Nine Great Motorsports Documentaries You Need to Watch

If you love motorsports, you owe it to yourself to learn more about the history and the people that define it. These nine films are guaranteed to inform and entertain.

From the good old days of Speedvision, this series features motorsports historian extraordinaire Alain de Cadenent explaining the racing history of numerous legendary automakers. Only a handful of episodes are available on YouTube, but if you love European and American race cars, this series is a must-watch.

This Steve McQueen-produced documentary is heralded as one of the greatest films on motorcycles ever made. It profiles various riders and competitions to give the audience a complete picture of the world of off-road motorcycle racing in its 1960s heyday.

This 1983 film profiles motorcycle racer Joey Dunlop and his dominant, V4-powered Honda bike. It's worth watching for the incredible point-of-view footage of the Isle of Man TT alone.

Gordon Murray is a towering figure in automotive engineering. This well-produced BBC documentary tells the story of Murray's greatest racing cars, and of course, the McLaren F1 road car. It also details his efforts to build an affordable city car using his new iStream construction method.

Ayrton Senna was one of F1's greatest talents, but also one of its most complex figures. With a treasure trove of historic footage and contemporary interviews with those who knew him, Senna is a compelling watch for anyone, not just racing fans.

Recently re-released, this Roman Polanski film captures F1 legend Jackie Stewart at his casual best over the course of the 1971 Monaco Grand Prix. A fascinating look at the Flying Scotsman during F1's most glamorous era.

Actor Idris Elba is a huge motorsports enthusiast, with a British land-speed world record to his name. His multi-part series, King of Speed, is a must-watch. He races motorcycles, rally cars, and even a Bentley Continental GT, setting a world record in the process.

Rallying is one of the most interesting forms of motorsports in existence, because it's so radically different from any other type of racing. Easier Said Than Done captures the difficulty of competition and the cult following that surrounds it.

The Baja 1000 is a race unburdened by sanity, and Dust to Glory does an incredible job of doing it justice. The film is as huge in scope as the race itself.