While the snow was still melting around Quesnel, the first week of April, die hard motocross racers left the snow behind and headed south to the first round of BCMA racing in Ashcroft.
They arrived an 11th hour decision to cancel the first race of the season due to poor track conditions as a result of freezing temperatures that caused a lot of damage to the watering system.
While racers from the Cariboo gathered, and word got out that there wouldn’t be a race after all, Kamloops Whispering Pines Race Track also heard of the cancellation and opened their gates, gathered up some volunteers and got their track ready for all the travellers to at least have a place to ride for the weekend of April 5 – 6.
So as it turned out, despite the Quesnel track still covered in three feet of snow and no where to practice before their first race, it turned out to be an excellent weekend for a practice due to the cancellation.
However, the next race was also scheduled in Ashcroft for the Easter weekend. Due to emergency maintenance, which was needed immediately, Scott Davis, Wayne Shepherd and Brian Watson from Quesnel volunteered to spend a few days in Ashcroft preparing the track for the next event.
Racers from all over the south and north attended the next event held over the Easter weekend, with Quesnel Riders Jackson Nickolet #671, Dayne Cutrell #55, and Jordan Brears #41, all taking home top trophies in their categories to kick off the beginning of the 2014 BCMA racing.
This weekend, many more of the Quesnel racers are off to Kamloops for round three, then back home to Quesnel to get ready to host rounds 4 and 5 in our home town on May 3 – 4 at the Quesnel Motocross Track on Oval Rd.
This year we see a lot of the racers all moving up in classes making it much more exciting as the Quesnel racer’s are making a name for themselves in BCMA racing.
The Quesnel track is now open and we invite all interested riders, from beginners to pros, to come out and spend some quality family time in the great outdoors. Memberships for the track are manditory for insurance purposes and can be purchased at Out Back Recreation or Full Throttle Motor Sports.
We look forward to seeing our community come out and cheer on our local racers the first weekend in May.
–Submitted by Gerri Shepherd