The Farm

The Farm in Dade City, Florida is a private motocross track that rides like a national. The property is privately owned and leased to Motocross Families of America Foundation Inc., a nonprofit built around two ideas: put everyday riders on a pro-caliber, meticulously prepped track, and use the money raised to help motocross families going through hard times. Every ride day and rental runs through the foundation.

You cannot just show up. The Farm has no weekly schedule; it opens when the foundation posts a ride day, usually a weekend with the occasional weekday, and it also books out the whole track for private groups. The county permit caps how many people can be on the property, so riders and spectators alike have to register ahead and get a confirmation before they make the drive, and once a day is full the gate stays shut to everyone else. Expect a ride-day donation in the $50 to $100 range depending on the date, and a group rate for rentals that depends on headcount and the calendar.

The track itself runs tight on numbers by design. Everyone enters and leaves through the starting gate, and big bikes (125cc to 450cc) are held to ten on the track at once, policed with wristbands hung on the gate pole: grab one going out, hang it back up or hand it to the next rider coming in. Minis from 50cc through Supermini ride without the cap or the wristband. Ride hard, but ride clean; the foundation will send a rider home, donation forfeited, for riding that puts others at risk.

Getting there means a mile and a half of dirt on Fields Farm Lane at a neighbor-friendly 12 mph. Bring out whatever you bring in, because this is a leased farm and not a park with a dumpster. There is a restroom but no water for washing bikes, well-behaved dogs are fine, and camping is not offered on the property, although the farm out front by the road takes campers. The Farm is roughly 40 minutes northeast of Tampa.