Contrary to what you might be expecting, the start of a Moon race isn't the dramatic event it is back on Earth. Well visually at least, it's the exact opposite. If you were expecting all the bikes to zoom off at incredible speeds with every driver barging their way up the pack, competing in a vicious fight for the front, maybe resulting in a few crashes, swear words and broken bones, then I'm sorry to say you would be disappointed.

The start of any Luna race is such an anti-climax that for the most part it isn't televised. Only the most dedicated fans tune in to watch the start because it's boring to look at. The issues over power and torque meant that acceleration had to be slow and controlled, resulting in a gradual increase in speed. Any rider who actually wanted a chance of winning couldn't afford an explosion of speed in-case they lost contact with the ground. So what is normally quite an  exciting moment of a race, became a long drawn out one as every rider slowly pulled away from the start line.

However, saying all that, the lack of speed is more than made up for later on. The more popular sections of the race come when the bikes got up to full speed, and what a speed it was! Due to lack of air resistance, the long and rather heavy bikes could reach speeds of around 400kmh in the low gravity. That's around 100kmh more than an F1 car back on earth.

Marvin, and all the other racers pulled away in near perfect unison. The faint rumble of his bikes gyro and the contact it had with the track becoming a smooth drone as the motor was no longer in standby mode. The huge wheels made slow but steady revolutions as the long bulk of the chassis was dragged forward. Getting faster and faster as the seconds ticked by, the first part of the track was a long straight designed to give the racers time to gather speed.

The pack moved out of the starting gates and onto the straight. 5kmh, 10kmh, 20kmh. Marvin pulled forward, his main goal was to at the very least, match the speed of the bike ahead. 40kmh, 80kmh, 100kmh. The track was almost perfectly flat at this point, so it was easy to keep contact with the ground, however the slightest imperfection could spell disaster. Stretching out for over 5 miles, it gave all the riders plenty of time to gather speed. 120kmh, 150kmh 200kmh! The speed reaching the point where the sight of the Moon's surface on either side of the track had become a grey blur. 250kmh, 300Kmh, 400kmh!

Ahead however, his vision was crystal clear. The lack of atmosphere to get in the way bringing things into focus that otherwise wouldn't be. The peaks of distant mountains still holding their detail in full on the emerging horizon,glistening in the white sun. Marvin could also make out a collection of unnatural shapes.

Along with multiple camera towers he could make out a collection of audience stands. Tall rectangular buildings that held vast crowds of excited occupants. Sitting out in the open non-existent moon air in their much more humble EVA suits, ready to get a glimpse of the speeding riders. The already shiny buildings began to sparkle even more as a bombardment of camera flashes erupted towards the track as the leaders of the pack approached the crammed stands.

Marvin never understood this, what an exercise in futility! The bikes where traveling near their top speed at this point, so surely any pictures that were taken would come out as just a blurry smear. Not unlike the side of his vision. Regardless, Marvin zoomed past the crowed in the blink of an eye.

Leaving the silver structures behind, he was now surrounded once again by open land. Nothing around him apart from bleak plains, sharp hills and the occasional camera stand. So far the race had been easy, relaxing even. Driving in a straight line was easy no matter where you did it.

However it had only just begun and this high speed was going to be a deadly issue when it came to turning. As it happens he came to the first corner shortly after the viewing stands sunk bellow the horizon. The horizon on the moon is only 2.43km away and while traveling at just over 400kmh, it didn't take long. A long bend that arched to the left, stretching out for many kilometres. Breaking gently before reaching it, he reduced his speed down to a more manageable 200kmh. Curving with this extremely wide arch, he activated the gyro at the heart of his bike, leaning the cumbersome machine into the corner. He also fired the retros to maintain fine control over the lean. He aimed as close to the apex as he could. Feeling his bike glide underneath him with a smooth action, responding to his controls proficiently. He came out of the corner and opened up the throttle again. Easy.

He was making ground on the rider ahead. The brightly coloured suit and bike getting bigger with every passing second. Glancing over his shoulder he could see a comforting gap between himself and the next racer.

Another corner was coming up, this time to the right. Bending around with another enormous curve. The rider ahead it seemed, was taking a wide line, approaching the right hand turn from the left hand side of the track. That was all Marvin needed. He traversed right with another low pitch collection of vibrations from the Gyro, bringing him to the right edge of the track. Increasing the throttle just a tad, he sped forward, coming up alongside his competitor. The track started to make its relaxed turn, Marvin was on the inside. He gave another boost of throttle, pulling ahead and forcing the racer to fall in behind him. One down.

After completing the turn, the track opened up onto another straight. This time however it was short, not giving Marvin much time to react before the next corner was upon him.

This was the first of many banked corners that where placed along the track. Banked corners were particularly exciting as they allowed the riders to maintain their incredible speed as the track corralled them around the sharp turns. The simulated G-forces keeping them down.

Keeping his hand on the throttle, Marvin entered the banking corner at nearly 380kmh! The centripetal force pushing the bike into the track, keeping him from flying into space. Feeling the multiple G's pushing him down, he reached an almost vertical angle half way round the turn. He left the corner with a similar speed, using his retros to realign his bike as the track flattened out.

This racing business was easy.

Marvin continued through some more corners, some banked, some not. Going through the motions, he allowed his years of experience and muscle memory to take over, directing his actions at an almost instinctual level. He passed through each one without giving a second thought. Left, then right, right again another sharp left. Bringing his speed right down for the viciously sharp turns (unless they were banked obviously).

It pained him to slow down, even for a second. Feeling that every time he did he would see the rider behind come speeding past with a smug smile hiding behind their visor, or that he was losing ground on the rider ahead. Subsequently however, it needed to be done, as it was the best way to maintain control. Control was key.

The track flattened out again into one of those ridiculously long straights that went past the horizon into the unknown. As he reached cruising speed, a voice came echoing through his suits speaker system.

"All-righty my almighty, so far so good. Your bikes healthy, readouts looking good and your racing lines are golden!" Jerry beamed through the slightly distorted speaker. "Listen you're coming up on your first aerial section, changing your HUD to accommodate." he added.

Marvin's display changed colour, indicating the change in setting.

"Cheers Jerry. See you on the other side!" Marvin replied, seeing the structures up ahead highlighted as the aerial section in question.

This is where the retro thrusters and gyro really came into play. Up until now The Moons terrain had be relatively flat, showing no distinct features either side of the straight tarmac track. Just mile upon mile of motionless rocks and dust. Coming into view however, was a steep cliff face that jutted up from the horizon so suddenly, even an infant could tell it wasn't natural.

Purposefully built for the world championship, the flat cliff face was surround by another collection of viewing stands and camera towers. This time being much bigger than before. Marvin was hit with another bombardment of camera flashes as he came into range. In the middle of this was a suspended section of track that corkscrewed up to the top of the cliff face.

This 100 metre high structure rose above the crowd, held up by various support beams. The corkscrewing track became highlighted as Marvin got closer. Upon approach, the HUD drew a suggested racing line and speed for him to follow. The rider ahead seemed to be taking the same route. Shadowing behind him, Marvin mounted the ramp only a second after, maintaining speed as the track curved up and around. Having the retros and gyro push the bike around in conjuncture with the curving of the track, Marvin made his way higher and higher, gradually turning over. Before he knew it, he was upside down at the top of the arch, his speed being the only thing keeping him there. This was not a sport for vertigo sufferers.

He was now above the height of the cliff travelling towards its edge upside down! Then all of a sudden, the track just disappeared, leaving him floating in open space towards the flat ground on top of the cliff. Gradually falling down as the weak gravity took over. He was still upside down as the flying bike passed over the top of the cliff, out of sight of the crowd bellow. Using the retro thrusters, Marvin span the bike around mid-flight to right himself before making a rough landing. Bouncing once with a heavy thud before settling on the now flat ground.

This along with the obvious exotic appeal of being on the Moon, was why this sport was so popular! The absolutely spectacular sight of an oversized bike following a curving track upside down to then land, 100 meters higher than it started, is something that you would never forget!