Inside Motocross (Part 2)
Motocross is the father of extreme sports. It is further divided into Supermoto and Freestyle which are just a few of the many versions that are based on the ideas and rules of Motocross racing.
Freestyle (FMX) is one of the latest inclusions in the Motocross family which does not involve racing but rather on the ability to pull off acrobatic stunts while in the air.
The Freestyle or FMX is further divided into two types of “freestyle” events. The first is called “Big Air” where the rider has to jump his bike using a dirt ramp. The judges see how well the rider executes his jump along with the type and difficulty of
the stunt performed (each rider gets two jumps). The other kind is called the “Freestyle Motocross”. This is the older of the two. Riders have to go through two routines, which last for about 14 minutes on a course riddled with jumps and other obstacles.
Supermoto is a cross between motocross and road racing. The races are usually held on go-kart tracks which have an “off-road” section added to them. The advantage of supermoto is that it is very “portable”. The track can be set up anywhere where there is
a road. The motorcycles used in this race are usually a mixture of off-road motorcycles with road racing tires. The gear that the riders wear is also a combination of road racing and motocross equipment. Supermoto started in 1970. It started off as ABC’s (American
Broadcasting Channel) quest to find the best motorcycle racers in the world by using a track that was constituted of both road and dirt. This event was to be called “Superbikers” which turned into a yearly event due to its ever increasing popularity.
Another product of Motocross is the “All Terrain Vehicle Motocross” (ATV). ATV’s are basically four wheeled motorbikes. The ATV National Motocross Championship which were initiated in 1985. These events take place on motocross tracks all over the United
States of America. The ATVMX includes many groups including AMA Pro and the ATVA series.
Mud racing on the other hand came into being in 2006. The need to make rules and regulations to unite these groups in turn brought up the need for a single body of people to govern the ATVMX. Thus the Championship Mud Racing (CMR) was created. For this purpose,
the Board of Directors were selected in 2007 and by 2008, the first race was successfully held. The CMR at the moment schedules eight competitions somewhere in between March and November. The classes in ATVMX range from the 0-499CC class, to a “Super Modified
Class” which allows ATV’s of any size to compete.
Another offspring of Motocross, and perhaps one of the most interesting one, is Sidecar cross racing. This type is quite similar to regular motocross, but with one or two differences. The bikes used have a different chassis, and usually has a team of two
people (one driver, and one passenger). They also use a specific 2 stroke motor, such as the MTH 630, or the 700cc Zabel. These motors are made specifically for sidecar motocross. The sidecar bikes might look similar to the ones used in motocross, but their
handling is very different. This is mainly due to the addition of the sidecar itself which causes the bike to flip over if the driver leans over during a turn. This problem is fixed by using the weight of a passenger to counter act the turning of the bike.
Teamwork is very essential in this type of race since one s***w up on either the driver’s side or the passenger’s side which can spell disaster.
Mini-motocross is another interesting version of motocross racing. Mini-bikes (also called pit bikes) are used in races to ride around the pit areas. These are areas where a team’s support bike or car is located amongst other equipment. In the beginning,
there was only one way to get a pit bike. A rider would purchase a child’s bike and add all the needed components to make it capable of competing against the other bikes. Nowadays however, one can buy specially made pit bikes, or buy used ones as well. These
bikes are usually powered by a 4-stroke engine which ranges from about 50CC to 160CC. Pit bikes are heavily decorated with add ones and their performance is increased with aftermarket engine parts.
Motocross is one of the rougher sports that the world experiences. There is dirt and mud flying everywhere. The noise of the 500CC engines are so loud that they drown down the yells of the crazy fans yelling out the slogans for their favorite rider.
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