Dirt bikers fly high at county fair grandstand

071622.N.PRE.QuadLeaderMitchOlson626.jpg — Competing in the quad open class at the fairgrounds on Wednesday night, Mitch Olson captured first place.

By Shannon Geisen

July 16, 2022 07:46 PM

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Motocross races kicked off grandstand events at the Hubbard County Fair on Wednesday.

071622.N.PRE.VetLaporte366.jpg — Garian Moss, a 31-year-old racer from Laporte, took first place in the veteran class.

The event featured 21 classes, ranging from 50cc to 125cc dirt bikes to quads.

Riders’ ages were equally diverse – as young as four to older than 30.

071622.N.PRE.NicholasOlsonCrash.jpg — Seconds before he crashed, Nickolas Olson of Detroit Lakes was in second place in the 65 cc class race for ages 10-11 years old. Olson had the wind knocked out of him, but he eventually finished Wednesday's lap. Shannon Geisen/Enterprise<br/>

MotoCity Raceway emceed the races, commenting that the rich, dark dirt in the arena made for “fantastic traction.”

Racers traveled from across the state to compete on the track and neighboring cities, like Laporte, Bemidji, Bagley and even Park Rapids.

071622.N.PRE.PiperBraaten52.jpg — Piper Braaten of Bagley proved her grit in the 50cc oil-injected motorcycle class. The six-year-old held on to second place.

Located in Browerville, Minn., MotoCity Raceway was started in 1993. Dale and Sharon Spencer and Gavin Kadlec took ownership in 2007, creating MotoCity Raceway and Recreation, Inc.

071622.N.PRE.ColbyShepherd823Leader.jpg — Kolby Shepherd of Park Rapids finished first in the 65cc class for 7- to 9-year-olds.

071622.N.PRE.IsaiahPhillippi519.jpg — Isaiah Phillippi of Park Rapids hits great height in the race for 15- to 29-year-olds.

Additional grandstand events at the fairgrounds slated for the weekend were the Red River Valley Pullers’ modified tractor pull at 7 p.m. Friday, Baja racing at 7 p.m. Saturday and a demo derby at 1 p.m. Sunday.