MotoCity Raceway

MotoCity Raceway has been racing dirt bikes and four-wheelers in central Minnesota since 1993. Dale, Sharon, Gavin and Spencer Kadlec bought it in 2007 as MotoCity Raceway and Recreation, and the family now runs two venues: the home track on County Road 7 outside Browerville, which everyone calls Staples after the nearest town, and Little Falls Raceway on the Morrison County Fairgrounds 40 miles south. The Staples property has a main motocross track and a north track used for the District 23 quad-only weekends and the fall hare scramble course; Little Falls is the fairgrounds track that lights up for the Friday Night Series.

The racing calendar is AMA District 23 top to bottom. The NorthStar Series, run with Echo Valley MX in Brookston, spreads 16 races across the three tracks from April to September, with riders needing nine of them, at least four at each promoter, to qualify for a prize pool handed out at an October banquet in Duluth. Race weekends run Saturday open practice from 9 to 3 at $35 a rider ($20 for a second session or after 1 PM), then Sunday sign-up at 7, practice laps at 8:30 and racing after, with entries of $35 for the first two classes, $30 and $25 after, and a $10 gate. The 11-round Friday Night Series at Little Falls opens the gates at 4 PM with hot laps at 6, $25 a class, a $10 wristband that carries through a District 23 weekend, and 100 percent payout in Open A; there are also fair races at the Isanti and Hubbard county fairs, quad-only weekends, a hare scramble and the Loretta Lynn Area Qualifier at Little Falls each May. Classes cover 50cc oil-injected, chain-drive and electric minis through 65s, 85s, 122-150, age classes, Vet 30 and up, Lites and Open A, B and C, plus mini and sport quads.

Camping is $20 a night at Staples and $40 electric or $20 primitive at Little Falls, with gates closing at 10 PM on Friday and Saturday nights and Moto Grub running the concessions. AMA cards are sold at sign-up, minors need a parent present or an AMA annual minor waiver or a notarized guardian release, pit vehicles follow the District 23 policy, and the one rule that gets you sent home is pit riding: bikes and quads move to and from the track at walking speed only. Riders tired of trophies can stamp a saver card and trade five awards for a free entry, practice or sweatshirt. Call (218) 894-2826 or email [email protected].