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A holeshot is a term used in motorcycle racing to describe or reference the first racer to get through the apex of the first turn at the beginning of the race. Getting the holeshot gives the rider a competitive advantage and some level of control in the race, in some cases predicting the outcome of the race. [1] [2]
The term is used in motorcycle racing, [3] off-road racing (but also motorsport racing in general) for the rider who is the first one through the first turn. In some cases, a holeshot award [4] is given, which is a prize separate from winning the race.
Many motorcycle racers consider the start to be the most important part of a race, and it is particularly important in those forms of the sport where the tracks are very small, tight and difficult to pass on. This is particularly relevant in motocross and supercross, where racers line up alongside each other rather than behind each other in tarmac-based sports. The term had also found its way into bicycle motocross racing (BMX) by the early 1970s because BMX is a bicycle derivative of motorcycle motocross and has inherited many terms from that sport. In BMX, the holeshot is even more important since BMX races are single lap 25 to 45 second races with only a few opportunities to pass in that time period. Achieving the holeshot in BMX will earn the rider a victory the majority of the time.
This term can also be used to describe the starting performance of a vehicle. A vehicle that is fast off the line (though not necessarily fast overall) is said to have a good "holeshot". [2]
A holeshot maneuver in off-road bicycle racing (mountain biking or cyclocross) is when a racer moves from the relatively flat, open area of the start to the narrower confines of the single track ahead of the other racers. A successful holeshot affords the first racer some control over the tempo of the race, as passing on the narrow single track can break the passing racer's rhythm.
In drag racing, a "holeshot win" refers to a victory in which a driver runs a slower elapsed time (E.T.) but wins the race due to a faster reaction time at the start. [2]
BMX, an abbreviation for bicycle motocross or bike motocross, is a cycle sport performed on BMX bikes, either in competitive BMX racing or freestyle BMX, or else in general street or off-road recreation.
Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom.
Supermoto is a form of motorcycle racing held on race tracks that alternate between three kinds of track surfaces: the hard packed dirt of flat track, the irregular jumps and obstacles of motocross, and the paved tarmac of road racing. Supermoto was originally conceived by Gavin Trippe in 1979 as a segment of the TV show Wide World of Sports. It was something like an all-star game, in which the best riders from the three separate genres of motorcycle racing could temporarily leave their normal race class to come together and compete for the title of best all around racer. Today supermoto is a distinct genre of its own and riders in the other classes do not routinely cross over into supermoto.
The AMA Supercross Championship is an American motorcycle racing series. Founded by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in 1974, the AMA Supercross Championship races are held from January through early May. Supercross is a variant of motocross which involves off-road motorcycles on a constructed dirt track consisting of steep jumps and obstacles; the tracks are usually constructed inside a sports stadium. The easy accessibility and comfort of these stadium venues helped supercross surpass off-road motocross as a spectator attraction in the United States by the late 1970s.
BMX racing is a type of bicycle racing which features BMX riders sharing a short single-lap circuit or point-to-point course, with multiple banked corners, jumps and rollers. The format of BMX was derived from motocross racing, and sanctioned internationally by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), facilitated by a number of continental, national and local sanctioning bodies.
Cycle sport is competitive physical activity using bicycles. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, and cycle speedway. Non-racing cycling sports include artistic cycling, cycle polo, freestyle BMX, mountain bike trials, hardcourt bike polo and cycleball. The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is the world governing body for cycling and international competitive cycling events. The International Human Powered Vehicle Association is the governing body for human-powered vehicles that imposes far fewer restrictions on their design than does the UCI. The UltraMarathon Cycling Association is the governing body for many ultra-distance cycling races.
Jeremy McGrath is an American former professional motocross and supercross racer. Considered one of the most popular and influential riders in the history of motorcycle racing, McGrath won seven AMA Supercross 250cc championships, one 250cc AMA Motocross championship, two 125cc West championships and a record 72 premier class supercross wins. He was also a two-time FIM Supercross World Champion as well as a two-time Team USA Motocross des Nations winner.
Brent Hathaway Patterson is a former American "Old School" bicycle motocross (BMX) racer.
Mert Lawwill is an American professional motorcycle racer, race team owner and mountain bike designer. He competed in the AMA Grand National Championship from 1962 to 1977. Lawwill is notable for winning the 1969 AMA Grand National Championship as a member of the Harley-Davidson factory racing team. After his motorcycle racing career, Lawwill became one of the top motorcycle racing frame designers and builders. Lawwill then used his experience as a motorcycle frame builder to become an innovative mountain bike designer, developing one of the first bicycle suspensions. He also developed prosthetic limbs for amputees. Lawwill was inducted in the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998.
Scot Alexander Breithaupt was an entrepreneur, "Old School" professional motorcycle MX and bicycle motocross (BMX) racer and a founding father of BMX in 1970 whose prime competitive years were from 1970 to 1984. Many consider him, in some ways, a founder of "Old School BMX"—an era from roughly 1969 to 1987 or 1988, from its very beginnings to just after its first major slump in popularity from 1985 to 1988. Racing started to rise in participation again around 1988–89 and is considered the start of Mid School BMX, roughly 1988–2000. He was born in Long Beach, California.
Bobby Encinas is a former professional "Old School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer whose prime competitive years were from 1973 to 1980. He was one of the first superstars in BMX and one of its most savvy promoters. Raised in the barrio of Canoga Park, he had a juvenile criminal record for theft and was on probation for consuming alcohol and drugs before he was 12 years old. He credits BMX for saving him from a life of crime. As a result he devoted much of his BMX career and after to promoting the sport at the grass-roots level, training kids in his BMX clinics, of which he was a pioneer, and launching future BMX careers and winning the respect and love of the BMX world.
Perry Kramer is a former American "Old School" professional Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer whose prime competitive years were from 1974-1981.
The motorcycle sport of racing includes motorcycle road racing and off-road racing, both either on circuits or open courses, and track racing. Other categories include hill climbs, drag racing and land speed record trials.
Marty Tripes is an American former professional motocross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1972 to 1980. He was one of the leading American motocross and supercross racers during the 1970s. Tripes rose to national prominence in 1972 as a teenage prodigy when, he defeated some of the best riders in the world to win the first-ever stadium supercross race in the United States.
Jeffery Bottema is an American former professional "Old School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer whose prime competitive years were from 1976 to 1981. He had the nickname of "Battling".
Andrew Patterson is an American former professional "Old School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer whose prime competitive years were from 1977 to 1985. His moniker was "Mr. Bigfoot" for his size 13 feet. Patterson was one of the first American racers to compete on the European BMX circuit during its formative years on a regular basis. He developed a large European following.
Robert L. Morales is a former freestyle BMX rider turned promoter, designer, inventor and business executive. He is the founder of DYNO Bicycles, the American Freestyle Association (AFA), Auburn Cycles, KORE Bicycle Components, Morales Bicycle Co., Carlsbad Motocross Racing (CMXR) and ASV Inventions. He is currently president and CEO of ASV Inventions, Inc.
The following outline is provided as an overview of motorcycles and motorcycling:
Motorcycle Superstore is an Internet-based retailer of motorcycle riding gear, apparel, parts, and accessories with two retail outlets. Motorcycle Superstore also sells products for scooters, ATVs, snowmobiles, and personal watercraft.
The SuperMotocross World Championship is the premier combined discipline American of off-road motorcycle racing. Conceived in 2023 after the AMA Supercross Championship lost its FIM World Championship status, the series consists of the aforementioned Supercross series and the AMA Motocross Championship, followed by two playoff races and a final to determine the SuperMotocross world champion.