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.[1][2]
Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competitions, such as the Auto-Cycle Clubs's first quarterly trial in 1909 and the Scottish Six Days Trial that began in 1912.[1][2] When organisers dispensed with delicate balancing and strict scoring of trials in favour of a race to become the fastest rider to the finish, the activity became known as "hare scrambles", said to have originated in the phrase, "a rare old scramble" describing one such early race.[1] Though known as scrambles racing (or just scrambles) in the United Kingdom, the sport grew in popularity and the competitions became known internationally as "motocross racing", by combining the French word for motorcycle, motocyclette, or moto for short, into a portmanteau with "cross country".[1]
The first known scramble race took place at Camberley, Surrey in 1924.[3] During the 1930s the sport grew in popularity, especially in Britain where teams from the Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA), Norton, Matchless, Rudge, and AJS competed in the events. The first motocross race held on an artificial track inside a stadium took place on August 28, 1948, at Buffalo Stadium in the Paris suburb of Montrouge.[4] The event was the forerunner to supercross competitions.[4] Off-road motorcycles from that era differed little from those used on the street. The intense competition over rugged terrain led to technical improvements in motorcycles. Rigid frames gave way to suspensions by the early 1930s, and swinging fork rear suspension appeared by the early 1950s, several years before manufacturers incorporated it in the majority of production street bikes.[5] The period after World War II was dominated by BSA, which had become the largest motorcycle company in the world.[5] BSA riders dominated international competitions throughout the 1940s.[5]
A Maico 360 cc with air-cooled engine and twin shock absorbers on the rear suspension
In 1952 the FIM, motorcycling's international governing body, set up an individual European Championship using a 500 cc engine displacement formula.[5] In 1957 it was upgraded to World Championship status.[5] In 1962 a 250 cc world championship was established.[5] In the smaller 250 cc category companies with two-stroke motorcycles came into their own. Companies such as Husqvarna from Sweden, CZ from the former Czechoslovakia, Bultaco from Spain and Greeves from England became popular due to their lightness and agility.[5] Stars of the day included BSA-works riders Jeff Smith and Arthur Lampkin, with Dave Bickers, Joe Johnson and Norman Brown on Greeves.
By the 1960s, advances in two-stroke engine technology meant that the heavier, four-stroke machines were relegated to niche competitions.[5] Riders from Belgium and Sweden began to dominate the sport during this period.[2][6] Motocross arrived in the United States in 1966 when Swedish champion, Torsten Hallman rode an exhibition event against the top American TT riders at the Corriganville Movie Ranch also known as Hopetown in Simi Valley, California. The following year Hallman was joined by other motocross stars including Roger DeCoster, Joël Robert, and Dave Bickers. They dominated the event, placing their lightweight two-strokes into the top six finishing positions.[7][8] A motorcycle sales boom in the United States fueled by the Baby Boomer generation, helped to spark a growth in the popularity of motocross among young Americans.[9]
