Who Remembers Steel City?

It always seemed to me like an east coast Hangtown.

Haha good way of putting it but the dirt was naturally more loamy/clay. Steel City was a little more jumpy as well. Similar layouts though with the use of the valley and grade of the hills.  I never rode there so couldn't speak from a rider's standpoint, but I've spent plenty of time hoofing it up and down the hills of both Hangtown and Steel City. Both were always hot and exposed and by eod I wanted nothing to do with moto. 

Fastest track I've ever been on.

From a spectator perspective,  it was way better than High Point.   I was disappointed when they shut it down 

Absolutely you could pretty much see the battles going on at 95% of the track at all times

They should have never stopped going there.  

Is the track still there?

Is that the track that was on a watershed and was shut down by the EPA? Or something like that . . .

Best track there was. Funnest to ride, dang good viewing. Real UNmanufactured dirt. Place WAS moto. 

I loved it!! The first year I went they had the dirt perfect! And I ended up going back every year for about 5 or 6 years.  It was so cool how you could see most of the track from most of the places to watch. 

   I got one of my favorite photos of RC there one year when he wrapped up the 450 title.    It might be my favorite National track that I've been to.  He ran the number 1 on his jersey in the second moto after clinching the title in the first moto. He got a good start , pulled a good lead and then was whipping it off this double every lap after the first or second lap .  I got photos of him whipping it from just about every angle. And it was a bad jump for whipping. The landing was small and some guys were not even jumping it.  

Me and my friends were there the year RC dropped down to ride the 125. Langston broke that day and Mike Brown won the championship. I want to say it was 2000 ? 

Loved that track. Got to watch Ryno push his bike to the finish line in 95 and RV battle RD the entire moto and pass him on the last lap. Epic track. 

I never got to ride on it though. Would've loved to give it a go. 

Was there for RC's first pro race. And Larry Ward beating Windham in the first moto, helping Albertyn win the 250 title in "99".

The only time i raced there was on my brand spanking new 1990 YZ 250, which happened to be one of my first races on a 250 smoker after having dropped down after several years racing MX on open bikes. Going from a 1988 KTM 500SX (2 stoke of course), to a YZ250 was eye opening since I was so used to grunting the motor of an open bike. I was like a fish out of water shifting that thing like a mofo feeling like i was never in the proper gear with all the elevation change. Super cool is it was one of the only races my dad attended with me since I didn't start racing moto until I moved to Michigan from NE Ohio at 20, but I was such a dud trying to learn the bike I felt like a total squid! Even though I sucked that day, learning to keep it a gear or two low and ring the daylights out of a 250 2 stroke is what made me break through to another level once I got the hang of the lesser powerband. Great times!

I think Mad Mike Jones still lives next to the track if I recall correctly.

Such cool memories. Thanks for sharing everyone. I still have the 125 battle between Ryno & Brown engrained in my head from just watching it on TV. 04? 05? 

Nope, I am including some screenshots . The date the image is from is shown in the upper left corner. I took  the clearest most recent image I found of the track as a track, and then the newest satellite image showing what its like now.

Mad Mike Jones lives in the house that is in the upper left that the track was behind. A customer of mine went to his house and bought his freestyle ramps years ago. The mobile landing he had and some other ramps.

The screenshots are from google earth. 

And then I found some aerial photos that show it this year. 

The track shown below is at Mike Jones house. It looks like a private practice track. I wouldn't post it if it wasn't already so well known that he lives there and the track is clearly visible from the street.

The entrance in 2012 and then the newest image below from 2024. The signs that are there now.

20 years ago. 2006 mudder.

I heard that was a cover story for the sale to the fracking industry, but the guy who said it may not be a Davey fan. 

I went to every Pro National from '96 on. Raced there lots of times for our local series. It was definitely fun to race on the same track that the pro's did. Two memories stick out from racing there. One was a spring race that was a total mudder and they decided to do one 8 lap moto instead of two 4 lap. It was a full gate and I got a top 5 finish because I managed to not fall down. Otherwise, I would have been about 25th lol. Another time was a fall race and it was so cold in the morning that nobody's bike would start.(carb 4 stroke days)

Stories from the National are for another day. Miss that place...

Fun track to spectate at. I was there for Langston's wheel blowing up, costing him the championship. Bubba's last win on a KX125 too. Alessi's first podium. Lots of history at that place.

Pastrana’s last lap at steel city 2000 was epic

Steel City was my hometown track.  Lots of great memories there.  One unique memory that always sticks out in my mind was in 2002 -- but not the 2002 National though. 

The opening round of the local D5 Spring Series was the weekend of April 13-14.  Also happening that weekend, about 400 miles away, was the Pontiac SX (RIP Silverdome).  Pontiac was the finale of the 125 East season in 2002.  In Pontiac, Branden Jesseman (hometown fan favorite) won his first-ever race in the 125 Main, which ended Chad Reed's undefeated season.  Yes, that was also the same night where RC looped out and fought back to 2nd in the 250 Main with a busted helmet. 

Now back to Steel City.  Because there weren't live television broadcasts, smart phones or many online moto websites in 2002, the news out of Pontiac was basically spread via word-of-mouth the next morning.  Every several minutes, we would overhear conversations between groups consisting of: "you won't believe who won the Supercross race last night;" "Jesseman broke Chad Reed's streak last night;" "I can't wait to see the race on ESPN later this month;" etc.  

Our hometown fan favorite, who had raced dozens of times on the same track we were currently at, had just won at the highest level of racing in the sport and ended the perfect season of the flashy, up-and-coming kid out of Australia.  From the perspective of a young 85cc kid who was slowly becoming obsessed with all things motocross at the time, it was a unique and surreal atmosphere in the pits at Steel City that day.
 

My first year racing , got my first plaque there. 

Where do you turn to go to Steel City?

I was there in 2001 when Brownie pulled the upset to win the 125 title over Langston and went back to see RC complete the first ever perfect season in 2002. Tried to go a third time in 2004 but a hurricane grounded all flights in south Florida so that ruined my plans. Like everyone has mentioned the track layout was great for spectating. 

Mcgrath and Emig 96 and Pastrana Roncada 00.  This used to be the place that decided championships and like many other iconic tracks of that era, it either doesn't exist or is no longer a stop at the pro nationals

Jesseman also ends up winning a championship. Great rider!