Keeping a rich history of racing alive in a small midwestern town

Located 165 miles south of Chicago and 90 miles west of Indianapolis, the small town of Paris, Illinois (in Edgar County) doesn’t exactly draw the same interest as, say, the French capital with the same namesake. However, this green expanse of farmland is home to a unique parcel of property. Once owned by a sprint car racer to test cars on (this racer was later inducted into the Sprint Car Hall of Fame), it then had a motocross track on the premises before succumbing to Mother Nature. Any evidence of a track was gone.

Enter a family with roots in the 10,000-resident town. The father grew up in Paris and wanted to own a slice of motocross nirvana that the family could ride on for a few weeks every summer. The family spends most of their time in California. Within a few days of the land purchase being completed, the MX Track Builders team was in route to Paris for a three-day build.

We were given an amazing canvas to work with. In short order we transformed a pasture full of vibrant green grass into a plot of rich soil offset by mature vegetation. Having a deep history in track building, we understand that sculpting raw terrain doesn’t merely require bulldozers and excavators; it demands a deep understanding of the landscape’s potential and a touch of creativity. That’s exactly what we did on the three-acre parcel of land. Long sweeping corners gave way to fun fly-off jumps and tabletops, with technical sections mixed in for added challenges. The beginner-to-intermediate-level motocross track had something for everyone. Best of all, the plot of land continues to remain a proving ground for racers to hone their craft as it has been used for several generations.