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58-611: The AMA Supercross Championship (commercially known as Monster Energy AMA Supercross ) is the premier American stadium motorcycle racing series. Founded by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in 1974, the AMA Supercross Championship races are held from January through early May. Supercross is a variant of motocross which involves off-road motorcycles on a constructed dirt track consisting of steep jumps and obstacles;

116-736: A Super-Modified class which will allow any size ATV in competition. Sidecar racing, known as Sidecarcross has been around since the 1950s but has declined in popularity since the mid‑1980s. This variant is common in Europe, with a few followers in the United States, New Zealand, and Australia. The premier competition, the Sidecarcross World Championship , is contested on European tracks only and almost exclusively by Europeans. Motocross sidecars are purpose built frames that resemble an ordinary motocross-cycle with

174-405: A boom period in motocross technology. The typical air-cooled two-strokes with twin-shock rear suspension and telescopic front forks gave way to water-cooled engines and single-shock absorber rear suspension and "upside-down" (or inverted) front forks. Although the advancement of two-stroke engine technology was the primary focus of the major Japanese motorcycle manufacturers well into the mid 1990s,

232-417: A duration of 30 minutes plus two laps. The AMA Motocross Championship begins in mid May and continues until late August. The championship consists of eleven rounds at eleven major tracks all over the continental United States. There are three classes: the 250cc Motocross Class for 150–250 cc 4-stroke machines, the 450cc Motocross Class for 251–450 cc 4-stroke machines and a 250cc Women's Class, using

290-419: A flat platform to stand on attached to either side and a handlebar at waist height to hold on to. The side of the "chair" (slang for the platform) usually follows the side of the road the nation in question drives upon, but not always. The passenger balances the bike by being a counterweight, especially in corners and on jumps. It is driven on ordinary crosstracks. It is very physically demanding, especially for

348-476: A group of judges. The riders are scored on style, level of trick difficulty, best use of the course, and frequently, crowd reactions. FMX was introduced to the X ;Games and mainstream audiences in 1999. Supermoto uses motocross bikes converted for racing on tracks consisting of three sections: flat dirt, dirt obstacles, and paved road. The bikes have special road-racing tires with grooved tread to grip both

406-419: A necessary addition, since the stock mini-bike suspension was designed for a small child. Wheel, brake, and tire upgrades are sometimes performed to improve handling. Pit bikes also have their own separate competitions held with classes generally corresponding to wheel size. This is a notable difference from Motocross and Supercross competition, where classes are separated by engine displacement. Pit bike racing

464-399: A number of checkpoints in diverse geographical locations while still obeying road traffic laws (not to be confused with car rallies such as WRC ). Speedway is a motorcycle sport in which the motorcycles have one gear and no brakes. Land speed is where a single rider accelerates over a 1 to 3-mile (4.8 km) long straight track (usually on dry lake beds) and is timed for top speed through

522-448: A paved area. The winner is the competitor who completes the course in the shortest time. Time penalties are incurred by putting a foot down, hitting a cone, or going outside the designated area. Similar to football, but all players (except goalkeepers) are riding motorcycles, and the ball is much bigger. Motorcycle Polo first began as an officially organized sport in the mid-1930s. In France , there are organized motoball competitions, and

580-581: A prototype 400cc four-stroke motorcycle, the YZM 400, which was debuted in the FIM Motocross World Championship . The motorcycle made its U.S. debut in 1997, where Yamaha Factory Racing rider Doug Henry led every lap of the main event at the 1997 AMA Supercross Finale and became the first person to win an AMA Supercross race on a four-stroke powered motorcycle. Following Yamaha's release of the production model YZ400F in 1998, Henry won

638-501: A rekindled interest in engineering a competitive, lightweight four-stroke motocross race bike was expressed among several brands, including Yamaha Motor Corporation and Husqvarna. Facing tightening federal emissions regulations in the United States, the AMA increased the allowable displacement capacity for four-stroke engines in 1997, in an effort to encourage manufacturers to develop environmentally friendlier four-stroke machines. Due to

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696-458: A standard motocross track. They feature a combination of man-made obstacles such as whoop sections (where riders skim along the tops of multiple bumps), rhythm sections (irregular series of jumps with a variety of combination options), and triple jumps (three jumps in a row that riders normally clear in a single leap of 70 feet or more). Many of the turns have banked berms , but some are flat. It takes roughly five hundred truckloads of dirt to make up

754-442: A sub-discipline similar to supercross known as arenacross , which is held in small indoor arenas. Classes were also formed for all-terrain vehicles . Freestyle motocross (FMX) events where riders are judged on their jumping and aerial acrobatic skills have gained popularity, as has supermoto , where motocross machines race both on tarmac and off-road. Vintage motocross (VMX) events take place – usually for motorcycles predating

812-482: A supercross track. Soil conditions can be hard-packed, soft, muddy, sandy, rutted, or any combination thereof. The AMA Motocross Championship (commercially known as Pro Motocross Championship ) is the American national outdoor motorcycle racing series. The motocross race series was founded and sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in 1972. The series is the premier motocross competition in

870-415: A trap at the end of the run. The rider must exceed the previous top speed record for that class or type of bike for their name to be placed on the record books. See— [1] for an example. Enduro, not to be confused with Enduro (mountain biking) , is not exactly racing, because the main objective is to traverse a series of checkpoints, arriving exactly "on time" in accordance with your beginning time and

928-637: A wide audience came on the American television program ABC's Wide World of Sports in 1979. After 1985, the sport declined and received little exposure in the US, but in Europe, it started gaining popularity, and in 2003 it was revived in the US, when the name became Supermoto. Throughout the United States and the United Kingdom there are many quad racing clubs with enduro and quadcross sections. GNCC Racing began around 1980 and includes hare scramble and enduro type races. To date, events are mainly held in

986-426: Is a motorcycle sport involving racing motorcycles . Motorcycle racing can be divided into two categories, tarmac-based road disciplines and off-road . Track racing is a motorcycle sport where teams or individuals race opponents around an oval track. There are differing variants, with each variant racing on a different surface type. A road rally is a navigation event on public roads whereby competitors must visit

1044-679: Is split into two series, east and west. The 450 cc class has one large series with events across the US and Canada. In 2022, the World Supercross Championship was demerged from the AMA Supercross Championship, to be held as a standalone series once more. The series previously ran from 2003 to 2008. Supercross events are also held in Australia , known as the Australian Supercross Championship promoted by Motorcycling Australia . Along with

1102-546: Is usually a small dirt bike, but it has become common to be able to buy pit bikes with street-style wheels and tires. Pit bikes with street tires, as opposed to knobby tires , are used in Mini Supermoto Racing. Pit bikes are frequently heavily customized with decorative add-ons and performance-enhancing parts. Many riders and mechanics bore-out or replace engines in order to increase displacement and therefore power output. Heavy duty suspension systems are often

1160-512: The 1963 FIM Motocross World Championship when ČZ factory rider Vlastimil Valek rode a 263cc two-stroke motorcycle to win the first moto of the 500cc Czechoslovakian Motocross Grand Prix ahead of a field of top-class, four stroke motorcycles. The victory marked a turning point in motocross history as, it was the first win by a two-stroke powered motorcycle in the premier division of the Motocross World Championships. By

1218-665: The AMA Supercross Championship in the United States , are held almost exclusively in professional baseball and football stadiums. The supercross season takes place during the winter and spring months, with races in a different city every weekend. There are 17 races in the AMA Supercross Championship schedule, normally beginning in Anaheim, California, and ending in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 250 cc class

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1276-491: The Scottish Six Days Trial that began in 1912. When organisers dispensed with delicate balancing and strict scoring of trials in favour of a race to become the fastest rider to the finish, the activity became known as " hare scrambles ", said to have originated in the phrase, "a rare old scramble" describing one such early race. Though known as scrambles racing (or just scrambles ) in the United Kingdom,

1334-561: The 1975 model year. Many VMX races also include a "Post Vintage" portion, which usually includes bikes dating until 1983. The FIM Grand Prix Motocross World Championship is predominantly held in Europe, but also includes events in North America, South America, Asia, Australia, and Africa. It is the major Motocross series worldwide. There are three classes: MXGP for 450cc machines, MX2 for 250cc machines, and Women's MX. Competitions consist of two races which are called motos with

1392-420: The 1980s, American riders had caught up with American teams winning a string of 13 consecutive MXDN victories between 1981 and 1993. In 1978 , Akira Watanabe became the first non-European competitor to win a motocross world championship and, in 1982 Brad Lackey became the first individual American motocross world champion. From the late 1970s to early 1990s, Japanese motorcycle manufacturers presided over

1450-443: The 250 AMA Motocross Championship and became the first person to win a major AMA Motocross title on a four-stroke powered motorcycle. This success motivated the remaining major manufacturers, Honda , Kawasaki , and Suzuki , to develop their own four-stroke motocross race bikes. By 2006 , every manufacturer had begun competing with four-stroke machines in the AMA 125 (FIM MX2) and 250 (MX1) classes. The sport has further evolved into

1508-469: The AMA. The stadium event, won by 16-year-old Marty Tripes , paved the way for constructed, stadium-based motocross events known as supercross. In 1975 , the FIM introduced a 125 cc world championship. European riders continued to dominate international motocross competitions throughout the 1970s with Belgian or Swedish riders winning ten Motocross des Nations (MXDN) events between 1969 and 1980 but, by

1566-470: The ATV industry recognized a need for uniformity of classes and rules of various local mud bog events. Providing standardized rules created the need for a governing body that both racers and event promoters could turn to and CMR was born. Once unified, a true points series was established and lead to a national championship for what was once nothing more than a hobby for most. In 2007 the finalized board of directors

1624-635: The European factories for supremacy in the motocross world by the late 1960s. Suzuki claimed the first world championship for a Japanese factory when Joël Robert won the 1970 250 cc crown. In 1972 , the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) inaugurated the AMA Motocross Championships and, held its first stadium race at the Los Angeles Coliseum , promoted by Mike Goodwin and Terry Tiernan, then-president of

1682-474: The NBC family of networks; NBC , USA Network , CNBC and Peacock . Source: Official website Motorcycle sport Motorcycle sport is a broad field that encompasses all sporting aspects of motorcycling . The disciplines are not all races or timed-speed events, as several disciplines test a competitor's various riding skills. Motorcycle racing (also known as moto racing and motorbike racing)

1740-499: The Paris suburb of Montrouge. The event was the forerunner to supercross competitions. Off-road motorcycles from that era differed little from those used on the street. The intense competition over rugged terrain led to technical improvements in motorcycles. Rigid frames gave way to suspensions by the early 1930s, and swinging fork rear suspension appeared by the early 1950s, several years before manufacturers incorporated it in

1798-719: The SX Open held in Auckland , New Zealand , the country's biggest event the Aus X-Open forms part of the Oceania Supercross Championship. Freestyle Motocross (FMX), a relatively new variation of supercross started by the South African champion, Marco Urzi, does not involve racing and instead it concentrates on performing acrobatic stunts while jumping motocross bikes. The winner is chosen by

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1856-453: The UK are events for road-registered motorcycles. A course of typically 80 to 120 miles is plotted by the organiser, taking in roads, lanes and Byways Open to All Traffic (known as BOATs). The event is not a race and riders are required to follow the course by using a RoadBook compiled by the organiser. Similar to car Autocross , Motorcycle Gymkhana is a motorcycle time trial sport round cones on

1914-422: The US as Observed Trials, it is not racing, but a sport nevertheless. Trials is a test of skill on a motorcycle whereby the rider attempts to traverse an observed section without placing a foot on the ground (and traditionally, although not always, without ceasing forward motion). The winner is the rider with the least penalty points. Time and observation trials are trials with a time limit. The person who completes

1972-462: The US the late 1970s when TV journalist Gavin Trippe envisioned a racing event that would prove who the best motorcycle racer was. From 1980 to 1985, he organized a yearly event called "The Superbikers", which pitted the top riders from three disciplines, flat track , road racing , and motocross against one another on modified bikes raced on special tracks on the television show. Its first exposure to

2030-451: The United States and is sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing and managed by MX Sports Pro Racing. The Series will be held from January until October, consisting of: SuperMotocross champions are crowned each year, alongside the champions of the individual series which will continue to be awarded. [REDACTED] Jett Lawrence (WEST) [REDACTED] RJ Hampshire (WEST) In 2023, the inaugural season will see four broadcast partners, all from

2088-515: The eastern part of the United States. GNCC racing features many types of obstacles such as, hill climbing, creek and log crossings, dirt roads and wooded trails. The ATV National Motocross Championship was formed around 1985. ATVMX events are hosted at motocross racetracks throughout the United States. ATVMX consists of several groups, including the Pro (AMA Pro) and Amateur (ATVA) series. Championship mud racing (CMR) saw its infancy in 2006 as leaders of

2146-460: The event changes from year to year. The United States, Belgium and Great Britain have had the greatest success. Th British Motocross Championship is the main UK off-road competition and organised into classes of MX1 and MX2. MX1 is for 250  cc to 450 cc (fourstroke) and MX2 for 175 cc to 250 cc fourstroke motorcycles. In 2007 an additional youth class, the MXY2 class, was added to

2204-513: The less marks on observation but the rider who balanced these competing demands the best. One of the most famous time and observation trials is the "Scott" trial held annually in North Yorkshire . Indoor trials held in stadiums (not necessarily with a roof) which by their very nature use human-made artificial sections in contrast to outdoor trials which rely heavily on the natural terrain. Long Distance Trials (often shortened to 'LDT') in

2262-454: The low relative power output of a four-stroke engine compared to the then-dominating two-stroke design, the displacement limit of a four-stroke power motocross bike was raised to 250cc in the 125 class and 550cc in the 250 class. The new regulations resulted in competitors aboard four-strokes made by smaller European manufacturers, with Husqvarna, Husaberg , and KTM winning world championships on four-stroke machinery. In 1997, Yamaha unveiled

2320-622: The machines used for competition being similar to those used for other road disciplines . Motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom . Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competitions, such as the Auto-Cycle Clubs 's first quarterly trial in 1909 and

2378-448: The majority of production street bikes. The period after World War II was dominated by BSA , which had become the largest motorcycle company in the world. BSA riders dominated international competitions throughout the 1940s. In 1952 the FIM , motorcycling's international governing body, set up an individual European Championship using a 500 cc engine displacement formula. In 1957 it

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2436-622: The mid-1960s, advances in two-stroke engine technology meant that the heavier, four-stroke machines were relegated to niche competitions. Riders from Belgium and Sweden began to dominate the sport during this period. Motocross arrived in the United States in 1966 when Swedish champion, Torsten Hallman rode an exhibition event against the top American TT riders at the Corriganville Movie Ranch also known as Hopetown in Simi Valley, California . The following year Hallman

2494-478: The necessary upgrades and modifications to build a competitive pit bike. Of course, a rider could also buy a used bike. Since 2004, manufacturers like Thumpstar have begun designing, manufacturing, importing, and selling already complete pit bikes. These bikes are less expensive, and require less time to complete. Pit bikes are powered by 4-stroke, horizontal, single-cylinder engines ranging anywhere in displacement from 49 cc to 195 cc. A typical pit bike

2552-674: The passenger. This is reflected in most in the Swedish term for passenger, burkslav , roughly translated as trunk/barrel-slave. This name comes from the early sidecars which resembled road motorcycle sidecars and not today's platform. The major frame builders today are VMC, BSU, AYR, EML and Woodenleg. Ordinary engines can be used, but size matters and two engines purpose built for sidecars exist, Zabel (Germany) and MTH (Austria) are most common. Four-strokes are becoming more common, usually KTM (Austria). Pit bikes are small motorbikes that participants in powersports events use to ride around

2610-497: The pavement and dirt. Some tracks for these race events have jumps, berms, and whoops like motocross tracks. For special events, the Supermoto track may incorporate metal ramps for jumps that can be disassembled and taken to other locations. Supermoto races may take place at modified go-kart tracks, road racing tracks, or even street racing tracks. There are also classes for children, such as the 85 cc class. Supermoto began in

2668-407: The pits, which are the staging areas where team support vehicles are located. More recently, they have been used in races held on either supercross or motocross tracks. Numerous performance and aesthetic upgrades are often applied to pit bikes. Originally, there was only one way to acquire a pit bike. A rider would buy a child's minibike, usually a Honda CRF110 or Kawasaki KLX110, and apply all

2726-658: The programme at selected rounds. A "Veterans" series was introduced in 2009 with just two rounds but the demand for places was so high that from 2011 the Veterans series will have three rounds, held over six races. A number of other types of motorcycle sport have been derived from Motocross. Supercross is a cycle racing sport involving specialized high-performance off-road motorcycles on constructed dirt tracks with steep jumps and obstacles. Compared to regular motocross, supercross tracks generally have much shorter straights and tighter turns. Professional supercross races, held as

2784-401: The route the quickest sets the "standard time" and all other competitors must finish within a certain amount of time of the standard time to be counted as a finisher (they received penalty points for every minute after the quickest finisher). This is combined with the penalty points accrued from the observed sections to arrive at a winner, who is not always the quickest rider or the rider who lost

2842-521: The same land. The entry will be limited to 150 competitors – see https://www.camberleyanddistrictmotorclub.co.uk/ During the 1930s the sport grew in popularity, especially in Britain where teams from the Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA), Norton , Matchless , Rudge , and AJS competed in the events. The first motocross race held on an artificial track inside a stadium took place on August 28, 1948, at Buffalo Stadium in

2900-441: The same rules as men's 250cc. Race events take place over two motos of 30 minutes plus two laps each. The annual Motocross des Nations is held at the end of the year when National and World Championship series have ended. The competition involves teams of three riders representing their nations. Each rider competes in a different class (MX1, MX2, and "Open"). There are three motos with two classes competing per moto. The location of

2958-587: The sport grew in popularity and the competitions became known internationally as "motocross racing", by combining the French word for motorcycle, motocyclette , into a blend with "cross country". The first known scramble race in the Camberley , Surrey in 1924. The 100th anniversary of the very first Motocross race will be commemorated in March 2024. The same cub that ran the 1924 event will be running it again over

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3016-410: The sport was included in the inaugural Goodwill Games . In the United States the completions are usually held on off-road courses, where one competitor at a time attempts to ride up a very steep hill, often 45 degrees or more. In some cases, few riders actually complete the course and results are judged on the distance that they manage to achieve. Of those that do complete the course, the rider to reach

3074-456: The time it is supposed to take to arrive at each checkpoint. The courses are usually run over thick wooded terrain, sometimes with large obstacles such as logs, ditches, and sudden drops. A competition based upon points for acrobatic ability on an MX bike over jumps. This activity evolved from Motocross a continuing popular form of racing at both the Amateur and Professional levels. Known in

3132-493: The top with the shortest elapsed time wins. The motorcycle of choice in the early decades was the Harley-Davidson 45 cubic inch model due to its high torque at low rpms, similar to farm engines. For years the national competitions was held at Mount Garfield near Muskegon, Michigan . In other countries, notably the United Kingdom , completions mostly take place on tarmac courses, occasionally closed public roads, with

3190-399: The tracks are usually constructed inside a sports stadium. The easy accessibility and comfort of these stadium venues helped supercross surpass off-road motocross as a spectator attraction in the United States by the late 1970s. The sport of Supercross is best described as motocross racing that takes place within the confines of a sports stadium. The tracks are typically shorter in length than

3248-480: Was established and the first races were held in 2008. Currently, the CMR schedule includes eight competition dates spanning from March to November. Points are awarded throughout the season in several different competition classes of ATV and SxS Mud Racing. The 2008 year included Mud Bog and Mudda-Cross competitions, but the 2009 and future seasons will only have Mudda-Cross competitions. Classes range from 0 to 499 cc, to

3306-481: Was joined by other motocross stars including Roger DeCoster , Joël Robert , and Dave Bickers . They dominated the event, placing their lightweight two-strokes into the top six finishing positions. A motorcycle sales boom in the United States fueled by the Baby Boomer generation, helped to spark a growth in the popularity of motocross among young Americans. Japanese motorcycle manufacturers began challenging

3364-554: Was upgraded to World Championship status. In 1962 a 250 cc world championship was established and, new rules were adopted dividing the races into two 45 minute heat races that were referred to as motos. In the smaller 250 cc category companies with two-stroke motorcycles came into their own. Companies such as Husqvarna from Sweden, CZ from the former Czechoslovakia, Bultaco from Spain and Greeves from England became popular due to their lightness and agility. A significant moment in motocross history occurred during

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