AMSOIL ArenaCross ~ High-Flying Adrenaline Rush!
AMSOIL ArenaCross took over the DCU Center in Worcester, MA from January 4 – January 6 and as the dirt flew, the excitement mounted. It’s no wonder that the spectacle’s tagline is “Speed! Air! Danger! That’s what makes AMSOIL Arenacross the premier, off-road motorcycle racing championship!” Flashwounds was lucky enough to be invited to witness the thrills first-hand and shoot some live pix so that those of you who couldn’t make the show live could still get a taste of the adrenaline rush. So along with some fun facts about the AMSOIL Arenacross, please enjoy these photos, all taken by Flashwounds co-founder and chief photographer, Frank Poulin.
AMSOIL Arenacross is the world’s premier form of enclosed off-road motorcycle racing, providing captivating competition on one-of-a-kind, man-made dirt tracks filled with jumps, turns and other various obstacles in only 18,000 square feet of space (220’ x 80’).
From start to finish, the AMSOIL Arenacross season will cover 10,738 miles, visiting 10 different states between Colorado and Massachusetts.
A total of 19 personnel members will travel to all 10 rounds of the championship, making sure each event goes off without a hitch. When adding riders, additional team members, friends, family and fans, each night of AMSOIL Arenacross competition becomes arguably the most popular destination for any city.
Approximately 170 truckloads ~ 40,500 cubic feet ~ of dirt are brought into each arena to build an AMSOIL Arenacross track on any given weekend. That is more than enough dirt to fill a Boeing 747 or the International Space Station.
For a 10-race season, 405,000 cubic feet of dirt will be used, which is enough to fill London’s Big Ben two-and-half times. In weight, 3,000 tons of dirt is used per event, which is the equivalent to 20 blue whales ~ the largest animal on the planet.
All dirt used in AMSOIL Arenacross is stored locally within the city the event is taking place. Storage will vary depending on location, but will always be within short distance of the venue, where it is protected from water and wind erosion with minimal saturation. The life expectancy of arenacross dirt is 10-12 years as it is depleted via transport as well as being broken down by constant use.
The dirt from one region to the next also possesses its own unique characteristics, adding another element of challenge for the riders. In the Northeast, the dirt has a sandy texture, but turns into a clay base further down the coast. In the northern part of the Midwest, the soil is rich with a lot of moisture, but turns hard and dry crossing into the Southern portion of the U.S.
Riders will reach nearly 30 feet in height and cover over 50 feet in distance when they cross the finish line, affectionately known as the “Catapult,” the largest jump on the track. That is enough height and distance to jump over six school buses side-by-side.
Each track design in AMSOIL Arenacross is unique unto itself. No two tracks are exactly alike and no track will ever be duplicated. While elements like the “Catapult” are staple obstacles, the track designers are always looking for a way to challenge the riders with something they have never seen before, providing the opportunity for anyone to win on any given night. Additionally, each arena’s own unique floor plan can limit or broaden the opportunities available in track design.
It typically takes two days to build an entire AMSOIL Arenacross track, but the record for the quickest build stands at nine hours. Five heavy machinery vehicles will accomplish the task ~ 1 bulldozer, 1 front-end loader, 1 excavator, and 2 skid steers. These vehicles will use approximately 200 gallons of fuel over the course of a race weekend.
A lap time on an AMSOIL Arenacross track can be between 28-38 seconds. A track is typically 1,000-feet in length, meaning riders will cover approximately 30 feet per second on a layout filled with tight turns and challenging obstacles.
Each motorcycle weighs nearly 230 pounds with exceptional torque and acceleration ability that elicits a force capable of throwing a rider off the back. Factor this into a rider’s need to navigate through a 1,000-foot track of tight turns and challenging obstacles as fast as possible against other competitors. The physical ability needed to do so is unlike anything else in sports and can best be described as a combination of bull riding and elite cycling.
There are only four turns on an AMSOIL Arenacross track and with only 6 or 7 laps of racing amongst 16 riders, there is a necessity for physical aggression in order to win, making arenacross a contact sport and adding to the physical demands of navigating the track and controlling the motorcycle.
AMSOIL Arenacross riders are some of the fittest athletes on the planet; researchers comparing them to elite soccer players in terms of stamina and overall fitness. A typical race will last no longer than seven minutes, with riders pushing their body to its absolute physical limit the entire time at maximum heart rate.
An AMSOIL Arenacross rider will begin riding at the age of three or four, and will typically start racing competitively by the age of five. Nearly every competitor in the sport has over 10 years of racing experience.
Nearly 150 riders will attempt to qualify for an AMSOIL Arenacross race on any given weekend, with only a total of 32 spots available in both the Arenacross Class and Arenacross Lites Class.
While both classes of competition in AMSOIL Arenacross ride 250cc motorcycles, you can tell the difference between divisions by the number plates – Arenacross Class numbers are black with white backgrounds, while Arenacross Lites Class numbers are white with black backgrounds.
The points leader in each respective championship will always have a red number plate.
The majority of rider numbers indicate where they finished in the championship the previous season.
In 2011, Vicki Golden became the first female in history to qualify for an AMSOIL Arenacross Main Event at the Sacramento round on February 26. She is now a full-time competitor in the championship.
In 27 years of AMSOIL Arenacross competition, 12 American riders and one Canadian have won the championship. Six of those riders have won at least two consecutive titles. Eight different states from across the U.S. are represented by these title holders, with Texas serving as the home to four of these riders.
Amateur Day competitions, hosted every Sunday during a race weekend, will host 500 or more riders of all disciplines, ages, and genders.
