Battle Creek Motorcycle Club

Battle Creek Motorcycle Club has been operating continuously since 1928, making it one of the oldest motorcycle racing organizations in the United States and quite possibly the oldest motocross-related club in the entire country. The club predates the formal AMA, predates Trans-AMA, predates the entire postwar motocross movement that brought the sport to America in the 1960s. Battle Creek MC was running organized motorcycle racing in south-central Michigan when most of what we now call motocross was still a European import.

Today the club operates a 40-acre facility on Waubascon Road in Battle Creek, with three distinct tracks built across the natural sandy terrain that defines the property. The main motocross track runs 1.3 miles, set across rolling sandy ground with mature trees framing the layout, a classic Midwest natural-terrain track that prioritizes flow and technique over big-air spectacle. The mini track at 0.5 miles is a scaled-down version for younger or less experienced riders, with proportional jumps and turns.

The 8-mile hare scramble loop winds through the surrounding woods, giving cross-discipline riders a legitimate enduro experience without leaving the property. Battle Creek MC operates as a true club, membership is the operating model. Members get 24/7/365 access to the property, while non-members can attend during scheduled events and races. That structure has helped the facility maintain its character over nearly a century: this is a club run by riders for riders, not a commercial operation chasing volume.

Concessions are full-service on race days. Indoor toilets, a meaningful upgrade from the porta-johns at many smaller club tracks. The club's Facebook page (facebook.com/battlecreek.motorcycleclub) and website (battlecreekmotorcycleclub.com) post the regular race calendar; call (269) 964-0778 for membership questions. The race series at Battle Creek MC includes regular events posted throughout the season. The atmosphere is part of the appeal, this is a real motorcycle club, with traditions, multi-generational members, and a community feel that's increasingly rare in the modern motocross world.

Some current members are the third or fourth generation of their families to ride the property. The location: 21758 Waubascon Road, Battle Creek, Michigan, easy access from I-94 in south-central Michigan. From Kalamazoo it's about 30 minutes east; from Lansing, an hour west; from Chicago, 2.5 hours; from Detroit, two hours. The Battle Creek area is the headquarters of Kellogg's cereals and has solid mid-range hotel and restaurant infrastructure for race weekends.

The surrounding region is classic Midwest farmland with the Pine River and several state parks nearby for non-riding family activities. For Michigan riders looking for the deepest history in the state, or for visiting riders interested in experiencing real American motorcycle club culture, Battle Creek Motorcycle Club is essential. The 1928 founding date isn't decoration, it's the foundation of an institution that has carried American motorcycle racing through every generation of the sport. Soil is the natural sandy Michigan loam that defines GLMX (Great Lakes Motocross) facilities throughout the state.

HOW ACCESS WORKS, because it is not a turn-up-any-day track. BCMC is only open to the public during POSTED EVENTS. Members ride 24/7, 365 days a year. So if you are not a member, check the calendar before you plan anything.

THE PROPERTY runs a main motocross track with jumps, rhythm sections and technical corners, a smaller mini track kept for beginners and kids, and miles of wooded offroad trail used for hare scrambles and enduro.

WHAT THEY HOST. Alongside D14 Motocross, the club runs D14 Hare Scrambles, billed as Michigan's premier offroad series, with classes from 50cc to 450 and up, and FREE STACYC RACES on the Saturday evening. They also host D14 Michigan Sprint Enduros, which run a flowing cross test and a woods test of 2 to 7 miles each, repeated three or four times.

MEMBERSHIP is $175 to apply plus $100 a year, and it is a working club: members are asked to work 80 percent of the events. Your first year is probationary, and after that, in good standing, you get a key to the grounds. Membership includes free riding any time except the week before an event, member-only practice sessions, voting rights, discounts on merchandise and concessions, and guest passes. All members must hold an AMA membership. Meetings are at the club the Saturday or Sunday a week before any event, and you can fill out a membership form there.