Posts
40
Joined
12/11/2020
Location
Pea Ridge, AR
US
Edited Date/Time
11/28/2022 2:41pm
My dream has been to own and operate a motocross track since the time I hit my first jump. Everything I can find from previous forums is all negative. If there was no way to make money in the sport then there would be no tracks that are open to the public. There has to be a way to make this a successful business even when starting with no land or even nothing, but I'M not.
My Father-in-Law has 185 acres that I'm currently living on, with the option to buy as much of it as I'd like (for a killer price these days). We are in the country and have checked with the county on noise and zoning laws in my area, and they say I'm in a spot to where owning and operating a track is very possible.
My Father-in-Law also has all the equipment necessary to prep and re-design the track. He would let me use this equipment for the track, but would charge me a fee to use it, that and I would have to pay for fuel and if I needed to have one of his guys operate the machinery, I would be required to pay them for their time as well. The only thing we are missing is the water truck.
I have a solid business plan and a couple of people to back me when it comes to a down payment for the business loan. I know people say if you dont own the land outright the track will not be profitable, but there has to be a way.
The plan is to have a shop with bathrooms, concessions, mechanic, and OEM and aftermarket parts counter at this motocross track. A track for the big bikes and main events, and a "kids" track for beginners and 65cc and under bikes. I plan on having camper hookups for race weekends and overnighters that want to stay for more than 1 day of riding. as well as lights and bleachers for night time riding and spectating.
Is there anyone out there that might have some new insight on how to make this all possible and profitable in todays world?
My Father-in-Law has 185 acres that I'm currently living on, with the option to buy as much of it as I'd like (for a killer price these days). We are in the country and have checked with the county on noise and zoning laws in my area, and they say I'm in a spot to where owning and operating a track is very possible.
My Father-in-Law also has all the equipment necessary to prep and re-design the track. He would let me use this equipment for the track, but would charge me a fee to use it, that and I would have to pay for fuel and if I needed to have one of his guys operate the machinery, I would be required to pay them for their time as well. The only thing we are missing is the water truck.
I have a solid business plan and a couple of people to back me when it comes to a down payment for the business loan. I know people say if you dont own the land outright the track will not be profitable, but there has to be a way.
The plan is to have a shop with bathrooms, concessions, mechanic, and OEM and aftermarket parts counter at this motocross track. A track for the big bikes and main events, and a "kids" track for beginners and 65cc and under bikes. I plan on having camper hookups for race weekends and overnighters that want to stay for more than 1 day of riding. as well as lights and bleachers for night time riding and spectating.
Is there anyone out there that might have some new insight on how to make this all possible and profitable in todays world?
Are you able to get loans, or do you have the money to get this thing operational? Electric hookups, sewage (bathrooms), buildings, etc.. may cost quite a bit depending on where these 185 acres are located.
Also, you can't really "rent" or borrow machinery to be remotely profitable, or to remain friends with your FiL lol. You will need to get a bulldozer and water truck.
I was going to roll a bulldozer and water truck into the loan for any land I find. I don't plan to be profitable. I plan to work full time and make it a private track first without any services. Which is what I would do if I were you. You have the land...screw a public track just get a bobcat and go to town lol
I have excellent credit and I'm already to the halfway mark of the down payment I need, according to what I plan on spending. Between a couple of family friends and some local moto junkies I've came up with 1/2 the down payment and plan to do a GoFundMe fundraiser to try and come up with 3/4 of the down payment, if not the whole thing.
I think you have look at it like the restaurant business; obviously some can make it profitable but most will struggle to keep their head above water and call it quits after a few years. You will need to be able to run a business (which is a ton of work in itself and not easy) and be able to put out a quality product still. Many find the business aspect very draining and sucks the enthusiasm out of what you were once passionate about.
You need to be real sure about zoning and any special use permits before making any moves. You ideally do not want to have to operate under a conditional use permit since that can be revoked. This seems to be the major hang up for most of the private tracks posted on vital, and is an issue for my local track.
"The plan is to have a shop with bathrooms, concessions, mechanic, and OEM and aftermarket parts counter at this motocross track. A track for the big bikes and main events, and a "kids" track for beginners and 65cc and under bikes. I plan on having camper hookups for race weekends and overnighters that want to stay for more than 1 day of riding. as well as lights and bleachers for night time riding and spectating."
Have you considered building towards this grand plan? Perhaps it would be wise to minimize your outlay to start out. Start with a single track, parking lot, and port-a-johns and figure out how to run a track and make some profit, most likely as a practice track. You can make a real basic kids track and start building it up over time. If you can set aside some of the woods for trails you can widen your demographic and set up to hold a hare scramble in the future (which are very profitable in my experience). Don't hold a race until you have experience running the track; racers can be very critical and if you botch it you'll have the reputation of shit track/place to race for a long time.
Lastly, if you're willing to stray from being a MX only place (sacrilege, I know) you can open yourself up to more profitable demographics. On the east coast it seems that ATV and UTV guys have bottomless pockets and will pay to ride on any shit trail, especially if you offer camping at the facility. To be clear you don't let them on the track, you would have to set aside trails for them. If you want to sell your soul to turn a profit, this is always an option.
The Shop
However, you aren't wrong. Some of these tracks make money or they wouldn't be doing it.
However, I also think lots of track owners are successful in other areas of business and have money to burn or a way to use existing businesses to eat up some of the expenses of the track operations.
I gotta think that having the ability to hold off road races really helps the bottom line, most local off road races get 2-3x the turn out of local moto races. But 185 acres ain't enough to put on much of a off road race, need probably 3-4x that I would think but I could be wrong?
Either way, best of luck. We can ALWAYS use more moto tracks/riding areas to keep this sport alive.
Too bad we don't have an organization or sanctioning body in place to help people with some of this stuff.... you know to "grow the sport" and what not.....
If you have any questions about noise, you are welcome to PM me. I'm an acoustical engineer. Other acoustical engineers can be found at inceusa.com and ncac.com.
Aside from that, I recommend starting slow and building from revenues rather than investing in utilities and amenities to start. My favorite tracks didn't have much extra. Hope it all comes together!
Edit: PM sent
I have asked my county about the laws when it come to noise and zoning in my area and explained what why I was asking. They responded and told me that if I was out of the city limits there are no laws on noise or zoning. What else is there to ask about. They told me I have to register my business with the state and aquire an LLC, so if I'm correct, I wouldn't be operating off of a conditional use permit. It would be with an LLC. Or is this something totally different, if so, please explain.
Tanya Hermann
CSR Manager
National Motorsports
1539 N 33rd Place, Suite A
Sheboygan, WI 53081
Email- Tanya@nationalmotorsports.com
Direct Line- 920-694-1887
Pit Row
I go to plenty of tracks that don't have any services you listed. Hell, a few of them only have legit out-houses. I would start building the track now and enjoying it with your moto buddy. Go to work, keep moto a fun hobby.
Or go to the bank, get realistic numbers that you can get a loan for, and work on what you can afford. If you know of any business owners write up your business plan and show them and see what advice they have. Starting a business plan is also a good way to see what type of investments you'll need to make.
Regarding opening a track...best of luck!! Cooperland had a great philosophy... be open less, and make people change their plans when you are open. Don't dilute your potential customers by being open way too often. Keep them concentrated on certain weekends. Saves you on prep and increases your work vs income ratio.
Understand the customer and be willing to listen to endless complaints with a smile.
Forget about riding because you will not have time to or be too tired from taking care of the place. I have welded broken chopper frames several times with gear and boots on, had to tinker with the water truck, water pumps, plugged drainage ditches, dead batteries, tracks off the dozer, busted hydro lines, theft. Whining Vets who don't want booters, Whining Youngsters who want booters. Ruts, no ruts. Too much water, not enough water. Costs to ride. Time management with big bikes, small bikes. "Morans" riding with the kids. It never ends.
That's not even considering anything associated with the business side, finances or liabilities. Most track owners own another business and function through that. Start small and see where it goes. Good luck!
There are so many choices if you want to pay to ride here, compared to say the 90's.
Post a reply to: Owning & Operating MX Track