GravityWrider
PR Member
So I went riding at Moto 60 Sports Park Saturday and wanted to offer a review as a quad rider.
The track is only about an hour west of Akron on the turnpike, and for someone used to driving 90 minutes or more the short ride was a relief. I remember driving through Vermilion into Wakeman Township and thinking "this place isn't very remarkable," except for the Vermilion River, which I'll get to later.
I passed the track because there is no large sign (turn right at the power lines). As I pulled in, the track owner, Tom, was friendly, laid back, and most importantly welcoming.
As I prepped my machine and geared up I kept looking at the track, which was hard pack and somewhat dry. The layout seemed to criss-cross in places and I couldn't figure it out. It didn't help the lay out was so big that I could only see less than one-third of the track from the front parking area. For a quad rider, the soil conditions were inviting compared with the ruts from OIR a few weeks ago. But I was skeptical. Other than the soil, this was clearly a dirt bike track.
The sight lap, however, sold me.
Moto 60 is overflowing with elevation changes. Big uphill jumps include a 92-foot leap and a 120-foot leap. Wide, sweeping corners are paired with S-curves, long straights, quick drop offs and fast uphill climbs. This track, which was a private track for years until last September, was designed by some old-school Ohio pro bike racers and it shows. Moto 60 has old-school flow that makes you feel like you're on your own personal roller coaster. The track takes advantage of all the natural terrain changes, and almost every single jump or obstacle incorporates the natural grade. This track has outdoor soul — it's not full of man-made, supercross style obstacles like so many tracks are building these days.
Because this track is so new the prep and equipment resources are far off from the superb caliber that the OMA guys are doing. So don't go expecting soil conditions like Malvern or Briarcliff. It's $5 cheaper to practice, there's plenty of parking, and the property has a few trails that will take you back to the bank of the Vermilion River. The track owner recognizes he's in the early stages and it's his first attempt at a public track, but he is very knowledgeable and open to feedback. He wants to develop the track and grow it by improving prep, his equipment stock, track layout and the facilities. It has a lot of potential and truly is a little gem in northern Ohio MX.
I'm talking specifically to quad riders here because, unlike many other tracks in Ohio, Moto 60 wants to have quad-only days. They only need about a dozen quad riders to show up to make a quad only day. This place is totally worth checking out, and as quad riders we should support his efforts to give us a full day of our own to ride. I've been hitting up the OMA practices, which are awesome, but because there are so many bikes and riders in general the combination of the split sessions and hundreds of ruts these practice days are less appealing to me.
So follow Moto 60 here in Open Practice or follow them on Facebook for the next quad practice day and try to make it out!
Here's a goggle camera shot of a lap from this past Saturday, when I was the only quad rider there. I left with a big grin after having the most fun on a track in years. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMy3yYfEBDU
The track is only about an hour west of Akron on the turnpike, and for someone used to driving 90 minutes or more the short ride was a relief. I remember driving through Vermilion into Wakeman Township and thinking "this place isn't very remarkable," except for the Vermilion River, which I'll get to later.
I passed the track because there is no large sign (turn right at the power lines). As I pulled in, the track owner, Tom, was friendly, laid back, and most importantly welcoming.
As I prepped my machine and geared up I kept looking at the track, which was hard pack and somewhat dry. The layout seemed to criss-cross in places and I couldn't figure it out. It didn't help the lay out was so big that I could only see less than one-third of the track from the front parking area. For a quad rider, the soil conditions were inviting compared with the ruts from OIR a few weeks ago. But I was skeptical. Other than the soil, this was clearly a dirt bike track.
The sight lap, however, sold me.
Moto 60 is overflowing with elevation changes. Big uphill jumps include a 92-foot leap and a 120-foot leap. Wide, sweeping corners are paired with S-curves, long straights, quick drop offs and fast uphill climbs. This track, which was a private track for years until last September, was designed by some old-school Ohio pro bike racers and it shows. Moto 60 has old-school flow that makes you feel like you're on your own personal roller coaster. The track takes advantage of all the natural terrain changes, and almost every single jump or obstacle incorporates the natural grade. This track has outdoor soul — it's not full of man-made, supercross style obstacles like so many tracks are building these days.
Because this track is so new the prep and equipment resources are far off from the superb caliber that the OMA guys are doing. So don't go expecting soil conditions like Malvern or Briarcliff. It's $5 cheaper to practice, there's plenty of parking, and the property has a few trails that will take you back to the bank of the Vermilion River. The track owner recognizes he's in the early stages and it's his first attempt at a public track, but he is very knowledgeable and open to feedback. He wants to develop the track and grow it by improving prep, his equipment stock, track layout and the facilities. It has a lot of potential and truly is a little gem in northern Ohio MX.
I'm talking specifically to quad riders here because, unlike many other tracks in Ohio, Moto 60 wants to have quad-only days. They only need about a dozen quad riders to show up to make a quad only day. This place is totally worth checking out, and as quad riders we should support his efforts to give us a full day of our own to ride. I've been hitting up the OMA practices, which are awesome, but because there are so many bikes and riders in general the combination of the split sessions and hundreds of ruts these practice days are less appealing to me.
So follow Moto 60 here in Open Practice or follow them on Facebook for the next quad practice day and try to make it out!
Here's a goggle camera shot of a lap from this past Saturday, when I was the only quad rider there. I left with a big grin after having the most fun on a track in years. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMy3yYfEBDU
