there are lots and lots of free racing games. most of them are dire, some are nice and a few are excellent. some of you guys may know these games, but some may not so i leave here the links to some of them. have fun.

TORCS
this game is odd. it has an average playability and not-so-good graphics (although they're 3D). it has a few cars in it, including Patwoo Design Rally cars made for NFS4 (the elders of the NFS community might remember those) so there is the possibility to port NFS4 cars to TORCS, but don't ask me how 'cos i don't know. i tried it and found it average, yet it's free and is still worth a look. try it! you may actually like it.

screenshot:
http://torcs.sourceforge.net/images/screen-shots/patwo1.jpg

URL:
http://torcs.sourceforge.net

netKar
now this... this was a huge suprise! don't let the somewhat crappy name put you away! i would never dare to think that a freeware game could be this great! made by Stefano "Kunos" Casillo (an italian guy, i think...), this is a pure gem! i'm in love with it. you see? this is the sort of thing that i like. i like this game way more than i like NFS:Underground (the kids are gonna hate me for saying that).
it clearly shows that Stefano loves racing. and it also shows that Stefano loves us (for what ever reason would he share FOR FREE such a magnificent game if he didn't love us?)
althoguh this is a pure simulation, it's still fun to play as a simple stress relieve. but, i highly recomend the use of an analog steeringwheel, because it will play like crap if you use any digital means of control (keyboard included). it would be a crime to play this game without a steeringwheel anyway, so it's all good.
it features cars like the JGTC Toyota Supra, the Ferrari 250GTO, the Ferrari 360 Modena, the New Mini, a Formula Renault car, a Formula 3000 car, Pagani Zonda, etc.... all excellently modeled and presented in some very nice fully rendered 3D. it has a limited number of tracks (3) but still it won't take away the amazingness of this game. i spend two hours just driving the Modena through the Croft track and it felt like just a couple of minutes (it appears that Einstein was right. time is relative indeed and it flies when we're doing something we love).
it has multiplayer abilities, you can challenge friends on-line. i haven't tried it, but the ability is there.
the sound is magnificent (just listen to the turbo hiss on the JGTC Toyota Supra) and, like the cherry on top of a cake, it completes a very pleasent package.
if i had to point something bad to this game, it would be the lack of AI. that's right, the only mode available is "Time Challenge" where you race around the track alone. if you want to race with company, i guess you have to play on-line with some friends. but be that as it may, this game is just in beta stages (it's currently version 0.9.6). it may recieve more cars and tracks in future versions and, of course, AI! i can't wait for version 0.9.7!!!

screenshots:
http://www.bigblockdesign.com/netkar/8screen1.jpg
http://www.nkzone.com/public/nkzone/imageszone/nkscreens/099_preview/2.jpg
click here to see another pic -> http://www.nkzone.com/public/nkzone/imageszone/nkscreens/099beta/nk5.jpg (it's a big pic)

URL:
www.nkzone.com

GeneRally
i've spoken about this game a few days before the server HD crash but got no feedback on it. as i said before, its a 2D/3D overhead (somewhat) racing game with lot's of add-on cars and even lot's more add-on tracks. i have 100 cars, 100 tracks and 100 AI drivers on my personal copy. i understand that it may not appeal to everyone, but older guys that played "Super Sprit" in the arcades or on the Spectrum, drove "Super Skidmarks" on the Amiga or "Micro Machines" on the GameBoy sure will appreciate this completely free and action packed gem. i love it!

screenshot:
http://generally.racesimcentral.com/images/game.gif

URL:
http://generally.racesimcentral.com

RACER
well... most of you know this already, but i coundn't pass on the opportunity to mention it. it's a very promissing game that features excellent features. it's a simulation, not an arcade game. i found it to be little "user friendly" and somewhat buggy. it's utterly slow on low-end computers (like mine) and it demands a fast graphic card (and it's not too keen on ATI cards, i'm affraid to say...). never-the-less, this game features some of the best add-on cars ever made and has also a number of add-on tracks that will keep you bussy for a long time. nice game, if you have the hardware to back it up. but, like netKar, i would strongly recommend a steeringwheel. playing this with keyboard or digital joypad will take most of the possible fun away.

screenshot:
http://www.racer.nl/images/fp4_1.jpg

URL:
http://www.racer.nl

This should come in handy PP, thanks for posting it. if only i could find my netKar :angry:

good post. this shows that good game don't have to be 50 euro. i've been playing Racer and NetKar for some time now, and they're still on my hard disk. i've never tried that 1st game.

Thanks for this post PP :D I just DL'd netkar, so far i like it more than racer. It is quite possibly even better than some retail race games available for PC. Given enough time, I think this game could rival some of the "best" games.

iv found an other kewl free racing game
Track Mainiahttp://www.trackmania-lejeu.com/communaute/img/tm_maps_skins.jpg
its a game where you have to creat your one tracks and race them at high speeds http://www.trackmania.com/demobeta and a cheat for it and other games

found a few more, not as good as the previous ones, but hey... they're free!

Dunlop Drivers Cup 2002
neat little game. the graphics aren't top notch but are D3D and "good enough" for me. gameplay (which is what i really appreciate in a game) is OK and can even be kind of fun (for a short while) if you have an analog steering wheel. the game lacks those fancy stuff such as Force Feedback but it compensates by having good cameras (it includes the dashboard view, the one i always favour when i'm playing with my wheel) and it has fairly interesting physics (bare in mind that this is NOT a profissional game). you run around a track in the australian outback. the track is neat and full of nice touches. i reckon it's not gonna keep you busy for long (it gets repetitive quite fast) but it's still worth the download.

screenshot:
http://www.soft-ware.net/layout/screen/klein/d/dunlopDriversCup.gif

download:
here (http://www.soft-ware.net/spiele/sport/download.asp?code=bibjbb&pro=p03709&js=true&flvers=5&lang=pt&alt=false&sw=800&sh=600&br=IE&vers=6)

Light Driver
arcady speed thing. it's the best way to describe this. you drive (very fast) through an asphalted road filled with obstacles which vary from logs to traffic vehicles. the action happens during night time so your car has the headlights turned on (ence the game's name. strange, that...). the only camera available is the dashview. you can choose your means of control (keyboard or joystick) but the configuration is not very user friendly. the driving is too arcade to appeal to me, it's definitly NOT my cup of tea, still... it's free!

screenshot:
http://plnehry.cz/obrazek/lightdriver1_th.jpg

download:
here (http://www.lightdriver.com/en/download.html)

Downhill Pakoon 2
this is not really a racing game, it reminds me more of those "Snowboard Downhill" games with infinite-auto-generation terrain. but, this game replaces the usual "blokes with snowboards on their feet" with cars. you have several cars to choose from. they're 3D and, despite being simply modeled, they look suprisingly OK. you can choose cars so different as a Citroën 2CV (a historical car, don't mock it! i'm warning you.) or a Lamborghini Diablo. somewhere in the middle, you have the monumental Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, and by that alone, this game has earned a few extra marks. (:)) it has several cameras to choose from (no dashview this time) and the controls are configurable.
try it, you may actually like it.

screenshot:
http://www.atcybertopia.com/news/media/images/ss/ss139.jpg

download:
here (http://www.pakoon.com/download.html)