By name and discipline, Moto X Racing is brand new to the X Games. But make no mistake, the sport it represents is as old as dirt biking itself.
Picture, if you can, motorcycles racing head-to-head 'round a dirt track replete with hairpins, double-jumps and triples, and all within the confines of an arena (in this case, the Home Depot Center). Seems pretty familiar, right?
"It'll be very, very similar to supercross; almost identical. But with fewer guys in each heat, fewer laps in each race and a shorter track, it'll be really, really good for TV," says Ricky Carmichael, a five-time premier-class supercross champion.
The debut of Moto X Racing, in August, in L.A., expands the X Games' motorcycle-sports lineup from four events to five. It also raises the stakes in the freestyle vs. race game, adding a racing event to the mix, with SuperMoto and Step Up being well established as primetime pillars of freestyle motocross and SuperMoto representing racing (on hybrid bikes and mixed dirt/asphalt tracks
It is curious that motocross is the latest addition, considering sub-disciplines like SuperMoto and Step Up are its mere spawns, or so some might argue. Nevertheless, it's a nod to the roots of all things combining two-wheels, engines and dirt—a fact not lost on Carmichael and his brethren. So brace yourself: An already high-octane event is about to be injected with more horsepower and even more star power.
The planet's elite supercross racers, including Chad Reed, James Stewart, Ivan Tedesco, Carmichael and only 12 others will be ready to do battle. "It'd be a great feather in my cap," Carmichael says, referring to the first X Games gold medal of the motocross kind. "But, we've got the best guys in the world coming, the parity is gonna be there and obviously everyone wants to win gold.
Picture, if you can, motorcycles racing head-to-head 'round a dirt track replete with hairpins, double-jumps and triples, and all within the confines of an arena (in this case, the Home Depot Center). Seems pretty familiar, right?
"It'll be very, very similar to supercross; almost identical. But with fewer guys in each heat, fewer laps in each race and a shorter track, it'll be really, really good for TV," says Ricky Carmichael, a five-time premier-class supercross champion.
The debut of Moto X Racing, in August, in L.A., expands the X Games' motorcycle-sports lineup from four events to five. It also raises the stakes in the freestyle vs. race game, adding a racing event to the mix, with SuperMoto and Step Up being well established as primetime pillars of freestyle motocross and SuperMoto representing racing (on hybrid bikes and mixed dirt/asphalt tracks
It is curious that motocross is the latest addition, considering sub-disciplines like SuperMoto and Step Up are its mere spawns, or so some might argue. Nevertheless, it's a nod to the roots of all things combining two-wheels, engines and dirt—a fact not lost on Carmichael and his brethren. So brace yourself: An already high-octane event is about to be injected with more horsepower and even more star power.
The planet's elite supercross racers, including Chad Reed, James Stewart, Ivan Tedesco, Carmichael and only 12 others will be ready to do battle. "It'd be a great feather in my cap," Carmichael says, referring to the first X Games gold medal of the motocross kind. "But, we've got the best guys in the world coming, the parity is gonna be there and obviously everyone wants to win gold.
"So as much fun as it'll be at X Games for the first time, as much limelight as there might be, shoot, everyone just wants to win. That's what this sport is all about."
As an "open-class" event, racers will be free to choose their steed of choice. For Carmichael, that means his normal ride (a 450). "It's cool that you can suit up on whatever you want, but I figure most guys will stick with what they usually race," he says.
The competition format breaks down this way:
The 16 riders will be divided into four-man heats for Round 1. These qualifying races, running between four and six laps, will send each winner (or four in total) straight to the six-man final. The remaining two slots in the final will be filled with the winners of two, six-man "Last Chance Qualifier" heats, set for four to six laps. Then, a 10 to 12 lap final will determine the champion.
By comparison, supercross events typically feature racing in heats of 20, in addition to longer tracks and more laps per race. Twenty-man supercross finals are filled with the top nine finishers from two qualifying races, plus the top two from a last chance qualifier.
"The limited number of laps, and limited number of guys per heat, is going to help concentrate the racing, and the track will be really fair," says Carmichael, who was consulted by X Games officials for his "two cents" on the formula for Moto X Racing. "It may also make it harder on some of us who like it more technical, but the burden is on all of us to make the best of it."
Tim Reed, the X Games' Director of Sports and Competition, says motocross as a discipline has "always been on the radar" for an X Games event. "But just in February I learned that some top supercross guys were expressing interest in coming to X Games," he says. "So, of course, we got to thinking about how we could do it."
The result? "Something that's a little quicker, a little more digestible than supercross, where there's so many guys on the track that it can be confusing," says Reed. "For most of our disciplines, summer and winter, we have the freestyle and the racing elements of those sports. So it's great to get this into the X Games fold. It just fits well. And obviously it's gonna be great to showcase some of these guys who are pretty big stars in their world."
Fox Racing
Training Wheels Not Included: James Stewart blasts out.
Just how Moto X Racing will stack up on the unofficial action-sports carnage index, well, that remains to be seen. Carmichael, for one, has already given it some thought.
"I'm sure the chances of someone wrecking are pretty good. But for myself, personally, I'm not gonna put myself in danger. Sure, a gold medal'd be great, but I'm not trading it for my health.
"But hey, some guys, they don't give a shit. They'll do whatever it takes to get their name out there. And, sure, you'll have guys crash, but they ain't gonna risk their life, you know. I'm sure most guys will ride with sense if they want to be there at the end on that last lap."
Other invited racers include Ryan Dungey, Tim Ferry, Grant Langston, Andrew Short, Ben Townley, Ryan Villopoto, David Vuillemin, and Kevin Windham.
The competition format breaks down this way:
The 16 riders will be divided into four-man heats for Round 1. These qualifying races, running between four and six laps, will send each winner (or four in total) straight to the six-man final. The remaining two slots in the final will be filled with the winners of two, six-man "Last Chance Qualifier" heats, set for four to six laps. Then, a 10 to 12 lap final will determine the champion.
By comparison, supercross events typically feature racing in heats of 20, in addition to longer tracks and more laps per race. Twenty-man supercross finals are filled with the top nine finishers from two qualifying races, plus the top two from a last chance qualifier.
"The limited number of laps, and limited number of guys per heat, is going to help concentrate the racing, and the track will be really fair," says Carmichael, who was consulted by X Games officials for his "two cents" on the formula for Moto X Racing. "It may also make it harder on some of us who like it more technical, but the burden is on all of us to make the best of it."
Tim Reed, the X Games' Director of Sports and Competition, says motocross as a discipline has "always been on the radar" for an X Games event. "But just in February I learned that some top supercross guys were expressing interest in coming to X Games," he says. "So, of course, we got to thinking about how we could do it."
The result? "Something that's a little quicker, a little more digestible than supercross, where there's so many guys on the track that it can be confusing," says Reed. "For most of our disciplines, summer and winter, we have the freestyle and the racing elements of those sports. So it's great to get this into the X Games fold. It just fits well. And obviously it's gonna be great to showcase some of these guys who are pretty big stars in their world."
Fox Racing
Training Wheels Not Included: James Stewart blasts out.
Just how Moto X Racing will stack up on the unofficial action-sports carnage index, well, that remains to be seen. Carmichael, for one, has already given it some thought.
"I'm sure the chances of someone wrecking are pretty good. But for myself, personally, I'm not gonna put myself in danger. Sure, a gold medal'd be great, but I'm not trading it for my health.
"But hey, some guys, they don't give a shit. They'll do whatever it takes to get their name out there. And, sure, you'll have guys crash, but they ain't gonna risk their life, you know. I'm sure most guys will ride with sense if they want to be there at the end on that last lap."
Other invited racers include Ryan Dungey, Tim Ferry, Grant Langston, Andrew Short, Ben Townley, Ryan Villopoto, David Vuillemin, and Kevin Windham.