Motocross, often shortened to MX or MotoX, is a form of motorcycle racing or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. Motocross is derived from the French, and traces its origins to British Scrambling competitions. The name "motocross" is a contraction derived from the words "Motorcycle" and "Cross Country".
Motorcross Races are run in sessions called motos. There are two motos in a race and the riders place in those heats are averaged together to get their overall finish. The object of the contest is to complete either a defined number of laps (usually three to seven for amateurs, more for professionals) or fixed time period (anything up to 40 minutes) first.
Motocross tracks are often quite large (around 1 to 2 miles) and incorporate natural terrain features with varying amounts of man made jumps and other features. It is not unheard of for a motocross track to be made up entirely of hills and turns with no jumps at all. In contrast Supercross is an entirley man made track, comprisingly almost exclusively of a wide array of jumps and typically held in an indoor stadium. Due to the size of outdoor tracks, motocross races typically include 40 racers, in contrast to Supercross where it is only practical to have about 25 riders.
Races vary in duration, usually measured in time elapsed plus one or two laps. GP or Pro AMA races tend to be long, e.g. 30 minutes plus 2 laps. At the other end of the spectrum, amateur races by beginners can be as little as 10 minutes (or shorter). When the designated time duration of the race is complete, a finish line flagger signals via a board or flag to the racers that there is one or two laps left, and the race is finished by a chequered flag. Contrasting with motocross, in the "off-road" racing events of Enduro, Hare and Hounds, Hare Scrambles, GP racing, etc. (events which are similar to motocross, but place a greater emphasis upon reading natural terrain and obstacles over a long period of time at much greater speeds than traditional motocross) there is a set amount of laps or long distance loops to complete or just a maximum time limit to compete under on a natural terrain course, e.g., Baja 1000.
Motocross racing is one of the most visually appealing forms of motorsport, with riders performing seemingly death-defying leaps, turns visibly at the edge of traction (as indicated by a sliding, spinning rear tire throwing dirt at all behind it), and the effort of riders clearly visible as they move their bodies around their motorcycles to balance the bikes for maximum speed.
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