Three Hills Event Center hosts Vintage Motocross Sunday

By Nikki Carlson ncarlson@ncnewspress.com

A group of five motocross enthusiasts are coming to Nebraska City Sunday to dazzle the community to revive a historic sport. Great Plains Vintage Motocross LLC. Board member and racer Kent Taylor of Lincoln is hoping people of all ages will spend Sunday out at the Three Hills Event Center’s 1-mile motocross track to get their need-for-speed desire quenched.

Great Plains Vintage Motocross has set up it’s first of six Vintage Motocross races of the season in Nebraska City this Sunday to bring the classic sport to a town rich in history.

“I love Nebraska City and just think that it’s cool that we’re doing this historical thing in a city that is so full of rich, rich history,” Taylor said. “We are just excited to be a part of such a cool historical city.”

To Taylor’s knowledge, the last time there were motocross races in town was in the 1970s, however, Sunday’s races aren’t the typical motocross races of today. Taylor said vintage motocross races are different than today’s motocross races because of the style of dirt bikes and the race track itself.

The dirt bikes used in vintage motocross competitions are older. For instance, Taylor will be racing in Sunday’s event with his 1982 Husqvarna 250 dirt bike, which he said was built to last and easier to repair.

“It has a carburetor and drum brakes, whereas today’s bikes have fuel injection, you have to have a computer … ,” he said. “It was a simpler time.”

In today’s motocross races, the courses are created for spectator appeal where dirt is brought in and dumped onto flat areas of the track to create huge jumps for racers to fly through the air. Taylor said today’s motocross races are indoors as well.

Vintage motocross racers ride through the all-natural terrain. At Three Hills Event Center, which is owned by Bruce and Peg Kreifels, riders will zip through a disced track of rolling hills, pastureland and wooded areas. Taylor said Three Hills Event Center’s track is the “perfect” location for vintage motocross races because it allows for the sport to remain true to its roots.

“It’s laid out on (the Kreifels’) ground,” Taylor said. “We didn’t bring in any dirt to build jumps or anything like that and that’s really what distinguishes what vintage motocross is from current-day motocross.”

Vintage motocross allows racers to go back to the sport’s original roots, which began in Europe in the 1930s. Taylor said it’s a chance to relive and recreate history and vintage motocross is gaining in popularity across the country.

  “The sport and the motorcycles have changed quite a bit over the years, but across the country there is a large contingent of fans and riders who are dipping back into the past and reliving the great old days of motocross,” he said. “This is what we will be bringing to the Nebraska City facility. Some of our motorcycles are more than 40 years old and each has a great story behind it.”

Taylor began motocross racing 40 years ago when he was 12 years old and he has been a vintage motocross enthusiast ever since.

“I remember learning how to ride a bicycle by myself and every time I get on my motorcycle I kind of get that same feeling,” he said, “just freedom, I’m moving under my own power, everything is around me and I like competition.”

Sunday’s Vintage Motocross event will begin with racers signing up at 8 a.m., followed by practice at 9 a.m. Spectators can watch the races, consisting of five laps per race, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

In order to race, competitors must be at least 19 years old and need to wear helmets, googles, gloves, boots and other safety attire. Taylor said old and current dirt bikes will be allowed on the track, however, all of them must have number plates.

Classes will be divided up based on dirt bike size and manufacturer and the driver’s skill level. Competitors need to also pay the $35 fee in order to race.

Spectators’ admission is $5 for senior citizens and children 12 years old and under, and $10 for others. People can sip on Scooter’s Coffee in the morning and eat hot dogs and hamburgers from a food vendor during the afternoon.

If people can’t make to the race Sunday, they’ll be in luck because Great Plains Vintage Motocross will be hosting two more races at Three Hills this year on June 5 and Oct. 30. The sign-up time for riders at those two races will be at 8 a.m., practices will begin at 9 a.m. and the races will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For a complete schedule of the Great Plains Vintage Motocross races and more about the organization, go to www.greatplainsvintagemx.org. People can also go to Three Hills Event Center’s Web site at www.threehillsevents.com to learn more about the races.

Three Hills Events Center is located at 6251 G Rd. People can take business Highway 75 south of town, also known as 11th Street, and take a right at 19th Street near the Ambassador Wellness Center and follow the road north. Signs will be posted to direct traffic to the event. The motocross track is located behind the stage area.