Not every sport has the same weight when it comes to the level of risk involved. Some sports are obviously more dangerous than others. Some sports are in their nature very dangerous and can take a person’s life just by practicing or competing in the said sport.
Car racing is dangerous, but most cars have some sort of protection for the racer, either metal roll bars, what is known as a cage, and basically isolate the racer from the surroundings. The racer is also strapped into their seat with a racing harness, which limits body movement, a good thing, of course.
Then, you have motorbike races, which are more dangerous due to the nature of the motorcycle. Add off road racing to the equation and you get motocross. Here is everything you need to know about it.
How Motorcross Came to Be
As all things evolve, motocross also came to be thanks to another set of events, namely the motorcycle trials, which were held in England and Scotland.
The trials are very technical “races” where a motorcyclist has to go through an obstacle course without their feet touching the ground. These courses involve everything from rocks, to modern day boxes and various other indoor alternatives (sometimes, actual rocks are also used).
This sport is mostly popular in the UK and Spain and it was precisely at the 1912 Scottish Six Day Trials that the first motocross or scramble race was held. The scrambles are a type of race where multiple racers would attempt to win, namely by being first, where both speed and time matter. Motocross is a portmanteau of moto and cross-country.
FIM and Motocross Races
Due to the rising popularity of the scrambles and their frequent appearance at various technical race events, the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme or FIM for short, took notice and decided to adopt the scrambles. The first scramble race on its own was held in 1924, in Camberley, Surrey.
FIM started having scrambles races in 1952 with a standard 500cc engine displacement. It was upgraded to have a World Championship in 1957. The competitions were mostly dominated by European gear until the 1970s, when the Japanese joined the party, namely Suzuki, Honda and Yamaha. The races became more and more popular, as many businesses and racers started being invested into the sport.
Motocross Today
Motocross is contested at the FIM World Championship as it has been since 1957. However, other organizations also have their own events. The notable ones are the AMA Motocross Championship, the Motocross des Nations, typically called the Olympics for Motosports, as well as the British Motocross Championship.
There is also an alternative motocross style called supercross, which involves trickier terrain, steeper hills and more danger in general.
Motocross is an interesting sport that involves off road racing on a lightweight motorcycle. There are various motocross styles nowadays, as well as multiple races and events organized by multiple organizations depending on the continent and country, of course.
Motocross is a great sport, so try watching a race and see whether it’s the right sport for you.
