Racing for glory
Friday, March 30, 2007 10:15 AM PDT
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| SUBMITTED PHOTO
Factory Kawasaki rider Lance Smail races through the hills of Clay Peak during last year's World Off Road Championship Series race at Clay Peak in Payette. Several racers will battle it out for racing supremacy starting today. |
Ronald Bond | Argus Observer
Payette - Expect to see and hear a lot of ATVs and motorcycles in Payette during the next two weekends.
The World Off Road Championship Series (WORCS) is coming to town, and will be at the Clay Peak motorcycle park in Payette this weekend, March 30 to April 1, as well as next weekend, April 6 to 8.
WORCS is a nationally- based motorcycle and ATV racing series based out of St. George, Utah. It promotes races across the west from Arizona to Washington, and even has gone into Texas.
WORCS combines motorcross and off-road racing, and puts the two together to from a grand prix race.
“It's a grand prix format of racing,” WORCS manager Sean Reddish said. “It's the largest national program (of its kind) on the west coast. There is one on east coast that compares but that's about it. (WORCS) was small to start. (We had) 180 racers in the beginning to now having races over 1300.”
This will be the fourth year WORCS has come to Payette, and the relationship formed between WORCS and Payette county is important to Reddish.
“Almost four years ago, the county of Payette came to a race in Utah to see what we were about. They asked us to come up here,” Reddish said.
Initially, the race park in Payette fell short of the standard WORCS carried, but through the efforts of numerous people, the stage was set up to bring WORCS back.
“They made it happen,” Reddish said of the people of Payette. “We had looked at it before, but it didn't meet the criteria. Economic development really got behind it. This is a huge community effort between us and them. Now it's good for everybody. Two weekends by the WORCS races will fuse 1.5 million dollars (into Payette County).”
And just like WORCS itself, which was founded in 2001, the popularity of the racing in Payette is growing yearly. Reddish said he expects around 750 riders on the first weekend, and 550 more the second weekend.
“The core of our program is amateur racing,” he said. “(There are) only two races for the pros. The core, just like about any program, is the amateurs.”
Dave Kamo is a local rider who has been in several races put on by WORCS over the last few years.
“I've done them (WORCS races) for the last three years,” he said, adding that the style of WORCS really adds to the aspect of the race. “It makes equal opportunity for a motorcrosser and a desert (off-road) racer to race against each other. Makes a pretty good variety. It combines it, (so) you get to see a little bit of both sides.”
And one aspect that riders like Kamo can appreciate is the professionalism of a WORCS race.
“Everybody comes here and are surprised how professionally run it is,” Reddish said. “When we tell you it's going to start, it's going to start. We (will) run 13 races this weekend and they all start within three minutes (of the scheduled time). Everyone can appreciate that.”
The motorcycle racing action starts today with organized practice times from 11 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Races start Saturday morning at 7:30 a.m. run through 5:30 p.m. and continue at 8 a.m. Sunday.
The event concludes with a pro-main race at noon Sunday and an awards ceremony at 2:30 p.m. The ATV races take place next weekend at the same times.
“I have a trademark saying of the fastest racers on the planet,” Reddish said referring to the pros who race. “Just because of they style of racing. They are showcased in the pro-main event. (It's a) great environment to bring kids out and family.”
