No, we're not talking about the famous 1989 fantasy film Field of Dreams. You might remember when Ray (Kevin Costner) heard a mysterious voice one night saying, "If you build it, he will come". The Oscar-nominated movie was a controversial screenplay based on an Iowa corn farmer who was driven by the ghost of a dead baseball player to build a field where he could once again play ball. The movie was loved for its heartfelt story, but criticized as entrepreneurial nonsense. However, a quarter of a century later it is often cited by those who dream of one day having something bigger than what was originally dreamed to be possible.
Following today's press release by RACER X ONLINE, entrepreneur and track builder Wayne Scarborough Jr., known to most people in the motocross world as Junior, has to be feeling much of the same excitement that embraced Costner's character. MX Sports Pro Racing President Davey Coombs announced to the world that the million-dollar plus investment that converted the 587-acre Scarborough farm into a World-Class motocross track was not in vain. "We are fully committed to producing a successful MXGP of USA 2017," affirmed Coombs. "While we were looking forward to returning to a widely known facility like Gatorback Cycle Park, we are even more excited to be going to work on WW Motocross Park with Unlimited Sports and of course Youthstream to bring the FIM Motocross World Championship of the USA to a rapidly growing venue."
The 2017 Monster Energy MXGP of the USA was originally slated for September 2-3 at Gatorback Cycle Park just west of Gainesville, Florida. The former clay pit has been the site of numerous amateur and professional AMA championship events over the years but more recently has been known for its problematic relationships between promoters and the landowners. Although Gatorback has decades of racing history, WW Ranch (as it is referred to by locals) isn't exactly a hidden gem. With a majority of U.S. pro motocross racers residing in the north Florida or south Georgia area during the offseason, most have already busted laps in the black sand. Plus, from day one, Scarborough Jr. had WW Motocross Park open for riders traveling to and from major events like Daytona Supercross and Gatorback's Mini-Olympics.
Like Ray Kinsella's epiphany in the movie, Scarborough Jr. admitted that he's been dreaming about this his whole life. Go ahead and pinch yourself Junior. The first week of September, the world of professional motocross racing is headed to your "Field of Dreams" located off Interstate 10 and Otis Road in the Whitehouse area of west Jacksonville, Florida. Congrats from all the motorcycle racing fans at E3 Spark Plugs.
