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Monday, April 25, 2011

The History Of Supercross Motorcycle Racing

By Owen Jones


The history of motorcycle racing can be traced back just about as far as when the first two motorcycles were sold. In those early days of motorcycle racing, people just raced along a stretch of road or along a beach; whatever was on hand in fact. In fact there were not many proper roads to speak of either, not in the modern sense of the word.

So people just made do with dirt tracks. As time went on and the dirt clogged some engines, races were held on asphalt and proper race tracks were created by entrepreneurs. It is comical when you think about it, because the sport of motorcycle racing has almost turned full circle, in many aspects.

All the types of motorbike racing that have existed are still being practiced somewhere in the world. Flat track racing is still popular, but the riders and the producers and ultimately, the punters wanted more thrills and faster races, so supercross motorcycle racing came into existence.

Supercross motorbike racing is off-road racing, but the off-road territory is man-made. This way 'natural' obstacles such as tight bends, small hills and even ponds can be put in, taken out and moved about at will in order to vary the course. It has made motorbike racing much more exciting, bringing cross country racing to the arena where it can be watched and filmed more easily.

The aim, as with all races, is to finish first, but with supercross racing, there are a lot of bikes in each race and the course is very challenging. So much so that it is a triumph even to pass the finishing line let alone win the race.

Supercross motorcycle racing is really a variation of motorcross, although motorcross is held in the countryside. With supercross they have brought the countryside into the arena. Because of this, it is difficult to put an exact date on the birth of supercross. It just kind of evolved bit by bit.

Motorcross started to bring in the spectators in the Seventies, but canny business people noticed that it was difficult to charge fans for standing on the roadside, which is why they brought supercross into the arena. The first time the term Supercross was used was in the Los Angeles Coliseum, when a promoter said that that racing event was like a cross between motorcross and the Superbowl. The term supercross was coined and stuck.

Supercross motorcycle racing teams are similar in many ways to the NASCAR racing teams in that they are large teams that travel the country putting on shows or races in a variety of stadia, often the very same ones that a NASCAR team has just been at. However, amateur supercross also exists, although mostly only on a local level. Most, but certainly not all local supercross courses are outdoors.

Often, these supercross races will be held either once a week or once a fortnight.. Television has increased the popularity of both professional and amateur supercross and has provided money to make the sport much more spectacular.




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