We transform New Mexico scrub brush into a desert motocross oasis

Located on the eastern edge of the Tularosa Basin in New Mexico, with the Sacramento Mountains in the backdrop, the geography of La Luz looks straight out of a spaghetti western. Roughly three hours south of the capital in Albuquerque, La Luz is a small town in Otero County. It’s also where MX Track Builders transformed four-acres of desert scrub brush into a motocross oasis.

The customer, Levi WilliamSon, has two sons who love riding and racing motocross. Levi doesn’t have a deep background in the sport, but he does understand that giving his boys a track to improve their riding skills can help them climb the motocross ranks. It also doesn’t hurt having decorated AMA mini cycle champion Justin Buckelew as a riding coach. Buckelew happened to be at the WilliamSon property the morning the MX Track Builders crew arrived in La Luz. Justin provided a breakdown of the kids’ riding abilities, areas where improvement was suggested, and track features that would benefit them. 

On the first day of the project the MX Track Builders team used earthmovers to clear raw desert land and start with a clean slate. Then came the real challenge - dealing with soil that lacked moisture. Given our extensive knowledge in working with soils around the world, we knew the best course of action. We processed roughly 300,000 gallons of water into the soil to create compact buildable material. It was a long and necessary process that allowed us to build a track with features containing both motocross and supercross elements.

Those unique track features included a replica of the famous “Ten Commandments” rhythm section found at the Loretta Lynn’s Amateur National Championship in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. There was also an 80-foot camelback, 65-foot tabletop, single jump for learning how to scrub, a tight corner immediately following a double to practice braking under heavy deceleration, a second roller section, double-double, and a variety of corners. With a goal of qualifying for Loretta Lynn’s on the WilliamSon’s to-do list, their new track provided all of the key features needed to hone their craft. Not to mention the track’s prime location, which was right outside their front door. It truly was a motocross oasis in the desert.

Levi WilliamSon said it best, “In five days, John [Steiner] and team took our words and ideas and made them a reality. MX Track Builders is professional, hardworking, genuine and efficient with their time. They pre-plan and are experts at heading off challenges before they become a problem. I would recommend MX Track Builders to anyone that is considering having a professional dirt bike track built for public or private use.”