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Modified track, more races planned by motocross club

Green River Riding Club to host four CMA events

The Green River Riding Club, a non-profit organization that operates the Pemberton dirt track – now officially named the Green River Motocross Track Park – launched its 2006 season April 8 by opening to the public for the first time.

Opening day was well attended, with over 40 local riders coming out to make laps on a course that has recently been brought up to Canadian Motorcycle Association standards. The track is now open from Wednesday through Friday, from 5 p.m. to dusk, and on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to dusk.

According to Shaun Greenaway, a GRRC director and race promoter for the track, there have been several changes this year.

The most noticeable change is to the track itself. Although the GRRC hoped to have a full month to prepare the track for the season, snow on the ground meant volunteers had just eight days to ready the course for opening day. With the help of some donated excavation equipment the course workers succeeded.

"I think we have a quality track, and it’s definitely a lot safer and cleaner," said Greenaway. "We lengthened one section, it’s now about 120 feet longer, and we removed a lot of the features where people got hurt last year or that people weren’t comfortable with.

"We do have some pros, but the majority of our members are recreational or beginner and intermediate riders, and a lot of them are kids, so we had to look at it from their standpoint. Not everybody rides as fast."

One of the key organizational changes was bringing on new board members, including Doug MacFarlane as the new GRRC president.

"It’s been an incredible organizational experience," said Greenaway. "We’ve already made huge improvements to the track, our communications has improved, we’re moving our tenure application along, we’re seeing more interest from sponsors… our past boards did a great job to get us this far, but we really needed some new energy."

For members, annual track fees have increased to $300 per rider, up from $200 last year. All of the additional money will go back into the track, says Greenaway, including the cost of owning and maintaining a Bobcat – a welcome addition that was made possible through a sponsorship agreement with a distributor in Vancouver.

Several local excavating companies have also promised additional equipment to help out when the GRRC hosts sanctioned races over the course of the year.

This year the GRRC will host four events, or double the number of races held last season, all sanctioned by the CMA. The dates are May 6-7, July 8-9, Aug. 26-27 and Sept. 30-Oct. 1. A group of companies has agreed to sponsor the track for the season and all four events, rather than just individual races.

Greenaway says rider numbers are up significantly for events this season, and that Pemberton should expect a strong turnout.

At the first race in Aggasiz there were 280 riders in the field, while a practice session at the Mission track the following week had 50 riders in each category.

According to Greenaway, the Green River Motocross Park Track is unique in B.C. as it’s one of the few facilities that is open five days a week. Most tracks in the Lower Mainland only open on select dates, which results in crowded practice sessions.

The Pemberton track also responds to wet weather better than courses in the Lower Mainland. Most riders pulled out of the race in Mission out of concern that the mud would damage their dirt bikes. On the other hand the Pemberton course can get too dry. The GRRC installed an irrigation system last year to keep the dust under control and so far it’s working, says Greenaway. This year crews and volunteers will also be working on Monday and Tuesday to repair any damage to the track from the days where the track is open.

There will be a staff member on duty during hours of operation to take memberships. Memberships are also available at No Limits Motorsports and OTP in Squamish, Fanatyk Co. in Whistler and Vision Motorsports in Pemberton. Day passes are also available.

Greenaway is one of the local competitive riders from the GRRC. He had surgery on a broken bone in his hand in December, and recently moved up to a 450 cc bike from a 250.

He entered the first event in Aggasiz to test his hand and new bike, and ended up finishing second despite "riding quite conservatively," he said. "I wasn’t looking to place, it was just an opportunity to ride and get in a little more saddle time."

Greenaway was bumped into the pro class for the CMA series, but opted to remain in the intermediate class for the more professional CMRC series. He’s also hoping to go to the nationals this summer, and doesn’t want to race against the top guys in Canada. "I didn’t need to go race in the pro class there and get my butt kicked," he said.

Greenaway’s next race is a CMRC event in Kamloops, which is a qualifier for the nationals. He plans to race in three categories, the MX1 class for 450 bikes, the Over 30 category, and the Over 25 category.

Greenaway was signed to the Vision Motorsports team this winter, where he hopes to help build a strong local team.

There will be a fundraiser at the GLC for the GRRC on May 4, sponsored by Vision Motorsports. Among other activities, the fundraiser will have a draw for a minibike.

For more information on the GRRC, visit www.grrc.ca.