As the competition intensified and the terrain increased in difficulty, the technology used for the design of competition and special-event motorcycles would improve, particularly with the introduction of the swinging arm suspension during the early 1950s. The international motorcycling governing body held the 500cc displacement formula European Championship in 1952 that was subsequently upgraded to World Championship status in 1957 followed by a 250cc equivalent in 1962 where two-stroke motorcycles began to make their mark in the industry.
Various companies throughout Europe from countries such as Sweden, Czechoslovakia and Britain thrived by creating models that became renowned for their lightness and maneuverability. The introduced improvements in motorcycles during the 1960s would relegate the older and heavier four-stroke machines to smaller, niche events.
It was during the 1980s that rapid technological enhancements in motocross would take place thanks to the innovation of companies from Japan. These included the creation of water-cooled machines as well as the monoshock rear suspension device. During the 1990s, new laws were introduced to ensure that the production of four-stroke motorcycles would adhere to environmentally conscious standards.
Motocross racing is one of the most visually appealing forms of motorsport, with riders performing seemingly death-defying leaps, turns visibly at the edge of traction (as indicated by a sliding, spinning rear tyre throwing dirt at all behind it), and the effort of riders clearly visible as the move their bodies around their motorcycles to balance the bikes for maximum speed. Capitalising on this appeal, two variants called supercross and arenacross have evolved, held on tighter tracks in sports stadiums (even indoors) with more, even higher jumps. Freestyle motocross, a relatively new sport, shuns racing and concentrates on performing acrobatic stunts while jumping these motorcycles.
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