Join the club

But for many, you may just be standing there as an intrigued spectator thinking: "I want to try that.. but how do I get involved?'”

 

Well look no further, as T+MX brings you our annual guide to club membership and getting started in off-road sport.

 

Whether you are a six-year-old tiny-tot or a far-from-fit fifty who is obsessed with motocross, trials, enduro, supermoto, quads, classic bikes or even sidecars, the bottom line is – if you want to compete in any of the off-road disciplines 

during the year, you have to join one of the many clubs around the UK.

 

So if bells are ringing – read on! Our annual club membership guide gives you all the info you need to get started and competing with like minded individuals. 

 

There are numerous organisational bodies sanctioning racing in the UK, catering for different aspects of motorcycle sport and which clubs themselves must belong to. 

 

There are literally hundreds of clubs up and down the country specific for all disciplines of competition, but the most important thing is that you can do is find a club and organisation which fits your requirments. 

 

So this guide is aimed at helping you understand the club system, finding the club or clubs best suited to your needs and offering you the best fit with what you want to do in off-road competition.

 

Your competitive plans may just extend to competing in the odd trial with your local trials club or you may have more lofty ambitions of racing motocross every weekend with different clubs up and down the country.

 

You may even be looking to find a club with an active social scene as well as an active events calendar, but rest assured there is something out there to suit everyone and with a bit of easy research you will be able to find just what you are looking for and get out there 

competing.

 

It's surprising just how many clubs there actually are in your local area when you start looking, but importantly, not every club in your area will be open to you.

 

While some larger clubs do cater for more than one sport, the vast majority of clubs specialise in specific branches of off-road, be it youth motocross, supermoto, or whatever and so just by virtue of this fact a proportion of the clubs in your local area will not be suitable for your needs. 

 

The chances are though that there will be at least one club in your area, most probably a few specialising in what you are looking for. 

 

It's just a case of finding the one that suits you best.

 

Some clubs focus on hosting higher profile events such as national championship and expert level meetings – perhaps putting on only a couple of big events a year that are not suitable for new riders.

 

Other clubs are directly aimed at the weekend but be prepared for more travelling to and from events as these disciplines are more specialised and clubs which cater for them are more spread out.

 

While you may nd that joining just one club will provide you with enough events and riding to cover all your competitive needs, you might also catch the off-road bug that so many of us have and want to ride as much as possible with a few clubs locally, or even further aeld, to get your ll.

 

Many local motocross and enduro clubs within the same organisations work together to ensure dates do not clash so riders can compete with and support all their local clubs. You don't necessarily have to become a member of all the other local clubs or compete at their events if you don't want to.

 

But the option is there in a lot of cases and of course joining a club means you are eligible for its championships and trophies.

 

Increasingly in trials as well, clubs within a centre require you to join just one club to be eligible to ride with all the other local clubs.

 

Joining a club is not just about competing though, there is the huge social side to membership that helps to make off-road sport such an enjoyable and rewarding past-time.

 

The Youth scene in particular has a very strong social element, with whole familes taking in events and often making long term friendships with fellow families. 

 

There are also club meetings, social nights and the big annual awards presentation evenings to look forward to on the social calendar of most clubs.

 

Clubs take a huge amount of work to keep running however and are always on the look out for people willing to help out with preparation for events. 

 

This also provides a great way to get more involved in the social side should you volunteer to help out and for the sake of a few hours banging in posts at a motocross track or helping to mark out a trial you might even get discounted 

entry fees!

 

Clubs in the Amateur Motorcycle Association (AMCA) ask all members to help with the running of the club by agreeing to join work parties occasionally throughout the year and attend regular club nights.

 

So if you do join an AMCA club be aware you will be expected to contribute to the club's up-keep.

 

Well organised and ambitious clubs – like the ones promoting themselves on these pages – are always looking for new members to boost their ranks and will be more than willing to give you any information, advice and assistance to help you on your way to competing, as will the organisational bodies listed below.

 

But if you are keen to get involved in off-road sport our best piece of advice would be to look through the TMX ‘Regulations Available' listings section or contact one of the organisations to nd a local event in the sport that interests you, get out there and check-out how everything works.

 

Talk to club riders and ofcials about their experiences and don't be afraid to ask for advice, most people will only be too pleased to help if it means getting new people involved in the sport.

 

All that's left to say is good luck, get joined up and get competing.

 

You won't regret it!

 

There are numerous major organisations that run motorcycle events throughout the UK and if you are interested in nding out more about becoming part of the off-road community then feel free to contact them with your questions and requests – they will be only too willing to help.

 

AUTO-CYCLE UNION (ACU): ACU House, Wood Street, Rugby, Warwickshire CV21 2YX. 01788-566400.

AMATEUR MOTORCYCLE ASSOCIATION (AMCA): Hyland House, Unit 28, Navigation Way, Cannock, Staffordshire WS11 7XU. 01543-466282.

BRITISH YOUTH MOTOCROSS (BYMX): Bryan Higgins, ACU House, Wood Street, Rugby, Warwickshire CV21 2YX. 

01788-566400.

MC FEDERATION: Claire Tye, Secretary, The Dovecote, Little Baldon Farm, Little Baldon, Oxon OX44 9PU. 01865-343668.

BRITISH SCHOOLBOY MOTORCYCLE ASSOCIATION (BSMA): Tracy Wratton, PO Box 437 Hampshire PO14 1ZG. 

0845-601-6251.

MOTORCYCLE UNION OF IRELAND (MCUI): Andrew Campbell, 24 Ballyminstragh Road, Killinchy, Co Down, 

Northern Ireland BT23 6RE. 02897-541716.

NATIONAL OFF-ROAD ASSOCIATION (NORA): Toby Taylor . 07712-656912.

OFF-ROAD PROMOTERS ASSOCIATION (ORPA): Tony Ford, 131 Broomfield Avenue, Worthing, West Sussex BN14 7SF. 01903-265738.

QUAD RACING ASSOCIATION (QRA): Tony Nash – QRA UK, 74 Roman Way, Andover, Hampshire SP10 5JJ. 01264354259 or 07774434468.

SCOTTISH AUTO-CYCLE UNION (SACU): Eric Jones, Secretary, 28 West Main Street, Uphall, West Lothian EH52 5DW. 01506-858354. 

WELSH MOTORCYCLE FEDERATION (WMF): John A Cadogan, Chief Executive, 13 Parret Walk, Bettws, 

Newport, Gwent NP9 6DS. 01633-853843.

YOUTH MOTORCYCLE SPORTING ASSOCIATION (YMSA): John or Mary Holden. 01909-770558.

YMSA (TRIALS): Barry Burton. 01629-650808.