The Sports Informant

Fill up Arco Arena for a Sacramento Kings game twice and you’ll have just over the amount of fans expected to turn out for the 41st annual Hangtown Motocross Classic this weekend. Perhaps the biggest Sacramento sporting event every year, Hangtown geared up and sprinted from the gate earlier today, and will just get better and better each day through Saturday.

Amateurs and pros compete one day after another at Hangtown. (Photo courtesy Tom Paniagua)

The Sacramento Bee calls the event the “the granddaddy of motocross spectacles,” quoting Twin Cities District superintendent Bob Williamson as saying, “We end up hosting as many as 35,000 fans in one day. … It’s a first-class event and one of the best in the country.”

No wonder I can never find a parking spot.

After covering the event the last five years, I’ll once again tread the dirt of Prairie City SVRA to watch the elite motocross riders tear up a once beautifully-made track the Dirt Diggers North Motorcycle Club have been working to build for the last two weeks. The event is spectacular every year, and despite usually unbearable heat, which we may actually avoid this year, it seems to be one of the most popular events – if not the most popular – Sacramento sports fans anticipate every year.

That’s because Hangtown, as it’s so lovingly referred to in these parts, isn’t just about the races. Sure, it’s appealing to watch amateurs battle on Friday-some riders you may know personally, others just guys and gals like you and me on the course gutting out corners at high speeds. And of course it’s an attraction to witness the top motorcycle riders in the world sail stories above the crowd one after another in pursuit of a racing title. Shoot, it’s gotta be worth witnessing in person if Saturday’s pro events are going to be aired live on the SPEED Network.

But it’s everything else surrounding it that draws the 30,000-plus visitors a day. Hangtown, for a better term, is just one big party.

Fans bring their overnight equipment to camp out all weekend long, whether it be in the form of a motor home, modest size camper on the hitch of a truck or simply a pitched tent. The beer gets flowing in some camps, and in others, simply good conversation over the sound of roaring engines in the background is enough to make for an exciting weekend amidst the masses. All in all, aside from a very bad sunburn, the lasting memory from attending a Hangtown Classic is an enjoyable one, one definitely worth the money.

The biggest problem I’ve encountered is it can get too crowded, and half the time, most people don’t really know what’s going on. As a sports fan, and a sports writer, it can get frustrating being one of maybe a couple of hundred actually paying attention to who is trying to win the entire event. Most in attendance just want to see bikes jump up and land, without really caring who won the first heat and is battling to place in the second to secure the most points for a first place finish overall. But hey, half the people in the back can’t hear the announcer anyway over blaring music and clanking beer cans, so to each his own, right?

If anything, they can find out who won from me later. In the meantime, they can just worry about having a good time, which they all will, like always.

Thousands of fans look on as riders fly by at Hangtown last year. (Photo courtesy Tom Paniagua)

(Below is information sent to me from organizers of the Hangtown event. It’s worth reading, and possibly printing out, if you’d like to be on top of what’s going on day-by-day.)

This year will mark a change, with the entire outdoor series going to a Saturday, one-day format.  Practice and time qualifications will be in the morning; opening ceremony at 12:30 p.m. and two motos each for the women, 250 and 450 classes.  A full action-packed day from sunup to sundown.

To celebrate the 41st annual Hangtown Classic, the pro pits will be open in the morning to everyone-FREE.  Adding to the excitement this year is the track layout which has been redesigned to add a fresh challenge to the riders. 

With expanded seating and a hospitality section for spectators, the modified course will not only provide new vantage points to watch all of the action, but will bring the race closer to the huge spectator base that popularized Hangtown.

To get tickets and full race information about the Hangtown Classic, go to www.hangtownracing.com/ and click on tickets.  If you are in the Sacramento area, visit your local motorcycle dealer and get $5 off Saturday adult general admission tickets.  With many different ticket choices to choose from, and some with limited seating, make your selection online and beat the rush.

Ticket Information

Thursday & Friday

Children 5 years and under: Free

6-11 years: $5

12 years and older: $15

Saturday

Children 5 years and under: Free

6-11 years: $20

12 years and older: $40

Schedule

Thursday and Friday Schedule

9:00 am – Hangtown Amateur Day

Saturday Schedule

8:30am – 9:05am                      450 Class Practice
9:10am – 9:45am                      250 Class Practice
10:05am – 10:40am                  450 Class Practice
10:45am – 11:20am                  250 Class Practice
11:25am – 11:40am                  Women’s MX practice
11:45am – 12:00pm                  450 Consolation Race
12:05pm – 12:20pm                  250 Consolation Race

12:30pm – 12:50pm                  OPENING CEREMONIES

12:50pm – 1:00pm                    Women’s Site Lap
1:00pm – 1:15pm                      Women’s MX Moto #1
1:30pm – 1:40pm                      250 Class Site Lap
1:40pm – 2:15pm                      250 Class Moto #1
2:15pm – 2:30pm                      Podium Interviews
2:30pm – 2:40pm                      450 Class Site Lap
2:40pm – 3:15pm                      450 Class Moto #1
3:15pm – 3:30pm                      Podium Interviews

4:00pm – 4:10pm                      Women’s Site Lap
4:10pm – 4:25pm                      Women’s MX Moto #2
4:25pm – 4:35pm                      Podium Interviews
4:35pm – 4:45pm                      250 Class Site Lap
4:45pm – 5:20pm                      250 Class Moto #2
5:20pm – 5:30pm                      250 Winners Circle
6:00pm – 6:10pm                      450 Class Site Lap
6:12pm – 6:47pm                      450 Class Moto #2
6:45pm – 7:00pm                      450 Winners Circle