Motocross During the '50s

The exciting and thrilling sport of motocross originated in the United Kingdom in the early twentieth century and has gone on to gain popularity all across the world thereafter. In the early days, however, the sport was better known as 'scrambles'. Derived by combining the French word 'moto' with 'cross-country', the sport of motocross is a form of all-terrain motorcycle racing that takes place on dirt or off-road tracks. These tracks could also be muddy, hilly, slushy or rocky routes including sharp turns and uneven rides.

During the 1920s and 30s, scrambles started becoming quite a rage with sporting events such as the Southern Scott Scramble held in 1924. This is the event that is said to have led to the initiation of motocross. Many other such renditions form possible origin tales of motocross.

The 1950s witnessed progress in the sport with certain steps toward its formalization and structuring. The early years of the decade witnessed Individual Motocross races generating interest rather rapidly. Towards the close of the year 1950, a proposal for the initiation of an event of international stature was submitted by the Belgian Federation to the F.I.M. (Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme) or the International Motorcycling Federation. It was in 1952 that the F.I.M. created the European Championship that used motorcycles with 500cc engines. This was a turning point in the history of motocross racing and the sport as a whole. In 1957, this event was upgraded to World Championship status.

Over the years, a wide variety of other motorcycle sports have branched out of motocross. One such sport that gained popularity in the 1950s was Sidecar Racing, also known as Sidecarcross. While it started off in Europe, it also went on to fetch fans in Australia, New Zealand and the United States of America. Europe, however, is the only place where Sidecarcross was actually contested at a World Championship level.

Sidecarcross involves the use of a motocross bike built with a flat platform attached on either side of the rider's seat. It also includes a handlebar that the biker on this platform, the passenger, can hold on to. The role of the passenger is to balance the vehicle as it swerves on sharp turns or bounces on rocky, bumpy terrain. This variant of motocross, has witnessed a decline ever since its glory days in the 50s.

The motorcycles used in motocross have also witness an evolution in themselves ever since the sport initiated and became popular. The major part of the decade witnessed racing in the MX3 category. While in 1952, 1953 and 1954 the winners of the Motocross World Championship were of Belgian origin, the podium gave way to British participants in the latter half of the 50s. The 1957 winner of the Motocross World Champion ship was Swedish participant Bill Nisson.

The 1950s were an era of rapid growth in motocross. It witnessed formalization of events, creation of new structures and a brand new zeal for a highly adventurous sport. It was during this decade that motocross gained its true prominence in the milieu of motorcycle racing in Europe.

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