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 . [ 1 ] [ 2 ]

Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competitions, such as the Auto-Cycle Clubs 's first quarterly trial in 1909 and the Scottish Six Days Trial that began in 1912. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] 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. [ 1 ] Though known...

The first known scramble race in the world took place in Camberley , Surrey in 1924. [ 3 ] The 100th anniversary of the very first Motocross race was commemorated in March 2024. The same cub that ran the 1924 event ran it again over the same land. [ 4 ] 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 insid...

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 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...

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 was upgraded to World Championship status. [ 3 ] [ 6 ] 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. [ 3 ] [ 6 ] [ 7 ]

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. [ 6 ]

By the mid-1960s, advances in two-stroke engine technology meant that the heavier, four-stroke machines were relegated to niche competitions. [ 6 ] Riders from Belgium and Sweden began to dominate the sport during this period. [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 9 ] 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 Hallm...

Japanese motorcycle manufacturers began challenging 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. [ 14 ] 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 the AMA. The stadium event, ...

In 1975 , the FIM introduced a 125 cc world championship. [ 2 ] 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 the 1980s, American riders had caught up with American teams winning a string of 13 consecutive MXDN victories between 1981 and 1993. [ 16 ] [ 17 ] [ 18 ] In 1978 , Akira Watanabe became the first non-European competitor to win a m...

From the late 1970s to early 1990s, Japanese motorcycle manufacturers presided over 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, a rekindled ...

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. [ 20 ] Due to 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 FIM Grand Prix Motocross World Championship is predominantly held in Europe, but also includes events in North America, South America, Asia, Australia, and Africa. [ 23 ] 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 a duration of 30 minutes plus two laps.

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. [ 27 ]

A number of other types of motorcycle sport have been derived from Motocross.

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 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. [ citation needed ]

The ATV National Motocross Championship was formed around 1985. [ 29 ] 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) [ 30 ] saw its infancy in 2006 as leaders of 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...

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 is driven on ordinary crosstracks. [ citation needed ]

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/barrel-slave. This name comes from the early sidecars which resembled road motorcycle sidecars and not today's platform. [ citation needed ]

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). [ citation needed ]

Pit bikes are small motorbikes that participants in powersports events use to ride around 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. [ citation needed ]

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 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. [ 31 ]

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 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. [ citation needed ]

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 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. [ citation needed ]

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 is a relatively new niche of motocross, and as such, there is no official governing body similar to the AMA. [ citation needed ]

Manufacturers that have ceased production

Motocross is governed worldwide by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), with federations in many nations.