The History Of Motocross

By | February 3, 2025

The History Of Motocross – If one were to talk about motorcycle racing with the extremeness and roughness of the ride, many people will surely think of “motocross” racing. Since it takes place outdoors in combination with natural terrain, the motorcycle must be an “Off-road motorcycle” designed especially for riding on rough terrain, dusty and muddy roads. Origins of Motocross It is said that the first recorded motocross races were known as “Scrambles” in the United Kingdom, later called motocross races. The first ever official duel was held at Camberley in Surrey in 1924, it is a race where all riders in one class start on the same row and the event is a complete race to the finish. Most of the race routes will be a road that goes through farmland, hills, open fields to various dirt roads in the English countryside. At the time, motorcycle equipment, rider costumes were not intended for off-road racing or rough terrain use, and the motorcycle used in competition was built primarily for road use, not dirt roads. As for clothing and protective equipment, there are so few of them. The 1924 race was considered an important foundation at the time and could be considered a pioneer for the various motocross races that would take place in the future. After World War II, World War 2 led to a great deal of innovation and technology. When the war ended, various technologies used in the war were made for civilian use. This includes vehicles such as motorcycles, with strength and better performance, the motorcycle used for off-road racing has been developed even better. This made motocross racing popular and many races followed. Two-Stroke In the late 1950s, many motorcycle companies such as Husqvarna, Jawa and Greeves developed the 250cc ‘two-stroke’ engine, resulting in bikes that were more agile and lighter, faster and more flexible. It is also easier to maintain, repair and cheaper than their predecessors, since most of them have a 4-cylinder engine and the engine displacement is 500 cc. In addition, the Motocross World Championship was born in 1957, where motocross motorcycles were also raced with 250cc engines. Arrival of Japanese manufacturers In the late 1960s to early 1970s, Japanese motorcycle manufacturers such as Suzuki, Honda, Kawasaki, and Yamaha began producing off-road racing motorcycles with good performance equivalent to Western motorcycles in terms of speed, engine power, various technologies, and looks. . Thanks to this, the popularity of off-road motorcycles has grown considerably. Evidence of popularity since the 70s, where most racers exclusively used motorcycles from the Japanese company. They can also win many championships, such as the FIM 500cc World Motocross Championship held in 1979, where racer Graham Noyce rode a Honda to win the title. The Golden Age of Motocross Since the 1980s, the trend of off-road motorcycle and motocross racing has grown in popularity due to the influence of the media, which is more open and accessible to many people, whether it is televised races such as Supercross, which is new a form of racing that uses artificial elements to create great jumps, plateaus in flatter areas, that was created in the United States. Even at that time, there were many films on the scene that used off-road motorcycles. Today’s off-road motorcycle and motocross racing is not limited to racing on rough roads and rugged terrain, but has evolved into other forms of competition and many different sports such as

In addition, off-road motorcycles are often used in Extreme Sport performances, which also require the skill of the athlete to perform at high speed and robust performance. A motocross bike can be capable of wading through all situations, whether on a straight road or off-road. and riding in many styles. This makes motocross bikes a robust and truly extreme vehicle.

The History Of Motocross

We use cookies on our website to provide you with the most relevant experience possible by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept” you agree to the use of ALL cookies. More Info*This 9-part MX history series has been republished with permission from the original author, Ed Youngblood. We want to thank Ed for his continued passion and support of motocross and are very excited that this guide can live on through our site.

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There hasn’t been much historical research on motocross. While periodicals in both Europe and America have covered the sport extensively, the useful books that have been written about motocross can be counted on two hands. And many of the books on the subject were basically art books with beautiful captioned photographs but very little historical text.

As a result, until recently, most motorcycle historians were willing to accept that the origins of motocross were lost in the mists of time, often assuming—because of its name—that motocross originated somewhere in France.

Take on the first ever motocross or “scramble” aboard a 1924 250cc two-stroke Velocette. (photo courtesy of The Motor Cycle)

Early Motorcycle Competition The earliest motorcycles were little more than bicycles with small internal combustion engines attached. When people started racing motorcycles, they sometimes even used tracks built for bicycle racing. In the early days of the century, manufacturers entered their motorcycles in competition events to promote their brand and demonstrate their performance and durability, just as they still do today.

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The most common types of events were track races, endurance tests and mountain climbs. Endurance tests were run on roads and rough terrain (and often the first roads were hardly distinguishable from rough terrain) and sometimes covered hundreds of kilometers in two to six days. Early hill climbs were not like the rough, short, steep hill events we see in America today, but were usually followed by a long road that wound up a large hillside, sometimes for several miles.

While all types of early motorcycle competition emphasized both the performance of the vehicle and the ability of the rider, the English developed an event designed specifically to test the ability and style of the rider. Called the Observed Trial, it featured tough sections where the judges assessed and graded the rider’s skills.

One of the first of these was the Scott Trial, sponsored by Yorkshire engineer and Scott motorcycle designer (founded 1909) Alfred Angus Scott in conjunction with an annual outing for his company’s employees. The course was laid out over rugged northern English terrain including bogs, rocky sections and stream crossings. Although the goal of the event was not top speed, a time limit was included, requiring participants to move quickly from one observed section to another, where their ability to overcome obstacles was judged and scored. The winner was the driver who completed the track with the fewest mistakes in the shortest possible time.

The Scott Trial became a prestigious event and in the early 1920s contributed to the idea that Yorkshiremen were the best and toughest riders in all of Britain. The Southern English took exception to this claim and the Camberly club issued a challenge, proposing to stage an equally difficult event in the south so that riders from each region could test their skills on both home and foreign terrain. However, the local club decided to hold a running event on a 2.5 mile course where speed was the only factor. No observed sections were included.

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The motorcycle press of the period embraced the idea, but the Auto Cycle Union, the English governing body, had a problem. Because there would be no observed sections, the event would not be a trial, so it would have to be sanctioned under a yet-to-be-determined name.

When searching for a name for this new type of event, one club member opined, “Whatever we call it, it’s going to be a rare old battle!” The event was thus officially named the Southern Scott Scramble, and on March 29, 1924, the motorcycle sport of scramble (1) was born.

80 started and 40 finished. Unlike modern motocross, riders started in intervals, one at a time, and were timed on the track. However, due to the steep hills and rough terrain, riders often grouped together to compete in close quarters, providing plenty of action and excitement for spectators. The winner was local rider Arthur Sparks, who completed the 50-mile race in two hours, one minute and 51 seconds. He joked that due to the spinning of the wheels, he was sure that his motorcycle had actually traveled a hundred miles. Frank Dean, who finished third, was declared the best northerner. Although the southern riders finished higher, due to consistency the top 12 northern riders ran a better average time than the top 12 from the south.

So the rare old tussle at Camberly Heath failed to settle the debate over which riders were better and the rivalry continued.

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Historian Bryan Stealey writes in Racer X Illustrated: “Scrambling was quickly recognized as the next big thing

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