Well, first off, let me give a brief description of the feeling I get when I ride or race. I am a 37 year veteran of motocross with a career that spanned from 1975 till 2007.
It is a blood pumping, adrenaline shooting, brain warping, heart pounding, natural high like no other on this earth. There’s nothing like being 12 feet off the ground at 50 MPH with nothing under your butt but 218 lbs of motorcycle. Now with that being said, I will try to tell you a little bit about motocross.
Motocross is a sport that demands the utmost physical conditioning and bravery. The MX tracks are made of hills, huge jumps, and man made obstacles known as whoop de doos, dragons backs, anthills, doubles, triples and every now and the a jump called quadzilla, or a quad. This is 4 jumps in a row that only the most experienced rider will jump. He will hit the first one and clear all the rest, hoping to land on the down side of the last one. Same technique goes for double and triple jumps.
The protective gear and clothing that a racer wears is as flamboyant as he or she is, yes, girls are riding too. The riders apparel consists of, but not limited to boots, helmet, protective pants and jersey, knee guards, chest protectors, gloves, goggles, and the newest addition to the line, a Leatt Brace. This devise is designed to keep the rider from breaking his neck in the event of being thrown off head first. The rest is self-explanatory.
The race itself is held on a closed continuous loop usually anywhere from ¾ mile to 1.5 miles long, with all of the obstacles mentioned above. Most races consist of 2 “motos”, each being from 5 to 8 laps long. There can be as many as 40 riders on the starting gate at one time. Your score is determined by your finish in each moto with the last moto being the tie breaker if a tie occurs and it often does.
MX tracks are located all across the US and other countries, and can be found by visiting your local motorcycle shop, or favorite motorcycle website. You can also catch a race on television on some of the sports channels. The riders you see on tv have traveled a long and hard road to get there and they are the elite of the sport. When they achieve this status, they actually live like a rock star. Needless to say, I never achieved this goal, although I did have my moments.
So if you ever get the chance, get out of that recliner and take in some real action at your local MX track. It’s great for the whole family. There is lots of very nice people in these groups and lots of spectacular riders who sometimes have spectacular crashes. All in all, it is a great way to spend the day or weekend with the family.
