Best Event to Catch

Washougal while somewhat close to Portland and the airport is a bumper to bumper grind to get out. Caveat: It's been a few years since I was there, so it could be better but I doubt it.  This is assuming you stay the whole day. If you leave early then maybe...

Of all those tracks Millville is the best IMO in terms of overall track awesomeness and viewing.  Minneapolis airport is a little over an hour or so from the track.  You could stay in a hotel in Minneapolis and drive down morning of the race.  There are non-stop flights from LA and Phoenix I am sure, probably like a 3.5 hour flight or so, give or take, if you can do non stop.  Otherwise probably a 5+ hour trip with layover. Ironman is less than an hour drive to a good size airport in Indianapolis, and lots of hotels. I can't speak to Budds, I have not made that one yet.  

Washougal is awesome, but you can only see maybe half the track from any one spot (similar to Ironman) and as noted getting in and out is kind of tough unless you head east first and avoid going through town after the race.  Washougal and Spring Creek are likely to have the best weather.  Budds can be really hot and Ironman can get pretty warm too.  Budds is really far from the West Coast.  It would be a 5 hour flight if you can find a reasonably priced non stop flight.  Otherwise you are looking at 7 to 8 hours of travel time with a layover.  I would suggest using Kayak and start looking at flights to get a feel for what might be reasonable and what is available.  Red eye flights in the states are usually cheaper, but when you get there your a zombie.  Not sure if they are a thing down in Australia....    

Have fun! 

I’ve been to all of the outdoor motocross tracks you listed. They’re all great, but in my opinion I think Washougal would be your best bet since you’ll be on the West Coast. I’ll give some notes for considering the other tracks as well.

Millville: by far my favorite track for spectating. You can see 90% of the track in many locations. However, your travel there can be tricky. You either fly into Minneapolis and have a 90 min drive or fly into Rochester (regional airport so more expensive) and have a 45 min drive. Traffic can be rough getting out (add 30-40 min for traffic) but not as bad as Washougal. Completely worth it if you can fit it in your schedule.

Washougal: great track for spectating if you like walking around and moving to different spots all day. Not really a place you can or should post up in one spot to take in the race. As mentioned above the traffic getting out can be horrible. You’ll not only have a shorter flight but also more choices in flights as well. 45 min drive to and from the airport (without traffic…add at least an hour for traffic…maybe 1.5 hours because Portland is a traffic nightmare 😂 ). Also Portland has a really cool airport if that matters to you at all. 

Budds Creek: also a great track with great viewing from multiple spots and lots of moto history. It’s the longest flight and you’ll drive an hour to and from Reagan Airport or 90 min if you fly into Dulles. Traffic getting out would probably add about 30 min.

Ironman: great track for good racing and I would say okay for spectating. Of the 4 you listed I think it ranks lowest for spectating and overall vibe of the race. The layout for fans is really weird the way you have to navigate around the track. The food/beverage concessions are minimal but they have the cleanest porta potties I’ve ever seen. The drive to the airport is around an hour. Traffic getting out moves pretty well maybe add 20 min to funnel out of Crawfordsville. 

Washougal probably ticks the boxes. Getting back to LAX by 7 - 8:00 PM will be tricky though, as it’s a 2.5 hour flight and realistically, you’d need to leave the track by approximately 3:00 PM. But otherwise, it’s great vibes, decent viewing (expect to climb a few hills), and overall, a great experience.

Milville is easily the best.  Track is beautiful and as others have said easy to view from any vantage point.  The creek is nice to get into if it’s a hot day and the Martins are awesome folks who just run a really great facility.

If catching a flight out of LAX at 10pm on whichever Saturday night is important,  then your only realistic option is SMX2 in LA. No way you’re making that work for Millville, Budds or Iron Man. You could potentially watch the first motos only at Washougal and make it work, but no chance on getting in any 2nd motos and making it to LAX with enough time to board a 10pm flight. 

If Millville is a more open time for you then for sure go to that one. 

Why do you have to head back from LAX? Book your return flight from NY.

If you need to fly out of LAX at 10pm on a Saturday night, you won't be able to pull this off from anywhere but the LA round, and even then, you might not be able to stay until the end.  If you can push the flight back to Sunday, you could attend any of the events.

RedBud