For Americans all across the country, Memorial Day weekend is a special time to remember and honor the men and women who’ve lost their lives fighting for the United States in our Armed Forces. Many celebrate the national holiday by hosting family barbecues, visiting memorials, or attending parades. In the motocross community, however, we have a long history of celebrating it in our own fashion that, to no one’s surprise, certainly includes dirtbikes.
Sweney Cycle Park of Brush, CO has been the holiday gathering place for racers and families alike since 2001, when they held their first ever Memorial Day race. That’s nearly two decades of historical battles and fun-having on and off the track. Naturally, whether you’re new to Colorado’s motocross scene or you’ve been here since the very beginning, you’ve likely heard of the legendary tradition. Every year, Sweney’s art-worthy track layout, dream-like dirt, and guaranteed stacked classes draw in riders from all over the region — and it makes for some of the best racing of the entire year!
In 2018, that statement rang true as ever. It was the second year that the race was part of the Rocky Mountain Showdown Series, where waves of entries flowed in from both the RMXA and SRAC. Non-native riders from states as far as Washington and Texas made the trek to northern Colorado to get a taste of the glory that is Sweney Cycle Park, as well. The competition was unlike anything witnessed earlier in the season at any race in Colorado. To bring it into perspective, the rider count for larger classes at other races in the season brought in roughly 20 riders, where the Sweney Cycle Park Memorial Day race brought in well over 30 riders in those same classes — even a full 40 riders in the Open Pro/Non Pro class!
There’s no mystery behind the massive success that is this annual race in Brush. The answer is as simple as this: The Sweneys take pride in their work. They’re professionals when it comes to building and maintaining a truly technical track, complete with the chocolate-cake-iest dirt in the state, the gnarliest braking bumps around, and lines that develop from edge to edge of the entire track. The layout has been thought out so precisely that it caters to all types of riders, meaning that it’s challenging enough for the top pros and still safe and fun for the youngsters out there! They keep the pits looking pristine, they stay on schedule, they make it a good time for everyone, the list goes on and on!
After cultivating such a reputation, we can count on the upcoming Sweney Cycle Park Memorial Day race on Monday, May 27th, 2019 being no exception! It’s the third of six rounds in the RMRA Showdown series, and the first time that the RMRA will have a chance to experience the top-tier racing that this track consistently delivers year after year! Unfortunately, the race lies on the same weekend as a handful of Loretta Lynn Qualifiers, including our region’s South Central Amateur Regional at Farm 14 in Centreville, MS. This means that some of our state’s top national riders might have to miss out on the fun, but we’ll still be cheering them on from the homeland while having a 10/10 race experience of our own! As the excitement grows, all us of from Elevated hope that everybody has a safe and memorable holiday weekend and we can’t wait to see what all ensues at this distinguished event!
