Motocross

motocross Nick Jacobson 5/5/11 Focus on writing 8th hour Ms. Lenze Motocross is a fast physically demanding and a fun to watch racing sport. It's an intense and exciting sport that allows you to see anything from a few friends banging' bars at a practice track to 40 professionals lining up for a big money race. Motocross races are held on a closed, marked and fenced track that combines the area’s natural features such as hills and cambers with man-made jumps to create fun and physically challenging tracks. On a typical MX track you'll find all kinds of sections including fast straights, sharp climbs and drops, big jumps, technical corner sections and whoops. “Motocross is riding a specially designed motorcycle, called a motocross bike, on a closed course, consisting of a variety of terrain; uphill's, downhill's, corners, jumps, etc. If you are racing, it is over a set amount of time or laps, with the winner crossing the line first. This varies depending on the club, or level that the rider is competing at. Experts and professionals typically have longer races than novices. A race day can be just one race, or 3 or more, again depending on club and competition level”. (Bryan). “Motocross racing is one of the few spectator sports that really gives fans the unbeatable combination of sure-fire appeal. Thrills, excitement, color, speed, strategy and endurance are all presented in a natural panorama of nature. While it may look simple to the onlooker, motocross competitors are athletes in the strictest sense of the word. A recent study conducted by the National Athletic Health Institute in California, in cooperation with Cycle Magazine, proved the amazing fitness and endurance that each of these young racers possess. Results of a series of fitness tests to 9 top motocrossers showed conclusively that these riders were the most physically fit athletes ever tested by the Institute. In motocross, endurance is the key factor. Sheer strength alone is not enough to sustain a motocrosser for the many laps of relentless, random pounding that each track dishes out. However, while motocross truly tests athletes, it also serves to satisfy man's fascination with motors and wheels to which the traditional 'stick and ball' sports cannot respond. Thus, motocross offers the best of two worlds”. (Bryan) When you race motocross everything gets a little more serious and intense. Motocross racing is done by getting a group of riders on a closed course or onto a set track and lining them up at a starting gate and having them race around a closed track a for a set amount of time and the person who gets the most laps in that amount of time wins but there are many different types of motocross racing such as a hare scramble which is a race that goes on for two hours non stop were you go around the motocross and go to the single track trails which are very technical and covered in rock, tree roots, logs and many other obstacles you have to go up steep hills with mud and rocks and roots covering them and you get timed each lap and the person with the most laps in 2 hours wins the race. If you do not finish the race, you get disqualified which means that you have no chance of winning and you do not place in the competition and you quit. Another type of motocross racing is called and enduro which is the most grueling of all the types of racing because you are constantly finding new obstacles everything you face is new because there are no laps you are weaving through the woods and fields on a single bike wide track for over four hours to a set finish line and you are being timed in each section of the woods from checkpoint to checkpoint. I have raced a couple of races in the last few years but the one I remember most is my first race ever which was at a track called Aztlan. I was just 13 years old at the time and was racing in the 85cc senior class. I was the second youngest kid in that race. At around nine o’clock we lined up at the starting line in the pouring rain. When I put my feet down to hold my bike up my feet sunk in the mud until it was over the top of my boot I thought to myself oh my god this is going to be rough. About five minutes later the announcer told us that it was going to be a foot race start to start the race which means the riders stand about 10 yards away from their dirt bikes and when the starter shoots his gun you have a foot race to your bike’s then you kick start them and go. He shot the gun I sprinted to my bike seeing people there already I thought I was going to be stuck in the big group at the first corner but many of the people already at their bikes could not get them started which was good for me because I kicked my bike over first kick and raced to the first corner in second place. I fought for the lead for the next four laps through the woods and on the motocross track then I got clothes lined off of my dirt bike by a huge tree branch while going up a hill and I lost him I was so disappointed in myself for crashing so I pushed hard but with no luck I did not catch him in the next five laps and I placed second in the race it was one of the hardest races of my life. The dirt bike racers ride can be completely stock with nothing changed or to the extent of a professional race bike where every single part on it is modified to make the bike lighter faster and stronger. If you’re just starting out I would recommend getting a stock dirt bike and depending on your size that’s how you would pick a motorcycle for you. If you are an adult and looking for a nice bike to just take on the local trails then I would recommend getting a trail four stroke and they vary in engine size and height and weight. But if you’re looking to go learn the motocross I would recommend getting any 250cc motorcycle. They are a great learning bike but have the power and speed to get you over any obstacle or jump. If you are starting a child out, I would start by getting them any type of 50cc dirt bike because that is the perfect learning bike for a young child, if they are a little older around 10 years old, you could get them a 65cc or a cr 150f which has the same amount of power as a 65cc. If your bigger than that then you bump up to the adult bikes such as the 85cc senior or the 125cc, 250f, or 450 which are all great bikes depending on your abilities but start out small and go up in size as your skill goes up. There are some things that you will need to do to keep your bike running at top performance such as changing the oil, cleaning the air filter and setting the suspension on your bike to your weight these are some of the simple things you can do to keep your bike running smoothly. But if you want to performance tune your bike you’re either going to have to have the knowhow to adjust your carburetor, change your reeds, adjust your jets and change pipes. These are all pretty complicated adjustments and could be done easier by taking your bike into the local motorcycle dealer with your parts and asking them to put them on or adjust them for you. When you are riding a dirt bike you need to wear protective gear it is not mandatory to do so when you are just riding the trails but I highly recommend that you do wear a helmet and other protective gear when riding because you can fall and be injured by hitting the littlest rock the wrong way. In the AMA it is mandatory to wear all protective gear which includes a full face helmet, a chest protector which is a hard plastic body suit that goes over your shoulders and over your chest and back which protects you from getting smashed or skewered while riding. You must also wear specific motocross boots which are shin high hard leather and steel toed which protects you from breaking your toes on rocks and stumps and any other object that would injure your foot. Now that I’ve taught you about the amazing sport of motocross I hope that you go out and try it yourself be careful and wear the proper safety equipment. “Works cited” http://www.dirtrider.com/index.html Dvd, David Pingree. Dirt Bikes, Motocross, Supercross, Supermotard & Enduro Dirtbikes, Dirt Bike Motorcycles at Dirt Rider. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. . Doeden, Matt. Supercross. Mankato, MN: Capstone, 2011. Print. Henshaw, Peter. The Encyclopedia of Motorcycles. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2000. Print. Mezzanotte, Jim. Motocross. Milwaukee, WI: Gareth Stevens Pub., 2006. Print. http://www.rpamx.co.uk/what-is-mx.htm AKA Bryan. "What Is Motocross and Its History." Motocross Shop Selling MX Parts and Accessories on Our Website - RPA MX Ltd. Web. 21 Apr. 2011. .