Usually, motorcycle racing is only associated the classic tarmac road racing, but in truth the sport contains of several variations. The sub types of motorcycle racing can vary due to several factors such as the power of the motorcycles used, the type of track the races are held on, the type of motorcycles used or simply the nature of the event. The following article will cover the major types of motorcycle racing, explaining the specifics of each.
Road racing
This is the classic tarmac motorcycle race and probably the most popular of the branches. The type of motorcycles used in road racings are sport versions of the typical road bikes and the racing events usually take place on circuits or closed public roads. There’s even a small variation of disciplines inside the sub-branch of road racing, namely endurance or sprint events.
Drag Racing
Drag racing is not specifically a motorcycle racing event, since it was first used for car sprint competitions. Still, the main rules as in car drag racing are used in motorcycle events. So there will be (usually) two competitors lined up at a dragstrip, which will compete on a small, straight portion of tarmac (usually a quarter or half a mile long), each on his own lane. The race is extremely short and is a test of acceleration and top speed, the first rider to reach the finish line winning the drag race.
Hill/mountain climbing
Hill climbing is a unique type of motorcycle racing in that it has the riders competing on their own during separate time windows. Each rider will face the challenge of climbing a hill or mountain road, with the freedom to take any preferred route. After all the competitors have reached the top (or abandoned trying to do so), their times are compared, the one that climbed fastest being the winner.
Motocross
Motocross is one of the most popular motorcycle racing branches, because of the spectacular challenges it involves. Bikers will race on an off-road track, usually made of sand, grass, dirt and so forth. Obviously, the skills of the competitors will be tested to the limit on such a treacherous surface and as if that wasn’t enough, most motocross tracks are very tight and they are sprinkled with steep elevations that will lift the riders in the air up to several feet high.
Trials
One might argue that placing trial events under motorcycle racing would be wrong, since there’s no actually “racing” involved. Nevertheless, the trial is a sport that has competitors riding a motorcycle, hence it is placed under the motorcycle racing banner. The trial is more of a test of skill and handling than anything else, since competitors are given the challenge to get across extremely difficult terrains or settings (if the trial event is held indoors) without placing their feet on the ground or falling off the bike. Trial events also have a time component which counts to the final score, but the main difference between competitors will usually be made by the amount of “penalty points” they accumulate during the event. Penalty points are given whenever a competitor loses balance and places a foot on the ground, if he falls off the bike if he misses a certain step from the track and so forth. Sometimes even the time component can cause penalty points, if the competitor fails to finish the track in a specified amount of time.