International flavor is coming to rural Pennsylvania at this weekend’s High Point National. The annual motocross event in Mt Morris, Pa., is headlined by a pair of foreign riders who will be taking on the best of North America.
“Ninety percent of the riders are from North America, but in a weird anomaly, for the first time in the 50-year history of the series, both defending champions are international talent,” said Davey Coombs, event promoter and president of MX Sports Pro Racing.
Dylan Ferrandis of France is the defending champion in the 450 class and Jett Lawrence of Australia is the defending champion in the 250 class.
Other riders from France and Australia will be taking part, too, as well as riders from Japan, Germany and Italy.
Semi-retired, nine-time champion Antonio Cairolli from Italy is also one of the headliners at the High Point National.
The 45th running of the High Point National begins on Saturday morning with practice and qualifying beginning at 8 a.m. Opening ceremonies begin at 12:30 p.m. and racing begins at 1 p.m.
The annual event is part of the 50th anniversary of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship Season. The High Point National is one round of the 12-round summer campaign, which runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
“It’s very intense,” said Coombs, who carries on a family tradition running the pro racing circuit started by his parents in 1977. “It has grown every year. We had a really great crowd last year after things were canceled due to COVID in 2020 and we are hoping for even more people to come out this year.”
Jokingly, Coombs said the High Point National is like watching a NBA playoff game — because of the non-stop intensity.
“The way the guys ride anymore, it’s like watching an NBA playoff game,” he said. “All of the sudden, they’re trying hard every single play of the game. There’s no lackadaisical effort like in a regular-season game.
“There’s not just one ball out there. Every rider counts. There’s no timeouts, there’s no whistles. It happens fast — super fast. It happens continuously.”
Coombs said riders can hit jumps at 125 feet and reach speeds of up to 65 miles per hour. It’s up to Coombs and other track personnel to slow down the course for the riders. They do that by adding obstacles such as jumps, switchbacks and table tops. Sixty-five mph at High Point National is actually slower than other courses on the circuit, Coombs said.
“People may not realize how fast they are and how high they go off the jumps,” Coombs said. “They know what they’re doing. It’s like watching a snowboarder in the halfpipe for the first time — it’s mind-blowing. But it’s what they do every day. They know what they’re doing and spectators will realize that it’s less fear and more respect for what they’re doing.”
Between 250-300 workers will make Saturday’s event happen. From the race promoters to the officials to the builders and engineers to the security and concessions workers, Coombs said everybody coming together is a well-oiled machine. Everybody has their own role to play and after years of putting the event together, they all excel at their craft.
One thing that can’t be controlled is the weather.
“I’ll take the heat before the rain every time,” Coombs said. “As my dad used to say, ‘it’s easy to put the water on the track yourself; it’s harder to take it off.’ If it’s dry, we’ll water it. If it’s raining, we can’t dry it.”
Tickets for the event cost $50 for adults and $20 for kids ages 6-11. A pit pass from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. costs $20 for all ages.
“The community really gets behind us,” Coombs said. “A lot of people realized how much this Father’s Day tradition meant to them.”
By Matthew Peaslee
