum of 5,200 (in event of a "photo finish" the steering wheel is the point of reference for crossing the line rather than the nose)
 * Height: Nose and chassis height reduced (the height of the chassis has been reduced from 625 mm to 525 mm, whilst the height of the nose has been dramatically slashed from 550 mm to 185 mm).

Stock Racing
The Stock Series governed by the IRF is a stock car racing series. Stock Series races are held on oval counter-clockwise tracks. These races can prove highly technical and physically demanding on the drivers due to consistent high speeds and the length of the races which demand endurance on the part of the driver and his or her team.

Championship points
Championships for each IRF series are granted both to drivers and constructors. Winning a championship follows a standardized system across all series governed by the IRF. Point are accumulated according to the finishing place of a driver in each race. Constructors accumulate points for both of their drivers while all drivers compete with each other regardless of team relationships. In the event that a race is ended before 75% of the race distance is covered, half points will be awarded according to the places at the time the race was ended. If the race fails to run 50% of the full length, no points will be awarded for that race. Attribution of points has changed several times over the the decades of the IRF's history, but currently follows the pattern below to the right:

Super Licensing
Competing in any of the top level racing series governed by the IRF requires the granting of a super license. Super licenses are granted after the accumulation of points through various national and international series recognized by the IRF as feeder series. Currently, the standard to secure a super license is the accumulation of 50 points within a period of three years. Typically, achieving first, second, or third place within a junior international series will grant a full 50 points and similar results in a junior national series will grant 25 points. Lower place finishes will grant fewer points, but nevertheless count towards a super license. Regardless of the level or series in which the points were accumulated, a super license grants a driver the freedom to drive in any event in any IRF racing series so long as they have the support of a team. While exceedingly rare, driver-owned and operated teams are permitted, though potentially extremely cost prohibitive.

A super license requires a nominal renewal fee of $5,000 annually. In addition, penalty points accumulated on a super license increase the renewal fee by $2,500 per point. Penalty points may be assigned by IRF race stewards in response to especially egregious on-track violations in addition to other sanctions. Drivers who accumulate 12 penalty points within a year are subject to extreme sanctions, including possibly revocation of the license. Penalty points expire exactly one year from the date they were assigned.

Cars and technology
Specifications for vehicles within each series change frequently. The redrafting of specifications such as weight and size limits generally occur every five years in the Grand Prix Racing series and every seven years in Stock Racing. The IRF Moto Series has never gone through a complete redrafting in its history. Even so, each series will typically see two or three rule modifications every year in order to encourage innovation or to ban certain technologies which take away the reliance on the driver's ability or are unsafe.

Many technologies now common in consumer road cars have been developed in the top-level IRF series. These technologies include modern crumple zones, anti-lock braking systems, kinetic energy recovery systems, and traction control, among others.