AMA RACING: Expertise

AMA RACING: Expertise

Motocross racing goes indoors in Arenacross, with tight courses set up inside arenas and other venues across the country. The tighter indoor tracks tend to put a premium on technique and finesse, as well as fitness. The AMA Arenacross National Championship Series crowns champions in a number of skill- and age-based classes, including Pro-Am classes. Arenacross

ATVs can be raced in many difference disciplines. This video shows ATV motocross competition. ATV

One of the most traditional forms of motorcycle competition in the U.S., dirt-track racing grew from the age when riders would compete on county fair horse tracks groomed to deliver a hard-packed surface. Riders compete in four different types of events: oval short-track, half-mile and mile tracks, and tourist trophy courses, which feature at least one right turn and a jump. Dirt-track bikes include both traditional dirt-trackers (sometimes called "framers" because of their custom-built frames) and DTX bikes, which are converted motocross or off-road motorcycles. Due to the few modifications required off the showroom generally, wheels, tires and suspension DTX bikes have become extremely popular in the last decade. Each summer, the AMA sanctions the AMA Dirt Track Grand Championship and presents the AMA Dirt Track Horizon Award to the most promising rider on the verge of a professional racing career. Dirt (Flat) Track

If top speed and massive acceleration are what you crave, drag racing should satisfy your appetite. It's all about getting down a paved quarter-mile track fastest, whether you're racing the clock or another competitor lined up alongside. Classes are divided by engine displacement and the level of performance modifications allowed. Drag

Enduros are one of the oldest forms of motorcycle competition. Run on a challenging route that includes wooded and desert terrain, more difficult "test" sections are typically connected with roads, fire roads or easy two-track trail. Small rows of riders generally three to five a row are flagged off in one-minute intervals in a race against the clock. Aided by a route sheet that includes mileage, turn and time information, you follow a marked course. Scores are collected at checkpoints. Once all riders have finished, scores are compiled and class results are posted. In general, there are two types of scoring methods for enduros. Traditional enduros penalize riders for arriving early or late to a check. However, only the very best riders are at risk of going too fast called "burning a check. Most riders only have to watch their speed during the road or easy trail transfer sections. Enduro Start-control enduros only penalize riders for arriving late to a check. At start-control enduros, riders do not have to gauge their speed during transfer sections and can arrive early. Then they wait at the check until it's time for their row to begin the next section. The discipline s top riders compete in the AMA National Enduro Championship Series.

Endurocross is one of the wildest sports on two wheels. It takes the race format of motocross and combines it with the challenging obstacles of an enduro, all packed into the tight confines of a fan-friendly stadium setting. Riders have to race over rock beds, through water crossings, over tractor tires and across telephone poles. Endurocross

Extreme Off-Road is a specialized form of racing that tests a rider's skill and their machine's capabilities over the most challenging terrain that each venue has to offer - from agonizing hill climbs, to endless rock fields, log crossings and the worst natural conditions imaginable. The format is wide open for the event organizer to throw as many curve balls at riders as possible. Extreme Off-Road features Le Man s starts, timed sections, GPS navigation, course changes and more, all with the intent on finding the toughest riders in the US and pitting them against one another in extreme battle! Extreme Off-Road

Hare and Hound is traditionally a point-to-point event, never crossing over the same terrain twice. The event starts with a bomb run or mass start - where all riders start at the drop of a banner and race across open terrain for anywhere from a ½ mile to 5 miles until they come to the trail and battle for another 80-100 miles before the finish. Much like a hare scramble, all out speed and agility determines the winner of the event. Some hare and hound races have been running for as long as 65 years. The top tier of the sport is the AMA National Hare & Hound Championship Series. Hare & Hound

Hare scrambles are lap-based races on tight and technical terrain. Unlike an enduro, all riders in a single class start on the same row, and the event is an allout race to the finish. They are conducted on long, marked-loop courses through woods or desert and over rugged natural terrain. The racers keep doing laps on the course until the leader either completes a pre-determined number of laps or has raced for a predetermined amount of time, usually 2 hours. Competitive riders not only need to be fast, but also physically fit enough to maintain a race pace for hours. Hare scrambles can include tight woods, big hills and field sections. Although similar, in general they are more open than a typical enduro. The AMA West and East Hare Scrambles Championship Series have grown to be some of the top off-road racing series in the country. Hare Scrambles

The Grand National Cross Country Series is the national-level AMA hare scrambles racing series that features motorcycles, ATVs and UTVs. Grand National Cross Country Series (GNCC)

Hillclimbs are essentially one-person drag races up the face of a challenging hill, with each rider allowed at least two attempts to conquer the hill. The winner is the rider who climbs the hill the quickest or, if no one reaches the top, makes it the farthest. Some hills are speed hills, where most riders make it to the top and speed determines the winner. Other hills are super-challenging distance hills, where few riders might crest the summit and the length a rider makes it up the hill determines where he or she places. The best amateur riders in the country compete every year in the AMA Hillclimb Grand Championship. Hillclimb

When it seems nobody else is riding, some motorcyclists go ice racing. Ice racing looks like an oval dirt-track race, except it's run on ice. Racers modify a variety of machines to run on frozen lakes and ponds using off-road tires, often studded with hundreds of sheet-metal screws. The best compete at the AMA Ice Race Grand Championship every winter. Ice Racing

Land-speed trials are all about going faster than anyone has gone before, typically on miles-long courses over perfectly level terrain like the Bonneville Salt Flats. Classes are determined by engine displacement, modification levels and various degrees of streamlining, and encompass everything from smalldisplacement racers to highpowered, custom-built streamliners made for the sole purpose of topping 300 mph. Land Speed

With classes for machines from 50cc to more than 450cc, and riders ages 4 to 50-plus, motocross is a sport for the whole family. Motocross races are run over natural- and man-made terrain courses with hills, jumps and tight turns, typically with two races or motos in each class. A combined score from each moto is calculated to determine the overall placing. Each year, the best amateurs in the country compete for a spot in the prestigious AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at the Loretta Lynn Ranch in Tennessee. Just about every pro motocross racer in the United States passed through the Loretta Lynn Ranch on the way to the big time. Motocross

Road racing is conducted on a closed course on a paved surface. Road Racing

Using lightweight, singlegear bikes built solely for this type of competition, racers battle handlebar-tohandlebar on ultra-short oval dirt tracks, typically a quarter-mile in length or less. Races typically last four laps, putting a premium on good starts, and the ability to slide the rear of the bike all around the oval. Speedway

Similar to some motocross tracks, Supercross is held on man-made courses with jumps and tight turns. Unlike traditional motocross races, the competition is held in a stadium setting. AMA Supercross is a worldchampionship series. Supercross

In supermoto, racers typically ride modified motocross bikes fitted with road-race-type tires. They race on courses that are part asphalt and part dirt, often with jumps and other motocross-type obstacles. Supermoto draws racers from many disciplines and puts a premium on all-around skill on a motorcycle. Supermoto

Observed trials put no premium on speed whatsoever. The winner is simply the most skilled, graceful and (sometimes) luckiest rider on a particular course. Observed trials competitors must negotiate individual sections of extremely difficult terrain without putting their feet down. Penalty points are assessed for mistakes, and the rider with the lowest overall score at the end of the day wins. Some sections are so difficult, it's hard to imagine a mountain goat traversing them, much less a rider on two wheels. The top rung of the sport in the United States is the AMA/NATC MotoTrials National Championship Series. Trials

The AMA Vintage Grand Championship crowns AMA National Champions in motocross, hare scrambles, trials and road racing. The event also includes a round of the AMA Vintage Dirt Track National Championship Series. Riders in motocross, hare scrambles, trials and road racing will compete for AMA National No. 1 plates. Dirt-track racers will earn points toward series awards. Designated A classes in each discipline earn points toward the event s two highest honors: AMA Track Racing Vintage Grand Champion and AMA Off- Road Vintage Grand Champion. A senior class rider will be honored as the AMA Senior Off-Road Vintage Grand Champion for his or her performance in designated A classes in motocross, hare scrambles and trials. Vintage

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