Those of you who enjoy riding all terrain vehicles as a sport know the wide spread competition among ATV racers. Some ATVers race their quads recreationally amongst their friends and others are much more serious racers. The serious ATV riders compete in races around the United States, some even around the world. These racers are most likely amateur or professional grade, meaning ATV racing is their life.
Along with dirt bikes, ATV quads are a type of motocross racing in most cases. Other ATV riders race in cross country competitions, such as the tournament in Las Vegas where riders race miles across the Mojave Desert. In the ATVing and off road racing world, there are many already well established annual competitions in places such as Arizona and California, just to name a few.
Each race, whether it is a traditional tournament or a newly established competition, will include a different ranking of racers. Some competitions are designated as professional races, where ATV riders are awarded the largest prizes of any competition for winning. Professional and high ranked competitions are, of course, the most popular, have the largest audience and contain the most rigorous racing trails.
>From professional ATV racing, other types of tournaments taper down to
amateur and recreational riders. All types of ATV racing competitions draw a large and diverse crowd of supporters and spectators. Racing ATVs is a very competitive sport among the participants, and even down to the smallest local races, riders are serious about their sport.
No matter how diverse the varying types of ATV races may be, the diversity within any given ATV competition is greater. Within each ATV tournament many different types of riders are involved. Whether it is a single race or a series of races, riders are classified into racing groups, which are the riders they will be competing against essentially.
The racing classifications are determined by different standards, depending on the rank of competition you are involved in. The type of ATV you drive, its capabilities and motor classification are the main determining factors in grouping ATV racers. In 2004 the standards and rules changed for which class you and your ATV fall in, and they will continue to change as administrators figure out what rules run the best races.
As a result of the multiple classifications of ATV riders, there may be several first place winners in a single race if several classifications are racing the same track at the same time. The classes of riders are only the beginning of diversity within a race. The multiple types, styles and designs of ATVs are reason for the different classes, which creates even more variety in the sport.
While the competition level among ATV racers is high, there are still those who are learning or they just enjoy racing recreationally. For these types of ATVers, you can find local trails or racing tracks. They will often coordinate ATV races with whatever riders are available and some tracks will plan a weekend tournament for all local riders.