Who invented the starting gate?

Not absolutely sure but I thought New Englander Joe Bolger who also came up with the idea of rising rate suspension had something to do with it..?

That's a Riggi starting gate built by Jack Riggi .

Jack built.the gates at Saddleback,Carlsbad, Ascot & most of the other So. Calif tracks.

I know that he built them for other tracks too!

Looks like John DeSoto sat on gate? and Super Hunky aka Rick Sieman smoking cigar, editor of Dirt Bike mag.

Bernie Yelin invented the backwards falling starting gate, but of course there were other style gates around first.

I saw a similair thing happen, not quite sure about the material of the ''cord' type of thing. It kinda looked like a rope but was pretty elastic.

Anyway a kid (50cc) jumped the ''gate'' to early and the cord got caught just under his helmet in his throath / neck area ... he went to ride for a few meters before getting snapped back by the elastic thing and getting thrown of his bike backwards. I recall he had severe burn injuries in his neck but nothing really serious.

Not much after that youth was also allowed to start behind a real starting gate instead of this death trap.

I think Hellion is right, and it was Southwick that had the first backwards falling gate for sure. I wrote a column about it in Racer X sometime ago so when I can dig it up I will post it here. Love figuring out old motocross facts and myths, like the term "supercross" (which I believe Dave Despain first put in print) whoop-de-coos (Gary and Bob Bailey at I believe Fontana) and the invention of the double-jump (Marty Smith and Jimmy Ellis at the 1975 Mid-Ohio 125cc U.S. Grand Prix) which is in the next issue of Racer X Illustrated.

Our sport is old enough that a lot of these things are discoverable mysteries, from who invented tear-offs to the holeshot devices practically everyone now uses.

DC
MX Sports

ha ha your all wrong, let me look into this

I think the guy who invented the starting gate is the same guy who got caught one too many times by that old rubber band start.

the first backward falling starting gate was invented by Dick Roy of, superior metal works new britan ct, and was used first at middleboro

google says the starting gate was invented in Belgium

http://www.fim-europe.com/index.php/press/news-from-fmns/215-belgian-mo…

i had thought that the world famous Paul Buckley gave me this article but now i think it mita been a guy named Mike Maglaughlin that used to live nearby, any way if DC or any one wants it faxed over to read it just lemme know

That's a cool read

Roy holds the patent for the backwards falling gate.

Motocross Starting Gate Patent

Checking out Super Hunky smoking down on the track at LA Coliseum got me wondering: are mechanics, officials etc. allowed to smoke on the track or even in the pits at a modern day Supercross?

doesnt say he invented the starting gate ... only he patented his version of the starting gate

JDepp, pete24 post showing 1976 first mass produced backward falling start gate not first start gate in MX.

yes ive been hoarding that article forever and i didnt read the title correctly cuz i was so excited to have something that Newmann didnt have dammit

Ohio international had a forward falling gate until about 2002-2ish. thats a track Rich in history.

For some reason I thought Gary Jones did the first double jump in pro competition at Daytona.

Bonus points for the brand of cigar that Mr. Sieman is likely toking.

The first time I started behind a gate (vs. a rubber band) was Sept 1974 at Baldwin Ks. It was a one piece forward falling gate, not the individual back falling.

I started racing when rubber bands were still widespread. My first metal gate race wasn't until 1990 I think.. been a few years!

found an article that said the inventor was Horak , a Tsjech ..not much info

https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horak

in this article Dhr Verkerk is mentioned as the inventor and builder of the first automated startgate in Europe
but again no more info and dates

http://www.mc-assen.nl/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5…