The sport of motocross was popularized in Europe during the 50s and 60s , mainly in Western Europe . Most events were held in open fields and pastures , and riders were the best in Europe. Even today , motocross is run outdoors , on trails of natural terrain .
The races are longer (usually about 40 minutes ) Motocross came to the United States in the mid- 60s , and the idea originated with a man named Edison Dye. He helped bring over the best riders from Europe to help showcase the sport to America . Over the coming years , some of the best pilots who came to America at the time included World Champions Torsten Hallman , Bengt Aberg , Joel Robert and Roger De Coster , along with many other great pilots . Roger De Coster is a big reason motocross became popular in the U.S. - De Coster really struck a nerve with the American fans . In those early years , the American pilots were no match for the Europeans. In most races , it was a feat for an American even finish in the top ten. But the United States had fallen in love with motocross . Slowly , they learned training techniques , conditioning , and gained experience in both races with the Europeans when they came to the U.S. , and some Americans going to Europe to compete in the World Motocross Championships . In 1973 , Jim Pomeroy became the first American to win a World Championship Motocross Grand Prix , capturing the opening round in Spain that year 's world championship series . Supercross is an ' Americanized ' version of motocross . It's basically the same riders and bikes the same , but the races are run on artificial slopes , especially in places of great stadium. The races are shorter , with many big jumps and obstacles nice crowd, and it makes time and more importantly accurately than the maximum speed . Mike Goodwin is the man who invented supercross . The first supercross was held in Los Angeles Coliseum in 1972 , Supercross Motocross helped bring to the public in a very easy way - instead of traveling out to a rural farm or pasture , the sport came to the masses - the local stadium ease of getting to the event , parking , nice food, and more seats . Today , the sport of supercross has grown from its humble beginnings in 1972 in the prestigious motorsport second largest in the U.S. , surpassed only by NASCAR in fan interest . Jeremy McGrath Supercross riders such as Ricky Carmichael , James Stewart , Chad Reed and Travis Pastrana have become household names and well known worldwide .
The races are longer (usually about 40 minutes ) Motocross came to the United States in the mid- 60s , and the idea originated with a man named Edison Dye. He helped bring over the best riders from Europe to help showcase the sport to America . Over the coming years , some of the best pilots who came to America at the time included World Champions Torsten Hallman , Bengt Aberg , Joel Robert and Roger De Coster , along with many other great pilots . Roger De Coster is a big reason motocross became popular in the U.S. - De Coster really struck a nerve with the American fans . In those early years , the American pilots were no match for the Europeans. In most races , it was a feat for an American even finish in the top ten. But the United States had fallen in love with motocross . Slowly , they learned training techniques , conditioning , and gained experience in both races with the Europeans when they came to the U.S. , and some Americans going to Europe to compete in the World Motocross Championships . In 1973 , Jim Pomeroy became the first American to win a World Championship Motocross Grand Prix , capturing the opening round in Spain that year 's world championship series . Supercross is an ' Americanized ' version of motocross . It's basically the same riders and bikes the same , but the races are run on artificial slopes , especially in places of great stadium. The races are shorter , with many big jumps and obstacles nice crowd, and it makes time and more importantly accurately than the maximum speed . Mike Goodwin is the man who invented supercross . The first supercross was held in Los Angeles Coliseum in 1972 , Supercross Motocross helped bring to the public in a very easy way - instead of traveling out to a rural farm or pasture , the sport came to the masses - the local stadium ease of getting to the event , parking , nice food, and more seats . Today , the sport of supercross has grown from its humble beginnings in 1972 in the prestigious motorsport second largest in the U.S. , surpassed only by NASCAR in fan interest . Jeremy McGrath Supercross riders such as Ricky Carmichael , James Stewart , Chad Reed and Travis Pastrana have become household names and well known worldwide .