My friend James is the best dirt bike racer in our group. Except for one or two, he won all the dirt bike races that we arrange. But we don’t give him any prizes or money for winning those dirt bike races. James couldn’t make money, but you can make money by racing dirt bikes.
The usual annual salary of motocross dirt bike racers is around $90,000. Still, they can make over $1,50,000 by winning the race, promotional activities, and other bonuses. It mainly depends on how many matches the racer takes part in, achieving a position in the race, and the sponsors’ bonuses.
For example, professional dirt bike racers like Ryan Dungey earn lots more than amateur racers.
In this article, I’ll show you the proper way to make money by racing dirt bikes. So, consider reading this entire article if you want to make money racing dirt bikes.
12 Best Dirt Bike Racing Tournaments Where You Can Make Money:
In the USA, there are a number of dirt bike racing tournaments held every year. A professional dirt bike racer can make a massive amount of money by participating and winning those tournaments. Here I list such 12 best dirt bike racing tournaments where you can make money:
1. Motocross (MX):
Motocross is also known as the “MX Championship.” It is the oldest dirt bike racing competition and is now internationally held across the world. The racing tracks of the MX championship are prepared in an outdoor off-road pattern. The track is too rough and challenging for the racers to compete.
The MX tracks are open during the practice and the racing competition day. Usually, 40 dirt bike racers participate in the MX championship. Two types of motocross racers take part in a tournament.
One is ‘Professional Motos,’ and the other is ‘Amateur Motos.’ Professional motos last for 30 minutes and 2 laps each. To participate in professional motos, a racer requires 250cc and 450cc engine dirt bikes. On the other hand, amateur motos usually last between 12 to 20 minutes.
2. Supercross (SX):
Only professional dirt bike racers are allowed to participate in this tournament. SX tracks are pretty similar to motocross. But instead of outdoor trails, this tournament is held indoors. Winter night is the ideal time for hosting this tournament. Under the lights, dirt bike racers compete with each other to win the tournament.
The 450cc and 250cc dirt bike riders are eligible to participate in the SX tournament. After the qualification round, the winner racers are qualified for the main events. For the 450cc racers, the main event is 20 laps, while it is 15 laps for the 250cc riders.
3. Arenacross:
Like supercross, arenacross is also played indoors. But instead of the stadium, this dirt bike racing tournament takes place in the smaller arena. The racing tracks of arenacross are narrower, and more miniature racers can participate in this tournament. Dirt bike racers are divided into two rows. The starting gate of arenacross is also smaller compared to the supercross.
4. Enduro:
The rules of this dirt bike racing competition are different from the others. In enduro, the last person who survives in the track is the winner. The tracks are generally made of wood and take place in loops. The race starts in rows. Usually, there are four participants in a row.
Dirt bike racers need to survive against the various upstreams during the race. The rule is participants come in the tracks and try to survive the appointed time. Though this appointed time varies from tournament to tournament, commonly, it is between 2-5 minutes. If no one can stay the whole time, then the last person on the track is to win the race.
5. Endurocross:
Dirt bike racing competition endurocross is the combination of both enduro and arenacross. This tournament takes place in a small arena, like arenacross. Participants need to survive from the various obstacles such as water, sand, logs, etc., and that is similar to the enduro.
Endurocross follows the qualification procedures to find out the main event participants. Both amateur and professional dirt bike racers can participate in this tournament. It is a very high intense competition, so more skillful and fit dirt bike racers do well here.
6. Hare And Hound:
This tournament is also known as ‘Dirt Bike Desert Racing.’ In this tournament, racers start in a row with dead engines. Racers need a high-speed quality dirt bike engine to participate in this competition.
7. Grand National Cross Country:
This dirt bike race is open for both professionals and amateur racers. In a grand national cross country (GNCC), trails are a few miles long, and participants start the dirt bike race together. These dirt bike racing events take place on the west coast. The competition time duration for the professional dirt bike racers is 3 hours, and two hours for the amateurs.
8. World Off-Road Championship Series:
This dirt bike racing competition is quite similar to GNCC. But the two competitions have different rules. The World Off-Road Championship Series (WORCS) takes place in the East. Both professional and amateur racers can participate in this dirt bike racing event. Usually, the Pro race time duration is two hours, while the amateur race lasts around one hour.
9. Grand Prix:
This dirt bike racing tournament is almost similar to the GNCC and WORCS. But the GP dirt bike racing tournament is much shorter than them. Usually, dirt bike racers need to compete for 45 minutes to win this tournament.
10. Harescramble:
Harescramble is a bar-to-bar, all-out dirt bike race competition. The racer who finishes the touchline first is the winner of the competition. The racing track of harescramble is shorter, and every racer starts from one line. Proactive and focused dirt bike racers are favorites to win this tournament.
11. Freestyle (FMX):
“FMX” is the most challenging dirt bike racing sports event where participants perform different jumping styles. Racers use various tricks such as whips or backflips for jumping perfectly on the tracks. Freestyle dirt bike sports events are too risky. Only professional and skillful dirt bike racers are eligible to perform here.
12. Trials:
Trials are utterly risky. They are different from the other types of dirt bike racing. In this competition, racers face some big obstacles such as cliffs, boulders, waterfalls, etc. The trial is a point-based tournament. Stronger and skilled dirt bike racers have more win percentages in this tournament than semi-professional racers.
Racers will receive negative marking if he/she touches the ground, goes out of bounds, rolling backward, dismounting the bike, and other rules breaking. The fewer negative points earned racers win this competition.
How Much You Will Get From Different Dirt Bike Tournaments?
The prize money of dirt bike racing varies from tournament to tournament, and it’s also updated every year. Here I provide approximate prize money for the 1st place winner of different dirt bike racing tournaments:
| Dirt Bike Racing Tournament Name | Approximate Prize money for The 1st Place Winner |
| Motocross | $1,00,000 |
| Supercross | $15,000 |
| Arenacross | $5,000 |
| Enduro | $14,000 |
| Endurocross | $10,000 |
| Grand National Cross Country | $5,00,000 |
| Harescramble | $6,000 |
How Much Does A Privateer Dirt Bike Racer Get?
Most privateer dirt bike racers are not professional, they are amateurs or just participate in a racing tournament as a hobby. They earn through the private ownership and the prize money of a tournament.
As an example, the total prize money for a private dirt bike motocross race is $66,000. The first-place winner gets more percentage of money than it is divided between the other racers. The proportion of getting prize money depends on the competitors’ position.
In the USA, a privateer dirt bike gets around $10,000 for participating in a dirt bike tournament and could earn more by winning it. The participating and the prize money depend on the tournament types. A world-class privateer dirt bike racer earns between $100,000 to $200,000 per year.
How Much Do A Factory Dirt Bike Racers Team Can Earn In A Season?
Factory team dirt bike riders earn around $20,000, and this salary increases for winning bonuses per month. By participating and winning different tournaments, a factory dirt bike racers team can make millions of dollars in a season.
Who Is The Richest Dirt Bike Racer?
31-year-old American Ryan Dungey is the wealthiest professional motocross racer. His present net worth is $8 million. He is achieving this worth from Motocross championships and AMA Supercross dirt bike racing tournaments. Ryan also won these two dirt bike racing competitions so many times.
Due to injury, he took early retirement from his professional dirt bike racing career. You can click here to see the list of present top motocross racers.
Conclusion:
Being a professional dirt bike racer, you can make lots of money. But it’s not everyone’s cup of tea to become a professional dirt bike racer. In my previous article, I shared 9 tips that can help you become a world-class professional dirt bike racer. Here’s the link, read and rock.
