How to do Dirt Bike Racing for Beginners
You may be wondering, “Where is everyone going with those motorcycles in the back of their trucks?” given the recent spike in dirt bike sales. Perhaps you recently purchased one for yourself and are seeking a bit more excitement than your normal Sunday ride.
Shop your motorcycle gear here: Revzilla
One of the most difficult, thrilling, and gratifying activities you can do on two wheels is racing dirt motorcycles, but how can you get started? The reality is that there are many different types of dirt motorcycles, from motocrossers to race-spec enduros to street-legal dual-sports. Which style of racing you wish to try may depend on the kind of dirt bike you already own. If you haven’t already purchased one, this article might assist you in making your decision based on the types of riding and racing you want to perform.
In order to help you choose the off-road racing discipline that is most appropriate for you, let’s first discuss some of the many categories.
Shop your motorcycle gear here: Revzilla
Supercross and Motocross
Motocross, or MX for short, is well-known because it is frequently televised and quite entertaining to watch. Outdoor, one to three miles long, and with a mix of twists and straightaways, the courses feature both natural and man-made terrain, including hills, jumps, whoops, and berms. The ground might be anything from sandy and dry to muddy and damp. All competitors in the same class start side by side with their engines running at the starting gate where races commence. Two 12- to 30-minute periods plus two laps make up a “moto,” or segment of a race. To choose the overall winner, the scores from each moto are added together. You will spend a total of less than two hours on the track between practice and both motos.
Shop your motorcycle gear here: Revzilla
Similar to MX, Supercross (abbreviated SX) events are usually conducted in stadiums and arenas. This makes it considerably simpler for viewers to see the entire action, whereas MX spectators often can only see a portion of the circuit. This is one reason why Supercross attracts more spectators than any other type of motorcycle racing in the United States. Supercross tracks often include tighter turns, greater jumps, and shorter straights than motocross tracks. Sometimes, racers might jump up to 35 feet in the air and go 70 feet.
Hare scrambles
Hare scrambles, also known as “Cross Country” or “XC” races, are held on courses made of natural terrain that range in length from three to eight miles. Although they frequently do not have the terrifying high jumps of MX or SX, they frequently include extremely difficult terrain, such as rocks, roots, river crossings, mud, and steep hills. According to the class they are competing in, racers begin in rows. Starting with the more advanced groups, each row is activated every 30 seconds in an effort to minimize passing as the routes involve strenuous wooded terrain. Dead-engine starts, in which your motorcycle must be shut off and only started when the flagman raises the green flag, are rather prevalent. In a normal race, competitors will complete as many laps as they can in one to two hours. Racer who completes the most laps in the least amount of time wins.
GNCC
Hare scrambles and GNCC Grand National Cross Country are extremely similar, however GNCC usually has longer, faster woodland courses, occasionally including grass track and MX parts. Races may run up to three hours and courses can be up to 12 kilometers long per lap. The GNCC now offers ATV and electric mountain bike (eMTB) classes.
Enduro
Enduro races come in a variety of styles, including as classic time-keepers, restart, and sprint events. They are races on natural terrain, considerably longer than hare scrambles, often 100 miles or more, and with paved parts on public highways. All enduros have a break for refueling, maintenance, eating, etc.
Racers will start at a predetermined “key time” every minute in rows of around four behind the regular timekeepers. All racers are kept on the same minute by key time. The fifth row, for instance, will go off at 9:05 if the first row of racers starts at 9 a.m., but their watches will be set five minutes late so that they read 9 a.m. A row racer’s clock will read 9 a.m. when they begin, regardless of which row they start on.
Shop your motorcycle gear here: Revzilla
Along the course, there are checkpoints, and competitors who arrive early or late are fined. Using their odometer, clock, roll chart, or enduro-specific computer, racers must maintain time to make sure they are not moving too quickly or slowly. The racers on each row will ride together the entire day in a perfect timekeeper, never passing or seeing anyone from the other row. Enduro races start to resemble a fun day of riding with your pals as a result. You can ask to be in the same row as your friends when you sign up. If you don’t have any riding partners, you’ll probably wind up with some from your argument.
There are many aspects of strategy that are outside the purview of this essay, such as anticipating whether or not you will come across a checkpoint. I’ve discovered that, in general, you should move quickly on the difficult tasks while moving slowly on the easier ones.
Restart or start-control enduros are my personal favorite and are comparable in duration, topography, and challenge to standard time-keepers. Timed and transfer stages are included in restart enduros. In the timed stage, competitors race as quickly as they can to the following checkpoint. The terrain is typically more difficult, quicker, and congested during the timed stage. Racers may traverse some flatter terrain (though not necessarily) or some on-road segments during a transfer stage at relatively slow average speeds. They have enough time to get to the beginning of their timed stage, when they once more start on the minute, hence the term “restart.” Longer pauses are incorporated into the race so that people may catch up and get back on their minute. Racers who crash, get a mechanical issue, or experience another delay might not reach it to the following stage in time, leading them to start a sector late depending on their key time.
Shop your motorcycle gear here: Revzilla
A hybrid of an enduro and a hare scramble, sprint enduros are a relatively new event type. On other test portions, which are shorter in length and resemble a hare scramble lap, competitors race against the clock to get the greatest time possible. The type of the sections will vary, ranging from “cross” parts with fast, flowing grass track and occasionally MX track characteristics to “enduro” sections with wooded trails and undeveloped terrain. Each test will give racers many chances to try their hardest and get the fastest time. The winners are the racers with the quickest lap times throughout all of the test parts. Different organizations and locations may have somewhat different rules and race structures because this format is continuously developing. A sprint enduro could be what you’re looking for if you like to battle the clock but prefer shorter racing loops than time-keeper or start-control enduros.
Retro racing
The American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) provides older (pre-1999) motorcycles versions of the majority of the aforementioned racing categories. I’ve already written about my own experience competing in the AHRMA XC, but it bears repeating because most people believe that racing is incredibly expensive. Although it is possible, it is not necessary. You may have a fantastic time on the cheap by purchasing a cheap antique bike, entering some vintage races, and having a great time.
Freestyle
A competition of airborne maneuvers known as “Freestyle FMX” is graded on both style and difficulty. Riders typically land on substantial dirt mounds after jumping off steel or dirt ramps. Jumping in large pits filled with foam blocks helps riders who specialize in freestyle to hone their new feats. There are now subcategories of freestyle, including Best Whip, Speed and Style, and Step-Up (high jump on a motorcycle).
Other two-wheeled racing disciplines include: Although young riders on vintage motorcycles are permitted, vintage racing is done by old men on antique bikes. Rally racing is a multiday or multiweek sport that tests riders’ endurance, navigational abilities, and high-speed riding prowess. Long-swingarm machines race straight up ridiculous hills during hill climbing. Speedway is comparable to flat track but takes place on a smaller oval and uses more specialized motorcycles. Flat track is big dirt oval racing at high speeds. Pit bike racing consists of “adults” competing on little, modified children’s bikes on tiny supercross-style circuits. The most well-known kind of riding is trail riding. It’s just fun riding your dirt bike around on the trails you have access to; this isn’t racing.
Arenacross
Supercross and arenacross are comparable, except arenacross uses smaller circuits that can fit in arenas rather than stadiums. Similar starts may be seen on small tracks, but they feature a two-row start with both rows leaving from a single gate.
Shop your motorcycle gear here: Revzilla
2022 best motorcycle & atv gloves review
2022 best motorcycle & atv boots review
2022 best motorcycle & atv jackets review
