MANSFIELD — Layne Cape spent about 10 minutes hosing down his ATV with a power washer after whipping around the new motocross track at the Mansfield Speedway.
The mud wasn’t completely gone, but he decided it was good enough. He had a second race on the horizon.
“It was pretty cool, other than it being really muddy and chunky and wet,” Cape said. “It was a really cool track. It’s a cool place to ride.”
The 21-year-old and his family traveled nearly two and a half hours on Saturday to compete in the season opener of The Central Ohio Motocross Series (COMX).
Friday evening rain made for less-than-ideal conditions on the track. Races were delayed by two hours so a tractor and bulldozer could skim the surface.
“We’re fighting Mother Nature a little bit,” said Matt Tifft, owner of the Mansfield Speedway. “You prep and prep and then, unfortunately, when you have a monsoon like yesterday, it creates tough track conditions and it’s hard on equipment and stuff, too.”
In spite of the weather, Tifft said he was happy to see nearly 150 riders christen the new dirt track.
(Story continues below photos by Katie Ellington Serrao)
“The hardest thing is to get the awareness out here whenever you have something new. So to have the turnout we had today and to get that excitement is huge,” he said.
Throughout its history, the venue has hosted motocross events, but those were on the oval.
Now, there’s a separate, professionally-designed track on the west side of the property with tabletop jumps, a whoop section and 180 degree turns.
“It’s one of the premier tracks in the region, so it’s going to be a really, really cool place for a lot of people to come out and learn how to ride and hopefully host in the future some big regional events, too,” Tifft said.
“If you do have a dirt bike or a quad and you want to come out here, we will have those open ride days,” he added. “So make sure you check those out over the summer.”
Saturday’s season opener included 48 classes of bike and quad competition, according to COMX founder James Zeger.
Zeger founded the series last year after the only ATV series in the state shuttered — so his sons would have a chance to ride.
“The ATV community rallied behind us when we said we’d do it, so we went for it,” he said.
Zeger, who hails from Mount Gilead, is excited to see the resurgence of the Mansfield Speedway. He’ll be back for more than just motocross.
“I came here as a kid watching NASCAR truck rides,” he said. “When you show up in a big facility like this, it makes it feel like the real deal. The kids love it. We’re stoked to see it here.”
Mansfield Speedway to host Comeback Classic in May
Tifft, A former NASCAR Cup Series driver and Medina County native, purchased the 180-acre property from the Milliron Foundation last year.
Since then, he’s been readying the property for a rip-roaring comeback season.
“We’ve got a mix of everything in there. We will have dirt track racing events, but we (also) will have motocross, monster truck-type stuff, concerts, drifting events, car shows, some community events like fireworks we’ll be doing with the city,” Tifft said last fall.
The facility was shuttered and largely abandoned after the 2019 season, with bleachers, light poles and even fencing sold off or donated.
Tifft and his team have faced plenty of obstacles to get the speedway up and running, including bad weather and a gang of raccoons who had made themselves at home in the abandoned structures.
But the team has managed to ready the track in time for an ambitious first year schedule of events.
The inaugural race on the oval will take place May 2 with the Comeback Classic. The American Late Model Iron-Man Series, FAST 410 Sprint Cars, and UMP Modifieds will headline the event.
A demolition derby Night of Destruction will follow on May 3.
