ATVs

Due to a several injuries and a number of high profile lawsuits, from 1989 to 1999 there was virtually no factory support for ATV racing. For that decade, most quad racers purchased used Honda 250R's, a 250cc two-stroke race quad that Honda produced during the late eighties, ending production in 1989 to comply with a 10 year moratorium on sport quads, agreed upon by the major Japanese manufacturers.

However, ATV's are enjoying a recent increase in popularity in the motocross scene. In 1999 Honda re-entered the sport scene with a four-stroke quad, the 400EX. While not as fast and light as the 250R, with time and money it could be built into a formidable race quad.

The 400EX began to dominate racing for the next five years until Yamaha released the YFZ450, a 450cc quad designed specifically for race use. The YFZ450 was immediately the best quad to buy for racing, as it could be very competitive straight off the factory floor. Eight months later Honda released their competition to the YFZ450, the TRX450R, another race ready stock bike for similar money.