Supercross
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Supercross (disambiguation).
Supercross was derived from the sport of Motocross. While Motocross and Supercross are similar in many respects, there are significant differences as well. For example, the Supercross races themselves are heavily advertised, slickly-produced, and televised motorsports event spectaculars produced within major cities. Motocross events are more grassroots contests, that often are held on small tracks or in rural areas. Motocross "motos" go untelevised and unnoticed by all except a following of devoted fans, who would probobly attend a Supercross event also if be it near or in town. Attendance of spectators in a colosseum during a Supercross contest is much greater and more focused, than at the outdoors Motorcross paved track or ranging overland course. Typically, a Supercross event consists of a set number of qualifying races, heat races, and semi-finals, leading up to the finals race for each contest cycle catagory that is called the "Main Event". The race lengths can range from as few as 6 laps in some qualifying Supercross eliminations to 20 laps for the highlighted Main Event. Because Supercross events are held in the arena of major stadiums the track sizes tends to be smaller, than the traditional outdoors Motocross program field of competition. Also, Supercross jumps and obstacles tend to be more uniform and precise on their short track. Because Supercross courses of competition are not as long the race duration tends to be shorter as well and more intense, than for the less profiled outdoors Motocross moto events. Supercross races usually last no longer than 22 minutes, while outdoor races can run in excess of 40 minutes per Motocross moto. The Supercross event winner is the rider who qualifies through preliminary races, and finishes first in the Main Event Final. In American Motocross, a winner ordinarily is chosen by combining his or her best scores from two motos. Therefor, a Supercross Champion ordinarily is thought to have superior technical skills for racing on a very tight track under controlled and quickly varying conditions, while a Motocross Champion is lauded for having the strength, endurance and courage to race at high speeds under extreme conditions of heat and physical exertion on a rough track. A moto race is a sort of countryfied and usually off-road motorcycle contest, while a Supercross Main Event Final often takes on the look and feel of a Roman Gladiator spectacle.
The term "Supercross" was derived from the event name for the first organized Motocross race that was successfully held inside a stadium in the United States. In 1972, racing promoter Michael Goodwin staged what he called the "Superbowl of Motocross" inside the Los Angeles Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. This event was won by Marty Tripes at the age of 16. That initial contest featured many of the top Motocross riders of the time. It was such a commercial success that it spawned many imitators, and the term "Supercross" was coined to identify the similar to Motocross stadium cycling events. Modern Supercross races are sanctioned and governed by motorcycle associations. The main being either the American Motorcyclist Association who is the oldest and most prodigious cycle racing organization, or the THQ series of Supercross Championship events that are in part the work of Clear Channel, who in 2004 contruibuted expertise in filming on-track gate event competition for Supercross: The Movie.
While growing consistantly since the 70's, in the early part of the 21st Century Supercross' popularity really took off. In the United States, Supercross races today are the second most popular form of motorsport (behind NASCAR racing). The American Motorcyclist Association awards three Supercross Championship Champs each year. They are Supercross Champion which until 2006 was referred to as 250 class, Supercross Lites East (which was the 125 East) Champion, and Supercross Lites West Champion. World Supercross Champions are named by other racing organizations around the world. Supercross racing classifications were governed by the displacement of the motorcycle's engine until 2006. In the past, Championships have been awarded in 125cc (also known as "MX2"), 250cc ("MX1"), and 500cc displacement levels (also known as "MX3"). The 250cc Champion has always been generally considered to be the most prestigious.
Starting in 2006, displacement was removed from any class designations to remove confusion that had arisen from the fact that over the past few years more people rode 450cc four-stroke bikes than 250cc two-strokes in the races, and in the supercross season of 2006 there averaged less than one two-stroke 250 per main event. This was due to a rule change which allowed for the new four-stroke bikes to be used. Following their first use around 2002, the testing, research and development has made these machines substantially superior to their two-stroke counterparts. For more details see, "Information at AMA Motocross" in External Links.
Supercross popularity primarily began in the Southern California region, with riders who for the most part developed and polished thier skills riding motorcycles out in the desert terrain. The contest circuit in its early days began and completed the season in the Los Angeles and Las Vegas area stadiums. Even after many years, Supercross did not enjoy the same popularity in Europe as in the United States. European Motocross event stars do not normally compete in European Supercross events, since some essentially different skills are required, and without them the rider would not have a chance. This may change due to an advent of a Supercross World Championship, incorporating most of the American Supercross Championship series and a few races in Europe.
Supercross is not the same as the even newer sport of "Arenacross," which consists essentially of Supercross style courses that are downsized even further and placed into smaller venues such as ice hockey and basketball stadiums. The popularity of Arenacross is growing however, since smaller cities that do not have large football and baseball stadiums can host Arenacross races and thereby enjoy one of the most exciting motosports in the world.
Contents |
[edit] Supercross World Championship Winners By Year
| Year | Supercross Class (formerly 250cc) |
|---|---|
| 2006 | James Stewart Jr. |
| 2005 | Ricky Carmichael |
| 2004 | Heath Voss |
| 2003 | Chad Reed |
[edit] AMA Championship Winners By Year
[edit] Notes
- Supercross: The Movie (2005), the Supercross DVD (2006), and the following High Definition TV version of Supercross, are of a fictional story set in the high drama of the competitive cycle world, and filmed with live racing action photography. The production is being distributed domestically by 20th Century Fox, and with many world-wide entertainment agencies.
