4 Wheeler Racing
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An ATV is a very powerful machine. The first four-wheelers were engineered for utility uses such as pulling tractors out ditches in the middle of a snowstorm or taking lumber workers deep into the woods to do their jobs. But in the last couple of decades, the use of ATVs for recreational purposes has really taken off. And perhaps one of the most exciting sports to grow up around four-wheelers is that of ATV racing. It is a sport that is easy to get hooked on either as a participant or as a spectator.
Much of the reason for the popularity of off road racing is also the reasons don’t want their youngsters involved in the thrilling hobby. There is just no getting around the fact that racing four-wheelers is a dangerous passion to have. Even an amateur ATV race will, by the very nature of the sport take the four-wheeler and its driver over rough terrain that could include ravines, rocks, fallen trees and just about anything else you might find in nature.
It is one thing to take an ATV out for a recreational tour of the wilderness. It is dangerous enough when you have the liberty to go slow, turn back or get out and clear the route before you take your four-wheeler over that terrain. In a racing situation, you are pushing that ATV to its speed limits and the driver will commonly charge right into unfamiliar terrain that may have hidden dangers because of the need to move quickly to win the race.
When you are watching a race on television, seeing a crash is exciting because when that vehicle goes flying, as do the bodies of the drivers and passengers, those are not people you know. But most four-wheeler races are local pitting daredevils from the same community against each other in a test of man and machine against each other and against rough terrain. It is not so thrilling to see "wipe outs" in that situation when it is your friends or family out there facing potentially serious injury or even death.
That is why safety is a top criteria for any ATV race. A four-wheeler race is not the kind of sport to get into if you are not prepared to conform to very strict standards of preparation and safety. Every possible form of body protection must be employed to give each driver and rider maximum protection should there be an accident. This includes helmets, gloves and body armor. This is no sport for the "hot shot" who feels they should not have to wear a helmet. The chances of accidents is high so whoever is running the race must make this rule the law of the land.
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Then when racing, even though you are competing against each other, each and every driver or rider in the competing ATVs must look after each other. You want to win the race but for each of your competitors to come through unharmed. By racing responsibly, making sure there is room to move for all drivers and even stopping if there is an accident to render aid, you are being responsible in how you handle your ATV racing. These precautions won't make four-wheeler racing completely safe but they can go along way to make sure racing is about fun and not life threatening danger.
