One of the best things about riding a motorcycle is the undoubted sense of freedom that it gives you. This freedom also appears to transcend to different types of motorcycle races. You see, with cars there are just so many restrictions, but as you will see from this short list, if you can ride on it, then you can race on it.

The Enduropale Le Touquet – France

This race is actually the biggest beach bike race in the world with over 1000 competitors taking part and upwards of 300,000 people watching on. The race is based on the Opal Coast in France and the course is 14km long over beach and sand dunes, which is going to really push your motorcycle to its limit. The cool part is that both professional riders and amateurs alike can enter and it is not unusual to have people that have taken part in the world-famous Dakar Rally actually struggle with the course, which says a lot.

Dirt Quake – England

This race is relatively new since it only started in 2012, but it has already managed to really make its mark in the world of motorcycle racing. The premise is simple: You bring along any motorcycle you want from a serious road bike down to a small scooter and you race on an oval track that is in the dirt. Of course, that just sounds like chaos and when you throw in the fact that people wear fancy dress costumes, then it gets even worse.

Serres Rally – Greece

The Serres Rally takes place over a course that covers 1700km through the Serres region and it basically takes seven days to complete. It is certainly not as serious as the Dakar rally and indeed they openly encourage amateur riders to take part and have even been known to provide motorcycles for those people that can physically get there, but not afford to bring their motorcycle. This rally is certainly one for people that love a friendly atmosphere as it is seen as being more of a party rather than anything else and has a motorcycle ride thrown in for good measure.

The Poker Run

Now, how cool is this? A motorcycle race that also combines poker? At first, you might wonder just how exactly this is possible, so a bit of explaining will not go amiss. Basically, the race involves getting to either five or seven checkpoints and at each checkpoint you are given a playing card. The winner of the race is then the person that has the highest ranking hand at the end, so it is not down to who is the fastest, but who has the best cards.

The event itself does have a time limit, but then people are not actually timed themselves making it a seriously fun event. Hundreds of people are now entering these events and they are held in a number of locations.

The Isle Of Man TT

When it comes to famous motorcycle events and races, is there one that is more famous than the Isle of Man TT? The idea of racing on public roads (which are of course closed for the race) and around an island is pretty cool, and the speeds that people get up to are insane. Its dangerous, but if you love motorcycles, just visiting the island to witness this race should be on your to do list.

Sturgis

Sturgis deserves a mention here not because of it being strange in any way, shape, or form, but because of the sheer size of the event that marks it out as being different from the rest. In the second week of August, the town of Sturgis is transformed with more than half a million motorcycle enthusiasts descending on it as chaos ensues. We are talking about full on mayhem and you will see motorcycles of every description there if you can pick them out among the crowds.

The Poags Hole Hillclimb

If you want to experience something completely different that involves motorcycles, then we can only recommend the Poags Hole Hillclimb in New York. Obviously, the name gives away what the event is all about, but when you see how steep the hill is you are left wondering how any motorcycle could ever hope to get up there. The tension in the air is unreal when you think that somebody has made it only to fail at the last moment, and the crowds are just willing everybody on in the hope that somebody achieves what most think has to be impossible.

Red Bull Alpenbrevet – Switzerland

Red Bull has certainly become famous for associating themselves with events that are either extreme or very different, and that is certainly the case with the Red Bull Alpenbrevet in Switzerland. The course only covers 140km, but it takes you through the Swiss Alps on normal roads. You are probably thinking this is not that difficult.

However, the twist is that you are not allowed to use anything with a bigger engine than 50cc, so you are basically stuck to a moped and that does make life very, very different. People have a tendency to dress up for the occasion and you would be amazed at how ultra-competitive it is with people desperate to win even though they have probably never raced a bike with such a small engine before in their lives.

As you can see, when it comes to motorcycle events and races there are certainly a number of different options that you can check out. The one thing that does tend to come across in the vast majority of these events is that the main thing is having fun and that the actual race itself almost comes secondary in nature. We would strongly recommend that you give some thought to trying out at least one of them in your lifetime. What do you have to lose?