Boys will be boys. And Men will be boys too. Or so it would seem if you have caught a whiff of the latest sensation sweeping the motorcycle world. Pocketbike racing. Small replicas of road racing machines ridden by grown men around go cart circuits. Don’t be fooled by the size of the bikes, they go fast and they make lost of noise. What else could you ask for from a motorsport?




I attended my first pocketbike race meeting today – as a spectator – and I have to say that for being small in size, these bikes give a big rush! The atmosphere was equal to that of any race meeting I have attended. Sure they weren’t racing for world titles but there was still an intensity in the air. Quickshades lined the pits, with bikes on pedestals to display their bling. Spanners were turning in frantic efforts to get bikes running before the next race and the smell of two-stoke fuel and sausage sizzle was all around. These racers were serious and they were having a blast!

I lobbed in with my bike not running and within no time, had 2 mini moto regulars working on my bike and presenting me parts. There was no shortage of willing helpers and everyone had advice to offer. Within a couple of hours, a bike that hadn’t ran in over 4 years was purring like a kitten, well a two-stroke fire breathing kitten anyway.


The racing was well underway by this time and there was some good dicing out on the track to be had. The junior classes were fun to watch with a lot of the kids actually looking like the proper size for the bike and you could almost see their smiles through their helmets. But the adult classes were the ones not to be missed. The bikes had some serious aftermarket bolt-ons and were not seen as toys but finely tuned racing machines. To see these bikes rocketing around the corners and down the straights is awesome, and actually a little scary if you are close to the track. They are seriously fast! The good news is there was no big crashes and everyone was able to walk home, so that’s a successful meeting by anyones standards. I cant wait til next time when I get out there myself and can then proudly call myself a pocketbike racer!