Challenging obstacles and elevation change equate to pure fun in “Big Sky Country”

Ideas are typically born out of necessity. That was the case with our Helena motocross track build. The customer, Darryl Hardie, owns a sprawling 30-acre plot in Montana’s Lewis and Clark County. He desired a track for his son, a competitive amateur racer. Hardie had two requests. He wanted a layout that was challenging, but safe. The private track also needed to be built in early spring, as the silty clay Montana soil loses its moisture once temperatures spike and humidity drops. If the deadline wasn’t met, it would be a year before we could get a chance to break ground on Hardie’s property.

The MX Track Builders team expeditiously traveled to Helena and began construction of the custom motocross track. Hardie was right, as Montana proved favorable in mid-April. The soil profile contained plenty of moisture, held its shape, and was great to work with. We cut in a track that spanned five acres and had 40 feet of elevation change. Obstacles included a variety of doubles, rollers, a large camelback, triple, step-up and step-down. We carefully plotted the track design to maximize the terrain’s natural ascending and descending formation. The 0.6-mile track also weaved through pre-existing vegetation consisting of adolescent- to full-grown trees.

MX Track Builders completed the project in one week. It snowed on our group, but we kept charging ahead. A broken machine stalled us out for a day; however, owner John Steiner extended his stay to ensure the customer was happy. The track owner, Darryl Hardie, seemed over the moon with the finished product. “John and team built this track within a weeks’ time, and it turned out even better than expected,” explains Hardie. “The track is uniform, flows beautifully and is safe. The riders have told me on several occasions that the track is just plain fun and they love the flow! Even when the riders are too exhausted to continue, they do not want to quit!”

The Helena, Montana track is operated as a club under the name of DNT MX. Since completion of the track Hardie has purchased a tractor and power harrow, water truck and compact track loader for maintenance purposes. To learn more about DNT MX, please visit their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/DNTMX).