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.
Jim Pomeroy was an American professional motocross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1972 to 1973 and in the Motocross World Championships from 1973 to 1976, before returning to compete in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1977 to 1978. Pomeroy is notable for being the first American competitor to win an overall victory in an FIM Motocross World Championship Grand Prix race.
Cam Jeffrey Emig is an American former professional motocross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1988 to 1999. He was one of the top American motocross racers of the 1990s. During his motorcycle racing career, Emig won four AMA Motocross Championships, an FIM World Supercross title and was a six-time member of the U.S. Motocross des Nations team. He was inducted to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2004.
Joël Robert was a Belgian professional motocross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1960 to 1976 when the sport experienced a surge in popularity worldwide. A six-time world champion, Robert dominated the 250cc class for almost a decade when, he placed either first or second every year between 1964 and 1972 including, five consecutive world championships. He won a total of 50 Grand Prix races over his career, a record which stood for nearly 30 years.
Roger De Coster is a Belgian former professional motocross racer and current Motorsport Director of KTM and Husqvarna North America. De Coster's name is almost synonymous with the sport of motocross, winning five Motocross World Championships during the 1970s and tallying a record 36 500cc Grand Prix victories. His stature is such in the sport of motocross that he is often simply referred to as "The Man." As a team manager, he captained the first American team to win the Motocross des Nations in 1981. De Coster was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999. The motorcycling publication Cycle News named him Motocrosser of the Century in 2000. In 2010, he was named an FIM Legend for his motorcycling achievements.
Heikki Antero Mikkola is a Finnish former professional motocross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1969 to 1979. Mikkola is notable for being a four-time FIM motocross world champion. In 2006 he was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. In 2015, Mikkola was named an FIM Legend for his motorcycle racing achievements.
Brad Lackey is an American former professional motocross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1970 to 1972 and, in the Motocross World Championships from 1973 to 1982. Lackey was notable for becoming the first and only American to win the 500cc motocross world championship, in 1982. Nicknamed "Bad Brad", Lackey was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999 and, in 2013 he was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.
Torsten Hallman is a Swedish former professional motocross racer and business entrepreneur. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1959 to 1971. A four-time world champion, Hallman led a contingent of Swedish riders that dominated the motocross world championships in the early 1960s. His battles with Belgium's Joël Robert were considered some of the best in the history of the championships. Between 1964 and 1968, the pair finished first or second to one another in the world championship four times.
Jean-Michel Bayle is a French former professional motorcycle racer. He was one of the most successful riders of his era, achieving success at the highest levels in both motocross and road racing.
Motorcycle racing is the motorcycle sport of racing motorcycles. Major varieties include 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.
James Sherwin "Bud" Ekins was an American professional stuntman in the U.S. film industry. He is considered to be one of the film industry's most accomplished stuntmen with a body of work that includes classic films such as The Great Escape and Bullitt. Ekins, acting as stunt double for Steve McQueen while filming The Great Escape, was the rider who performed what is considered to be one of the most famous motorcycle stunts ever performed in a movie. He was recognized for his stunt work by being inducted into the Stuntmen's Hall of Fame.
Husqvarna Motorcycles GmbH is a Swedish-origin Austrian company which designs, engineers, manufactures and distributes motocross, enduro, supermoto and street motorcycles.
Gary Jones is an American former professional motocross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1971 to 1976. Jones is notable for winning the inaugural AMA 250cc motocross national championship in 1972. Jones then successfully defended his national championship in 1973 and 1974, winning three consecutive 250cc motocross national championships while competing on three different brands of motorcycles, a feat which has never been repeated in AMA motocross history. He was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2000.
Kent Howerton is an American former professional motocross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1973 to 1988. Howerton is notable for being a three-time motocross national champion.
Tyla Rattray is a South African former professional motocross racer and current motocross team trainer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1999 to 2008 and, in the AMA Motocross Championships from 2009 to 2013. He returned to the Motocross World Championships for his final two seasons from 2014 to 2015. Rattray is notable for winning the FIM MX2 world championship in 2008.
Chuck Sun is an American former professional motocross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1976 to 1988. In 1980, Sun won the AMA 500cc motocross national championship. He is the only Asian American to have won a national championship in American professional motorcycle racing. In 2003, Sun was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.
The following outline is provided as an overview of motorcycles and motorcycling:
Gavin Trippe was a motorcycle racing promoter, journalist, and publisher who was inducted to the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2005. He died following an automobile accident in California.
