Difference between revisions of "Motorcross"

Motocross was first known as a British [[off-road]] event called scrambling, which was an evolution of [[motorcycle trial]] events popular in the northern UK. The first known scramble took place at [[Camberley]], [[Surrey]] in 1924.<ref name="History of Motocross">[http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/exhibits/MX/history/part1.asp History of Motocross]</ref> During the 1930s, the sport grew in popularity, especially in Britain where teams from the [[Birmingham Small Arms Company]] (BSA), [[Norton]], [[Matchless]], [[Rudge-Whitworth|Rudge]], and [[AJS]] competed in the events. Off-road bikes 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 [[Motorcycle suspension|suspensions]] by the early 1930s, and swinging fork rear suspension appeared by the early 1950s, several years before it was incorporated on the majority of production street bikes <ref name="History of Motocross; Part 2">[http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/exhibits/mx/history2.asp History of Motocross; Part 2]</ref>. The period after the Second World War was dominated by [[Birmingham Small Arms Company|BSA]] which had become the largest motorcycle company in the world <ref name="History of Motocross; Part 2"/>. BSA riders dominated international competitions throughout the 1940s.<ref name="History of Motocross; Part 2"/>