KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
This weekend Kodiak Island Racing Association riders will hit the track in Womens Bay for the second raceday of the year. This year’s racing season started on June 15. KMXT’s Brianna Gibbs recently caught up with some racing enthusiasts and participants to learn more about motocross in Kodiak.
If you’ve been to the Kodiak Raceway in the past few years, you probably recognize this voice.
“Motocross, motocross, motocross. It’s all we think about.”
That’s Ron Williams, the announcer for the Raceway, but he does a better job introducing himself.
“Ron Williams, KIRA, Motocross Kodiak! Let’s rock and roll!.”
Williams grew up racing in Kodiak and has since retired from competition. He said he’s switched to announcing for the events, and encouraging more participants in the sport.
“And we’re trying to get a lot of young kids involved, because we had a big junior group when I first started, and those kids have since moved up in the classes. So we’re lacking the young kids out there.”
“We got a new six-year-old out there last night on a 50, first time he’s been on a motorcycle, was out there all by himself practicing. It was the cutest thing you’ve ever seen and he loved it. And that’s where you start, where we start the kids. And listen, safety first at the motocross track. We’ve got the top gun flaggers, we do a safety check all the way around in the beginning. And we’ve really, in the four years that I’ve been here, never had any bad accidents. We’ve had some people go over the handlebars and things, but that’s motocross. These guys are well equipped, like I said we do safety checks. We’ve got flaggers and a lot of people that have been doing this have been doing it for a long time.”
Tracy Anderson said she grew up flagging at the motocross track and is still heavily involved with the racing organization.
“It’s a great thing for the kids. And we have a kids four wheeler class, and we’re doing a pit bike class for adults this year. Little 50s with adults on them. It’s hilarious.”
“And we’re doing adult four wheeler, motocross four wheelers. The first time in the history of Kodiak." Anderson and Williams said they don’t know why more people use the raceway for recreational riding.
“If you look around town there’s motorcycles in a lot of the trucks, and I don’t know where they’re riding, on the beaches and stuff I guess. Well, and here’s the deal, I grew up here, born and raised, raced motocross on the old track out back at the fairgrounds. Now we got this new track, inside, and it’s unbelievable. So a lot of people don’t understand that we are a motocross town. We were a stockcar motocross town.”
Both said motocross is actually a huge sport in Alaska. And Kodiak has some of its best competitors.
This weekend’s races kick off at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Membership costs $75 and allows free entry to races and year round usage of the track. Non members can watch the show for a $10 admission fee at the gate.
