Wednesday, July 02, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Motocross track to stay open

Speedway reverses its decision on motorcycles

By JEFF WOLF
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Las Vegas Motor Speedway decided Tuesday that it will try to continue operating its motocross track, one day after it said it would close the motorcycle circuit permanently, apparently the result of the death a week ago of a 5-year-old rider at the track.

The motocross track was closed last Wednesday for a scheduled practice session after Tyler Santos died that morning from injuries sustained when the 50cc motocross bike he was riding crashed the night before on the facility's Peewee track.

Last Wednesday, a track official said the motocross track was closed for the night out of respect for the Santos family. The next scheduled activity for the track had been tonight, but it will remain closed until a new agreement can be reached between Club MX and the speedway.

Todd Gould, who owns Club MX with his wife, Heather Gould, was informed Monday that the speedway would close the motocross track, located on the southeast corner of the speedway's 1,600-acre complex.

Chris Powell, general manager and president of the speedway, would not give a reason for wanting to close the track, but the timing seemed to be linked to the boy's death.

Donald "Butch" Williams, the Goulds' attorney, said Tuesday that he had reviewed the contract between the speedway and Club MX and sent a letter to the speedway requesting it to reverse its original decision.

Powell would not comment on the letter Williams said he prepared or confirm he received it.

"After reviewing their contract, I will say (Club MX) is in a very good legal position to have that track remain open," Williams said.

Later Tuesday, Powell said he would propose a new agreement to the Goulds that would have them lease the dirt track.

"I understand people in this community want to enjoy motocross racing," Powell said, adding he would like to have a new agreement finalized this week but would not discuss details of the current contract.

Said Williams, "I hope they're trying to work something out to get the track back open."

That also is the wish of Bern Santos, Tyler's father.

His son, who had been racing mini-bikes for more than a year, died from blunt force trauma to his chest. Santos said his son missed a turn and his bike rolled down an embankment, where the fatal injury occurred.

"We always loved the sport," Santos said. "It is something we love, something my son really loved. He had a passion for it since he was a baby.

"Things happen every day, everyday life things. I'm sure (Tyler) wouldn't want to have (the track) taken away from the other kids or all the adults that ride there.

"For them to close the whole motocross track is unfair."

About 150 to 200 riders have been participating in midweek practices at the speedway, Gould said, adding that about half are younger than 16. He said Club MX, which began working with the speedway in 2000, attracts up to 250 racers on weekends.

"Any time you ride a motorized vehicle with two wheels on it, there's danger," Williams said.

Williams' family operated the old Williams Raceway on Craig Road, which he said was Nevada's first permanent motocross track.

Davey Hamilton, a former Indy car driver living in Las Vegas, is vice president of racing operations for a group that will stage an event at the speedway in September called the Great American Motorcycle Experience. Hamilton's group has rented parts of the speedway, and one of the eight types of motorcycle racing it will feature is motocross.

"The first reaction at any track should be trying to find the problem and fix it," Hamilton said. "All we can do from any incident in racing, whether it's this young boy or Dale Earnhardt, is to learn how we can make it safer."

The closure of the speedway's track would make the Rainbow Canyon facility near Caliente, about 150 miles northeast of the speedway, the closest motocross track to Las Vegas.

Another event that would be in jeopardy if the speedway's track closed is the annual World Mini Grand Prix that attracts about 2,500 riders for five days in late April.