We owe the emergence of this fascinating sport to England, where motocross was born. It was here, on the outskirts of the capital, that the first motocross competition was held in 1908. Later, they were also held in France without much success. In the forties motocross became quite popular. Competitions were held on tracks that had difficult terrain and obstacles created by the organizers. They had to be looped. Regular motorcycles were adapted for racing, making them as light as possible. Suspenders appeared that made it possible to make motorcycle jumps. This added to the spectacle of motocross. But the spectators wanted to see all the twists and turns of the sport fight, the skill of cross-countrymen in overcoming difficult obstacles along the whole track.

The first to catch this need was Frenchman Pierre Bardet. At a stadium in a suburb of Paris in August 1948, he organized a motocross with built slides, water fords, sharp bends in the track. This event immediately made such races extraordinarily popular. Eight years later, in May 1956, a half-mile race was held at a similar sports facility in the heart of Prague, with several specially constructed slides and ditches filled with water. Similar events in the 1960s were held in Belgium and Norway. In February 1961, for the first time in America, a cross-country car race was held at a stadium in Miami. It was organized by the Florida motorcycle clubs along with the Association of Motorcycle Dealers. However, the development of motorcycle racing in stadiums was hindered by a regulation on motocross rules that provided for competition only on natural terrain. When the problem was settled in 1971, there were no obstacles to racing in American stadiums. In March 1971, the first professional race was held at Daytona. Spectators here watched it standing on the ground, almost touching the athletes.

So from the traditional motocross was born its new form, later called Supercross. The author of this term was the American Michael Goodwin. It was he who in 1972, for the first time by all the rules of show business, arranged a stadium motocross. There were colorful decorations. There were musical ensembles and performers. The audience sat on the comfortable grandstands. The event was called the “Super Bowl of Motocross”. Its resounding success gave the example of similar races in many American stadiums. Their pinnacle is participation in the most prestigious and premier supercross series, the AMA Supercross Championship.

Supercross, which came out of motocross, has come to mean the competition motorcyclists in the open stadium or in a special room. They need to equip a track with natural dirt, sand or turf. Its length in the open air is 400 m, and in spaces under the roof – 300. On each race out 25 athletes. The race lasts 10 to 30 minutes. Usually one or two extra laps are added to it.
The time in which the race should end, determined by the volume of the motorcycle engine, the qualifications of athletes. Only ten minutes are left for the young men’s race. They usually take part on motorcycles with the engine capacity of 65 cubic meters. Within a quarter of an hour is the race for amateurs. If the athletes ride on 85cc motorcycles, 10 minutes is added. Most of the race is for machines with 125cc and 250cc engines. Most popular U.S. Supercross championships (GP Grand Prix) or national championships (Pro AMA) feature half-hour races, plus two laps. When the time or extra lap finishes, the finish line judge waves the flag into the cage.