Clouds of airborne dirt and the whine of two-stroke engines drifted over the scenic Assiniboine Valley near Virden on the race weekend of Aug. 3 and 4.
It was Madesa’s last motocross meet of the season and a special one at that because most of the riders came from next door.
About 120 racers from Saskatchewan and a couple of die-hard devotees from Thunder Bay, Ont. travelled to the Madesa track 15 minutes north of Virden for a race weekend sanctioned by the Saskatchewan Motosport Association (SMA).
They came from as far away as Lloydminster, Sask. to compete on one of the hottest, driest weekends of the summer with temperatures soaring to 38C with the humidex.
At least 50,000 gallons of water were dumped on the track Friday to dampen the dirt for the races Saturday morning, said Madesa’s Dan Cosgrove, but still the dust flew all weekend.
Dozens of trailers lined the parking lot, providing refuge for heat-weary families traveling with their MXing sons and daughters. Among them was the Dunser family from Saskatoon, who spend their summers crisscrossing Saskatchewan (and now Manitoba), delivering their eight-year-old daughter to every race.
Taylor Dunser competes in the 50cc Open and 50cc 7-8-year-old classes. Although Taylor proved to be a woman of few words when interviewed by the race announcer, she’s fearless on the track going up against competitors, male and female.
Cosgrove says the female contingent is growing in motocross, comprising about 30 per cent of competitors at Madesa this season.
Although this was the final weekend of racing in 2019 at Madesa, there are still more races coming up in Grunthal, Altona, Pilot Mound, and Yorkton before the season ends in mid-September.
Cosgrove and team are already gearing up for next year when he hopes to host a western regional competition leading to nationals. He also wants to keep growing the entertainment program at Madesa with the addition of half-time events next summer.
“Every year, we’re getting bigger and word is getting out there.”
