Motocross weekend big hit
Published 11:59 pm Wednesday, March 22, 2006
By By Matthew Nascone
Last weekend at the Atmore Motocross Track engines were revving on and off the track. The action on the newly expanded track was exhilarating and a sight to watch and the Jim Johnson Ford tent was roaring with the purr of the Ford Mustang on display.
"We were out here to try and get in touch with a lot of people and this is a good clean environment for us to do that," Johnson Ford salesperson Ricky White said.
White and Johnson Ford office manager Missy Ordis were on hand to show off some vehicles and give away a gas grill.
Luis Vasquez of Foley drove away with the grill as the winner of the contest.
As far as the racing went, track owner Bobby Hadley said the weekend went well.
"We had an injury-free weekend and that is always good to have," Hadley said. "The weekend went smooth."
To spice up the track and add some new flavor to the venue, Hadley said about two tenths of a mile were added to the track.
"The riders seemed to enjoy the new section," he said. "It seemed to separate the guys who were in shape with the ones who were not."
Hadley said this past weekend had the largest showing of campers on the grounds.
"We probably had 30 or 40 campers here for the weekend," Hadley said. "They brought their grills and were cooking out and it was good to see all the families having fun."
With 150 plus riders and 600 plus people through the gates, the weekend as a whole was a successful venture. Riders and spectators showed up from all across the southeast. Track promoter Steve Hicks said there were riders registered from Little Rock, Ark, Slidell, La., Florida and Alabama. And Hicks had a special message for all those who came out this past weekend.
"Atmore MX would like to thank all the riders and their families, sponsors and spectators that helped make March 18-19 a great weekend.
Hicks also said the number of female racers grew tremendously and DirtBikeDivas.com became a sponsor of the Ladies, Girls and Powder-Puff classes and they gave away awards and T-shirts for the female riders.
It takes many people to make an event like this run smoothly and Hadley said he knows this.
"We would like to thank John Chance, James Hare, Steve Boutwell and Steve Hicks for all their help on race weekends and during the week," Bobby said. "We couldn't do this without all these guys."
The next race weekend at the Atmore Motocross Track will be April 8-9. Hicks said this weekend will be rider and sponsor appreciation weekend.