The Mississippi Horse Park will host Starkville Arenacross, an indoor motorcycle and ATV racing event, today and Saturday evenings. The event is part of the 2006-2007 Winter Arenacross Tour series produced by Cycle City Promotions.Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and both shows begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at the gate and are $14 for adults and $8 for children ages 3 to 12. Children 2 and under are admitted free.
Mississippi Horse Pack facility manager Bricklee Miller said this will be the sixth year for the event in Starkville.
“It’s an extreme sport,” said Miller. “This is a huge event with a huge following.”
Miller said that spectators and participants from Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and surrounding states have already contacted her in order to reserve RV spots for the weekend. Spectators from various states travel around following the series up through the championship event.
The press release describes the arenacross event as “extreme sporting at its best … Come watch the motorcycles and ATVs race through a course of jaw-dropping jumps and terrifying turns for the fastest times.”
This year the event has expanded into two nights due to last year’s crowd.
“We sold out last year,” said Miller. “We turned away 1,000 people 30 minutes prior to the event. That’s why we have two nights this year. It’s a really big following.”
Miller said that last year’s crowd made exciting history: last year’s arenacross event was the first time the horse park has ever completely sold out for a spectator event. Last year’s event in Starkville sold just 1,000 less than the arenacross show in Tulsa, Okla.
Producer Tod Hammock of Cycle City Promotions draws riders from all over the country, said Miller. Hammock puts on the winter arenacross series each year in venues across Texas, New Mexico, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Mississippi. In this series, the events go on for a few months across the different states before ending with a championship event.
Riders perform inside during the winter months and move outdoors during the spring and summer shows, Miller said.
The Starkville Arenacross will be held indoors, but spectators should still dress warmly, he said. There is bench seating, and spectators can bring stadium chairs for the benches if they wish to do so.
The riders in this weekend’s event range from amateurs to professionals of all ages. Miller said that there are child riders who are so young that their parents must help them push over the jumps.
Miller said that the course features a 30-foot-high mound that the riders must clear. In last year’s event, participants got close to the 85-foot-high ceiling.
This year, there will be a large freestyle show featuring riders doing in-air back flips.
“It’s a really intense, high-energy show,” said Miller. “The guys love to race here because it’s such a great crowd. It’s a fantastic event.”
Tickets are available at the gate, but viewers are encouraged to purchase tickets early since the event is expected to sell out, Miller said. Advance tickets are available at the Village Cycle Center with a $2 discount. For additional information, call 325-0508.