Building your own supercross, motocross and atv track.

Are you interested in participating in a fun sport? If so, there is a good chance that you may find what you are looking for in supercross motorcycle racing. Supercross motorcycle racing is an action packed sport that uses indoor, man-made tracks as a racing surface. This surface is often filled with a number of jumps and other obstacles. Although your dream may be to become a professional supercross motorcycle racer, it may not always be able to come true. However, this does not mean that you cannot enjoy the sport; you can enjoy it on a recreational or an amateur level.
Although it would be best to find a local supercross, motocross or atv track, that can't always happen. As popular as supercross motorcycle racing and motocross racing is, not every city and town has a track. If you are unable to find one of these tracks, you may still be able to participate in off-road biking or racing. You can easily do this by making your own motocross/atv race track. This is definitely possible, especially for those with a fairly decent amount of property.


If you have access to an indoor facility, one that is about the size of a football field, you may be able to create your own indoor supercross racing track. If not, you may have to settle for an outdoor motocross-like track. Whichever track you decide to make, you will find that the construction is often just as exciting as the racing. This is because you will get to control your racing surface. Essentially, this means that you can have as many jumps as you would like, as well as other fun obstacles. Although it is fun to develop your own supercross or motocross racing track, you will also find that it is a large amount of work.
The good news with making an outdoor track is that you will already have the something in your favor; different conditions. Depending on the type of property that you are building on, you may already have a number of small hills or rough terrain. If so, this would make building your track a little bit easier. Whether you are building an indoor track or an outdoor track, you will need to have dirt. Dirt is essential to the building of a motocross track. Luckily, you can find it at a number of locations. In addition to getting dirt from your own property, you may also be able to get it from other homeowners or business owners, especially those that are doing some remodeling. The only problem with this is that you will have to find a way to get the dirt to your track.
Once you have found a way to get the dirt to your track, you will need to start building it. This process will involve a lot of creativity. If you do not already have obstacles in mind, you can easily familiarize yourself with some designs. You can do this by using the internet to your advantage. By studying pictures or videos of supercross or motocross races, you should be able to get a feel for the track, as well as racing or riding on it. It is amazing some of the ideas you can come up with just by looking at pictures or by watching videos.
When making your own supercross or motocross track it is important to remember that you will rarely get things right the first time. It takes a lot of trial and error to build to the perfect off-road racing track. However, once you finish that track, you will likely be pleased with your decision to start the project, as well as proud of the results.

 

Building Motocross Tracks - How To And What To Look Out For

There's a few things to keep in mind when building motocross tracks of any sort. My goal for this page is to get you to think carefully about the location you intend to design a motocross track on, before you jump in the bobcat and waste your precious time.

First of all, when I talk about building motocross tracks I'm not talking about designing and constructing the latest circuit for the AMA series... I realize not all of us are lucky enough to have 20 acres of private undulating land that we have permission to carve up with a D6 Bulldozer (oh how good would that be?!). So, if it's just a couple of jumps and a berm or two that you have room for, then this info will help you too.

The first track I helped build was with my brother on our ol' mans property. It consisted of a step-down, a step-up and a table top that we gradually built up as we gained confidence.

The small section we had to use was a flat paddock with about a 5 meter bank that dropped into another paddock. We had a lot of fun on this even though it wasn't a fast track. And we increased our jumping skills quickly due to being able to alter the jumps as we got better.

One thing we didn't do was ask Dad for permission first! Initially he threatened to tear it down, but he did get over it eventually. Good luck to you if you're seeking permission from your folks to rearrange their backyard.

I managed to find these crusty old pics of the beginning stages of our track...

This story brings me to a list of things that you need to consider before you build your own motocross track...

 

 

Permission, Permits & Neighbors:

We all know of someone who has poured in the time, money and effort to build a motocross track, only to have ridden it a few weekends before the neighbors kicked up a stink and had the local council shut it down.

Believe it or not, some people don't enjoy the exhilarating sound of half a dozen dirt bikes screaming around a track on a Sunday morning. And how can they not like the large clouds of dust swamping their back deck, blocking out the sun?

Location is very important. Think about where the noise will travel. What are your neighbors like? If they all own bikes then you're in luck! If not, it may pay to talk to them first. Compromise with them by designating certain days you will ride.

What sort of soil will your track be made out of? Think about 'the dust factor'. If you live way out in the wops then you don't have to worry about coating your neighbors cereal. But, if you ride upwind near some houses, you will probably end up with a bullet through your petrol tank from Grandpa Larry, or the local council issuing you some forms to close the place down.

So, think carefully about your surroundings before you go building motocross tracks of any size. Get it right from the start and save yourself a few tears.

Have you got a good location ready to build on?

Motocross Track Design & Layout

The best way to begin motocross track construction is to simply peg out and ride over the property using the natural flow of the land to find the best possible route.

Many people ask for motocross track blueprints not realizing that each track should be unique to the size and shape of the land, and the skill level of the riders using it.

To construct the track you will need something bigger than a garden spade... but you don't need to hire a 20 ton digger to shape up your parents backyard either.

Bobcats are amazing machines. They won't cost you an arm or leg to hire and they are quick and versatile. It is amazing how much dirt you can move in a day on one of these puppies if you know what you're doing! But, if you don't want to fork out the cash to hire something, and you have access to a mates tractor with a front end loader, that will work too.

Get creative. Search for rolling hill tops that can be turned into large table-top styled jumps simply by shaping up the face of it. Maybe you can push a heap of dirt together near the bottom of a hill to create a step-up...

Step-ups can be easy to make using a hill or bank. 

Try to shape the track with a natural flow. Also, you may need to put in more corners than you think to lower your speed down before jumps. You don't want to be hitting jumps after a 100m long straight in 5th gear power band. And if you are having to brake hard before a jump, you've designed it incorrectly.

Another thing to consider during motocross track construction is drainage. Remember that any low lying area of land, e.g. dips, valleys, bottom of hills and even berm sections will probably fill with water and turn to swamp unless there is adequate drainage.

Design the surface area on your track with a slight angle to allow water to run off to the sides. This will definitely help to keep track maintenance to a minimum.

What type of soils are you working with? You ideally want a clay based soil that will bind and compact to provide a long lasting , solid track. The softer, more loamy the dirt, the more maintenance and grooming will be required.

Old tires can be used to support berms made with soft dirt or sand.