The motorcycle sport of racing (also called moto racing and motorbike 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.
Overview of motorcycle racing by surface type Motorcycle sports can generally be categorized according to the nature of the track surface. Today, circuit racing and drag racing are held on paved surfaces (asphalt, concrete), while track racing, motocross, enduro, cross country, trial, and hill climbing take place on unpaved surfaces (grass, sand, loose rock, ice, snow). Hill climbs and rallies often represent mixed formats. Within the individual sports, there is a wide variety of competition formats and class divisions.
Differentiation of motorcycle sports by track surface
Categories The FIM classifies motorcycle racing in the following four main categories. Each category has several subcategories.
Road racing
Road racing is a form of motorcycle racing held on paved road surfaces. The races can be held either on a purpose-built closed circuit or on a street circuit utilizing temporarily closed public roads.
Traditional road racing Historically, "road racing" meant a course on closed public roads. This was once commonplace but currently only a few such circuits have survived, mostly in Europe. Races take place on public roads which have been temporarily closed to the public by legal orders from the local legislature. Two championships exist, the first is the International Road Racing Championship , the other is the Duke Road Racing Rankings. The latter accounts for the majority of road races that take place each season, with an award for the highest placed rider. Prominent road races include the Isle of Man TT, North West 200, and Ulster Grand Prix on long circuits. Ireland has many road racing circuits still in use. Other countries with road races are the Netherlands, Finland, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Great Britain (Oliver's Mount), the Czech Republic, Ukraine, New Zealand, Thailand and Macau.
Motorcycle Grand Prix
Grand Prix motorcycle racing refers to the premier category of motorcycle road racing. It is divided into three distinct classes:
MotoGP: It is the current term for the highest class of GP racing. The class was contested with prototype machines with varying displacement and engine type over the years. Originally contested by large displacement four stroke machines in the early years it eventually switched to 500 cc two strokes. In 2002 990 cc four-stroke bikes were allowed to compete alongside the 500 cc two strokes and then completely replaced them in 2003. In 2007, there was a reduction to 800 cc four stroke engines due to high speeds and the 2008 financial crisis before they were finalized on 1000 cc four strokes in 2012. Moto2: Introduced by Dorna Sports, the commercial rights holder of the competition, in 2010 as a 600 cc four-stroke class. Prior to that season, the intermediate class was 250 cc with two-stroke engines. Moto2 races in the 2010 season allowed both engine types; from 2011 on, only Honda controlled-engine four-stroke Moto2 machines were allowed. Beginning in 2019, Triumph Motorcycles replaced Honda as the controlled-engine supplier for Moto2. The new engines are based on the 2017 Triumph Street Triple RS 765. Moto3: Introduced in 2012, motorcycles in this class are 250cc with single-cylinder four-stroke engines Previously it featured 125 cc two-stroke motorcycles. This class is also restricted by rider age, with an upper limit of 25 for newly signed riders and wild card entries and an absolute upper limit of 28 for all riders.
Grand Prix motorcycles are prototype machines not based on any production motorcycle.
Superbike racing
Superbike racing is the category of motorcycle road racing that employs modified production motorcycles, as with touring cars. Superbike racing motorcycles must have four stroke engines of between 800 cc and 1200 cc for twins, and between 750 cc and 1000 cc for four cylinder machines. The motorcycles must maintain the same profile as their roadgoing counterparts. The overall appearance, seen from the front, rear and sides, must correspond to that of the bike homologated for use on public roads even though the mechanical elements of the machine have been modified.
Supersport racing
Supersport racing is another category of motorcycle road racing that employs modified production motorcycles. To be eligible for Supersport racing, a motorcycle must have a four-stroke engine of between 250 and 600 cc for four-cylinder machines, and between 600 and 750 cc for twins, and must satisfy the FIM homologation requirements. Supersport regulations are much tighter than Superbikes. Supersport machines must remain largely as standard, while engine tuning is possible but tightly regulated.
Endurance racing
Endurance racing is a category of motorcycle road racing which is meant to test the durability of equipment and endurance of the riders. Teams of multiple riders attempt to cover a large distance in a single event. Teams are given the ability to change riders during the race. Endurance races can be run either to cover a set distance in laps as quickly as possible, or to cover as much distance as possible over a preset amount of time. Reliability of the motorcycles used for endurance racing is paramount.
Road hill climb
Road hill climb takes place on tarmac courses and occasionally closed public roads, with the machines used for competition being similar to those used for other road disciplines. The most notable competitions are the NHCA in the United Kingdom and the FIM Europe Hill Climb Road Race Championship held in Italy, Austria, and Germany.
Sidecar racing
Sidecar racing is a category of sidecar motorcycle racing. Older sidecar road racers generally resembled solo motorcycles with a platform attached; modern racing sidecars are purpose built low and long vehicles. Sidecarcross resembles MX motorcycles with a high platform attached. In sidecar racing a rider and a passenger work together to make the machine perform optimally; the way in which a passenger shifts body weight across the sidecar is crucial to its performance around corners.
Sidecar racing has many sub-categories including:
Sidecarcross (sidecar motocross) Sidecar trials F1/F2 road racing Historic (classic) road racing Sidecar speedway Sidecar hill climb
Motocross
Motocross (or MX) is the direct equivalent of road racing, but off-road, a number of bikes racing on a closed circuit. Motocross circuits are constructed on a variety of non-tarmac surfaces such as dirt, sand, mud, grass, etc., and tend to incorporate elevation changes either natural or artificial. Advances in motorcycle technology, especially suspension, have led to the predominance of circuits with added "jumps" on which bikes can get airborne. Motocross has another noticeable difference from road racing, in that starts are done en masse, with the riders alongside each other. Up to 40 riders race into the first corner, and sometimes there is a separate award for the first rider through (see holeshot). The winner is the first rider across the finish line, generally after a given amount of time or laps or a combination.
Motocross has classes based upon machine displacement (ranging from 50 cc 2-stroke youth machines up to 250 cc two-stroke and 450 cc four-stroke), age of competitor, ability of competitor, sidecars, quads/ATVs, and machine age (classic for pre-1965/67, Twinshock for bikes with two shock absorbers, etc.).
Supercross
Supercross (or SX) is simply indoor motocross. Supercross is more technical and rhythmic for riders. Typically situated in a variety of stadiums and open or closed arenas, it is notable for its numerous jumps. In North America, this has been turned into an extremely popular spectator sport, filling large baseball, soccer, and football stadiums, leading to Motocross being now termed the "outdoors". However, in Europe it is a less popular sport, as the predominant focus there is on Motocross.
Supermoto
Supermoto is a racing category that is a crossover between road-racing and motocross. The motorcycles are mainly motocross types with road-racing tyres. The racetrack is a mixture of road and dirt courses (in different proportions) and can take place either on closed circuits or in temporary venues (such as urban locations).
The riding style on the tarmac section is noticeably different from other forms of tarmac-based racing, with a different line into corners, sliding of the back wheel around the corner, and using the leg straight out to corner (as opposed to the noticeable touching of the bent knee to the tarmac of road racers).
Grand Prix
Grand Prix is a variety of motocross that combines both a motocross track and natural desert terrain at the same race.
Stubble cross
Stubble cross is a variety of motocross held in fields after harvest in the United Kingdom and Germany.
Enduro
Enduro is a form of off-road motorcycle sport that primarily focuses on the endurance of the competitor. In the most traditional sense ("Time Card Enduros"), competitors complete a 10+ mile lap, of predominately off-road going, often through forestry. The lap is made up of different stages, each with a target time to complete that stage in exactly, there are penalties for being early and late, thus the goal is to be exactly "on time". Some stages are deliberately "tight", others are lax allowing the competitor to recuperate. There are also a variety of special tests, on variety of terrain to further aid classification, these are speed stages where the fastest time is desired. A normal event lasts for 3 to 4 hours, although longer events are not uncommon. Some events, particularly national and world championship events take place over several days and require maintenance work to be carried out within a limited time window or while the race is running. To prevent circumvention of the maintenance restrictions, the motorcycles are kept overnight in secure storage.
There is a Enduro World Championship that has events across Europe, with a few excursions to North America. The most significant event in the Enduro calendar is the International Six Days Enduro (formerly the International Six Days Trial), where countries enter teams of riders (i.e. Enduro's "World Cup"), as well as club teams – the event combines amateur sport with the professional level sport, it also takes place in a much more geographically dispersed range of locations.
In addition to traditional time card enduros held over a long lap, a variety of other forms of sport have been taken up; notably "short course enduros", a shorter (in lap length) form of time card enduros hare scrambles and "Hare and Hounds".
Indoor enduro Endurocross or indoor enduro is a variation of enduro held indoors. Riders must complete as quick as possible a course with obstacles similar to those in enduro.
Hard enduro A variant of enduro called hard enduro also exists which take enduro racing to extremes with even larger, longer and tougher courses than enduro. The FIM Hard Enduro World Championship is the main championship in this category.
Vintage enduro Another variant of enduro is vintage enduro, which combines the elements of off-road racing and long-distance touring, making it a popular choice among enthusiasts who enjoy the challenges and nostalgia associated with vintage motorcycles. Vintage enduro events often attract a dedicated community of riders, collectors, and fans who appreciate the history and craftsmanship of these classic machines.
Some of the regulations include, air-cooled two-stroke engines, drum brakes and kick starters. These features add to the nostalgic charm and require riders to adapt their riding techniques accordingly.
Beach racing