We’ll give thanks for a lot of things today, and every one of them is important. But there’s something we probably forget to acknowledge sometimes—like dirt bikes being the GREATEST THING EVER—so here are some reminders.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
1. Be thankful that…dirt bikes can race in stadiums. Not only race, but race well. There are no compromises in supercross. Bikes and riders can jump, go fast and pass. Any other motorsport that tries to bring the racing to the people—like with city circuits in Indy Car—pays a steep price because the tracks are narrow and makeshift. You can always do an oval track, but, seriously, can you even compare a flat circle to one filled with freaking jumps? Jumps!
Football and baseball stadiums were not designed with dirt bikes in mind, yet these billion-dollar palaces lend themselves so perfectly to supercross. Dirt bikes can show their best stuff while surrounded by plush surroundings, with every seat in the house providing a great view of the entire track. State-of-the-art stadiums in America’s coolest cities hosting the best dirt bike racing in the world—supercross is pretty much a dream experience seventeen times a year.
2. Be thankful that…the sport is as big as it is. Sure, it’s not the biggest sport out there and growth would mean more money for more riders, but it’s still pretty cool that some guys make good living at this, a really good living for some. Many other sports peak at the club or hobby level, and you can include a lot of other motorcycle racing disciplines in this category. That means the guys battling for wins are also cramming in practice between working real jobs We salute the heart of those weekend warriors, but we’re also glad that pro motocross and supercross is total unencumbered. Here, you see everyone’s best, because every top rider makes so much money they are allowed to focus solely on racing. No ,“What if that guy was actually able to practice during the week?” stuff here. The top riders get everything they need—full-time commitment, coaches, trainers, technicians, and access to a basically unlimited technical budget. When you see two riders battling for the win, you’re seeing two humans at their absolute peak.
3. Be thankful that….man has balance. At some young age, we all learned to ride a bicycle, which is one of the strangest physical abilities of all. How is it you can crash and burn for months, then suddenly get the feel for it in one day, and then never, ever forget how to do it again? (You know the term…it’s like riding a bicycle, you never forget). Balancing a two-wheeled machine defies logic but not, apparently, physics. It’s through this magic that dirt bikes can do what they do, and they do things better than anything else in the world. Nothing jumps like a dirt bike, turns like a dirt bike, and cuts through rough terrain like a dirt bike. Dirt bikes are, literally, the most capable toy ever made. Anyone that has ridden one knows this, and they’ll never forget that, either.
