By By Matthew Nascone
The first major motocross series race will be held in Atmore this weekend as the Gulf Coast MX Championship Series opens at the Atmore Motocross Park Feb. 10-11. Park owner Bobby Hadley is expecting the biggest crowd ever at the park for the weekend.
"We are expecting anywhere from 300-400 riders for the race," he said. "And we have been working all month to clear the area to get as many parking spots as possible."
The influx in riders has come about because of the seven-track Gulf Coast MX Championship Series spanning the state of Alabama and into Florida and Louisiana.
This series is a lot of fun, but Hadley said there is a lot of work that goes along with the extra riders coming to Atmore.
"It takes a lot of work to put one of these things together," Hadley said. "But I am still enthused and excited to host the series four times. And what Steve (Hicks) has done for us has put us in the spotlight all across the area."
According to Hicks, the weekend should be a good one.
"We are expecting the largest number of Motocross and Quad racers the Atmore Motocross Park and South Alabama has witnessed to date," Hicks said. "(All the employees) have been putting in the hours this past couple of weeks prepping the facility for the huge amount of rigs, RVs, haulers and people that will make their way to Atmore this weekend. Riders and their trainers are expected at the park beginning Friday. The race registration crew will be doubled and the amount of track safety flaggers, used to protect downed riders, will be doubled."
The quads will race beginning at 3 p.m. on Saturday and the bikes will hit the dirt beginning around 10 a.m. Sunday after an 8 a.m. church service and 9 a.m. riders meeting.
Besides the extra room for parking, Hadley and the rest of the crew needed to find some more seating for the spectators. The NWE baseball park loaned the park some of its bleachers for use during the race.
Hadley said the influx in riders the weekend preceding a race has usually been large, but for this race the raise in riders practicing has been noticeable for the past two weekends.
"This should be a good time for everyone involved," Hadley said. "And we are looking forward to it."
As far as the Gulf Coast series goes, it opens in Atmore and comes back three more times. The dates in the future are May 26-27, August 25-26 and Oct. 20-21. Hicks said the qualifying round of the NMA championship is tentatively set for the race in Atmore May 26-27.
The first, seventh, ninth and 14th rounds of the series will be in Atmore and those dates are Feb. 10-11, May 26-27, Aug. 25-26 and Oct. 20-21.The other tracks involved in the 16-round series are, Big Cedar in Valley, LAMX in Wagerville, Monster Mountain in Tallassee, Mill Creek MX in Pell City, Southern MX in Baker, Fla. and Wildwood MX in Kentwood, La.