Here is my theory as to why races tend to be run counter-clockwise:
Those of us with left to right written language like to see things move left to right. When a race is run counter-clockwise, the near side of the track moves left to right, and we are pleased. Knobs tend to move clockwise because we look at them from above. Therefore when they move clockwise, the near side is moving left to right.
Anyone know if any of these things are often reversed in countries with right to left language?
Referring to Classic Column: http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_113b.html
It is appropriate to bring this topic up now, as this classic column is being run today on the site. However I should mention that it has been discussed in the past on the MB, so you might want to check back and see if you can find the earlier thread if you’re interested.
There was quite an exhaustive discussion of this about a month ago here. Quite simply, the example of British racing, which runs clockwise for horses and cars, makes this hypothesis unlikely to be accurate.