Motocross vs Supercross
Motorcycle racing is an exciting sport that raises the level of adrenaline in not just the participants but also the spectators. Two terms motocross and Supercross are enough to get a motorcycle racing fan up on his feet and rush to either the event live on television or to the arena where these off road motorcycle racing events take place. To a casual observer, there does not appear much of a difference between the two exhilarating racing events. However, those who know a bit about the world of off road motorcycle racing know that there are a number of differences between motocross and Supercross. This article attempts to delineate these differences.
What is Motocross?
Motocross is off road motorcycle racing sport that originated in UK in the early part of the 20th century through motorcycle trials that were held to choose winners in many different riding skills. While the trials were concerned with finding drivers with balancing skills and scoring that was characteristic of these trials, motocross emerged as off road racing, to decide the fastest driver. While the early competitions were referred to as scrambles, the word motocross finally emerged to describe this off road racing as a cross country of motorcycling.
Motocross soon became very popular in most European countries, and the early champions also came from European countries. The racing was introduced to the US in 1966 by the then champion racer Torsten Hallman and soon this dirt track racing caught the imagination of the people in the country.
Motocross events are held in open terrain (mostly in rural areas) on tracks that are 0.5 to 2 miles in length and 16-40 feet wide. The track is deliberately kept irregular with inclines, curves and jumps that ensure that the rider has to concentrate a lot and take deft right and left turns to survive on the track and compete with other riders.
What is Supercross?
Supercross is off road motorcycle racing that is a derivative of the original motocross and involves racing on artificially made dirt tracks inside stadiums and other such facilities. In fact, the tracks for these races are not permanent and are made inside baseball and soccer stadiums. Held inside cities, Supercross events are much advertized and even televised on television. In many ways, Supercross is an American invention in response to motocross. The tracks are not natural, but they are more difficult than the ones used in motocross. Supercross events have become very popular in US, and they are second only to NASCAR racing events.
What is the difference between Motocross and Supercross?
• Tracks in Supercross are not natural and smaller than those used in motocross.
• Motocross events are held in natural arena that is in a rural setting and is full of obstructions like jumps, inclines and other hurdles. On the other hand, Supercross events are held inside stadiums in cities and are heavily advertized and televised for spectators.
• Motocross is older of the two off road racing sports. Supercross is an American invention whereas motocross originated in UK and spread to other European countries.
• The length of the tracks in motocross can be 0.5 to 2 miles whereas tracks in Supercross are much smaller being inside the stadium.
• If you live in rural areas, motocross is closer to your heart whereas Supercross is an extreme sport more popular in cities.