The Straight Skinny On Becoming A Sportsman Dirt Racer
THE STRAIGHT SKINNY ON BECOMING A SPORTSMAN DIRT RACER
A Brief Guide: How To Get Your Papers, Sign Up, And Select A Machine.
SPORTSMAN RACING, that is, nonprofessional racing for fun and trophies, is the most prevalent form of motorcycle competition in the United States.
It is a relatively inexpensive pursuit for dirt riders. Entry fees are low, ranging from $2.50 to $6. The machinery involved is mass-produced, with size and type to suit every budget. Bought new, the ready-to-race sportsman dirt machine costs from $400 for a light-weight on up to about $1500 for the big stuff. Add another $100 to $150 for helmet, boots, gloves and protective suit. Parts and accessories are easier to get than ever before.
Want to get started? Many do, but apparently don’t know how to go about it. The steps are amazingly simple, and it takes only two weeks to a month to sort things out and become a genuine Novice.
First, visit a bike shop and ask for an AMA application and an application for a district Sportsman card. If your district is active, you should have no trouble finding an “in” shop.
If that fails, attend a local sportsman scrambles or enduro meet and ask a member of the organizing club for application blanks. In any case, it is a good idea to attend a sportsman event as a spectator to give yourself an idea of what you’ll be getting into. If by some chance they do not have the AMA application blank, write the American Motorcycle Association, P.O. Box 231, Worthington, Ohio 43085. The AMA card will cost you $2. The district Sportsman card will cost you $2 to $3, depending on the district.
In certain districts you will have to have a separate Sportsman card for each type of event you want to ride. Scrambles heavyweight, and lightweight, enduro, hillclimb, and, sometimes, in a particularly large district, even narrower categories.
While the AMA is the most ubiquitous Sportsman club in the United States, there are alternatives.
The American Cycle Association, an FIM affiliate, promotes many western motocross races, some classes of which are amateur and some professional. The ACA is also active in short track promotion. Address: P.O. Box 247, Fullerton, California.
Another group, the National OffRoad Racing Association, specializes in professional long-distance rough terrain events for bikes and buggies. Entries are costly, and the fun is deadly serious. NORRA’s address is 19730 Ventura Blvd., Suite 6, Woodland Hills, Calif. 91364.
Another active western motocross group is the California Motocross Club, Box 1334, Huntington Beach, Calif.
In the East, Intersport is helping motocross to expand. Contact Intersport, Inc. through Bob Hicks, 29 Burley St., Danvers, Mass.
Space does not permit running the names of all such groups. The reader may find others by checking with bike shops and local clubs. In many areas, regular races are run under no sanctioning body at all. The rider signs up when he gets there.
If you do not already own a machine, it is a good idea to attend several events in the category of your choice to see in which displacement class you would prefer to ride. Observe closely what brands or types of motorcycles are winning in their respective classes, as this will be of invaluable aid in choosing a machine to buy. This is particularly important in TT scrambles and motocross, where a second-rate machine, no matter how inexpensive it is, is a great disadvantage.
For example, one person we know several years ago bought a used 175-cc Parilia for racing in TT scrambles. It handled well, and seemed like a good bike at a good price. It was a good play bike, but no racer. Had our friend looked further into this class, he would have noticed that it was dominated by powerful Bultaco and Montesa twostrokes. Pity that. The only time he could get a decent look-in on the result sheet was when his two-stroke competition crashed or broke.
The moral of the story: spend the money, get the good bike, not an obsolete roach you hope to “fix up.” In the end, the roach will cost you more than an initially expensive machine designed for the job at hand.
There are four basic forms of dirt racing extremely popular in the United States at present. Motocross is the bumpy, closed circuit race running over hill and dale. It demands the most physical conditioning to be competitive. Scrambles, or TT scrambles, is also a closed circuit race, but the terrain has been improved somewhat with an earth scraper; some TT courses are fantastically smooth, allowing very highly tuned machines; others require use of bikes with broader torque bands.
Hare scrambles is an out and out speed contest also, through woods or desert courses many miles in length, requiring a machine with good flexibility and a torque band similar to that needed for motocross riding. An enduro is another cross-country event, through desert, woods or swamps, but is not actually a race; it is a time-speed-distance rally requiring conformance to a set average through use of a watch and an odometer: horsepower and speed requirements are relatively moderate for an enduro.
None of these forms of Sportsman racing require an inordinate amount of rider training or red tape. You merely have to jump in and get your feet wet - in the grand American tradition.
The hardest part will be picking the appropriate machine. If you haven’t had much experience, it is best to begin in the small displacement classes. It costs less. You don’t hurt so bad when the bike lands on you. And it is easier to learn how to ride properly with a smaller machine. So watch those result sheets! -Dan Hunt.
