It’s a whole new motorcycle moto-cross season. Riders will find an almost-new track at Wild Wild Rest, located about a mile east of the Mesa Verde National Park exit on U.S. Highway 160.

High Desert Club is presenting the first American Motorcycle Association-sanctioned races of the 2001 season on Sunday, April 29. Pits open at 6 a.m., signup starts at 7, practice at 8 and races at 10. The races are being sponsored by Four Corners Materials, Inc. along with Sinclair Oil Co., Fraley and Company, Inc., and Mancos Fire Department.

Admission is $5 per person.

The track was built three years ago. It was modified somewhat last year. Now it is almost totally changed. Why?

"If we aren’t getting the totally professional high-paid motocross rider here, we wanted to at least have that type of track," Ray McCarty, owner of Wild Wild Rest and local motocross organizer, said. "We want the up-and-coming professionals and amateurs to be able to ride on a first-class track. We wanted to bring this track up to national standards and I think we have accomplished that."

That sentiment about the track got an overwhelming endorsement on Tuesday afternoon, April 24.

Members from the company DirtWorks, an organization which builds nationally top-rated tracks across the United States, happened to be in the area and stopped by to see the new track.

"They stopped in here, believe it or not yesterday (Tuesday), in their big motorhome. They put tracks in for all the SuperCross Races all over. They were coming out of Texas and was in this area. Mark Barnett, a national motocross winner at 250cc a few years back, was one of the four men from DirtWorks who looked over our track. So, they went back there and looked it over," McCarty said.

"They walked every inch of the track. They said this course is a 10. They said this course could be an outdoor National Motocross Track the way it is right now. They said it is just perfect. They didn’t have any constructive words to say. They thought it was perfect. That’s quite a compliment," he added.

Dirt work on the new layout started only last week, according to McCarty. Four Corners Materials, Inc., brought in some heavy equipment and began moving dirt around. They did this for three days. Where the track used to go all the way up the hill, not it cuts across it. Where some of the track was totally hidden from view of spectators, now about 95 percent is visible. The jumps have been changed out front. McCarty, who has riden both as an amateur and professional in Europe years ago, said the new track has a trendy Euro-style to it.

"We have cleared a lot of brush to make for better viewing. It is much safer for fans and spectators. The rythum sections (slower jumps and turns) are technically-designed better. There is an extra set of whoops (multiple jumps). I just think it is much better track than it was before," he added while giving a quick tour of the course.

The track has better "rideability," according to McCarty. He reported that youngsters on the little 50cc can be driven around the course on it while professionals on the bigger bikes can get the wheels up in the air. It is more user friendly. McCarty also said that some sawdust will be mixed into the top four inches of dirt and then graded over within a day or two. Old tires painted white have been added to help define the course in some of the open places. Two ponds have been added and will be filled to be pumped to keep the dust down.

Some 150 riders attended races a couple weeks ago in Aztec, N.M., on a very cold day. McCarty expects at least that many and perhaps many more for this weekend’s races. The weather should be nearly perfect with no winds and mild to warm temperatures. Spectators should bring an umbrella for shade. Concessions will be available.