Durhamtown closed?

colepop
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colepop 1/6/2022 1:15pm
1/6/2022 1:15pm
I have been riding Dtown for the past 15 years. What started out as a great place to ride had slowly disintegrated to chaos and free for all. Both my boys learned to ride there and my oldest son raced there a few times. It once was a family friendly place but like DoctorJD stated it turned into the Walmart of riding facilities.

I have seen some bad wrecks there, some caused by the rider and some by the actions of idiots stopping on the track or the trails. I have even watched the Medivac helo land and pick up a fallen pee wee rider. The medical crew there was always on the ball in my opinion.

If you liked hard packed dirt and no ruts(with the exception of the Bomber), then Dtown was your place to go. It really did have something for everyone but along the way, it changed not for the better. The family vibe disappeared and now it is UTVs and quads doing donuts in the pits, riding with no helmets and throwing dust everywhere. I hate it closed as I have tons of great memories from there.

BTW - anybody want to buy a 2015 YZF450???.........
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Motogoof
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Motogoof 1/6/2022 1:25pm
1/6/2022 1:25pm
I have great memories of the place. My son (when he was still on 50s )and I would make the long drive in the winter all the way from Toronto. It was one of our yearly winter trips. I haven’t been there for several years due to Covid but on our last trip there was two deaths in one day. It did kind of scare me. One was a woods rider hit a tree and the other one was a young boy who through no fault of anybody crashed weird on one of the motocross tracks and didn’t make it. I always loved staying in one of the old shacks and grabbing dinner at the café which was often some awesome smoked chicken or pork and wash it down with a ton of American beer. I’d tuck the boy in bed and stroll over to the tiki bar for a couple of drinks. Good times for sure!
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Goon645
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Goon645 1/6/2022 2:01pm
1/6/2022 2:01pm

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Richard_Crabbe 1/6/2022 3:13pm
1/6/2022 3:13pm
alien wrote:
Is it possible they would have lost the wrongful death case with DR. Adam White when the tree fell on him while he was riding the...
Is it possible they would have lost the wrongful death case with DR. Adam White when the tree fell on him while he was riding the MX track ? In addition to the above lawsuit that could total up to some serious losses
Where did you read or hear he was killed by a falling tree? I'm researching for an article on D-Town, but can find no confirmation that was the cause of death. Do you have a source?

RC
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The Shop

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Jack_Wagon
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Jack_Wagon 1/6/2022 4:15pm
1/6/2022 4:15pm
alien wrote:
Is it possible they would have lost the wrongful death case with DR. Adam White when the tree fell on him while he was riding the...
Is it possible they would have lost the wrongful death case with DR. Adam White when the tree fell on him while he was riding the MX track ? In addition to the above lawsuit that could total up to some serious losses
Richard_Crabbe wrote:
Where did you read or hear he was killed by a falling tree? I'm researching for an article on D-Town, but can find no confirmation that...
Where did you read or hear he was killed by a falling tree? I'm researching for an article on D-Town, but can find no confirmation that was the cause of death. Do you have a source?

RC
It literally took me 2 minutes to find. You're seriously researching for an article???
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Richard_Crabbe 1/6/2022 9:36pm
1/6/2022 9:36pm
alien wrote:
Is it possible they would have lost the wrongful death case with DR. Adam White when the tree fell on him while he was riding the...
Is it possible they would have lost the wrongful death case with DR. Adam White when the tree fell on him while he was riding the MX track ? In addition to the above lawsuit that could total up to some serious losses
Richard_Crabbe wrote:
Where did you read or hear he was killed by a falling tree? I'm researching for an article on D-Town, but can find no confirmation that...
Where did you read or hear he was killed by a falling tree? I'm researching for an article on D-Town, but can find no confirmation that was the cause of death. Do you have a source?

RC
Jack_Wagon wrote:
It literally took me 2 minutes to find. You're seriously researching for an article??? [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2022/01/06/526955/s1200_Screenshot_20220106_191001.jpg[/img]
It literally took me 2 minutes to find. You're seriously researching for an article???
Thanks for posting a shot of the (unattributed) clipping, but in the meantime I found the complaint filed by Dr. White's widow in the Superior Court of Greene County (FYI, file # SUCV2019000307 - WHITE V MCCOMMONS, ET AL 12-16-2019).
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steveada
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steveada 1/7/2022 11:45am
1/7/2022 11:45am
Have some great memories of DT. My kids learned to ride there and we spent many many weekends camping out and riding there as they were growing up. It had a great vibe with the majority of people there riding bikes, with a fair number of quads as well. Mike the owner could be great, like when they had a very popular racing series on the peewee track and at the end of the series he would be so generous to all the kids giving out huge trophies, and piles of swag from the pro shop, I remember a ride day with Josh Hill and Jeff Emig where the boys had such a great time following them around all day, then sitting around the fire that night listening to their stories. Unfortunately the last 10 years saw a steady decline in my eyes as the park seemed to cater more and more to the SxS crowd and we pretty much stopped going there anymore.
5
Jharper
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Jharper 1/7/2022 8:26pm
1/7/2022 8:26pm Edited Date/Time 1/7/2022 8:37pm
Let me start by saying I’m extremely biased, because I grew up at and worked at Durhamtown for over 10 years. From the time I was 10 years old till I was 22, I was there. That place is my childhood home and I’m pretty crushed. Mike isn’t perfect, but who is? I know there are a million people that can tell you bad shit he’s done and I’ve been victim some of it too, but not many of them will tell you about how he went out of his way to make someone’s weekend. Or even their year; as a lot of people visiting came from out of town, out of state, or across the planet. Last time I was there Mike personally went out of his way to go cut the inverter off of one of his trailers and give it to me because the lights on my freestyle ramp/trailer weren’t working and he knew I had an overnight drive back to Florida. The place is akin to Dirtbike Disney land and it’s a damn shame I can’t take my family there someday to repeat time times we had out there. I met a million people there from ex girlfriends, to pro riders to celebrities and everything in between, but nobody and nothing compares to the memories made there with family and friends. My mom met her husband there. The place never paid worth a damn, but it didn’t matter to me because I made enough money to put some gas in my dirtbike. The way I look at it is that the parents of a kid who hit a culvert are just as culpable and negligent as anyone that worked there was. It’s hard to catch every little danger that you see day in and day out, but if it’s gross negligence, then where were the parents to signed the kid up to race on a track that they could see everything on? They could see the entire track before lining the kid up and all day on the sight laps. Not to mention, I’m sure that it wasn’t their first time at the park. Why is the facility supposed to harbor all of the guilt on that? Why does nobody take some responsibility for their own actions now. It’s always tragic to see anyone get hurt, especially kids, but that’s sometimes what our sport is. That’s what gives us that thrill that we love so much.

I’m not involved with Durhamtown anymore and haven’t been in over 12 years now, but it has always been my vacation destination number one. It wasn’t perfect and side by sides definitely detracted from what it once was, but that is the only place on earth where I can step foot and feel like I never left no matter how long I’ve been gone. I hope that it comes back and survives in some form (I have no real insider knowledge anymore guys so stop messaging me 😂), but if it doesn’t I’ll cherish the memories made with the people I met there and the time spent.

What I have heard is on both sides of the fence and I’m sure we won’t know until mike decides to let us know. On one hand I’ve heard that it will be back up and running under new ownership and a new name in a month’s time. One can hope, but I’m waiting to see. The source is reliable enough.

The other I’ve heard is that the judge ruled no more off road riding use on the land specifically. This seems far-fetched given it was a civil case.

The stuff surrounding the doctor is horrifying and tragic. I’d met him a handful of times and by all accounts his family was super nice. I’ve witnessed a handful of deaths at Durhamtown, but nothing quite like what happened there. Every time I’ve seen a death, I’ve witnessed everyone around teaming up to do absolutely everything they could to save the life of a fellow rider after a tragic accident. Statistically speaking, Durhamtown gets a lot more traffic compared to a lot of other riding areas. Per capita I’d put my money on them having less fatalities than lots of others due to the on site medics, staff knowledge, and safety precautions. The place isn’t perfect, but at least when I was there, the staff and owner cared a lot about everyone’s safety. It’s not like the countless places where you can go drink booze , ride two ways, and wear a helmet if you feel like it.

Anyway, that’s my rant. Take responsibility for your own actions and don’t ruin things for others. This country is losing riding areas because the sport has inherited a bunch of entitled ass holes from my generation and the previous.

-Jesse
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Ramrod
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Ramrod 1/8/2022 7:29am
1/8/2022 7:29am
Jharper, well said brother. Straight from the heart. I appreciate reading this response, you totally get "it".
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Jharper
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Jharper 1/8/2022 1:26pm
1/8/2022 1:26pm
Ramrod wrote:
Jharper, well said brother. Straight from the heart. I appreciate reading this response, you totally get "it".
Thanks man. I was seeing a bunch of people post old photos from back in the day and there are photos of Jonathan Mayzak from when he was 4-6 years old on a 50. Me teaching Crocket Myers on a 50, getting to ride with Kdub and just all kinds of awesome memories getting flooded on Facebook right now. It’s like losing a part of your life.
1
Nanites44 1/23/2022 3:47pm
1/23/2022 3:47pm
DoctorJD wrote:
Just came here to post this. Not sure if they were hacked, or not. Seems legit at this point. Spent many hours there over the years...
Just came here to post this. Not sure if they were hacked, or not. Seems legit at this point. Spent many hours there over the years with my son and my friends. Had a love-hate relationship with DT. If true, thanks for the memories.
Our family has visited the park for years. Our son was injured once, but that is obvious when you are doing high adrenaline sports. Ride at your own risk. We keep our bikes there and they are still there. I think they will reopen at some point. Great place. Lots of memories.
GeorgiePorgie 1/23/2022 3:51pm
1/23/2022 3:51pm Edited Date/Time 1/23/2022 3:52pm
Another 600 acres facility GONE. Thanks assholes. Always had a great time down there, for sure were some clowns. And I expect the clowns ruined it for the rest of us. Thanks again!
Nanites44 1/23/2022 3:55pm
1/23/2022 3:55pm
Jharper wrote:
Let me start by saying I’m extremely biased, because I grew up at and worked at Durhamtown for over 10 years. From the time I was...
Let me start by saying I’m extremely biased, because I grew up at and worked at Durhamtown for over 10 years. From the time I was 10 years old till I was 22, I was there. That place is my childhood home and I’m pretty crushed. Mike isn’t perfect, but who is? I know there are a million people that can tell you bad shit he’s done and I’ve been victim some of it too, but not many of them will tell you about how he went out of his way to make someone’s weekend. Or even their year; as a lot of people visiting came from out of town, out of state, or across the planet. Last time I was there Mike personally went out of his way to go cut the inverter off of one of his trailers and give it to me because the lights on my freestyle ramp/trailer weren’t working and he knew I had an overnight drive back to Florida. The place is akin to Dirtbike Disney land and it’s a damn shame I can’t take my family there someday to repeat time times we had out there. I met a million people there from ex girlfriends, to pro riders to celebrities and everything in between, but nobody and nothing compares to the memories made there with family and friends. My mom met her husband there. The place never paid worth a damn, but it didn’t matter to me because I made enough money to put some gas in my dirtbike. The way I look at it is that the parents of a kid who hit a culvert are just as culpable and negligent as anyone that worked there was. It’s hard to catch every little danger that you see day in and day out, but if it’s gross negligence, then where were the parents to signed the kid up to race on a track that they could see everything on? They could see the entire track before lining the kid up and all day on the sight laps. Not to mention, I’m sure that it wasn’t their first time at the park. Why is the facility supposed to harbor all of the guilt on that? Why does nobody take some responsibility for their own actions now. It’s always tragic to see anyone get hurt, especially kids, but that’s sometimes what our sport is. That’s what gives us that thrill that we love so much.

I’m not involved with Durhamtown anymore and haven’t been in over 12 years now, but it has always been my vacation destination number one. It wasn’t perfect and side by sides definitely detracted from what it once was, but that is the only place on earth where I can step foot and feel like I never left no matter how long I’ve been gone. I hope that it comes back and survives in some form (I have no real insider knowledge anymore guys so stop messaging me 😂), but if it doesn’t I’ll cherish the memories made with the people I met there and the time spent.

What I have heard is on both sides of the fence and I’m sure we won’t know until mike decides to let us know. On one hand I’ve heard that it will be back up and running under new ownership and a new name in a month’s time. One can hope, but I’m waiting to see. The source is reliable enough.

The other I’ve heard is that the judge ruled no more off road riding use on the land specifically. This seems far-fetched given it was a civil case.

The stuff surrounding the doctor is horrifying and tragic. I’d met him a handful of times and by all accounts his family was super nice. I’ve witnessed a handful of deaths at Durhamtown, but nothing quite like what happened there. Every time I’ve seen a death, I’ve witnessed everyone around teaming up to do absolutely everything they could to save the life of a fellow rider after a tragic accident. Statistically speaking, Durhamtown gets a lot more traffic compared to a lot of other riding areas. Per capita I’d put my money on them having less fatalities than lots of others due to the on site medics, staff knowledge, and safety precautions. The place isn’t perfect, but at least when I was there, the staff and owner cared a lot about everyone’s safety. It’s not like the countless places where you can go drink booze , ride two ways, and wear a helmet if you feel like it.

Anyway, that’s my rant. Take responsibility for your own actions and don’t ruin things for others. This country is losing riding areas because the sport has inherited a bunch of entitled ass holes from my generation and the previous.

-Jesse
J...
So you think it might re-open. I heard the same thing from a pretty good source. Don't know how or when but did I did hear that it will be open by mid spring. What do you think. Been riding up there for years. From South Florids
KingsCourt 1/24/2022 4:36am
1/24/2022 4:36am
Obviously I'm just over-simplifying things, but I just don't understand how someone could sign those waivers we all sign, and actually successfully sue the facility. It's as simple as ride at your own risk, and if something happens, it's not their fault or responsibility. What am I missing.
2
Drfletcher
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Drfletcher 1/24/2022 5:19am
1/24/2022 5:19am
bh wrote:
I have been there only once and I compounded my humorous there about 2 months ago. Needless to say its a 6000 plus acre liability in...
I have been there only once and I compounded my humorous there about 2 months ago. Needless to say its a 6000 plus acre liability in my eyes. A lot of the tracks are pretty beat, the skill level of riders is pretty low, and not to mention all the SxS and atvs blasting around the place. I've always seen durhamtown as the place for people who partake in powersports to go out 2-3 times a year and live it up. Which doesn't bring the most skilled/wise crowd of riders/drivers.

I wonder how much of it has to do with the lawsuit of the kid who got his leg chopped off by a culvert and won the suit for 14.2 million.

On a side note the paramedic in the ambulance with me said that they make 2-3 ambulance trips a week to durhamtown. I went to a hospital in Athens Georgia and that place has a very big reputation among the emts, doctors, and nurses for being dangerous because of how many patients they see get hurt there.
It is where I broke my collarbone off a huge kicker that eventually led to my divorce. Needless to say I am grateful for Durhamtown for that but the lack of maintenance on tracks was a total liability.
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Jharper
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Jharper 1/24/2022 5:32am
1/24/2022 5:32am
Jharper wrote:
Let me start by saying I’m extremely biased, because I grew up at and worked at Durhamtown for over 10 years. From the time I was...
Let me start by saying I’m extremely biased, because I grew up at and worked at Durhamtown for over 10 years. From the time I was 10 years old till I was 22, I was there. That place is my childhood home and I’m pretty crushed. Mike isn’t perfect, but who is? I know there are a million people that can tell you bad shit he’s done and I’ve been victim some of it too, but not many of them will tell you about how he went out of his way to make someone’s weekend. Or even their year; as a lot of people visiting came from out of town, out of state, or across the planet. Last time I was there Mike personally went out of his way to go cut the inverter off of one of his trailers and give it to me because the lights on my freestyle ramp/trailer weren’t working and he knew I had an overnight drive back to Florida. The place is akin to Dirtbike Disney land and it’s a damn shame I can’t take my family there someday to repeat time times we had out there. I met a million people there from ex girlfriends, to pro riders to celebrities and everything in between, but nobody and nothing compares to the memories made there with family and friends. My mom met her husband there. The place never paid worth a damn, but it didn’t matter to me because I made enough money to put some gas in my dirtbike. The way I look at it is that the parents of a kid who hit a culvert are just as culpable and negligent as anyone that worked there was. It’s hard to catch every little danger that you see day in and day out, but if it’s gross negligence, then where were the parents to signed the kid up to race on a track that they could see everything on? They could see the entire track before lining the kid up and all day on the sight laps. Not to mention, I’m sure that it wasn’t their first time at the park. Why is the facility supposed to harbor all of the guilt on that? Why does nobody take some responsibility for their own actions now. It’s always tragic to see anyone get hurt, especially kids, but that’s sometimes what our sport is. That’s what gives us that thrill that we love so much.

I’m not involved with Durhamtown anymore and haven’t been in over 12 years now, but it has always been my vacation destination number one. It wasn’t perfect and side by sides definitely detracted from what it once was, but that is the only place on earth where I can step foot and feel like I never left no matter how long I’ve been gone. I hope that it comes back and survives in some form (I have no real insider knowledge anymore guys so stop messaging me 😂), but if it doesn’t I’ll cherish the memories made with the people I met there and the time spent.

What I have heard is on both sides of the fence and I’m sure we won’t know until mike decides to let us know. On one hand I’ve heard that it will be back up and running under new ownership and a new name in a month’s time. One can hope, but I’m waiting to see. The source is reliable enough.

The other I’ve heard is that the judge ruled no more off road riding use on the land specifically. This seems far-fetched given it was a civil case.

The stuff surrounding the doctor is horrifying and tragic. I’d met him a handful of times and by all accounts his family was super nice. I’ve witnessed a handful of deaths at Durhamtown, but nothing quite like what happened there. Every time I’ve seen a death, I’ve witnessed everyone around teaming up to do absolutely everything they could to save the life of a fellow rider after a tragic accident. Statistically speaking, Durhamtown gets a lot more traffic compared to a lot of other riding areas. Per capita I’d put my money on them having less fatalities than lots of others due to the on site medics, staff knowledge, and safety precautions. The place isn’t perfect, but at least when I was there, the staff and owner cared a lot about everyone’s safety. It’s not like the countless places where you can go drink booze , ride two ways, and wear a helmet if you feel like it.

Anyway, that’s my rant. Take responsibility for your own actions and don’t ruin things for others. This country is losing riding areas because the sport has inherited a bunch of entitled ass holes from my generation and the previous.

-Jesse
Nanites44 wrote:
J... So you think it might re-open. I heard the same thing from a pretty good source. Don't know how or when but did I did...
J...
So you think it might re-open. I heard the same thing from a pretty good source. Don't know how or when but did I did hear that it will be open by mid spring. What do you think. Been riding up there for years. From South Florids
I still know several people involved in the facility who have hinted at “new ownership”, but not been straight from Mike. I haven’t spoken to him in a few years now as I haven’t been up since before Covid. I’m in Tampa now myself.
1
Jharper
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Jharper 1/24/2022 5:38am
1/24/2022 5:38am
KingsCourt wrote:
Obviously I'm just over-simplifying things, but I just don't understand how someone could sign those waivers we all sign, and actually successfully sue the facility. It's...
Obviously I'm just over-simplifying things, but I just don't understand how someone could sign those waivers we all sign, and actually successfully sue the facility. It's as simple as ride at your own risk, and if something happens, it's not their fault or responsibility. What am I missing.
They didn’t actually sign the waiver it seems. It was purposely skipped by the family, which makes me think that likely it was missed in all of the chaos that is race day sign ups. It’s odd that a family racing had NEVER signed a waiver unless they did so purposefully and strategically. Nevertheless, the defense could not present a signed waiver for the family and those are stored on a backup onsite. So likely if they couldn’t find the paper one, the computer one would still be there. Though I don’t know if they scan the signatures back in or not? It’s been too long since I’ve been there. I remember filling out waivers on a clip board on the pool table and then asking me to hand draw maps for people that got them to all the spots they wanted to check out the quickest way. Believe it or not, you can get to every spot on the property in about 2-5 minutes if you know what you’re doing. You do have to take the main road, but for accidents, it made me feel safer knowing that I was actually a lot closer to “civilization” than it felt. Four roads dissect all of the trails systems.
ChaseW
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ChaseW 1/24/2022 5:47am
1/24/2022 5:47am
KingsCourt wrote:
Obviously I'm just over-simplifying things, but I just don't understand how someone could sign those waivers we all sign, and actually successfully sue the facility. It's...
Obviously I'm just over-simplifying things, but I just don't understand how someone could sign those waivers we all sign, and actually successfully sue the facility. It's as simple as ride at your own risk, and if something happens, it's not their fault or responsibility. What am I missing.
I can't speak to the proceedings of the case regarding the waiver, but what I can speak a little bit more to how those waivers work. In essence what you are saying is that they are protected if you as the rider f-up. If you spill on a trail and break your collarbone you can't sue them. However, the waiver operates under the assumption that the proprietor has made all reasonable attempts to ensure the safety of the riders. That's why these cases aren't necessarily injury suits, they're negligence suits. It's because the case was that DT did not take sufficient precautions to make sure that the riding environment was safe.
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DoctorJD
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DoctorJD 1/24/2022 6:14am
1/24/2022 6:14am
I met some friends over in Woodville (right down the road from D'town) for a bike ride yesterday, and I was shocked at how many trucks I saw go by with bikes/quads on them headed over to D'town. Not sure if they were planning on poaching, or if they just hadn't gotten the news yet.
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WDSRCR
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WDSRCR 1/24/2022 6:45am
1/24/2022 6:45am
A friend of mine had made reservations in the fall to go there next month (Feb 2022) and when he called last week, he was told they were still good to go and to come on down. Not sure what's going on but it sounds like they are running it as a private facility with "membership" required.
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mxjeff575
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mxjeff575 3/4/2022 10:06am
3/4/2022 10:06am
Looks like it is open again under a new name!
Georgia Offroad Adventures

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agilkinson
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agilkinson 3/4/2022 10:25am
3/4/2022 10:25am
mxjeff575 wrote:
Looks like it is open again under a new name! Georgia Offroad Adventures [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2022/03/04/536477/s1200_F614FD80_9726_42B9_86D1_C7B08F5726CA.jpg[/img]
Looks like it is open again under a new name!
Georgia Offroad Adventures

Seems promising, hopefully with new owners they have more incentive to keep the MX tracks prepped. Prepped durahmtown tracks are nearly unbeatable for fun factor
KingsCourt 3/6/2022 8:12pm
3/6/2022 8:12pm
I've been told that the owner/management is the same, just with a different name. It appears that lawyers figured a way to make this work. When I imagined it reopening, I imagined it would be with new a new owner, which I thought would take a while to figure out. The fact that they are up and running so quickly makes me believe that it's the same management/owner. Interesting either way.
arrigo5252 3/7/2022 6:04am
3/7/2022 6:04am
It’s open was there last week place is same as it always was just under new name

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