We're always cookin' up some sort of fun ride out West - be it our 24-Hour Test Ride or this year's Cyclefest in Colorado - you can always find some type of >Dirt Rider - affiliated event each year. Based in California, it's pretty easy to get wrapped up in our own little moto world out here. With that in mind, we didn't want any of our East Coast friends to miss all the fun, so we created an official Dirt Rider/ MXracer East Coast Ride. The first-ever was held June 10, 2003.
To kick off the event in style, we wanted a location that was easily accessible to most everyone on the Eastern side of the country. After much brainstorming, we settled on the Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey (regular host of the annual Kawasaki Race of Champions). This world-class facility is centrally located in the state and is a favorite among many top East Coast riders.
Industry figures and racers alike turned out for the day of riding. Luckily, we were greeted with a clear blue sky and temperatures in the high 70s to low 80s. New Jersey had endured weeks of rain prior to the event; maybe all those folks from sunny SoCal brought the sun with them for the ride, which might explain the lack of sunshine plaguing the LA area while we enjoyed ourselves on the East Coast. After some morning riding sessions, we kicked back for lunch and then headed out to the track again. We were treated to some smooth riding action from some of the local fast guys, and top riders such as enduro ace Mike Lafferty showed us some of his hot lines around the track!
We had a great time in Englishtown and look forward to hosting many more East Coast Ride events in the future. We'd like to thank the following people for showing up and sharing some time with us on the track and in the pits: Active 8, Arai, Boyesen, Brockton Cycle Center, Carbon Fiber Works, Cycra, Dunlop, Go For It Graphics, Golden Spectro, Husqvarna USA, KTM, LeMans, Orient Express/II Force, Parts Unlimited/Alpinestars, Pirelli, Plummer Menapace, Red Bull, Sponsorhouse, Timex, Works Enduro Rider, Zoo York, Dunlop, Factory Connection, HRP, Twin-Air filters and Powersports Graphics LLC.