Hurdle Cleared for New NJ Motocross Track

Vineland Daily Journal

2/26/2014

MILLVILLE — Area motocross riders are being advised to get revved up for a summer opening for Millville’s newest racing attraction.

Field of Dreams, an 85-acre off-road park, will be built across the street from New Jersey Motorsports Park on Buckshutem Road. An opening is planned for late June or early July, officials said Tuesday.

The motorsports park announced a $400,000 land purchase from the city for the motocross facility had been finalized.

Construction is expected to begin immediately and take nearly four months, according to Princeton-based designer Clayton Keeler.

Keeler will manage the construction process and oversee operations once the park opens. Event scheduling will be handled by General Manager Richard Schmidt.

“Our fans have been waiting for this announcement,” motorsports park General Manager Brad Scott said. “They’ve been incredibly supportive, and the Field of Dreams staff is ready to deliver on the plans for a world-class off-road facility.”

There will be three tracks within the facility:

• A 1,700-foot run for beginners.

• A 2,130-foot track for intermediate riders.

• A 1.2-mile track for advanced riders.

The motorsports park said the plans also include a half-mile “straight rhythm” course, but Keeler clarified that has not been finalized yet and said it possibly would not be constructed until sometime after the park opens.

A straight rhythm course has the features of a normal motocross track but is configured in a straight line.

Keeler said he’s glad the land purchase is complete.

“It was a long haul,” he said. “We’re really excited to get things started.”

The park will feature tight, narrow areas for motocross riders and wider areas for riders of all-terrain vehicles.

Individuals who don’t own an off-road vehicle will be able to rent one and train there.

Schmidt said the park already has scheduled a few racing events toward the end of the year, and plans a bigger race schedule for 2015.

Keeler said the park recently became a member of the American Motocross Association, making it eligible to hold amateur, professional and potentially national AMA events.

As far as recreational riding goes, the park will be open to all ages, Keeler said.

He added that he didn’t want to go the same route as the Mount Pleasant State Off-Road Vehicle Park in Woodbine that opened last year.

There, restrictions are in place that require state registration on all vehicles and headlights or taillights on all vehicles.

Riders at the Woodbine park also must be at least 14 years old.

Keeler said none of those regulations will be required at Field of Dreams.