450 at 16

Shawn142 wrote:

You don't need to be 16 to race a 450. That's not a thing. At the top level of amateur racing barely teenage kids have raced...

You don't need to be 16 to race a 450. That's not a thing. At the top level of amateur racing barely teenage kids have raced both big bikes. It was a totally normal thing for a 14 year old to race the 125 and 250A/B classes on 2-strokes on the 90s just like it's common for kids to race 250 and 450 now. I'm always blown away by people talking about how some pro will "adjust" to racing a 450. There's almost a 100% chance that kid has raced 450s for a couple years before turning pro.

If the question is can a kid jump straight into the 450 class when turning pro at 16, yes, they can. Plenty of teenage kids have made their debut on a 450 outdoors.

SlowOldGuy wrote:

Page 6 2021 AMA Rulebook [i][b][u]The minimum age for amateur riders is 12. A rider must be 14 or older to ride a 201cc to 250cc...

Page 6 2021 AMA Rulebook

The minimum age for amateur riders is 12. A rider must
be 14 or older to ride a 201cc to 250cc motorcycle. A rider
must be 16 or older to ride a 251cc or above motorcycle.

wildbill wrote:

I handed my 500 to two 11 yr olds, after starting it of course. It did permanent psychological damage!