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How to get started ATV Racing - Motocross, Cross Country, Dirt Track, and More..

How to Get Started ATV Racing
Motocross, Cross Country, Desert, Dirt Track, Endurance, Mud, Super Moto, etc.

Baltimore, MD (2/6/2009) - Here at ATVriders.com we get a lot of emails from ATV enthusiasts asking how they can get started in racing. They have seen the AMA ATV Motocross Nationals or GNCC ATV racing events on TV and think racing would be fun, so, we decided to put together some information that we hope will be useful for anyone wanting to get involved in growing sport of ATV racing.

One of the first things you will want to do is decide what kind of ATV racing you want to try. There are several major types of racing including motocross, cross-country, and flat track or TT racing just to name a few.

ATV Motocross Racing Information
Motocross (MX) racing is held on enclosed off-road circuits. Motocross is derived from the French, and traces its origins to British Scrambling competitions. The tracks used in these types of events can vary from about 1 mile to 2 miles in length and can consist of big jumps, tight turns, whoop sections, and natural terrain.

ATV Motocros Racing
Motocross Racing typically attracts the largest crowds of racers & spectators, and also receives the largest support from the ATV manufacturers because it is very spectator friendly with typically the entire track visible from the spectators area, and with various styles of jumps, it is extremely action packed, which keeps racers & spectators coming back for more round after round

Races such as the AMA ATV Motocross Nationals, Yamaha / ITP Quadcross, New England ATV Motocross Series are three major motocross series’ that consist of several heat races (generally referred to as a ‘moto') and sometimes include an element of qualification. Motos are usually either given a set amount of time to race or a fixed number of laps to complete, the latter being the common format for amateur classes.

ATV Motocross Racing
ATV Motocross Racing
Motocross Races are typically started on a concrete or dirt starting gate with a live engine. Usually up to 20 racers at a time start at once with the drop of the gate, and they charge down a wide straight away, which is funneled down into a tighter 1st turn with the majority of tracks running about 20-30 feet wide to allow for passing
Typically motocross ready ATVs are 50" wide, and the ride height is lowered with smaller 18" rear tires & 19" front tires. Also, nerf bars & kill switch are required equipment, and typically all ATVs go through Tech Inspection to verify that ATV has all the safety equipment installed properly
Cross Country / Harescramble ATV Racing Information
Cross Country (XC) racing uses the timed method, which is better suited for that type of racing. Most XC style race heats can last anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the series and the class you are racing. All though XC racing takes quite a bit of skill to negotiate some of the terrain, endurance and equipment reliability are key factors in how well most racers finish.

ATV Cross Country Racing
ATV Cross Country Racing
In Cross Country Racing, ATV classes are lined up in rows typically in a wide open field with no limit to the number of racers, and each class is started from a dead engine and spread out about 1 minute between class starts. The time is adjusted at the end of the race for each class to determine the overall winners
Cross Country Racing are typically held in tight woods back east and in wide open desert out west, but there is still plenty of obstacles to keep the racing exciting from dodging trees, to mud & whoops sections. Also, track typically included a small motocross section near the specator area of the track

XC tracks usually consist of natural terrain including tight woods sections, rocks, mud, hill climbs and wide-open fields and can be 10 miles or longer. The GNCC ATV Racing Series is the premier national cross-country event with races held mainly in the eastern and mid-west portions of the country. The WORCS ATV Racing series is a cross-country style national race that is held on the west coast and southwest regions of the U.S.

ATV Cross Country Racing
ATV Cross Country Racing
XC Racers run heavy duty tires which with 20" Rears & 21" Fronts, and many run Tireballs to avoid flats. In the GNCC Series ATVs are normally around 46" inches Wide, while WORCS Racers run 50" wide because those races are more wide open with a larger motocross track. Also, Skid plates are very important component for XC Racing
Utility ATV racing has really been growing over the past couple of years, and typically there are classes for different engine sizes and modifications, and both Can-Am & Polaris sponsor racers at the GNCC Series as this sport continues to grow, and it allows for nearly anyone with a utility ATV to come out and race as long as they have a kill switch installed and proper riding safety gear

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