Dirt Wurx With Two Big Saves So Far in 2010
February 6, 2010, 2:17pm
MONROE, N.Y. (Feb. 6, 2010) – Back-to-back-to-back weeks of rain in California have made for some legendary heavy equipment work constructing the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, tracks in San Francisco and San Diego. Scrambling during brief windows of clear weather, the series’ track construction and design company, Dirt Wurx USA - working with Feld Motor Sports’ operations team - have pulled off a couple more minor supercross miracles since the much-talked-about Anaheim 2 save.
“Everything’s been soaked – these are the worst continuous conditions we’ve ever worked in during our 18 years with supercross,” said Rich Winkler, owner of Dirt Wurx USA. “
As heavy praise for both Dirt Wurx and the Feld team became yesterday’s news following track construction on the Anaheim 2 round, it soon became apparent it would be anything but business as usual for the San Francisco move-in. Rather than enjoying a day off to travel and catch their breath, Dirt Wurx was faced with a situation where the trucks delivering the base gravel to the floor of SBC Park were getting stuck and the actual supercross track dirt was not even close to being brought into the stadium – less than a week before the gate was to drop on round four of the series and with more rain in the forecast.
“We’d had advance reports (during the week of Anaheim 2) that the weather was going to be terrible in San Francisco,” said Winkler. “The move-in was halted by the time only half of the base material was moved into the stadium. So we brought in more than 20 tons of drying agent and spent all Sunday night mixing it in with the remaining road base, just so we could get trucks on the floor, then we worked to mix it in with the actual dirt for the San Francisco track.”
Twenty tons of drying agent is a lot when you consider the most Dirt Wurx and Feld had ever used in the past was about nine tons at the Pontiac (Mich.) Silverdome. Doubling that amount and then some, Winkler said his guys and the Feld crew went from a “dead standstill on Sunday to asses and elbows on Monday morning.”
“I couldn’t have been prouder of my guys and (Dave) Prater’s guys,” said Winkler of the Dirt Wurx and Feld teams. “The synergy between our teams has been incredible this year in the face of potential disasters.”
While building a one-off supercross track during the middle of the summer in southern California is no simple task, building numerous tracks – in consecutive weeks – in mud during the California winter months is downright brutal. With spent crew members traveling in from events in other cities, returning lacking sleep (BIG props to series sponsor Monster Energy!) to run heavy equipment in soggy conditions that are all but impossible to craft a proper supercross track in, it’s a behind-the-scenes wonder that goes unnoticed to all but the most core supercross enthusiasts.
“The riders came out for the San Francisco track walk wearing rubber boots and didn’t event need them,” added Winkler with a smile.
And just when the Dirt Wurx crew has time to catch their breath after Anaheim 2 and San Francisco, along comes another track to build – with only a 48 hour window before the rains hit again.
“The crew went without sleep again, and got out of San Francisco as soon as the last trucks were loaded, less than 16 hours after the checkered flag fell. We dodged a bullet with the rains in San Diego and got the track done and covered before Thursday,” Winkler added. “Some of our guys even came down from the Anaheim monster truck event they built and lent a hand in San Diego – on their own time – just to get things done before the weather took a turn for the worse again.
“Again, it was great to see our guys, the Feld team, AMA, riders and team managers all come together and pitch in to make things work despite the weather conditions we’ve faced in California this year. I can’t wait to get out of here – just so we can work with a roof over our heads!”
Next up on the Monster Energy Supercross tour is today’s (Feb. 6th) round at San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium.
“Everything’s been soaked – these are the worst continuous conditions we’ve ever worked in during our 18 years with supercross,” said Rich Winkler, owner of Dirt Wurx USA. “
As heavy praise for both Dirt Wurx and the Feld team became yesterday’s news following track construction on the Anaheim 2 round, it soon became apparent it would be anything but business as usual for the San Francisco move-in. Rather than enjoying a day off to travel and catch their breath, Dirt Wurx was faced with a situation where the trucks delivering the base gravel to the floor of SBC Park were getting stuck and the actual supercross track dirt was not even close to being brought into the stadium – less than a week before the gate was to drop on round four of the series and with more rain in the forecast.
“We’d had advance reports (during the week of Anaheim 2) that the weather was going to be terrible in San Francisco,” said Winkler. “The move-in was halted by the time only half of the base material was moved into the stadium. So we brought in more than 20 tons of drying agent and spent all Sunday night mixing it in with the remaining road base, just so we could get trucks on the floor, then we worked to mix it in with the actual dirt for the San Francisco track.”
Twenty tons of drying agent is a lot when you consider the most Dirt Wurx and Feld had ever used in the past was about nine tons at the Pontiac (Mich.) Silverdome. Doubling that amount and then some, Winkler said his guys and the Feld crew went from a “dead standstill on Sunday to asses and elbows on Monday morning.”
“I couldn’t have been prouder of my guys and (Dave) Prater’s guys,” said Winkler of the Dirt Wurx and Feld teams. “The synergy between our teams has been incredible this year in the face of potential disasters.”
While building a one-off supercross track during the middle of the summer in southern California is no simple task, building numerous tracks – in consecutive weeks – in mud during the California winter months is downright brutal. With spent crew members traveling in from events in other cities, returning lacking sleep (BIG props to series sponsor Monster Energy!) to run heavy equipment in soggy conditions that are all but impossible to craft a proper supercross track in, it’s a behind-the-scenes wonder that goes unnoticed to all but the most core supercross enthusiasts.
“The riders came out for the San Francisco track walk wearing rubber boots and didn’t event need them,” added Winkler with a smile.
And just when the Dirt Wurx crew has time to catch their breath after Anaheim 2 and San Francisco, along comes another track to build – with only a 48 hour window before the rains hit again.
“The crew went without sleep again, and got out of San Francisco as soon as the last trucks were loaded, less than 16 hours after the checkered flag fell. We dodged a bullet with the rains in San Diego and got the track done and covered before Thursday,” Winkler added. “Some of our guys even came down from the Anaheim monster truck event they built and lent a hand in San Diego – on their own time – just to get things done before the weather took a turn for the worse again.
“Again, it was great to see our guys, the Feld team, AMA, riders and team managers all come together and pitch in to make things work despite the weather conditions we’ve faced in California this year. I can’t wait to get out of here – just so we can work with a roof over our heads!”
Next up on the Monster Energy Supercross tour is today’s (Feb. 6th) round at San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium.
