The history of supercross

Hi. This week on my blog I am going to give you all a bit of info on supercross,

its history and where the idea came from. So where are these big races held? Well it might surprise you to know that they are mainly held in American football and baseball stadiums, except for the race at Daytona which is held at Daytona International Speedway where the island separates the pit lane from the circuit. In 1972, the first supercross race was held in the Los Angeles Coliseum and was won by 16 year old Marty Tripes. The American Motorcyclist Association govern the championship and regulate the rules and safety procedures.

Supercross became growingly popular amongst motor sport fans but it didn't seriously begin to gain public opinion until the early 2000s. Today supercross is the second most popular form of motorsport in the United States just after NASCAR racing. There are currently three different race category in supercross, the 450cc class, 250cc east, 250cc west and all bikes are generally four strokes. The 450cc class consists of 17 rounds and begins in late December and finishes up around the mid May mark and are held in 14 stadiums and one permanent race circuit in North America.

Some of the most notable winners of the 450cc class in the last 20 years are Jeremy McGrath-7 times winner, Ricky Carmichael-5 times winner and Ryan Villopoto-4 times winner. Well, I hope that gives you a bit of an insight into the history and origins of supercross in America and next week I will be talking about the race day formats and much more besides.