Supermoto in the USA is a nice inside look at the 2003 AMA Red Bull Supermoto season.
It's only been two years since supermoto racing invaded the United States and already fans can get their fix of rubber-shredding fun on DVD. In early December the AMA and Echo Entertainment put together a comprehensive look at the 2003 AMA Supermoto season and titled it "Supermoto in the USA".
The DVD offers up plenty of things to watch and an impressive catalogue of material. For those new to supermoto, the video introduces the style of riding with an interview-based historical lesson on supermoto's roots in the U.S, which also happens to be the most interesting part of the disc.
With the help of Gavin Trippe, the father of American supermoto, the DVD offers up interviews with the riders who rode in the first supermoto contest back in the early '70s. Thanks to ABC's television coverage that day, a whole new generation of riders was introduced to the dirt/pavement combo racing. Unfortunately, the historical piece is a bit brief and could have used a little more substance on the actual contest and its affect on future supermoto riders.
The history lesson is a preamble to the meat of the DVD, which is a look back at the first AMA Red Bull Supermoto season in 2003. Utilizing basic highlights, all footage is accompanied by a voice-over recap of both headline races, the 450cc premier class and the big-bore Supermoto Unlimited class. The voice-over is very informative and, in addition to recapping each individual race, gives a little background about the riders, from the biggest names to the newcomers.
At the end of each contest, there is a brief interview with the winner of each race. While it is nice to see the faces behind the helmet, most of the footage was swiped from the television broadcasts, which is sufficient for the tube, but we would've loved to see a few more in-depth interviews from the riders looking back on the season. Many of the riders could probably give a tremendous amount of insight on the season now that they've had a chance to digest the inaugural AMA Red Bull Supermoto championship.
The footage is entertaining, and in addition to giving a video recap, includes some of the gnarliest crashes and wipeouts of the season. For those that want to skip the season recap and watch the thrills and spills, there is a selection on the menu which allows for destruction-only footage.
For the more adventurous, there is a nice little onboard reel of footage that takes the viewer around a supermoto track via a helmet cam. It was interesting for the first lap, but the footage got a little tiresome after two laps of following the same riders through the same corners. Other goodies include interactive links to equipment manufacturers and a photo gallery from some of supermoto's top photographers.
The copy we obtained was a special two-disc DVD "collector's edition" that includes an interactive DVD. Viewers can take a lap on real supermoto racetracks with the sports top riders. Also there are a few other interactive features that enables prospective buyers to link up with Supermoto manufacturers. Not a phenomenal extra, but better than a kick in the nads.
Overall the video was pretty good, but the fact remains it's now two seasons old. If the AMA could pump these things out sooner, a la "The Great Outdoors," the film-based recap of the AMA Motocross season, it would be much more entertaining. Also, a little more depth in the interviews and possibly some analysis of the riders and why they won would be a welcome addition.
If you're a hardcore supermoto enthusiast, go buy it right now. If you're a casual fan borrow someone else's copy.
Supermoto In The USA retails for $19.95.
