Racing is an adversarial sport. Without rivalry, racing isn’t much more than cars going around in circles. We watch to see people fight for position and work out their personal disagreements on the track. Racing happens on the track, but rivalries begin off track. Moments where enemies go two-wide into a corner or a championship boils down to the last race between two drivers makes us sit on the edge of our seats. To continue our celebration of all things motorsport, we’ve compiled a list of the five greatest motorsport rivalries in history.

5) Richard Petty & David Pearson – NASCAR

Royalty vs newcomer. Respect vs anger. Ford vs Mopar. A dramatic finish. The legendary rivalry between Richard Petty and David Pearson caught national attention and fueled the still-standing rivalry between the two American automotive giants. The son of three-time NASCAR Grand National Champion, Richard Petty already had the crowd’s attention when he entered in 1958. Since then, he’s amassed 200 race wins, 712 top ten finishes, and 123 pole positions. The Petty name still stands on some more NASCAR records than any other.

David Pearson was almost the perfect antihero to Richard Petty. Born into a family with no racing roots, Pearson entered his first NASCAR race with his own car that he purchased with help from his dad. Within his first year, Pearson already achieved a pole and a season-best finish of second. For this, he was named Rookie of the Year in 1960. Ever since Pearson’s inaugural race in 1960, one year after Petty began, the two were locked into a battle that was highlighted by possibly the most dramatic race finish of all time.

4) Subaru & Mitsubishi – WRC

By far the most iconic rivalry in WRC, the prolonged battle between the Subaru WRX and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution is still being carried on by fans across the globe. If you’ve ever been to a car meet, you’re guaranteed to hear at least one argument about the STi vs Evo. In almost every argument, the topic of WRC comes up. It’s understandable how these two could become such furious rivals. Both cars cost about the same, have four doors, AWD systems, turbocharged four-cylinder engines, and were built on consumer car chassis. The two Japanese auto giants even entered WRC in the same year; 1992. This rivalry fuels much debate even today, and has even evolved onto concrete racetracks.

3) Niki Lauda & James Hunt – Formula One

You probably already know about the Rivalry between Niki Lauda and the late James Hunt thank’s to the critically-acclaimed film Rush. Rush, arguably one of the greatest racing movies of all time, went to extreme lengths to ensure historical accuracy. Their rivalry began in Formula 3 where, like Petty and Pearson, Hunt and Lauda were almost polar opposites. Niki was a perfectionist who was driven by a desire to be the best. Hunt was a playboy who enjoyed the thrill but was spurred on a desire to beat Niki. Their rivalry went all the way to Formula One, and eventually led to Lauda’s infamous crash at the Nurburgring in 1976.

Even today, their battles with each other stand as one of the most iconic examples of two foes driving each other to the ragged edge. It’s entirely possible that neither Lauda nor Hunt would have become world champions if they hadn’t wanted to best each other so much.

2) Ford & Ferrari – Le Mans

While Ford vs Ferrari might seem like an odd pair of foes at first, their history fueled the production of some of the greatest racing cars of all time. It all began when Enzo Ferrari realized his company was in desperate need of financial help. Ford began talks with the Italian racing outfit and sports car manufacturer to buy them. When Enzo sat down with the Americans to hear their offer, Ford stated they wanted to take control of Ferrari’s racing efforts as well. Enzo could never part with his racing team, and proceeded to tear the contract up in front of the Ford executives.

When they returned from Italy without a deal, Henry Ford II supposedly told them to “go to Le Mans and beat his ass”. Roy Lunn, a British engineer was paired with Don Frey, a Ford exec, and set about creating a mid-engined sports car that would “neutralize the Corvette image”. The two went to Lola and acquired an aluminum chassis made for rear-engine race cars and proceeded to stuff a Ford V8 in the back. Their first prototype, the GT/101, had a fairly unsuccessful beginning after discovering it was stricken with stability issues. The GT40 team was then handed over to American racing legend Carrol Shelby (yes, THAT Shelby). And the rest is history.

The GT40 slowly improved at the hands of Carrol Shelby, and by 1966, it was ready for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ford ran an absolutely dominant race, and finished with their famous 1-2-3 thanks to drivers Chris Amon, Bruce McLaren (yes, THAT McLaren), and Ken Miles. They were so dominant that race officials asked them to reduce their lap times. After the legendary win, the GT40 continued to race thanks, just not under the name of Ford. It continued to prove itself time and time again, especially in 1969 when Jacky Ickx beat the legendary Porsche 917 by about 120m. The story of the GT40 is a true example of David beating Goliath.

1) Ayrton Senna & Alain Prost – Formula One

You know the name. Senna. There are few Formula One fans and drivers alike that don’t believe Senna is one of the all-time greatest drivers. Even Michael Schumacher, holder of more championship titles than any driver, agrees. The Brazilian national hero amassed 41 race wins and three world championships during his storied 10-year racing career. He began in Karting, where he gained a reputation for making aggressive maneuvers, and pulling them off.

Senna began his Formula One career in 1983 when he was offered contracts from Lotus, McLaren, and Brabham but opted to sign with back-marker team Toleman. His first season was marred by reliability issues until the San Marino Grand Prix. Senna began the wet race in 13th place, but made his way into second by lap 19. He quickly began closing the gap between McLaren’s Alain Prost by about 4 seconds a lap. Unfortunately, Senna never didn’t get his first race win as the race was stopped early due to weather conditions. And so the rivalry began.

While it was certain that both recognized each other’s talent and ability, there was obvious bad blood between them. When Senna signed with McLaren, the dominant team at the time, Prost became his teammate. It was never a recipe for success, having sworn enemies work as teammates. They frequently ran into each other. One such incident resulted in Senna clinching the championship title. For years, the pair captivated audiences and made racing exciting.

Today, Ayrton Senna is recognized as one of Brazil’s greatest heroes. His legacy and rivalry with Prost stands as one of the greatest, if not THE greatest, in racing history. It may be decades before we see another driver quite like Senna. Drivers today may never be comparable thanks to technological innovations.

Of course, there are other racing rivalries that we’ve missed. What do you think is the greatest rivalry in motorsport? Do you think we missed anything on our list?