Apr 26 2011
A Quick History Of Motocross In America
Motocross is a sport that has grown tremendously in the time it has been in the United States. Since its start in Great Britain and migration to the United States, it has become popular for families on a Sunday outing and professional riders seeking the same fame and fortune as other professional sports.
There is a debate about the date of origin of motocross, most believe it to be around 1920. However, is began a “scramble” race which was an off road cross country motorcycle race where the fastest rider was the winner. There were other forms of motorcycle races where the most technically correct racer was awarded with the win. The term motocross is a combination of the French word motocyclette, which is motorcycle, and cross for cross-country. Moto-x evolved into a closed course race with many hazards including bumps, jumps and turns. The sport began to spread throughout Europe during the nineteen forties; it was not until the late nineteen fifties before the first mx race was held in America. By the seventies, the sport had exploded throughout the US.
Races held at local track have become a family affair. Many families turn race weekend into serious bonding time by camping out at the track the night before in order to be prepared for the race. It becomes a weekend of togetherness and bonding for family and friends.
There may be a class for nearly all family members to enter. Kids can start to race around the age of four; there are classes for nearly age group and different skill levels for men and for women. Many families who attend the races will bring several motorcycles to race on any given weekend. Dad, mom, son and daughter may all be racing any particular weekend.
A typical race day will consist of each class racing in two separate “motos”. Points are awarded based on the finish in each race; the two finishes are then averaged together. Based on the averages, an overall winner is then determined. Motos are generally raced for a certain amount of time, not laps. Generally, the motos are twenty to thirty minutes long.
Professional riders have grown to become house hold names; these racers have obtained very lucrative contracts from racing teams and sponsors. Men like Jeremy McGrath, Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart are well known in the mainstream because of cable and network television exposure. Many races can be seen live or on next day tape delay these days. In the eighties races would be on tv, however, it would be several weeks tape delayed.
Moto-x has spawned other sports, supercross and freestyle motocross are the two most well know spin offs. Supercross is the indoor version of the sport; it is very similar except the track is in a stadium. A supercross track is more compact, usually fits on the area of a football field. The jumps may be bigger giving the riders more time in the air. Freestyle mx is a version of the sport which does not involve racing at all. In this participants perform high flying jumps and acrobatics in order to score style points. The rider with the highest rating becomes the winner.
Mx has grown in notoriety over the years in the United States. A person only needs to attend a local race to witness how families can bond over a weekend at the track. An alternative is to turn on the television on a Saturday or Sunday to see the crowds which turnout to take in the professionals performing in the sport.
Motocross is an interesting sport. If you found this article interesting you may like playing motocross games. To play simply visit the motocross games website.