Posts
5443
Joined
1/20/2009
Location
Kirkland, WA
US
Edited Date/Time
7/5/2021 5:21pm
Who else misses watching races at this place? I wish I had got the chance to visit it before it was shut down. It had some of the coolest obstacles and some everything on it. Big jumps, off camber stadium whoop/jumps, jumps into turns, up/downhill sections, etc. It was for sure one of my favorite tracks to watch on tv next to Glen Helen. Partly I’m sure due to all the championship excitement that went on there but also the track looked fun.
Good times.
They should delete Indiana or WW Ranch and bring back this. I don't know why but Steel City remember me a little of High Point
Went for a quad national once too. Got dared to streak the pro pits. I was hammered, so it happened.
I thought it was bad when kenworthys left but when steel city left it stung a little.
One time I crashed triple tripling in the whoop things they had fkr a bit. Bent my left bar damn near to the fork. Had only lost 1 spot when I got up so I tried to finish the last two laps in 2nd for pa state championship points. Last lap jumping the last big table top my bar snapped off in my left hand on the face.. I somehow didn't endo city and I actually rode to the finish.
When I was like 10 I was there with a couple local pros so I had free roam of the pro pits. I met all the guys n have a ton of pics. Mc, rc, me, all those guys in that area were so chill.
The Shop
How cool would it be to lay just put out banners and run it as it sits without ripping it up?
Funny enough, High Point and Steel City where the two tracks that convinced me I would never be a pro. I was one of the fastest in my region but then I got to watch RC at High Point going WFO down the rollers on his 80, and TP199 doing nac nacs, can cans and lazy boys on the tabletops at High Point. I was about the same age and just thought, na, I ain't doin that. I'm not racing those guys. (Keep in mind, this was before youtube so I knew they were probably much faster than me, but I had no freakin clue until that summer.)
The slip n slide on the back half of the track was always interesting to watch as a teen aged kid. Hopping the fences to the pro pits from the woods was exciting.
I did have a pretty bad injury over the table top section in the middle of the track. That sucked, but man you felt like a boss every lap you made it through cleanly.
Honestly, its my favorite track I've ever ridden behind Unadilla. It got so rough but it was a blast.
It was cool being a kid back then and being in the pro pits. I got a lot of cool memorabilia stored away. Two of the coolest is McGrath gave me his cross bar pad and signed it after I told him he was my favorite rider and Larocco giving me his goggles after a race. He saw me standing outside his rig and said he'd talk to me after the race as he had to go get ready. After the race I was walking through the pits and he saw me. He rode over to me and handed me his goggles and said I didn't forget, stop over. I stopped and talked to him for a bit before he started signing autographs. He was awesome.
Oh, and cant forget about Pastrana and Mad Mike Jones hitting the freestyle jumps at Mikes house right by the track. My dad is friends with a former multi time GNCC champ who knew Mike so we got to eat catered dinner at his house one year the night before a national. Lots of pros were there. Many great memories there.
Anther note; think the year before When Ronny, Wardy were leaving had a bet who could get to the airport first. We were in line (On the street out) and here comes Ronny across the yards going through bushes and small trees to pass all the cars. second later here comes Wardy following him. It was easy to see them as it was a foot away
Ya, Thats not going to happen anytime soon
Can anybody else confirm it?
The story I alway heard was that his dad just pushed him too hard sometimes and advocated for his son a bit too zealously, being somewhat abrasive in the process.
I seem to remember hearing that he was a thorough and detailed mechanic though.
Pit Row
I spent so many Labor day weekends there and always raced amateur day which was cool. I remember rolling up to the staging area on my 65 and seeing Mike and Jeff Alessi on CR80s next to me and just being star struck. One year it was so muddy they stopped letting campers and RVs in because everyone was getting stuck, so we went and camped the night at the Delmont Walmart with a bunch of others. Such a shame the place had to go away.
PS fuck the EPA
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