Old Bridge Township Raceway Park (Englishtown)

Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey, known to the motocross world simply as Englishtown, is one of the most historically significant motorsports venues in the Northeast and a bucket-list race for any amateur motocross racer. The Napp family founded the facility in 1965 with a drag strip, added motocross in 1975, and has kept it a cornerstone of New Jersey racing ever since. Drag racing, road course, autocross, karting, and motocross under a single ownership is rare in American motorsports, and it reflects the founding family's vision of a true multi-discipline complex.

The 1-mile main motocross track mixes hard-packed sections with sandy stretches, a demanding combination that rewards riders who can adapt their lines as conditions change through the day. The soil shifts within a single moto in a way that exposes riders who learned on uniform dirt, and the layout follows the natural rolling terrain of central New Jersey instead of fighting it.

Englishtown famously hosted the 1983 Husqvarna White Lightning Supercross plus several more supercross events over the years, but the heart of the place is the Kawasaki Race of Champions, run every first weekend of October. The ROC has run for decades and draws thousands of amateur racers from across the East Coast and beyond. For many Northeast motocross families it is THE race of the year, the one weekend you plan vacations and time off around.

Outside the marquee October weekend, Englishtown runs open practice every Wednesday and most weekends from March through the end of November, then closes for the winter like most Northeast tracks. Camping is available during major event weekends. Beyond motocross, the property remains a full motorsports complex with road course, drag strips, autocross, and a kart track, so spectators with mixed interests can catch a drag event Friday, a road race Saturday, and motocross Sunday without leaving the grounds.

Located in central New Jersey just off the Garden State Parkway, the track is about an hour from New York City and 90 minutes from Philadelphia, with easy access from the whole New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania tri-state area. Between the history, the location, and the Race of Champions tradition, Englishtown is hard to skip if you ride motocross in this part of the country. (732) 446-7800.

The motocross program today centers on Sunday practice days (gates and sign-up 8:30 to 3, riding 10 to 6 or dusk, $60 pre-registered or $80 at the gate) plus the Saturday Night Lites and Stacyc MX series on select summer evenings. Registration runs through Trackside pre-reg, and the schedule lives in the event directory at etownracewaypark.com.