Motocross

Related Topics:
Motocross_Mania :: Motocross_Madness_Series

Motocross (often shortened to (MX) or MotoX) is a form of motorcycle racing or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits and is widely considered the world's most popular form of motorcycle racing. Motocross is derived from the French, and was originally called Scrambling when the sport was invented in the UK. The first known race took place at Camberley, Surrey in 1924. The name "motocross" is a contraction derived from the words "Motorcycle" and "Cross Country". Motocross is often abbreviated as MX.

Motocross tracks are often quite large (around 1 to 2 miles) and incorporate natural terrain features with varying amounts of man made jumps and other features. It is not unheard of for a Motocross track to be made up entirely of hills and turns with no jumps at all. In contrast Supercross is an entirley man made track, comprisingly almost exclusively of a wide array of jumps and typically held in an indoor stadium.

Due to the size of the track, motocross races typically include 40 racers, in contrast to Supercross where it is only practical to have about 25.

Races vary in duration, usually measured in time elapsed plus one or two laps. GP or Pro AMA races tend to be long, e.g. 30 minutes plus 2 laps. At the other end of the spectrum, amateur races by beginners can be as little as 10 minutes (or shorter). When the designated time duration of the race is complete, a finish line flagger signals via a board or flag to the racers that there is one or two laps left, and the race is finsihed by a chequered flag. Contrasting with motocross, in the "off-road" racing events of Enduro, Hare and Hounds, Hare Scrambles, GP racing, etc. (events which are like motocross, but place a greater emphasis upon reading natural terrain and obstacles over a long period of time at much greater speeds than traditional motocross) there is a set amount of laps or long distance loops to complete or just a maximum time limit to compete under on a natural terrain course, e.g., Baja 1000.

Races are run in sessions called motos. There are two motos in a race and the riders place in those heats are averaged together to get their overall finish.

Machines

Solo machines have engines ranging from 50cc to 550cc.
The most common distinction between motocross machines is whether they have two-stroke or four-stroke engines. Originally all bikes were four-stroke (in the Pre-65 era), but as the two-stroke engine improved they became more popular with their domination of the sport in the 1970s, 80s and 90s. The two-stroke engine produced more power than a four-stroke engine of the same capacity (cc), however fuel had to mixed with oil. Four-stroke continued to be raced in specialist classes throughout this period, partially in the MX3. Due to environmental legislation a new generation of four-stroke was introduced in the late 90s with the Yamaha YZ400. With a change in the class rules to allow four-strokes of one capacity to compete with a two-stroke of a lower capacity (see table below), and the increased power of this new generation of four-strokes (they run at a much higher RPM, using shorter pistons when compared to previous "Long Stroke" four-strokes) the sport had largely adopted the four-stroke in place of two strokes, although they are still used extensively and still constructed by manufacturers. This struggle between two- and four-stroke has aroused tensions with many MX fans and riders.

Riders are often (but not always) classed according to their machine's engine size. Common classification includes;

European Class Name	US Class Name	Engine Capacity (Two Stroke)	Engine Capacity (Four Stroke)	Notes
MX1	Motocross/Supercross	250cc	450cc
MX3	None	250cc+	450cc+	typically 500cc two strokes, or "Open" class
MX2	Motocross Lites/Supercross Lites	125cc	250cc
85BW	Mini	85cc	No manufacturer currently makes a 4-stroke competition bike	Have bigger Wheels, hence "BW"
85SW	Mini	85cc	No manufacturer currently makes a 4-stroke competition bike	Have Smaller Wheels, hence "SW"
65	Mini	65cc	No manufacturer currently makes a 4-stroke competition bike
Autos	Supermini	50cc	50cc

Youth racing included the MX2 class through to Autos, Adults ride MX2 through MX1 to MX3.

Motocross machines have extensive suspension to enable riders to tackle large jumps and ride at speed over the rough terrain. The advent of improved suspension transformed motocross from its scrambling origins with natural track to the current form today, with multiple jumps that would have previously been impossible.

To bring the weight down to an acceptable level (usually 200 to 250 lbs for full-size machines), things such as speedometers, lights, kickstands, electric starters, etc are all omitted and lightweight materials such as aluminium and magnesium are commonly used right from the factory.

Because of the physical nature of motocross, riders spend much of their time standing to absorb shock with their knees. The long, flat seat is designed to allow riders to shift their weight quickly and easily in corners, rather than for comfort.

Unusually for racing machines, motocross bikes can be purchased in a ready-to-race or nearly ready-to-race condition at moderate prices from major motorcycle manufacturers. Many riders, however, modify their machines further, both for outright performance and to have the bike's behaviour more in tune with their own preferences or just for enjoyment.

For details of Quads/ATVs and Sidecars see their respective sections.

See also Motorcycle - especially the "Construction", "Dirt bike/Trail bike" and "Farm bike" sections

Manufacturers

Current

Honda (Japan)
Kawasaki (Japan)
Suzuki (Japan)
Yamaha (Japan)
KTM (Austria)

The above five are the major five manufactures in most markets, the manufactures below command little market share (currently - 2005).

Husaberg (Sweden)
Aprilia (Italy)
TM (Italy)
VOR (Italy)
Vertemati (Italy)
Husqvarna (Italy, ex Sweden)

Previous

Event

The object of the contest is to complete either a defined number of laps (usually three to seven for amateurs, more for professionals) or fixed time period (anything up to 40 minutes) first. A race typically made up of two or three motos (or legs) with the scores combined to determine the overall result. There is a mass start

Motocross racing is one of the most visually appealing forms of motorsport, with riders performing seemingly death-defying leaps, turns visibly at the edge of traction (as indicated by a sliding, spinning rear tire throwing dirt at all behind it), and the effort of riders clearly visible as they move their bodies around their motorcycles to balance the bikes for maximum speed.

Recently the sport has evolved with sub-disciplines like Supercross and Arenacross (both are indoor motocross), Freestyle (or FMX) (a display of jumping skill rather than racing), Supermoto (Motocross machines racing on both tarmac and off road) and vintage motocross (competitions with bikes usually pre-dating 1975).

Motocross can be an entry sport for motorsport in general. Classes for children as young as 4 years old exist for competition on 50cc machines.

The world is dominated by two main Motocross series; one in America - the AMA Championship, also known as "the nationals" or the "outdoors". The other series is World Motocross Championship, also known as Grand Prixs.

The AMA Motocross Championship season begins in early May and continues until mid-August, consists of 12 rounds are 12 major tracks all over the continental United States. Each event is held on consecutive Sundays. There are two classes; "Motocross" and "Motocross Lites". Each round has two 30 minute-plus-two-lap motos, per class, held approximately two hours apart.

The World Motocross Championship is predominately held in Europe with some "flyaway" rounds, recently in South Africa and Japan, but over its history it has visited numerous countries including America. The format is similar to America with two classes; MX1 and MX2 and two motos per class. The World series is longer, generally incorporating around 16 or more rounds.

Both series are united with the annual Motocross Des Nations or MXDN (generally left untranslated from French, but occasionally called the Motocross of Nations). The format sees rider represent their nations in teams of three, each representing a class (MX1, MX2 and "Open"), there are three motos with two classes challenging the other - thus addressing the disadvantage the smaller MX2 bikes would face against bigger bikes. The location of the event changes from year to year. Some of the most successful teams are America, Belgium and Great Britain.

Physical demands

One of the least understood aspects of motocross racing by non-participants is the extreme level of physical fitness required of competitors. Those unfamiliar with the sport often assume that the rider is doing nothing more strenuous than steering a motorized vehicle around a field, no more demanding than driving the family car around the block. Motocross is very physically demanding on the arms, shoulder, and glutes. Observing in detail a rider's actions while at speed on the track reveals why. He or she must maintain ultra-precise control of a machine traversing terrain that most people would have difficulty walking across while maintaining as high of a rate of speed as possible. The rider is astride a machine weighing at least two hundred pounds and, at the most elite professional level, has an engine that produces at least fifty horsepower. A rider's arms and legs are in constant motion during a race, fighting for control of the motorcycle and absorbing the energy produced by high-speed landings from heights that often exceed twenty feet or from two-foot high stutter bumps (called whoops) that jackhammer the motorcycle and the rider. The G forces produced test the absolute limits of a rider's strength and endurance. Finally, a typical professional moto (heat race) lasts at least thirty minutes. That represents half of an hour in which the faster the rider goes, the more violently and frequently he or she is put to the test. And there are no pauses, breaks or pit stops. At least not if a rider expects to win.

The National Sport Health Institute in Englewood, California tested several professional motocross racers in the early 1980s as part of a comparative study of the cardio-vascular fitness of athletes from various disciplines. Athletes from track, American football and soccer were tested, among others. The cardiac stress and strength test results compiled there revealed that the motocross subjects had as high of a fitness level as than any other discipline tested. (original article appeared in DirtBike magazine in 1980. Interview with Brad Lackey, World Motocross Champion and one of the test's participants appeared in Racer X Illustrated in 2004 and is recounted here)

ATV Motocross

From 2002, ATV Motocross started to see a dramatic increase in participation across the United States. This was a direct result of the major ATV manufacturers getting involved in the sport. Before we can talk about the current state of ATV motocross, we must understand the past. ATV racing floundered after Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha dropped ATV-racing support in the mid 1980s due to the bad publicity associated with the alleged dangers of operating these vehicles. Throughout the late 1980s and all during the 1990s, aftermarket companies kept the sport alive, but barely. Racers would build expensive, custom ATVs with parts from major aftermarket manufacturers like Laeger's, Walsh Race Craft and Lonestar Racing. The engine that kept racing alive was the Honda TRX250R engine that was manufactured from 1986 to 1989. Again, the aftermarket helped racers get all they could out of the dated engine. Companies like Curtis Sparks Racing Engines, Baldwin Motorsports and Hinson Racing made it so the only stock component of the 250R engine were the left and right engine cases. Suspension upgrades made it possible for ATVs to hit jumps never thought possible. Suspension companies like PEP and Custom Axis, combined with long-travel A-arms and rear suspension links smoothed out rough tracks and harsh landings.

However, in order to be competitive, it was necessary to spend upwards of $20,000 on the race ATV. In the late 90s, rules were changed to allow racers to use dirt bike engines in ATV frames. The era of the four-stroke hybrid race ATV was born when Harold Goodman piloted a custom-built YZ400F to a national Four-Stroke Pro-Am championship. Soon hybrid machines were all over the tracks.

The manufacturers started paying closer attention to the sport ATV market, and in 1999 Honda released the four-stroke TRX400EX. While it wasn't as powerful as the hybrids racing on the tracks, it was a positive step. In 2001, Cannondale entered the ATV market and even fielded an ATV racing team in partnership with Nac's Racing the following year. The Cannondale story was a short one as the company declared bankruptcy shortly after 2002. In 2003 Suzuki released the LT-Z400 that featured a liquid-cooled four-stroke powerplant. That same year, the ATVA instituted a Pro Production class at the motocross nationals in order to showcase "stock" ATVs. The traditional Pro class still allowed two-strokes and hybrids. Many Pro racers raced both classes, but the premier class was still the Pro class. Tim Farr, in a move that raised eyebrows, raced only the Pro Production class. Doug Gust won the Pro Production class while Jeremiah Jones won the Pro class. Jones' championship would be the last Pro-class championship on a two-stroke.

Late in the 2003, Yamaha announced the YFZ450 for the 2004 model year. This ATV represented the first time a major manufacturer built a high-performance sport ATV suited for racing. While it wasn't as wide as many wanted for motocross and didn't have long-travel suspension, it featured a four-stroke engine very similar to the motocross dirt bikes Yamaha was putting out. The ATV also came stock with fully adjustable front suspension, the first time this was available on a stock ATV. After the Yamaha announcement, Honda announced it was going to bring the TRX450R to market in 2004. The tide was turning for the high-performance race ATV market.

The 2004 national ATV Motocross season was one of the most anticipated in 15 years. Suzuki announced it was going to hire Doug Gust as its motocross pilot, Honda was hiring Tim Farr as its factory racer and Yamaha was going to offer support Kory Ellis in limited fashion for the season. This represented the first time since around 1986 that any manufacturer was offering factory support for ATV racing. The moved proved to be a successful one for Suzuki as Doug Gust walked away with the national motocross championship, and in the process winning six overalls in a row.

The 2005 season saw more factory support and Suzuki fielding two racers, Gust and Jeremiah Jones, out of the Yoshimura/Suzuki semi. That year it was Honda winning the championship with support rider John Natalie taking the motocross championship. The 2005 season proved that the factories were willing to support ATV racing as they never had before. With that support on the track also meant support in the dealerships in the way of new, updated machines.

In the summer of 2005, Suzuki announced it was going to produce the 2006 LT-R450. This sport ATV was the most motocross-ready ATV ever produced. It featured electronic fuel injection, a high-performance four-stroke engine and a chassis that could be competitive in stock form. The front end had high-end shocks with 10 inches of travel and a width approaching 50 inches. The swingarm was made of steel, too.

The United States continues to see a rise in popularity in ATV racing at motocross tracks nationwide. This is often attributed to "race-ready" ATVs from the manufacturers.

Sidecars

Sidecar racing, known as Sidecarcross has been around since the 50’s but has declined in popularity since the 90’s. This variant is common in Europe, with a few followers in USA, New Zealand and Australia.

Motocross sidecars are purpose built frames that resemble an ordinary motocross-cycle with 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's driven on ordinary crosstracks.

It is very physically demanding, especially for the passenger. This is reflected in most in the Swedish term for passenger - "burkslav", roughly translated as trunk/body/barrel-slave. This name comes from the early sidecars where the platform looked like a real road-sidecar and not today's platform. The major frame builders today (2004) 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. Fourstrokes are getting more common, usually KTM (Austria).

Freestyle

Freestyle motocross (FMX), a relatively new sport, is not racing and instead concentrates on performing acrobatic stunts while jumping motocross bikes. The winner is chosen by a group of judges. The riders are scored on style, level of trick difficulty, best use of the course, and frequently crowd reactions as well.

One stunt performed is the backflip, which was disputedly completed on a 250cc motorcycle by Carey Hart using a specially designed dirt ramp. Soon after this, Mike Metzger completed this stunt using a standard freestyle ramp and dirt landing. ^* Some consider the body varial 360 as the most difficult stunt being performed at this time. This stunt, also called the Carolla, was first performed by Chuck Carothers at the 2004 X Games. Prior to this, the backflip 360, or off-axis backflip, was widely considered the most challenging stunt. Another rider taking freestyle to a new level is Travis Pastrana. In 2005 he did the world's first double backflip. Although, it has never been attempted in competition.

Minibikes

The latest craze is adult racing on miniature (50cc) motorcycles called minibikes or Pit-Bikes. The Pit-Bike concept was originally so that full size motocross riders could easily navigate the Pits, the area designated for parking, and setting up prior to an event. The craze grew from there. People began "hopping up" the bikes and racing them against each other. These inexpensive minibikes designed for small children are often transformed for adult use by adding taller handle bars, improving the suspension, exhaust, plastics. Other "hop ups" include larger, bored 75cc-147cc engines and reinforced frames. No standard defintion of what constitutes a pit-bike by any major governing body exits, but the normal requirement is a 12" front wheel, and a 10" rear. None of the big 5 manufactures (Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, and KTM ) currently offer "race ready" pit-bikes, however some other companies are beginning to sell bikes designed solely for this purpose. These include Pitster Pro, the SDG, and the Sikk MX. The minibike craze is predominatley in Southern California, but is starting to rise in popularity in other areas of the US and the world. Pit-bike racing has taken a turn towards mini-moto (Supermoto) also, usually racing on go-kart and tight, small vehicle tracks. Riders usually wear a combination of motocross and streetriding gear/leathers.

Supermoto

Supermoto is a recent invention involving racing Motocross bikes on a part concrete, part off road track, with "road" tires instead of off road tires. Some tracks for these race events have jumps, berms, and whoop-dee-doos just like true 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 kids such as the 85cc class.

Governing bodies

The sport is governed world wide by the FIM, with federations in many nations.

Incomplete listing

USA - AMA
UK - ACU, with other separate (unconnected) bodies like the AMCA, ORPA, BSMA, and YSMA.
Ireland - MCUI (covering the whole island)
France - FFM
Canada - CMRC / CMA/LDRMC
South Africa - MSA
Sweden - SVEMO

Renowned Motocross riders

David Bailey, United States
Ricky Carmichael, United States
Gordon Crockard, Northern Ireland
Roger DeCoster, Belgium
Jeff Emig, United States
Stefan Everts, Belgium
Torsten Hallman, Sweden
Bob Hannah, United States
Rick Johnson, United States
Brad Lackey, United States
Mike LaRocco, United States
Ove Lundell, Sweden
Jeremy McGrath, United States
Heikki Mikkola, Finland
Travis Pastrana, United States
Jim Pomeroy, United States
Chad Reed, Australia
Joel Robert, Belgium
James (Bubba) Stewart Jr., United States
Sebastien Tortelli, France
Ben Townley, New Zealand
Jeff Ward, United States

External links

Motorcycle racing

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