The Rocky Mountain Riders Association, or RMRA, is Colorado’s new home for motocross in 2019. The club has held a few races since its recent debut and all have been wild successes in terms of rider turnout, intense competition, and insane fun! This new season full of change is looking bright so far, but given that we’ve still barely begun this fresh journey, it’s only natural that many local motocross fanatics are still trying to get a feel for what this new organization is all about. Lucky for you, we’ve got the inside scoop on all things RMRA, thanks to its Vice President, Brandon Barnes. From how it all began, to core values, to future goals, he was eager to share with us… and you best believe that we’re just as eager to share with all of you!
Look back to the birth of this new club, and you’ll see that it came to be through the combination of Colorado’s former motocross clubs, the RMXA and the SRAC. Barnes served as President of the SRAC and now serves as VP of the RMRA, so he’s witnessed this transition from both sides. Brandon says that the biggest difference between the former clubs and this new one is, hands down, its strength and foreseeable growth. He explains that these not only apply to the growing strength in numbers that the club promotes, but more importantly to the RMRA’s foundation. The club was built from the ground up on the basis of combining the great strengths taken from both the RMXA and SRAC. Barnes tells us that these strengths, such as a strong sense of family and a solid sense of business, were pulled from each club and beautifully melded together to form what is now the RMRA. That mixture is a recipe for success from what we’ve seen so far!
Of course, those aren’t the only benefits that riders and families will experience as a result of combining the two clubs. We picked Barnes’ brain on this topic and his answer had everything to do with going back to our roots. Why do people in our state spend weekend after weekend, dollar after dollar, sacrifice after sacrifice on this sport? Because they love it. We all freaking love it. And sometimes, in the midst of the hustle and bustle, that can get lost. But the RMRA has potential to remedy this – and Barnes sums up how:
“In my opinion, [the RMRA] will bring us back to the love of the sport again. You know, riders really wanting to better themselves and prove who has what it takes, just like back in the early 90’s. It will bring the competition closer, providing the opportunity to see the best of the best go at it.”
We don’t know about you guys, but we definitely aren’t saying no to kickin’ things back to how they were in the good ol’ days. On top of bringing the competition closer, he also believes that the RMRA will bring families closer. As he explains it, “We are all one now.” No separate races, no separate clubs, no separation, period. This sport is extremely family oriented, as we all know. Every rider out there can attest to the fact that they wouldn’t be able to make it to the track every weekend without a sturdy group of people standing behind them, blood related or not. Now, the entire Colorado motocross family lives under the same roof, in a sense. Anytime there’s a race, everyone’s together. Barnes says, “I saw more interaction [during the Lakewood opener] than I had in a really, really long time.” If that isn’t a positive factor to look forward to in this new organization, we don’t know what is.
… And they don’t plan on stopping there when it comes to positive change. Barnes claims that they’ve got big plans for the future of the RMRA. For starters, the organization is backed by the AMA, which means AMA #1 plates at the end of the year for all class champions in the SX series and Showdown series. Having national recognition is a huge step for Colorado motocross, not to mention an enticing incentive for some high caliber racing! Going even deeper into the future, there are potential plans to extend the RMRA further than just the moto track. Barnes says, “Our long term vision would possibly be to have branches of the RMRA via flat track, snocross, and supermoto, to name a few.”
Sometimes change can be scary. But changes that include heightened racing, a stronger sense of community, and room to grow are changes that we welcome with open arms! Here at Elevated, we are over the moon excited to witness what the RMRA brings to the table this 2019 season. In the wise words of Brandon Barnes, remember this:
“We all have this in common – the love and passion for our sport. Now let’s make memories to last a lifetime with our fellow riders and families!”