A local dirt bike club has taken over the lease on the motocross track five miles south of Craig with plans to improve the track, continue hosting races there and bring more events to Craig. 

In December, Northwest Colorado Trails Corp took over the lease for the race track on Moffat County Road 107. Justin Prince, president of the NWCTC board, said the organization is planning to take a new approach to running the track this summer. 

The group is going to continue hosting the youth summer race series, which is expected to begin on May 18 and end in August with an awards ceremony recognizing riders from the summer races. 

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The races will start at 6:30 p.m. on Thursdays with the exception of May 25 and June 29. All youth riders are welcome to join the races, and there is no fee to race. Riders just need to bring a dirt bike, safety gear and a parent or guardian who can sign a waiver. 

In order to keep the races free for youth and to provide weekly prizes for the winners, NWCTC is accepting donations from individuals and sponsorships from local businesses that want to support the cause. 

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NWCTC is also working on planning community riding events for all ages, including adults, over the summer to help draw more people who want to get involved and support the track. 

Prince, who is originally from Texas, started riding dirt bikes when he was 2 years old, and he moved to Craig specifically for the riding opportunities that exist here. Locally, he got his start riding enduro races in the Sandwash Basin, and he wants to help grow the sport. 

Prince got his 9-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter heavily involved with riding dirt bikes too, and the whole family got involved with the motocross track when the youth races started. 

“It was a tight-knit group, and we felt a sense of community around it,” Prince said. “We want to bring other people who ride into that so they can feel the support that we felt.” 

The track was previously run by another local rider, Phil Vallem, and now the torch is being passed to the group of local riders with NWCTC.

“Some of the biggest changes we’re hoping for is running everything as a group and making group decisions,” Prince said. “That way things are more fluid and everyone is pitching in.” 

There are five community members who serve on the NWCTC Board of Directors, and the group has 157 riders with hopes of growing its membership through the summer race series and community events. 

Kyra Weidner, who serves as the executive director for NWCTC, said the group has also applied for funding from the Colorado State Outdoor Recreation grant program and Colorado Parks and Wildlife to support improvements and ongoing maintenance at the park. 

If the grant is awarded, it will be used to resurface the clay-based track, making it safer for riders and easier to maintain. The proposed funding is also intended to purchase equipment for spreading material across the track surface and a water truck that will distribute water evenly across the surface to make the track soft and pliable for maintenance. 

Weidner said that the CPW grant, if awarded, would be for the 2024 season and ongoing maintenance. The grant application has letters of support from the city of Craig, Moffat County, Craig Chamber of Commerce, Craig Powersports and several individuals. 

CPW will accept letters of support for the project until Jan. 31, Weidner said. Letters of support can be sent to Tom Metsa, OHV Program Manager, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, 13787 South Highway 85, Littleton, CO, 80125.

Individuals or businesses that want to donate or sponsor events can email wcoloradotrails@gmail.com, or visit NWColoradoTrails.org for more.