The following is an overview of the events of 2012 in motorsport including the major racing events, motorsport venues that were opened and closed during a year, championships and non-championship events that were established and disestablished in a year, and births and deaths of racing drivers and other motorsport people.
The calendar includes only annual major non-championship events or annual events that had significance separate from the championship. For the dates of the championship events see related season articles.
| Date | Event | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| 1–15 January | 34th Dakar Rally | [1] |
| 28–29 January | 50th 24 Hours of Daytona | [2] |
| 27–28 February | 54th Daytona 500 | [3] |
| 19–20 May | 40th 24 Hours of Nurburgring | [4] |
| 27 May | 70th Monaco Grand Prix | [5] |
| 27 May | 96th Indianapolis 500 | [6] |
| 26 May-9 June | 94th Isle of Man TT | [7] |
| 16–17 June | 80th 24 Hours of Le Mans | [8] |
| 15 July | 22nd Masters of Formula 3 | [9] |
| 28–29 July | 64th 24 Hours of Spa | [10] |
| 29 July | 35th Suzuka 8 Hours | [11] |
| 7 October | 55th Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 | [12] |
| 18 November | 59th Macau Grand Prix | [13] |
| 15–16 December | 25th Race of Champions | [14] |
| Last race | Championship | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| 30 September | FIA Formula Two Championship | [15] |
| Date | Month | Name | Age | Nationality | Occupation | Note | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 | February | Anders Kulläng | 68 | Swedish | Rally driver | 1980 Swedish Rally winner. | [16] |
| 29 | March | Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins | 81 | American | Drag racer | ||
| 10 | May | Carroll Shelby | 89 | American | Automotive designer and racing driver | 24 Hours of Le Mans winner (1959). | [17] |
| 31 | Paul Pietsch | 100 | German | Racing driver | The first German Formula One driver. | [18] | |
| 3 | June | Roy Salvadori | 90 | British | Racing driver | 24 Hours of Le Mans winner (1959). | [19] |