how to get started

just depends. Here in Missouri thats what you do, just show up and race. Of course you gotta pay some fee's and join the AMA. Call the local tracks or do a search for races held in your area. :cool:

I would suggest attending an open practice first. These are just basically open track riding days. Pick a course near you, talk to some people who already race. Ask them which course around you is the beginner track. Go to 2-3 open practices to get the hang of things.

Start slow, spend 2-3 laps just rolling everything. Next lap hit 1-2 jumps. Build up the confidence slowly.


The best advice I can give a beginner is HOLD YOUR LINE. If you are on the right side of the track, stay there. The only time you should be crossing the track is after you have looked backwards.

If you know another rider is behind you, just slow waay down and let them pass. Don't try to race them. You will learn much more riding behind them for 15 seconds than you ever will by blocking them for 45 seconds.


Our practices split up the AB and C guys. Before the C practice I would do nothing but watch the AB guys take all of the jumps. I would watch how fast, what lines, etc. they took.


Finally expect to fall down :) I've gone down pretty much every time I've been to a track. Most of the time my front end washes out. Don't freak out when you fall, stay calm but collect yourself quickly. Your body is always priority #1. A broken bike can be fixed with minimal time and cash. A broken person can take months and thousands of dollars to fix .

Ohh as far as all the paperwork goes. In most AMA races you need the following things to race.

1. AMA membership card.
2. District membership card.
3. Number Plates correctly colored and labeled with your district assigned numbers.


In my district you can get all of these ahead of time or at the track the day you race. When you walk up to the sign up booth inform the lady that you are over 18 (don't need parents to sign a waiver) and that you will need an AMA membership form and a district membership form.

The AMA membership will cost you around $50 and last 1 year. The district will probably be the same. In my district you can buy a 1 day pass for $10. I usually do this. They will probably assign you a district number at this time as well.

You will have to pay a per class fee of around $30. You can race in up to 3 classes. Since you are on a 125 I would sign up for 125C(or D) and 16-24C (or D) if you wish.



Take your district number and goto the track vendor. Ask for number plate stickers and stick em on each side and the front.


Bottom line is; Goto the track on race day and get there early. The people at the signup booth will show you what to fill out. Bring some $$.

AMA is $39 - District 15 is $15 both good for 1 year. Not sure what the other districts charge, but I can't see them being more than AMA.

I run the numbers I want on my bike.. Most district races will allow this, and in the event that two people show up with the same number in the same class, the second one to sign up has to SLASH the number, or use something similar to designate which is which to the scorers.