2017 Mammoth Mountain MX ChampionshipJun 9, 2017 by Dan Beaver
Ride Hard, Play Hard In The Mammoth Mountain MX
Ride Hard, Play Hard In The Mammoth Mountain MX
The Mammoth Mountain MX combines the fun of motocross with one of the best vacations these riders will take every year.
By Race Chapman
Nestled in the picturesque mountains of California's vast national forests, one struggles to think of a better setting to host one of the biggest motocross races in the world. It is a perfect backdrop for the Mammoth Mountain MX, which is streaming LIVE on FloRacing.com beginning June 20.
Mike Colbert helps put Mammoth Motocross together every year, and FloRacing had the pleasure of speaking with him about it prior to the 50th annual event near Mammoth Lakes, CA, that will be taking place June 16-25.
In racing, sometimes the pure joy and thrill of riding a motorcycle is muted by the pressure to succeed. Even kids as young as 10 can feel the presence of a powerful sponsor, and it can sometimes be overwhelming. So every now and then, racers need a reminder of why they started racing -- simple fun.
That is the Mammoth Mountain Motocross in a nutshell.
"I don't know that there's anything more fun than winning Mammoth," Colbert said. "We're just absolutely a total vacation for everybody, from all the fun stuff we do off-track, and at the event, it becomes the west-coast vacation race for everybody."
Even the prizes at Mammoth are fun. "This year, they're all bear huntin'," Colbert said.
Riders are battling to win a two-foot tall, hand-carved golden bear. Imagine how cool of a story that will be in the future. "Yeah, that's just my two-foot golden bear that I won in the biggest amateur national in the world... no big deal." In addition to the bears, Lucas Oil provides hole shot prizes for every moto.
This is a big event, and it might have been called Mammoth even if that were not the name of the mountain on which it's held. "Currently, we have 1,100 participants for [2,800] entries," Colbert said. Almost 4,000 people will be visiting the racetrack during the 10-day event. That's equivalent to half the population of Mammoth Lakes.
"The town itself, the town of Mammoth Lakes, is a big ski community," Colbert said. "But there's not a lot of people skiing right now. So we come in and just about take over the entire town. We have a huge bowling tournament for all the kids, we do a pit-bike race right on the cobblestones in the village, and there's bands and concerts and stuff all the time through the event. So there's all kinds of stuff to do off-track, plus mountain biking, skiing, trail riding -- all that stuff is going on the whole time."
An event this expansive and unique brings with it some unbelievable challenges. Unlike a regular motocross track that holds practices and races every week of the year, Mammoth is open only for the one event. All the rain, snow, wind, ice, and other mountainous damage builds up for 350 days before anyone can even begin to clean it up for the racers.
"We have a permit to operate the facility; we only have that permit 15 days a year," Colbert said. "So nobody gets in there except for us, except for those 15 days a year. So there's 10 days of riding and about five days of prep."
For those who know anything about preparing a motocross track for an event of this proportion, five days is, frankly, insane. Most national tracks that are open year round spend about five days just prepping their course for a national. They already have their jumps, facilities, and plenty of time to get things on the property fixed up.
Mammoth has to start from scratch every year.
"We've had like the wettest winter in 100 years, so if you jump on the Facebook or Insta for mammoth, there's some shots of how much water we have to move out of the facility in the last 10 days, even just to make the event happen," Colbert said.
Industrial water pumps were brought in just so that equipment could get into the facility. Then begins the real work of building the jumps, prepping the dirt, setting up the pit and spectating areas, scoring areas, flagging stations, and all the other minutia that goes into making Mammoth happen.
This is the 50th anniversary of Mammoth Motocross, and you don't make it 50 years in the cutthroat racing industry without doing something really special.
"Just about every single pro racer that's anybody now came through here at some point. [Jeremy] McGrath, Ryan Dungey, Ricky Johnson, Adam Cianciarulo -- all those guys came through here on their way to who they are now," Colbert said.
And considering the event dates back to 1968, when motocross was still developing in the United States, that list includes just about every American rider you can name.
"Back in 1968 this guy named Don Rake put it all together, and he still comes every year," Colbert said. "He's been there 50 consecutive years with us! So there's some cool old-school stuff about it and what it meant."
Between the millions of gallons of water to pump out, two-foot tall golden trophy bears, thousands of motocross racers and enthusiasts, myriad of events and activities, and 50 years of making motocross history, it is obvious that the name is no exaggeration. This event is truly Mammoth.
Exclusive One-On-One With Joey Crown Before The Mammoth Mountain MX
Joey Crown Highlights An Early List Of Mammoth Mountain MX Contenders
The Road To The Loretta Lynn National Championship Starts At Pala Raceway
Mammoth Lake, CA 93546
STREAMING: Available only on FloRacing. A yearly FloPRO subscription provides access to ALL FloSports sites.
SIGN UP HERE
Nestled in the picturesque mountains of California's vast national forests, one struggles to think of a better setting to host one of the biggest motocross races in the world. It is a perfect backdrop for the Mammoth Mountain MX, which is streaming LIVE on FloRacing.com beginning June 20.
Mike Colbert helps put Mammoth Motocross together every year, and FloRacing had the pleasure of speaking with him about it prior to the 50th annual event near Mammoth Lakes, CA, that will be taking place June 16-25.
In racing, sometimes the pure joy and thrill of riding a motorcycle is muted by the pressure to succeed. Even kids as young as 10 can feel the presence of a powerful sponsor, and it can sometimes be overwhelming. So every now and then, racers need a reminder of why they started racing -- simple fun.
That is the Mammoth Mountain Motocross in a nutshell.
"I don't know that there's anything more fun than winning Mammoth," Colbert said. "We're just absolutely a total vacation for everybody, from all the fun stuff we do off-track, and at the event, it becomes the west-coast vacation race for everybody."
Even the prizes at Mammoth are fun. "This year, they're all bear huntin'," Colbert said.
Riders are battling to win a two-foot tall, hand-carved golden bear. Imagine how cool of a story that will be in the future. "Yeah, that's just my two-foot golden bear that I won in the biggest amateur national in the world... no big deal." In addition to the bears, Lucas Oil provides hole shot prizes for every moto.
This is a big event, and it might have been called Mammoth even if that were not the name of the mountain on which it's held. "Currently, we have 1,100 participants for [2,800] entries," Colbert said. Almost 4,000 people will be visiting the racetrack during the 10-day event. That's equivalent to half the population of Mammoth Lakes."The town itself, the town of Mammoth Lakes, is a big ski community," Colbert said. "But there's not a lot of people skiing right now. So we come in and just about take over the entire town. We have a huge bowling tournament for all the kids, we do a pit-bike race right on the cobblestones in the village, and there's bands and concerts and stuff all the time through the event. So there's all kinds of stuff to do off-track, plus mountain biking, skiing, trail riding -- all that stuff is going on the whole time."
An event this expansive and unique brings with it some unbelievable challenges. Unlike a regular motocross track that holds practices and races every week of the year, Mammoth is open only for the one event. All the rain, snow, wind, ice, and other mountainous damage builds up for 350 days before anyone can even begin to clean it up for the racers.
"We have a permit to operate the facility; we only have that permit 15 days a year," Colbert said. "So nobody gets in there except for us, except for those 15 days a year. So there's 10 days of riding and about five days of prep."
For those who know anything about preparing a motocross track for an event of this proportion, five days is, frankly, insane. Most national tracks that are open year round spend about five days just prepping their course for a national. They already have their jumps, facilities, and plenty of time to get things on the property fixed up.
Mammoth has to start from scratch every year.
"We've had like the wettest winter in 100 years, so if you jump on the Facebook or Insta for mammoth, there's some shots of how much water we have to move out of the facility in the last 10 days, even just to make the event happen," Colbert said.
Industrial water pumps were brought in just so that equipment could get into the facility. Then begins the real work of building the jumps, prepping the dirt, setting up the pit and spectating areas, scoring areas, flagging stations, and all the other minutia that goes into making Mammoth happen.
This is the 50th anniversary of Mammoth Motocross, and you don't make it 50 years in the cutthroat racing industry without doing something really special.
"Just about every single pro racer that's anybody now came through here at some point. [Jeremy] McGrath, Ryan Dungey, Ricky Johnson, Adam Cianciarulo -- all those guys came through here on their way to who they are now," Colbert said.
And considering the event dates back to 1968, when motocross was still developing in the United States, that list includes just about every American rider you can name.
"Back in 1968 this guy named Don Rake put it all together, and he still comes every year," Colbert said. "He's been there 50 consecutive years with us! So there's some cool old-school stuff about it and what it meant."
Between the millions of gallons of water to pump out, two-foot tall golden trophy bears, thousands of motocross racers and enthusiasts, myriad of events and activities, and 50 years of making motocross history, it is obvious that the name is no exaggeration. This event is truly Mammoth.
Mammoth Mountain MX Coverage
Seven Years' Experience In A 10-Year-Old BodyExclusive One-On-One With Joey Crown Before The Mammoth Mountain MX
Joey Crown Highlights An Early List Of Mammoth Mountain MX Contenders
Weekly Articles from Race Chapman
Pala Raceway Is An Overlooked GemThe Road To The Loretta Lynn National Championship Starts At Pala Raceway
Where To Watch
Mammoth MotorcrossMammoth Lake, CA 93546
How To Watch
ON TV: Now available on Roku and Apple TV 4 -- download the FloSports app today!STREAMING: Available only on FloRacing. A yearly FloPRO subscription provides access to ALL FloSports sites.
SIGN UP HERE