It’s something so simple, it’s easy to overlook: dirt deformation on a motocross racetrack. Similar to divots on a golf course or carvings on an ice rink, dirt deformation embodies itself as the tire grooves on a track formed during races. Essentially, the track changes each lap as the dirt is pushed around, sculpted and chiseled. When the creators of “MX vs. ATV Reflex” were looking for ways to make their new motocross and all-terrain vehicle racing game more “real,” they focused on the basics: the dirt.
Few, if any, women know more about motocross than Jolene Van Vugt, who was the first female to backflip on a full-sized dirt bike. She’s also featured as a challenger rider in the video game.
“I am the only girl in the game as a challenger, which is pretty cool,” said Van Vugt, who’s 29 years old. “As a motocross athlete, it’s a pretty big compliment to be asked by a video game to be part of their game.”
Van Vugt, who is healing from surgery to repair a broken wrist suffered in July while landing a 65-foot supercross triple during preparation for the X Games, was one of the pros who helped test out the game and offer feedback.
“The way that the riders move on the bike is really real to form,” Van Vugt said. “You have the jerseys blowing in the wind. Everything just looks so realistic and moves so realistic to an actual motocross rider, so I really have an appreciation for it.”
