BMX-Dirt is a discipline where riders carry out sequences of jumps in a steady consecution on a track that is constructed out of dirt (compressed sand). There are dirt tracks with a different number of dirt hills placed behind each other: a 4-pack (4 hills), a 6-pack (6 hills) and an 8-pack (8 hills). The front side of every hill consists of a steep drive, a so called "Lip". The "Gap" is de space between the jump and the landing. The landing side of the hill is less steep than the front side of the hill. The lip and de landing take place on different hills and the space between these two hills is called the gap. The lenght of the gap is measured from the highest point of the first "jump" hill to the highest point of the "landing hill". The gap varies from a few meters to over 20 meters.
Well-known BMX-Dirt riders are Mike Aitken, Chase Hawk, Chris Doyle, Justin Inman, Jeff Landtiser, but also Bart Mol who converted from BMX-Race to BMX-Dirt.
A BMX-Dirt bike is heavier than a BMX-Race bike. In general BMX-Dirt bikes have a longer wheelbase than the bikes that are used in all other BMX disciplines. This longer wheelbase creates more support and stability. When approaching the first hill you increase speed by pedalling. After the first hill, pedalling is not longer necessary. You maintain your speed by "pumping". After the first landing, you "pump" by bending your knees and stretching your legs again. This is how you build speed between jumps.
BMX-Dirt riders normally don't have "pegs" on their bikes. Their bikes are equipped with profile tiress for good grip. Dirt bikes normally only have a back brake and most of the riders use a bigger steering wheel for better control over the bike. In general BMX-Dirt bikes are made of Chomoly (a very strong type of metal) so the bikes can resist the hard landings after high jumps.
In the Netherlands you can find BMX-Dirt trails in Aarle-Rixtel, Helmond, Leende, Boekel, Amsterdam, Deventer, Den Haag, Doetinchem, Alphen a/d Rijn, Goirle and Zeeland.
To get a good impression of the BMX-Dirt discipline, please watch the video you see on the right side of this text.
