OK, we know, a bit leftfield for a business motoring title, but why not something a little different? A bit of automotive fun that’s spectacular, skillful and…well, just a little muddy.

Supercross – it’s an exciting sport with a lot going on. In fact, it can be hard for even the most dedicated fans to keep up with everything that is happening in the sport at all times. Some of this is in part due to the injuries and regulation changes that take place every year. Whether you are new to the sport or you are an avid fan, there are probably aspects to the sport that you don’t understand.

The season, which is based in the USA, begins in January and ends in May. Each race takes place in a stadium that has been specifically fitted with dirt and each track will feature a variety of jumps, turns, and bumps. Below, you will learn more about this exciting sport and what it has to offer.

A look at the classes

When it comes to supercross there are basically two different divisions. This will be the 450SX class and the 250SX class.

The 450SX class features motorcycles that are equipped with 450cc four-stroke engines, while the 250SX class is fitted with 250cc four-stroke engines.

Some of the top riders in the 450SX class are Ryan Dungey, Chad Reed, Ken Roczen, and Eli Tomac.

The 250SX class is usually more suited for the younger riders.

The classes are split into East and West Regions, each which crown its own champion. However, at the final race in Las Vegas, you will see only one champion crowned for each class. 

A look at the bikes

The bikes that are used in these races are dirt bikes and the main manufacturers are from Japan and Austria.

Japanese bikes are from Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha. The Austrian bikes are made up of KTM and Husqvarna.

These motorcycles are similar to what you can purchase at a dealership, but they have been highly modified.

The bikes are your basic set up with a transmission that consists of four or five gears, the shift lever is located by the left footpeg, the rear brake lever is located near the right footpeg, the front brake is on the left-sided handlebar, and the clutch is on the right-sided handlebar. To check out these amazing bikes and riders in action this upcoming season, you can check out Supercross Live.

The tracks

The tracks are without a doubt one of the major attractions. The tracks make the footage exciting for the fans and even more challenging for the riders. Each track is different as some races are held outdoors and some are held indoors. However, it takes roughly 500 truckloads of dirt to construct a track. The soil has to be hard-packed, soft, muddy, sandy, rutted, or any combination of the aforementioned. This adds up to about 5,500 cubic yards of dirt and it takes 6,800 sheets of plywood to protect the grass or field that is underneath.

If you placed these pieces of plywood together end by end this would literally be 10 miles of plywood. The longest triple jump in any supercross track is 70 feet – about two school buses parked nose to nose.

How many rounds?

There are 17 rounds in the 2019 Monster Energy AMA Supercross schedule. The first race is at Anaheim in California on January 05, 2019.

If you want to see the dynamic action, check out the link above where you will be able to see a live stream.

Hope you like it!