How to Set Up a Motocross Paddock
To set up a motocross paddock, pitch a heavy duty 3m x 3m or 3m x 4.5m pop up gazebo on the firmest, best-draining ground you can find, peg it and weight every leg, then split the space into a mucky end for the bike and a clean end for tools and the family. Put the bike on a stand over a pit mat, and set the wash area outside the gazebo, downwind.
An MX pit works very differently from a tarmac paddock. The gazebo is base camp for the whole day, the bike and everything near it ends up filthy, and there is rarely power, water or hard standing. This guide covers the setup step by step, the kit list, mud and jet-washing, anchoring on grass and how to get started. Kitting out your pit? Talk to the team.
Motocross Pit Setup Checklist
| What | What to bring | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Pit gazebo | 3m x 3m for one rider, 3m x 4.5m for a second bike and the family | Shade, rain cover and a dry place to work all day |
| Frame | Heavy duty: Pro 50 or Pro 60 | Grass fields, wind and rough pitching finish cheap frames |
| Anchoring | Long pegs and guy ropes, plus weights on every leg | Pegs pull out of wet, churned ground |
| Under the bike | Bike stand or lift on a pit mat | Catches fuel, oil and coolant; often required by tracks |
| Floor | Ground matting or boards | Keeps you up out of the churn |
| Washing | Jet-wash and a full water butt or barrels | Bikes come back filthy after every moto |
| Power | Generator, if you need it | Most tracks have no power or water |
| Family kit | Chairs, water, food, warm and dry clothing | An MX meeting is a long day outdoors |
How Do You Set Up a Motocross Pit?
Set up a motocross pit in this order: choose the ground, pitch and anchor the gazebo, lay matting, set the bike end and the clean end, then place the wash area outside. Doing it in that order means nothing has to be moved once the bike is muddy.
- Pick the firmest, best-draining spot you can find, and look at where water will run when it rains so it stays out of your working area.
- Put the gazebo up, then peg it and run guy ropes, and add weights to every leg. On an exposed field, over-anchor.
- Lay ground matting or boards inside the gazebo so you are working above the mud.
- Set up the dirty end: the pit mat with the bike stand or lift on it.
- Set up the clean end: tools, spares, fluids, chairs and dry clothing, away from the bike.
- Place the jet-wash and water butt or barrels outside the gazebo, to one side and downwind of your clean space.
- If you need power, bring a generator, since most tracks have none.
What Makes a Motocross Pit Different From a Tarmac Paddock?
A motocross pit is set up on a dirt or grass field, runs as a family base for the whole day and usually has no power, water or hard standing. Those three things decide every choice you make about the gazebo, the layout and the kit.
Dirt gets everywhere
Bikes come back from every moto caked in mud or covered in dust, and you will be jet-washing between sessions. Your setup has to cope with the mess.
It is a family day
Youth classes start from small automatics, so MX paddocks are full of parents and children from early morning. The gazebo is base camp, workshop and rest stop in one.
It is basic
Most tracks are grass fields with no power and no water. You bring everything, pitch on soft ground and stay on your feet all day.
What Size Gazebo Do You Need for Motocross?
For one motocross rider, a 3m x 3m gazebo covers the bike, a stand and your tools. A 3m x 4.5m adds room for a second bike, spares and somewhere for the family to sit out a downpour.
The gazebo shades the bike and your kit, keeps the rain off the family and gives you a dry spot to work between motos. Grass fields, wind and constant pitching on rough ground finish a cheap leisure frame inside a season, so choose a heavy duty frame.
- Pro 50: 50mm hexagonal aluminium frame with profile aluminium joints and hammer-tested nylon inserts, in 3m x 3m and 3m x 4.5m.
- Pro 60: 60mm hexagonal aluminium frame with double-reinforced truss joints, in 3m x 3m.
- Both canopies are 600D PVC-coated polyester with a 6000mm hydrostatic head, fire retardant and UV protected.
Check your own bike, stand and family kit against the motorsport tent size guide, or see the full range of motorcycle race tents.
What Do You Need in a Motocross Pit?
A motocross pit needs a gazebo, a bike stand or lift, a pit mat, tools, spares and fluids, weights to anchor the gazebo, and a jet-wash with its own water supply. Most tracks have no power or water, so many riders also bring a generator and enough water for the day.
Pack this list once and you will never turn up short:
For the bike
- A bike stand or lift to get the bike up for cleaning, chain work and general jobs.
- A pit mat under the bike. This environmental spill mat catches fuel, oil and coolant, and many tracks and events require one, so check your club or event regulations.
- Tools, spares and fluids: levers, grips, cables, a tyre pump, fuel, two-stroke oil and coolant. Parts break and wear fast on an MX bike.
For the pit and the family
- A heavy duty pop up gazebo, pegs, guy ropes and leg weights.
- Ground matting or boards for inside the gazebo.
- A jet-wash and a full water butt or barrels.
- A generator if you need power.
- Chairs, water, food and warm, dry clothing for a long day outdoors.
How Do You Manage Mud and Jet-Washing in an MX Pit?
Set the wash area outside the gazebo, to one side and downwind of your clean working space, and split the pit into a dirty end and a clean end. That keeps mud off your tools, your spares and the family.
Bikes come back filthy, so a pressure washer and a water supply, such as a jet-wash with a full water butt or barrels, are standard kit. Placing the wash downwind stops spray drifting back over the gazebo.
- Dirty end: the wash area outside, then the bike on its stand and pit mat just inside.
- Clean end: tools, spares, fluids, chairs and dry clothing, as far from the bike as the gazebo allows.
- Ground matting or boards inside the gazebo keep you above the churn as the field breaks up.
Riders who keep on top of the mess are still working comfortably at the end of the day, when the rest of the paddock is ankle-deep in it.
How Do You Anchor a Gazebo on a Motocross Track?
Anchor a gazebo on a motocross track with long, heavy duty pegs and guy ropes, then back them up with race tent weights on every leg. Pegs alone pull straight out of wet, churned ground.
MX tracks are open grass fields, which means soft ground and nothing to break the wind. A gazebo that lifts can cartwheel across the paddock into someone else's bike.
- Use long, heavy duty pegs and guy ropes as your first line on soft ground, or a tie-down storm kit.
- Add weight to every leg as the backup, every time.
- Pitch on the firmest, best-draining spot you can find.
- On an exposed field, over-anchor.
The Pro 50 and Pro 60 are rated to 25 to 35 mph, and only when every leg is securely weighted or anchored. If the wind becomes genuinely dangerous, take the roof down.
How Do You Get Started in Motocross?
The usual route into motocross is to join a club, take out ACU membership and a licence through that club, and ride practice days before entering club meetings. Check the current requirements with your club before your first event.
Motocross is one of the most family-friendly ways into motorsport, with classes running from small automatics for young children through 65cc and 85cc to the adult classes.
The best first step is to visit a local track on a practice day, watch how the paddock works and talk to the families there.
Our get into motorsport guides cover the wider picture, and the racing licence guide explains how competition licensing works.
Which Gala Performance Kit Suits a Motocross Pit?
For a motocross pit, start with a heavy duty pop up race tent or motorcycle race tent, add race tent weights for soft ground, and print it in your own or your sponsors' colours if you want the pit to stand out.
- Motorcycle race tents: sized for bike pits, with room for the bike, stand and kit.
- Pop up race tents: quick to pitch after an early start and tough enough for a grass field, in 3m x 3m and 3m x 4.5m.
- Race tent weights: the backup for pegs on soft, churned ground.
- Branded motorsport tents: canopies and side walls printed in your own or your sponsors' colours.
Not sure what suits your setup? Tell us about your bikes and your family, and the team will talk it through.
Motocross Paddock FAQs
What do you need for a motocross pit?
What size gazebo do you need for motocross?
Do you need a pit mat for motocross?
Do you need a licence for motocross?
How do you anchor a gazebo on a motocross track?
Is motocross family-friendly?
More Paddock Guides
Paddock setup guides
Tent advice
