I have around 1 acre I’d like to use to build a small track for my kids. Is that enough space to do it? No big jumps, just a few small ones a table top, whoop section and something they can flat track around. I have zero experience and looking for advice on how you would lay it out. I have the space and extra dirt right now and they keep pestering me to do it. I’m trying now to upload a picture of the space. It’s 150 x 230 x 240 x 220 ft
Hell yeah that's enough room. You should be able to get every bit of what you want plus a couple decent straights and a couple sweepers. And the more irregular the better imo.
All I'm hearing is an excuse to buy a skid steer and a mini excavator if you don't already have it. I haven't looked lately, but big James Stewart used to post tips and tricks for building and maintaining angles and distances. I'm sure there's a shit ton of how to's on the web.
Make multiple courses. Build an oval flat track, then have an infield section with some jumps and whoops. Use an orange cone for a section you're closing off. Buy plenty of helmets, knee, elbow pads.
And check your homeowners about coverage for guests because you'll get them and someone will get busted up. Part of it yes, but you need to be covered.
I have a tractor with loader and grooming attachments already. I’d love to own a skid steer but just cant justify it right now. I have a buddy I can borrow one from though. I love this idea. We just built a pool so I have a F-ton of dirt to use right now.
Not there I cant, there is a fence line against the woods for my horses. I do have 3 acres on the back side of my property that’s wooded that the animals don't use so I could do something there if they wanted to ride in the woods.
My buddy did this exact thing. The oval flat track got much more use than the infield jump sections. Those jumps are intimidating to most people, but everyone wants to race flat track. He had 5 or 6 XR100s for use. Hint....don't let anyone ride in shorts
Check out Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist, he found a bunch of Honda and Kawasaki hay bale covers really cheap. It really helps keeping bikes where you want them. Plus they look cool. He also had lights for night time action. Be careful, people will see this from the street and want to ride on it.
I can always fly there for a weekend and rent what you need. my suggestion, oval with an infield TT type course. What type of dirt is there? Brown ish? will it “pack in” with water? realistically, cheapest route, rent/borrow tractor with box blade and root rakes. if you can score some disks that’s ideal. Also get a source for water. Even if you rent a “water wagon” dry dirt is your enemy. you can also get a “grader” blade for a 3pt tractor hook up. They are great and I’ve prepped some big races using just one of those. They are great and easy to hook up and work really well. or pay me $1500 and a weekend. cool idea, and very good training.
If your on insta look up Area69 Raceway that’s my backyard track of 25 years. Started as an oval, now is basically a mini SX track for training and coordination. Flat track is way more fun, but for training and keeping yourself sharp, add some jumps and stuff.
The dirt I have is red Georgia clay. I already have the box blade with root rake, a regular rake, drag harrow. Thought about tilling the oval first. I have a 5 acre pond with pump so I’ll always have water. I appreciate the offer but want to tackle it myself. I’ll check your insta.
clay is really good but when it’s hard it’s obv harder to work. soak it down, dig her up, box blade it smoothe or grader blade. Roll in and water, then drag the top to knock off high spots
Some of the riding areas local to me use used cement culverts or the like for the foundations of their jumps. That F-ton of dirt you think you have now won't go far when you start building jumps completely out of dirt. Like if I was going to make a kids whoop section I'd lay down wooden fence posts and then dirt over them. I'd also think about easy Endurocross kinds of things that don't require much dirt and would be easy to change/reconfigure.
We just built a flat pad and can build any shape oval or TT track that we wish. You can add features in the middle (table tops, doubles, berms) and integrate as you wish. I understand that you can just add calcium chloride to any brown dirt and get it to hold moisture and harden up, to not dig up to much and rut out. Next, check with your homeowners insurance for an umbrella liability policy and get a waiver similar to other racetracks. If there is a way to get hurt, your friends will find it.