British Motocross Championship

History

There is uncertainty about the origins of motocross but it is likely that it began in 1914 when the Scott Trial was started by Alfred Angas Scott, owner and founder of The Scott Motorcycle Company. The Scott Trial was held on the Yorkshire moors in Northern England and after World War I test riders of new British motorcycles started racing against each other on off-road factory courses. The French came up with the term 'moto cross' to describe this off road racing and the first recorded Motocross competition was on Camberley Heath in Surrey, England on 29 March 1924.

Classes

The British Motocross Championship competition is organised into classes of MX1 and MX2. MX1 is for 251cc to 450cc (fourstroke) and MX2 for 175cc to 250cc fourstroke motorcycles. In 2007 an additional youth class, the MXY2 class, was added to the programme at selected rounds.

A 'Veterans' series was introduced in 2009 with just two rounds but the demand for places was so high that from 2011 the Veterans series will have three rounds, held over six races.

Auto-Cycle Union

The Auto-Cycle Union (ACU) is the governing body of the British Motocross Championship. The ACU sets the rules for the British Motocross Championship and organises the training of stewards and marshals to ensure track safety. The ACU also sets and checks safety standards and tracks the progress of national championships. The ACU has an important role to defend and develop motorcycle sport and is independent of any commercial organisation. The Patron of the ACU is HRH the Duke of Edinburgh.

Sponsorship

The British Motocross Championship competition is sponsored by Taiwanese tyre manufacturer MAXXIS and the competition is referred to as the MAXXIS ACU British Motocross Championship. In 2015 Skye Energy Drink became a sub-sponsor and the name for the British MX Championship is now known as the 'MAXXIS ACU British Motocross Championship powered by Skye Energy Drink'.