Motorcycle sport

Classic Road Racing

Motorcycle sport is a broad field that encompasses all sporting aspects of motorcycling. The disciplines are not all "races" or timed-speed events, as several disciplines test a competitor's various riding skills.

Motorcycle racing

Main article: Motorcycle racing

Motorcycle racing (also known as Moto racing and Bike racing) is a motorcycle sport involving racing motorcycles. Motorcycle racing can be divided into two categories, tarmac-based road disciplines and off road.

Track racing

Main article: Track racing

Track racing is a motorcycle sport where teams or individuals race opponents around an oval track. There are differing variants, with each variant racing on a different surface type.

Rally

A road rally is a navigation event on public roads whereby competiors must visit a number of checkpoints in diverse geographical locations while still obeying road traffic laws (not to be confused with car rallies such as WRC).

Other Motorcycle sports

Land speed

Main article: Motorcycle land speed record

Land Speed is where a single rider accelerates over a 1 to 3-mile (4.8 km) long straight track (usually on dry lake beds) and is timed for top speed through a trap at the end of the run. The rider must exceed the previous top speed record for that class or type of bike for their name to be placed on the record books. See—[1] for an example.

Enduro

Main article: Enduro

Enduro isn't exactly racing, because the main objective is to traverse a series of checkpoints, arriving exactly "on time" in accordance with your beginning time and the time it is supposed to take to arrive at each checkpoint. The courses are usually run over thick wooded terrain, sometimes with large obstacles such as logs, ditches, and sudden drops.

Freestyle Motocross

Main article: Freestyle Motocross

A competition based upon points for acrobatic ability on an MX bike over jumps.

Trials

Main article: Motorcycle Trials

Trials commonly take place on rocky terrain

Known in the US as "Observed Trials", it is not racing, but a sport nevertheless. Trials is a test of skill on a motorcycle whereby the rider attempts to traverse an observed section without placing a foot on the ground (and traditionally, although not always, without ceasing forward motion). The winner is the rider with the least penalty points.

Time and Observation

Time and observation trials are trials with a time limit. The person who completes the route the quickest sets the "standard time" and all other competitors must finish within a certain amount of time of the standard time to be counted as a finisher (they received penalty points for every minute after the quickest finisher). This is combined with the penalty points accrued from the observed sections to arrive at a winner, who is not alway the quickest rider or the rider who lost the less marks on observation but the rider who balanced these competing demands the best. One of the most famous time and observation trials is the "Scott" trial held annually in North Yorkshire.

Indoor Trials

Indoor Trials are trials held in stadiums (not necessarily with a roof) which by their very nature use man made artificial sections in contrast to outdoor trials with rely heavily on the natural terrain.

Long Distance Trials (non-competitive)

Main article: Trail riding

Motoball (Motorcycle Polo)

Similar to football, but all players (except goalkeepers) are riding motorcycles, and the ball is much bigger. Motorcycle Polo first began officially in the mid 1930s. ^[1]

References

1. ^ "Daring Riders Thrill Crowds With Polo On Motor Cycles" July 1935 Popular Science Monthly

See also

• Outline of motorcycles and motorcycling

External links

A Supersport bike at Phillip Island.

Sanctioning bodies

• Fédération Internationale de Motocyclismo (FIM) - World governing body
• Motorcycling Australia (MA)- Australian Governing Body
• Auto Cycle Union - UK governing body
• American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) - US governing body
• Motosport South Africa (MSA) - South African governing body
• Federation Francaise de moto (FFM) - French governing body
• MCUI Southern Centre - "governing body of motor cycle sport in Leinster, Munster and Connacht" (i.e., Republic of Ireland)
• Championship Cup Series - Sanctioning body for Sportman Level motorcycle road racing in the United States