The start of a motocross race is one of the most exciting events in all of sports. It will often be a featured photograph in any publication’s coverage of the race. The image to the left is from the start of the second moto of the Freestone National of the AMA/Toyota Motocross Lites National Championship Series in Wortham, Texas on June 8, 2008. Ryan Sypes (57) has just grabbed the holeshot ahead of Austin Stroupe (51) and Brett Metcalfe (123) and thirty-seven other racers. But the starting referenced in the title of this article is not about the start of a motocross race.  This article is about what to do after you have perfected your skills.  To read more about photographing a race, read this article –  or for action photography in general, check the Link to “Action Photography Tutorial.”

I gave up on being a famous photojournalist after returning from Europe in the early 80s. Races were just too far apart and time off from the day job became unmanageable. It wasn’t until I bought a dirt bike for my grandson that my love for racing resurfaced.

My grandson and I began to share the MX magazines and talk about Papa’s days as a photojournalist. I replaced the old film cameras with digital and started to photograph my grandson and his riding buddies. Soon the desire was at fever pitch. I’m retired. Time is the least of my problems. “Why not,” I thought. I emailed some of the old contacts and soon was back in business. I wasn’t interested in a full-time job but did feel a great rush when I got an assignment to cover an AHRMA (vintage motocross) National in Jefferson, Texas. Just as with my first article, Brad Lackey was my subject.  Lackey is second from left in the photo to the right.  The article was about this replica of the bike he rode to the World Championship in 1982.

If you are interested in a place to start, I would recommend Cycle News. They publish a lot of local events in their Regional Events Section. I contacted Paul Carruthers and David Holther for their approval before posting this article. If you are willing to work for practically nothing, contact David Holther, Regional Events Editor at Cycle News, and request a copy of their Contributor Guide. David’s email address is:
david@cyclenews.com

This is not an automatic. You have to have some writing skills and snapshots of your friend on a bike won’t make the grade. If you want to be accepted at a professional level, you must play the part. I had references and an “old” resume to offer. You may need to cover a few races on your own, submitting an article, results and a picture for consideration. Having an article published does not mean instant acceptance but you can start thinking about and planning for your move toward the front pages; maybe a two-page feature. 

The most difficult part (for me) was formatting the results in accordance with the contributor guide. You will need cooperation of the race organizer or track owner. Before the race starts, you will need a printed list of all the entrants and their race numbers. It would also help if any sponsors were included on the list. After the race, you will need a printout of the results. Cycle News may accept the results from the race without an article but will not accept your article and photo without the results.

You will seldom see more than one of your photographs published with a Regional Events article. Your article should be short and specific, normally no more than 500 words. That is not enough space to cover every race of an amateur event. You will have to be selective. As for pictures, a good rule of thumb is: One rider is riding, two riders is racing, three or more is a race. I believe the guidelines will recommend including more than one rider in your photographs. The photo to the left is the start of an amateur event at a local Texas track. Notice that it is just as exciting as start of the professional race at the top of this article.

Putting these articles together is hard work. It is a slow and tedious process and you will ALWAYS find a discouraging problem. You are also working to a deadline. David Holther will advise you that the earlier he receives an article the more likely it will be published. As with anything else, completing the process a few times and getting some experience (and confidence) makes it seem simpler. And, you are building a resume.

As you put your article together, you may think of offering it to your local newspaper. I seldom see motocross or motorcycle racing in the local papers. But, that is probably because they do not have the staff to cover the event. Give them a call. What do you have to lose? Your track owners and race organizers would certainly appreciate the publicity. It could make you a very welcome sight at their tracks and events.

I hope you find some inspiration and helpful information in this article. I will publish more as I think of it but need to get back to my first love in future articles … The Legends of Motorcycling.

l8r

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