When American riders travel to or speak of the Northwest, they are usually referring to the Oregon or Washington regions. A small but dedicated group of off-road riders from the Peace Region (Grande Prairie, Fort St. John and Dawson Creek) are hoping that some day soon Canadian riders will come to recognize their riding area as the “Canadian Northwest.”
With a fairly small population base, a virtual trainload of off-road enthusiasts and more potential riding terrain than one person could ever explore in a lifetime, the Peace Region (with its surrounding mountains, rivers and forests) could someday become a hotbed of off-road competition. At least that is what you will hear from members of the Northern Dirt Riders off-road club.
This group of mostly intermediate and expert level riders has begun to recognize the potential for a top level off-road series in the Peace country. This is also the reason why they decided to show their support for the Grande Prairie Motocross Association to host a last minute organized race at the Rockvalley Raceway track in Grande Prairie.
The day of the event
Sunday, September 13, played host to the Black Sunday Cross-Country race at Rockvalley. After the earlier success of the Gundy Pinner and Taylor’s Mud Creek races, a couple of members of the GPMXA decided that another event of this calibre was just what the doctor ordered.
Unfortunately, with the end of August approaching and several other local MX events set on conflicting dates, the Grande Prairie riders were faced with a dilemma: do we get this done just in time and risk having a low turnout, or do we wait until next year and miss out on a chance for a good late season race? Needless to say that with the hard work of several local riders and a couple of very hard working non-riding volunteers; three weeks of mapping, deadfall clearing, tree bucking and trail marking equated to a challenging but clean first year trail system.
Using the existing Rockvalley property and incorporating the steep hills and open flood plains on the islands at the river, the course managed to build a good flow, with each section of the track having a very distinct feeling. An endurocross section was featured in the gravel pit next to the track and the A class riders were treated to two separate A loops on either end of the course. The B trail featured more open sections of trail and less intimidating and technically challenging obstacles.
Pride-worthy results
Given the timeline and circumstances, the race day turned out to be a complete success. A modest rider count was the only thing the promoters would have liked to change, but the vibe at the race was very laid back. Everyone was anxious to see how the course would compare to other cross country events and one rider in particular made the trip up all the way from Calgary, interested to see how the race would pan out. With mostly A class riders, the parade lap was short and straightforward.
The race started and moved along rather quick. The A and B classes had a 15-minute separation of start times in order to prevent them from meeting up after the first A loop was finished. The scoring team noted that times from the front to the back of the pack were very close and that lap times up front often only varied by a few seconds. The A class win came down to a difference of less than a minute. After the race, trophies were presented, wisecracks were exchanged and everyone was thanked for participating.
Then, the riders collectively thanked the promoters and promised a far larger turnout for next year’s event. The rider from Calgary even commented that this cross-country race was comparable, if not more challenging, than some of the races down in the Southern Rockies. Many of the other riders also commented that they were blown away by how clean and technical the race course was, even for a first-year event. The Northern Dirt Riders are now in talks to promote a full series for the area next season. If all goes well, 2010 will mark the first season of a full off-road racing series in “The Canadian Northwest.”
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