Favorite local track….
Let’s stop and think what makes a good track.
1. Challenging but yet safe for all ability levels.
2. Good dirt or prep by the promoters
3. Watered not muddy (which could follow under prep)
4. A track lay out that is conducive to creating different lines that will equal good competition for all levels. No follow the leader stuff.
5. Location surely doesn’t hurt.
6. A place that you the racer have a great time.
7. Distance traveled to get there
Now that we’ve all started to think about this lets think about some of our local areas to race and this is what I think about some of them, as well as some other track I have raced and enjoyed.
One of my all time favorite tracks is Hollister. Its change is elevation, gravity cavity/ elevator shaft, the dirt is nice and loamy, fun jumps, in the trees. The site of the 250cc U.S.G.P.in 1987 and I my add Ricky Johnson spanked the euro’s. It’s a very cool place, a lot of fun to ride, hang out at and visit. In a very beautiful area on Cali and if you get the chance…..GO!
Mammoth
The Mammoth mountain motocross is a fun place to race and ride all because of the atmosphere of being at such a track with a lot of history. The track is fun with the elevation changes, off cambers and the famous freeway, nice long track. The track can be rough and very choppy with a mix of rocks in it, a big negative is the very painful roost! The atmosphere of being at a track that has some of the top riders in the world have ridden and are racing the same weekend you are. You know how cool it is to ride practice the day of your race with Jeremy McGrath?! I can tell you it’s awesome. I had to laugh last year, we are getting ready for practice and MC is parked almost right next to me for practice and I’m sitting there checking out his works Honda, I look up and he’s checking my bike out at the same time. Mammoth also has beautiful scenery and when not at the races it is very relaxing and peaceful. Watching isn’t very good you can only see a small portion of the track but what you can see is very exciting to watch.
Honey Lake
O’l Honey Lake is a man’s track, fast, rough and challenging! You don’t ever have to worry about clearing some big ass jump, all you need to worry about is surviving all the laps of your moto with keeping pace. The track has a good flow to it and when you do good you’ll have a real feel of accomplishment. It’s also a fun place to go, run by good people that have a good attitude. Watching any racing equals a hike up the hill or a hay ride and if your racing you don’t get to watch much racing, do to the fact of the pits are only close to the starting line. Let’s face it, it isn’t about watching anyway..Its all about pin’n it up the hill all the way to the top and it’s a rush! When you make that last part of the up hill and you make that off camber left handed turn and you look across the valley…….WOW! What a view.
Fernley
DA’ fern the sand the great equalizer! I have mixed reviews on this track, when the track is changing all the time it can be one of the absolute best tracks, do to the challenges it can bring and nobody can have it dialed. It separates the riders who can race different tracks and have an understanding of how to ride the motorcycle correctly, compared to the riders who learn a tracks lay out and not how to ride the motorcycle. It is also hard because two clubs prep the track and both do it in different ways. But I do like racing there and I love the wet sand. The sand isn’t for everybody and that in its self will always cause the track to get some mixed reviews. The last race there was the OTHG Sierra’s summer series and the track was awesome, wide with good lines, fun jumps and a great lay out that flowed well.
Stead
Steadrock, oh Steadrock…..I have had some of the most fun out there and some of the worst. It’s like a love hate relationship with that track for me. The latest lay out is awesome, it has an excellent flow to it and the jumps work really well the latest direction. The elevation changes at Stead constantly offer challenges to the riders and are fun to, I like the track better when it firms up and doesn’t has ruts in the turns and the rider needs to have more throttle control. Stead offers other challenges to the riders, like throttle control that is required on the hard pack, off cambers, good jumps, rhythm sections and the hills. No matter which direction the track goes Stead seems to be good.
Carson
R.I.P. Carson, the track was born in 1988 and delivered to us by Richard Thorwaldson form Team Suzuki racer. I can’t say enough about this track, excellent dirt, good jumps, challenging lay out, and did I mention how good the dirt is or was! With this good dirt it always allowed good obstacles that didn’t fall apart or rut up or get kickers. I could go on but unfortunately most racers will ever know truly how good it was.
Fallon
The original Fallon race was called the Melloncross. The race was always the same time as the Mellon festival, this race was also started by Richard Thorwaldson. Richard had the insight to bring new tracks to our area and we have been lucky to have people to keep them a live. The first year we had that event it was a Saturday night race with a second day being on Sunday. Something Tony doesn’t realize is night races should be run on a short track and be designed for good quick racing at all levels. They should be like a drag race, push as hard as you can, be fast and make things happen. It’s not about out lasting the next guy, it’s about out riding him. Last year at Fallon the track was fun, with some seriously hard whoops and the track was fun for everybody. This venue offers excellent spectator views with good seating and is fun for all especially families. Also has good parking for camping.
Lovelock
O’l Liplock Nevada, the club that puts the races on is a group of good people and are always a pleaser to work with. The last time I rode that track was when they put the kitty litter and that was the last. That kitty litter hurts when you’re getting roosted! I had some fun times there before and the last lay out left me wondering what in the heck are they thinking. In all fairness I haven’t been back so, I am unsure how it is now. There was nothing there that couldn’t be fixed.
Winnemucca
The Muck has two tracks and they are both very good with totally different lay outs. The Calder track has a lot of elevation changes with a mix of dirt and sand in different areas of the track. The hill that is in the middle of the track sends the rider up and down it quite a few different times, which offers the rider challenges in braking and throttle control. When climbing the hills the acceleration allows the rider to jump up and much the same when going down. The track has some great turns and the track really flows well. I’m not sure but I think the first race at this track was in 1978.
The newest track in Winnemucca is at the car track and I’m not sure if it has a name or not, but the track is an opposite of Calder as it on flat ground. But the dirt at the track is awesome to and has allowed the track builder to build good jumps for all levels. With a track has a great lay out that is fun for all levels. The place is awesome and very fun to race and ride there. It also has great parking with easy access for RV’s. Please keep in mind I haven’t this track since 2004. I had a little trip to the hospital and airplane ride home. This had nothing to do with the track it was my fault for riding a little to fast in the frozen conditions. I wasn’t using my head and I was having way too much fun riding the track…On another note I know some of people up there and the care about the quality of there event and have pride in there track.
Mustang
In all fairness I haven’t ridden this track since Jerry got his finished product, but soon I will. I was going to ride it last Thursday and was told there would be practice, but nobody was there.
And the schedule I have says they would be open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday for practice.
Hawthorne
I haven’t ridden this track either and partly because it a little bit of a hall from Reno. But, I’ll be given a try.
Night races
I personally think night races work well on Saturday, it gives the working man time to make it without being rushed and it gives the promoter more time to get the track in order. It also keeps the track workers from having to leave there everyday job early as well as the racers. It nice to get your racing over on Saturday night and have all day Sunday to get your honey does done.
Sunday summer races
It’s a catch 22, die hard racers want Sunday events and the weekend warrior is going to out doing other things in the summer. There is more serious racers in our area than in the past and would probably lead to having an okay turn out for summer Sunday races. I don’t think there would be ever be a big rider turn out by any means. Another draw back is getting equipment to prep the track due to all the construction in the Reno/Sparks area during the summer time. Plus its HOT, Africa hot!
Things to remember
Opinions about tracks there are always going to have some variables to them and every racer is going to have one to and the rider that had a good day of racing is always going to give a track a better review than a rider who crash both moto’s. You’re never going to make every rider happy no matter how hard you try, so if you remember to please the majority you’ve done a good job.
A track will also dictate how safe it is with amount of riders carried off during an event and everybody has a different view about what is safe and what isn’t. I might consider something safe and another rider might totally disagree, its important that there is a happy medium. It’s a fine line to walk safety.
Speed keeps riders up right and as soon as you try and slow them down, you’ll start keeping the medics busy.
Dam, I’ve carried on long enough…
…Layne