Cheering for a race

When it comes to cheering from the spectator's stand for a friend who is participating in a race, where I live has this phrase which means "add oil" if translated directly into English. Thus, for those who don't speak English very well here, they would yell out "add oil" to their friends who are in a race. I would like to know how English speakers actually say it. I have a feeling this would vary between regions and I would appreciate if anyone could suggest a few from each of the US and the UK.

Edit: Add oil has now been officially added into the Oxford Dictionary and so this question is not necessary anymore! 😊

Solution 1:

This sounds like an idiom, which generally don't translate well.

This isn't an expression used in English, in this context. I think the closest equivalents might be "get a move on" (BrEng-specific, I think) or "get the lead out" (more AmEng-specific).

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/get_a_move_on

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/get_the_lead_out

Having said that, neither of these is particularly friendly. If you just wanted to shout encouragement you could shout "Come on, <name>!"

Solution 2:

"Let's go!" or "Let's go, <team name>!" is what we say in the US to motivate the team. It is sometimes repeated as a chant.

See: Etymology of phrase "Let's Go (favorite sports team!)"

Solution 3:

I'm assuming a lot about the origin of your "add oil" idiom, but I believe in the U.S. the closest idiom matches would either be

• "grease the wheels," - loosely meaning to speed something up (which would literally apply to an engine; figuratively to a process or political situation, maybe a race)

or

• "light a fire," or figuratively putting heat under someone to make him move (faster).