Real-world Supercross tracks have been influenced by the sport’s video game

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  An average Supercross track uses 5,500 cubic feet (155 m³) of dirt, which is built into a track inside an existing stadium. [credit: Monster Energy Supercross ]

When it comes to racing games, do you prefer digital replicas of real-world racetracks? Obviously, it depends on the game. Few will complain that Mario Kart‘s Rainbow Road is unrealistic as they shoot red shells at a gorilla on wheels, but a boring street circuit with too many 90-degree turns that only exists to show off a NYC skyline is another matter.

Done well, a made-up sequence of twists and turns can make a game; there’s a reason we cheered so hard when we found out Trial Mountain will return with Gran Turismo 7. On the other hand, developers are constantly asked about adding real-world racetracks to their games. And the presence of a decently digitized Spa or Nürburgring Nordschleife may well tempt a wavering gamer into a purchase.

It’s the kind of thing I think about, which might just mean I’m a bit weird. But it also explains why I said “yes” when someone asked if I’d like to talk to Mike Muye, senior director of operations for Monster Energy Supercross, about this very topic. I agreed even though I don’t really know much about Supercross, an evolution of motocross where off-road motorcycles race each other on dirt tracks constructed specially for the occasion. (Monster Energy Supercross 4 went on sale earlier this month for both Playstation and Xbox platforms, hence the offer of a chat.)