Spectacular, colourful, all-action and intense, stadium Supercross racing is very much an American invention.

The contest is held exclusively in the US, but the AMA Supercross series is a fully-fledged FIM World Championship, with strong links to the European world of Motocross.

It grew from the first stadium events of the early 1970s in California. Borrowing from Motocross but scaled down to fit within US baseball or football stadiums, the new sport proved an instant hit.

High jumps and near-vertical berms put the emphasis on technique, while packing spectacular action within the area of a football pitch: fans in the grandstand can see the whole lap and all the competitors at the same time. Supercross was also a major TV hit from the start.

The world title is decided over a strenuous 17-round series, all packed into just four months, with races on consecutive weekends from January to May, all over the USA and in Canada.

It is an intensive winter warm-up for motocross riders, and the highlight of the season for the specialised riders in this acrobatic sport.

The demands for tyre engineers are similar to Motocross, but more intense. Surfaces are specialised, and control over the grip/wheelspin factor is paramount on the short, highly technical races. Dunlop’s close involvement has always been integral to the sport.