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I checked out Chaos MX in Two Hills this afternoon. Arguably one of the most fun tracks I've been on and the conditions couldn't have been better. Feel free to respond with your videos of Alberta MX tracks, especially in the Edmonton area.
Don't mind the garbage whoop speed.
https://youtu.be/MDgDPfuE2sc
Don't mind the garbage whoop speed.
https://youtu.be/MDgDPfuE2sc
https://youtu.be/6zISoJy2PKo
The Shop
When I stopped after 1987 the Edmonton area had tracks in Fort Saskatchewan (my hometown), the old 1st Street/Dump area that was open and scary AF to ride at, and then a track out near Stony Plain. Over all those years I raced so many tracks in Alberta came and went. I remember racing on the ski hill at Lake Eden in 1984! It was a cool course but it was around May long weekend and the frost was coming out of the ground, and as the day went on there were these crazy wheel sucking ruts that could stop you dead. Also raced right down by the river in Devon, on the south side by the campground. Track had the finest sand ever, so many motors were destroyed. There used to be a really nice track out by Bon Accord (Flying W), but the pressure from the local community closed it down. And there was a nice track down by the river just west of Calmar, forget the name but it was ran by the Holland family. And there was a track northwest of Stony Plain that was pretty cool (Hubble Lake?), had some awesome old school grass sections. And of course Antler Lake, which hosted nationals forever. It was rarely open to ride for practice though. I was a lucky kid, my father went to school with the land owner of the Antler Lake track, so I could occasionally get exclusive access to the track. When I was really young our family used to all go out there and ride around....I never understood how lucky we were to have access to that place that very few others ever had. It never helped me much, I rode that hardpack poorly.
Red Deer had a variety of tracks - out by Pine Lake, my first race ever. Then on the fairgrounds, then a sand track out just west of gasoline alley. That's where I first saw a young Jason Frenette on a KX80 just ripping it. There was also a great track down by Alix, right where hwy 21 dead ends by the gas plant (Edit: just googled and it looks like this place exists as Tail Creek Raceway, but maybe does not have MX anymore). Calgary had Blackfoot, then another version of Blackfoot on the east side of the city (Race City speedway land I think?), then Wildrose down by Carbon, ran by Murray Coclough. Medicine Hat had the classic track by the river with the big ass hills, I used to be scared as hell on my RM80 out there! Fort Mac had a track in the trees just south of town, good layout but the black flies would eat you to death. For a couple of years there was a track in Wainwright too, out by the military base. And of course we headed east to race in Lloydminster and North Battleford.
Anyway, that Temple Hill video really brought back the memories!
Bump is catered more to the weekend rider who is there to maybe learn bike skills and progress. Super nice staff, great family facility, but if you are a somewhat serious rider, who likes to put in motos, its not the best imo. They look to be making a huge effort to prep more often, which is a nice thing to see. But I have spun a lot of laps at Bump, and ever since they re did the jumps on the track, I have not enjoyed it. The track is too high speed for the steep, low speed jumps that they have. Again, just personal opinion.
Whitecourt MX (In blue ridge, 1hr 40ish from Edmonton) is not very active on social media, but those guys really know how to prep. Track gets multiple ruts, flows nice, and they maintain it through out the day. If you are lucky to catch them on a prep day, its a must go. If its not prepped, id look for other options.
Alix (Xtreme Raceways) has the potential to be something great because of the elevation, but from my experiences, they lack the equipment to handle track prep consistently.
Personally, I like to mix in road trips to Calgary. Their sub par prep is still better then most. So you generally know what you are getting with that 2.5 hr drive. Also Drumheller (Dorva) has a great layout, and when it is prepped, is a lot of fun.
There are other tracks around, but they are drop in, get the gate code and ride as is tracks. Which i am not a fan of. So i wont even list those lol.
Chaos was possibly the most fun track I've been on, if I'm honest.
But at the same time, a big criticism i have is that the foot print of the track is massive. It is hard to keep up with regular maintenance on a track that size.
Also, They also have 4 tracks (50cc, Liz track, Sprint track, and main track) and it is a great idea to try to encourage people to work their way through the tracks, and ultimately be skilled enough to safely ride the main track.
But if you are going to market the main track as the premier track of the facility, i would like to see it have a "premiere" prep, so to speak, as well as obstacles that are challenging to not only beginners, but the faster group as well. I dont mean full prep as often as their prep they have now. But maybe once a week or once every two weeks try to rip it deep to try and draw out the serious moto guys.
I don't mean to turn your thread into a full on review of BUMP, but its criticism (friendly criticism) that has been held in for some time. haha
I notice nobody in the thread has mentioned Antler Lake. Is that just because it's practically off limits to public most of the year or what? I rode there two years in a row 2012/2013 and I wouldn't mind getting out there for any practice or work days if I can.
The hill track, although it gets dusty, holds up better I feel then the East track. But mid day water was needed.
Thank
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