Moncton New Brunswick and its surrounding municipalities are well known for their involvement with motocross and one of the most long standing fixtures in this community is the storied River Glade Motocross Park.
Since 1977, this sprawling 70 acre facility has played host to some of the most exciting motocross races in Atlantic Canada and continues to excite a new generation of riders that partake in this exhilarating sport. The Motocross Park is located on Homestead Road, about 3km west of the Old Fredericton Road, adjacent to the River Glade Speedway.
On a normal race day, 40 acres of this facility is bustling including the track and parking and still has plenty of room to grow
The track – the oldest in Atlantic Canada – and one of the oldest in the country was started by two teachers, a truck driver, a dentist and a truck dispatcher. This unlikely group all had one thing in common; the Westmorland Motorcycle Club.
The track is now run by three local motocross legends, Larry Northrup, President of Toys for Big Boys, Earl Doucette, who has never missed a race since the track opened in October of 1977 and in 2011 they were joined by Lee Steeves, Ex Pro motocross racer and former owner of the Fox Hollow Motocross track. Larry and Earl are also inductees into the Maritime Motorsports Hall of Fame which truly illustrates the life long passion they have for this sport. This group with all their diverse and varied knowledge of this sport will surely grow the excitement and events at River Glade for many years to come!
The track hosts events from all across the nation including the Canadian Motosport Racing Club Monster Energy Motocross Nationals and has welcomed world renowned racers including Jean-Sebastian Roy, Ross Pederson and Blair Morgan just to name a few. This track also launched the careers of several local legends including Scott Lockhart, Glen Hoar, Heidi Cooke, Mitchell Cooke, Ryan Lockhart and Johnny Montes, just to name a few.
Racers have come from across Canada, the U.S.A. and from as far away as Europe. The track is considered by the national racers to be one of the best in the country and has changed many times over the years. One of the aspects of the track that has been there since the beginning is the deep bowl which separates the two main sections of the track. Racers have always gone down into a sweeping turn and came back through the bowl, up over the hill. It’s always a thrill ride going down and back up again, which shoots you up into the air.
While at the Atlantic Motorcycle and ATV Show feel free to check out the exclusive slide show paying homage to this much heralded track with images spanning the decades from 1977 until present.
Here’s to many more years of exciting motocross and “Good Times at the Glade!”
