Dirt Wurx to Preserve Daytona Supercross Heritage

Dirt Wurx's Rich Winkler: "We plan on being respectful of the history and preserving the heritage of the Daytona Supercross"

Dirt Wurx USA's president Rich Winkler looks out over Daytona International Speedway and says "Man does this place have the history! They were racing here before the LA Coliseum and it's been on the AMA Supercross schedule for more than 30 years - and they were racing cars here 30 years before that!

"Daytona is like a living monument to man's competitive nature and love of speed. I've been here several times before, but standing on the infield next to that banked front straight is a thrill—it literally gives you the goose bumps!"

At any other supercross venue Winkler would be unfurling a set of blue prints showing in exact detail the highly technical design of one of today's Amp'd Mobile AMA Supercross Series tracks—to which Winkler and his company, Dirt Wurx USA, are the exclusive track designers and constructors. But today at Daytona things are different.

"The basic course design here is full of tradition and we've arrived here with a great deal of respect for what has been done in the past," said Winkler. "We didn't feel it was appropriate to wipe the slate clean on our first year here."

Due to the last-minute nature of Dirt Wurx taking over the Daytona Supercross track building duties, Winkler said he literally worked the deal with the AMA and Daytona on a Friday afternoon and his Dirt Wurx crew—led by dozer magician Norm Bickley - was there the following Monday morning getting started on things.

"To just up and slam a St. Louis supercross track onto the infield of Daytona would be somewhat presumptuous on our part," said Winkler. "We're here to get a feel for it this year, looking at the track from all angles—from seated on a dozer or loader to sitting in the seats where the fans are located. We'll look at this track and take copious notes in regards to how, if at all, it can be improved."

Winkler says that the Daytona Supercross track has historically been a hybrid supercross/motocross track—flat natural grass sections in between the jumps with wide sweeping turns that develop a lot of lines and inside/outside berms. And due to the sandy nature of the infield, the track gets tougher, more technical and more whooped-out as the day goes on.

"What we've done this week is some fine tuning," said Winkler. "Putting in inside bumps and pre-roughening favorite lines, working with the AMA, Daytona International Speedway's staff and the riders to do everything we can to make sure options and passing points remain as the track evolves throughout the night of racing—while still preserving the heritage of this great event."

Amp'd Mobile AMA Supercross Series action at Daytona International Speedway gets underway this Friday at 7 p.m.

Dirt Wurx USA - the premier SX/MX track design and construction company in the world—is the exclusive supercross race track design and construction firm for Live Nation and the Amp'd Mobile World Supercross GP/Amp'd Mobile AMA Supercross Series. With more than 16 years of global experience in the field, Dirt Wurx USA's highly talented crew of designers and heavy equipment specialists not only build the world's most visible tracks, but are also accessible for affordable track design and construction at the local level. For more information, please visit www.dirtwurx.com.

High Profile Public Relations, LLC is a multi-faceted communications agency specializing in strategic media relations—both industry and mainstream—for the powersports and action sports communities. Dialed in with all forms of power and action sports, its participants, manufacturers and live event promoters, HPPR's Pat Schutte can be reached at (734) 369-2170 and pat@highprofilepr.com. For more information, please visit www.highprofilepr.com.