The Cape Cod BMX track will open tomorrow for a private state qualifying meet after operating on Joint Base Cape Cod for 35 years.
Construction of the motocross course, at 65 Quaker Meetinghouse Road on a 7.5-acre plot of land behind the Pop Warner Football Field, began in the May after the base announced it was looking into other uses of the acreage that was occupied by the track.
“The place is not 100 percent completed but the track itself will be ready by then,” said Tammy Gibbs, president and track manager of Cape Cod BMX. “If Mother Nature comes in and gives us a run for our money, we will have to postpone our state qualifiers until next Saturday.”
Ms. Gibbs expects anywhere from 150 to 250 riders will register to race for the Triple Point MA State Qualifier, beginning at 10 AM, she said.
“I am not sure what the turnout will be since our riders haven’t gone anywhere because we haven’t been open,” Ms. Gibbs said. “We usually have about 250 riders but the program hasn’t been open this year.”
In the past, out-of-state riders from Maine to North Carolina have participated, although points for the Massachusetts qualifier only count toward Massachusetts riders.
A Facebook post on Cape Cod BMX’s page announcing the state qualifier received positive feedback from several in-state and out-of-state riders expressing their excitement to compete and ride the new track.
The well-supported community project gained support from volunteers throughout the Cape and parts of Massachusetts, donating time, trucks and equipment to build the anticipated track, including volunteer riders already part of the nonprofit organization who helped pack down the 7,000 cubic yards of dirt moved from the base.
“The effort these last few months for the volunteer-based operation is incredible,” said Selectman David J. Sampson at the Sandwich Board of Selectmen’s meeting on August 5. “This is a very big deal.”
“I have always wanted to come to Sandwich,” Ms. Gibbs said. “I had talked to Bud Dunham years ago about it and approached Selectman Beauchemin at the time, and Dave Sampson took the handle for us and helped get it through the Board of Selectmen who were in full support.”
Still, leaving the base was bittersweet, Ms. Gibbs said. But the move is a positive one.
“Because of security tightness, it was hard to get new members out there,” Ms. Gibbs said. “It made things hard and it was not the best for our program.”
Although the track will not be open to the public, members can ride freely, and recreational riders are encouraged to sign a waiver and try out the track. Practices will be held for members on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 5 to 8 PM, and races will start at 5 PM.
“You can ride as much as you like or as little as you like,” Ms. Gibbs said. “This is another sport for somebody who is not that average football, soccer or lacrosse player.”
Cape Cod BMX will host a public re-opening event the last Saturday of September, and all are welcome.
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