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Back to Subjects - Sports & Recreation

Motocross

Motocross Its time for more people to begin to find out more about this fun and interesting extreme sport called motocross. The sport is composed of riders, their dirt bikes, and an extremely challenging, high-flying racetrack. The tight, fast action and out of control airtime is what keeps the fans coming back and has also translated in to financial success for many of the sport’s top competitors. Sponsors such as MCI and 1-800-COLLECT have allowed for these stars to make up to two million dollars a year. Although the word motocross is an unfamiliar word to many, it has existed for more than a quarter century. Motocross is one of the most exotic and exciting sports to watch and participate in. Motocross is not a brand new phenomenon, its origins can be traced all the way back to 1972 when two drinking buddies in a bar designed a race track on a cocktail napkin. The event to be held on this racetrack was called The Super Bowl of Motocross, which is what we now know as supercross (Faught 1). Since the beginning of motocross it has grown into a sixteen race series that attracts 700,000 spectators every year. Supercross has been held in arenas such as the Texas Stadium, the Pontiac Silverdome, and the Seattle Kingdome. A common question asked by many people is, “What is the difference between motocross and supercross?” The difference between the two is that Supercross is usually held in an arena and the course is extremely tight. The jumps on a supercross track are also very vertical, which means the riders are constantly kicked high into the air. While motocross is an event usually held outside. The track is larger and wider, and the jumps are long but not quite as steep (Naden 15). Both of these events have their advantages and disadvantages to the rider, but they both provide and excellent show for the spectators. My own personal interest in motocross began at only the age of six. It was December 25, 1987, Christmas morning, when my Dad rolled a brand new YZ50 out of the garage. I learned to ride a dirt bike that very day, and from that point on my passion for the sport would continue to grow. Since then, I have climbed the ladder of motocross bikes going from an ‘87 Yamaha50 to a ‘93 Kawasaki80 to a ’95 Kawasaki125 to my current bike which is a ’99 Honda250. Bikes are classified according to the number of cubic centimeters that make up the engine. For example, a fifty-cc motor is only fifty cubic centimeters in size. The sport has taught me many valuable lessons. I learned a great amount of balance and about a gas engine as well as many other skills. Motocross has kept me in good shape through the years and has always provided a challenge. Although many people argue that it is too dangerous, with the right mindset and patience, the sport is safe and lots of fun. The are many famous names in the sport of motocross. Some of the most current famous names are Travis Pastrana, Jeremy McGrath, and Stephane Roncada. Travis Pastrana is one of motocross’ newest and youngest riders. He is only sixteen years old and rides professionally for Team Suzuki. Pastrana is a very aggressive rider and a showman for his fans. In January of 2000 Pastrana was in a freestyle jumping competition in which he easily took first place. For his finally jump he got the crowd on their feet and then jumped his bike out of the arena into a lake, all for the fans. The highly illegal and remarkably dangerous stunt cost Pastrana 10,000 dollars in prize money (Gordon 1). Jeremy McGrath is a rider that brought motocross most of its attention. He is twenty-six years old and started racing in the American Motorcycle Association’s Supercross series in 1993. Since then he has won fifty-one races, almost twice as many wins as any other rider, and four straight national championships, from ’93 through ’96 (Mooney 1). McGrath is a motocross legend and continues to set new records with each season. “Twenty year old Stephane Roncada is one of those guys who knows no limitations”(Goble 1). Stephane began his career in France at the age of five. He left his country in 1997 to apprehend motocross fame and fortune in the U.S. (Goble 1). Since 1997 he has kept himself near or at the top of the challenging Supercross and National Championship circuits. The reason that motocross is not a more popular sport among amateurs is due to several reasons. The main reason is that motocross, or any type of motorcycle, is extremely dangerous. Riders must be alert and use their heads at all time. A lazy or inattentive rider is almost always an injured rider (Naden 26). There are also many predicaments that are out of a rider’s control. Things such as track conditions, other riders, and bike malfunctions can be extremely dangerous and are out of the rider’s ability to control. Another reason for the sports unpopularity is due to the expense of motocross. Bikes are around five thousand dollars for a new one and maintenance can also be expensive. The maintenance required for a motocross bike is especially rigorous as well. For every hour a motocross bike is ridden, one hour of maintenance is to be expected. Things such as cleaning the bike, changing the oil, cleaning the air filter, adjusting and lubricating the chain, and adjusting the air pressure are all mandatory maintenance requirements after one hour of hard riding. The maintenance aspect and risk factors involved in motocross help classify it as an extreme sport. Some other minor drawbacks involved with motocross are the noise and pollution created by two-cycle dirt bikes. These factors are on their way to being solved with a new type of bike. It is a four-stroke dirt bike that requires little maintenance, is much quieter, and does not create much pollution. Since America takes such a strong interest in Nascar and Indi car racing it amazes me that motocross is not more popular at present, but the future of motocross is definitely on the rise. Each year brings more fans and more riders to this exciting and challenging sport. Greater technological advances in dirt bikes and advances in riders’ techniques and skills continue to make this sport more enjoyable for both the rider and the fan. Bibliography: Works Cited Faught, Ken. “Dirt Devils: ratings and attendance soar, so do the fortunes of Supercross.” Sport March 1998: 99-103. Goble, Gord. “Stephane Roncada.” Computer Gaming World May 2000: 58+. Gordon, Devin. “Up, Up, and Away, Dude! Extreme sports: What in the world is freestyle motocross? Here’s a better question: how big is it going to get?” Newsweek Jan. 2000: 26,78. Mooney, Loren. “Supercross Superhero.” Sports Illustrated March 1998: 88+. Naden, Corinne J. Rough Rider: The Challenge of Motocross. Mahwah, N.J. Troll Assocites, 1980.

Word Count: 1076