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I never lived in Nor Cal but I went to a few nationals and put on a few clinics up there. This again is from memory. Others can add and edit im sure.

1. Livermore, CA -?- (not far from the Nuke Test Labs)
2. Sunol, CA -ABA- (Nationals held at this track)
3. Stockton, CA -ABA- (Nationals held at this track)
4. Roseville, CA -ABA- (Nationals held at this track near Sacramento)
5. Clovis, CA -ABA- (Fresno Nationals track)
6. Yuba City, CA -ABA- (On the river)
7. Marysville, CA -ABA- (Same track operator as Yuba City ed Blat if i remember right)
8. Janesville, CA -ABA- (Middle of nowhere, but beautiful country)
9. Ukiah, CA -ABA- (Wine Country, right next to vineyards)
10. Grass Valley, CA -NBA?- (Old School grab On Grips National track)
11. San Jose, CA -?- (Fred Watson Park)
12. San Jose, CA -?- (Hellyer Park)
13. San Jose, CA -?- (Thunderbird BMX)
14. Watsonville, CA -?- (KOA Campground)
15. Aptos, CA -?- Aptos High School
16. Moffet Field, CA -?- (Orion BMX)
17. Freemont, CA-?- (Baylands Raceway)
18. Morgan Hill, CA -?- (Hill Country Raceway)
19. San Martin, CA -?- (Indoor track)
20. Santa Clara, CA -?- (Santa Clara PAL)
21. Hayward, CA -?- (Rowell Ranch)
22. Hayward, CA -?- (Slyvia's Bmx Track)
23. City ?, CA -?- (Sand Hill Ranch)
24. City ?, CA -?- (Apple Ranch)
25. Gilroy, CA -?- (KOA Campground)
26. Modesto, CA -?- (Track Name?)

**Special Thanks to SanJoseBMX and haywardbmxer for contributing to this list.

Last edited by Racer (2006-07-31 1:59am)

Racer · 2005-07-14 12:55am

Never raced locally in NorCal, remember many of those from the magazines though. But when I was in the Navy I remember taking the BART to Red Devil to ride once.

GAry · 2006-02-02 6:37pm

Hey,
Yes, I redall those tracks!!
espcially Aptos H.S. - Aptos.
I once rode ther from Santa cruz, raced, and rode home...
So many incredible bikes were around then! I was riding a gt pro.
KOA - Watsonville and Gilroy!

Good times!

haywardbmxer · 2006-04-16 12:47am

well i got a chance to dig in some boxes in the back shead looking at some of our old trophies here are a few not listed from the med 70's

Rowell ranch .........HAWARD
Slyvia's bmx track .....HAYWARD
sand hill ranch
apple ranch

ChiliDawg · 2006-06-23 12:38pm

There used to be a track in Modesto that i raced at every sunday.. in 84

Racer · 2006-07-31 2:00am

Ok updated the list form your contributions, Thanks guys.

RandyS · 2006-09-14 4:28pm

I know this thread is old but I can't let some of the classics* go unrecognized.

70s

*Oakland 1974: Oakland Coluseum parking lot
*Merritt 1974:Oakland downhill
*McLaren 1975:SF downhill
*Roseville 1975/76:Semi Downhill at the fairgrounds.
*Rheem Valley 1976:Semi Downhill NBA
*Oakdale 1975/76:Fist NBA Nor Cal national
*Kings 1976: Orign NBA Modesto John Valdez Sr., became first track of John Valdez Jrs UBR
*Vallejo PAL 1975:For a while Vallejo owned Nor Cal BMX NBA
West Sac 1974/75: At the Helvetia motocross track.
*Auburn 1976:Semi downhill in the 70s, mellowed in the 80s.
Woodland:You had to live in Woodland to race, wasted an entire Sunday and got denied. I lived 20 miles away in Vacaville.
Sacramento Raceway 1975: My first race May 10, 1975, rubber band start 30 riders, 2 laps.
Sacramento Prairie City 1975: Downhill and uphill
*Marysville 1974:original track was at E Street
*Delta 1976:Lodi NBA
*Windsor 1975/76: NPSA National in 76/77
Cotati 1975: Worthless POS in a shopping center parking lot
Concord 1976/77: 2 different tracks at 2 different parks
Felton Dec 1975: Might have been a one time race

80s
Roseville: Indoor at the fairgrounds.
Roseville: Current Track
Orangevale: Pecan Park
Woodland: Another Minton track
Marysville: Second track where the soccer fields are. Bruce and Linda Mintons first track. Moved to current location, later taken over by Frank Blatt(Ovale Pecan Park). Now back with Mintons.
Folsom: Rodeo arena, Eric Dyer opened a track here in the 90s also
*Crazy Horse: Semi downhill UBR then ABA
Placerville: Downhill UBR. UBR also held a national at the fairgrounds.
Ione:UBR
*Angels Camp:UBR, you had to be there.
Fairfield PAL: UBR
*San Martin:UBR Indoor
Gilroy:NBL
Redding:Went there once for some Pro race they put on, couldn't tell you a thing about it but we went to Skyway and The Bike Shop.
*Fresno:Rad E Cal UBTrack
Fresno:NBA/NBMXA track off the side of Hwy 99.
Sacramento Raceway:Different track/promoter from 70s track
Rancho Cordova: Inside an old 84 Lumber building, dirt sat on top of cement. It never dried out in the 6 months they ran it.
Rancho Cordova: Across the street from Sac Rcwy, held second ever USBA National

One time races:

70s

Pinole Downhill 1975

80s

UBR:Great America, Marine World, Cal Expo, San Jose Fairgrounds, Cow Palace Outdoor, Vacaville Downhill 2 years, 2 tracks.

ABA: Cow Palace indoor

Last edited by RandyS (2006-09-14 5:05pm)

Racer · 2006-10-23 9:36pm

Hey Randy, thanks!!!! I will update as soon as I can. Thanks a ton for the extra info. We cant let the memory of BMX die before all the old photos and flyers etc are gone forever.

troy · 2007-03-26 4:20pm

WOW...Talk about memories. I grew up in Placerville, CA and raced for a local bike shop (UBR). The main track for us was Prairie city in Sacramento but also raced at Livermore,Manteca, Ione, 1980 Laber day nationals at Calaverus county and a couple home made tracks in Placerville. My fav was Ghost Mountain Cross Country track...The longest, winding track i've ever seen..

Last edited by troy (2007-03-26 4:21pm)

Doug Williams · 2007-06-12 7:31pm

Howzabout Visalia ?? I raced a National there in 78, with a busload of kids from Vegas. I qualified for the main in the 15 Expert class, but biffed in the 1st corner. Seems like Utterback won, but I may be wrong. Doug

jgtokyo · 2007-10-30 1:34pm

Im suprised nobody has mentioned Merced Fairgrounds, had some good double point races there, maybe a couple of nationals. My home track was Stockton Fairgrounds, With the owner/operator Tom Lueke. His daughter Becky raced. This track had an over/under bridge and tunnel which a bunch of us BMXers helped Tom build. After the bridge was the big doubles which I broke my collarbone on right before the 1986 bullfrog nationals.

The tracks I remember:

Stockton Fairgrounds
Merced Fairgrounds
Livermore
Marysville
Roseville- Oak Creek
Lodi, don't know if the races were sanctioned
Reno nationals

Good times......

ca-8oldschooler · 2008-05-20 5:27pm

soledad had an aba track. and fort ord had a track, dont remember the sanction but loved the downhill it had.

ca-8oldschooler · 2008-05-20 5:33pm

john vendetti, bmxer 80-86

ca-8oldschooler · 2008-10-25 1:29pm

that would be me, 45 against jim turner at aptos

troy · 2008-10-25 2:41pm

Here's me racing a Prairie city (Sacramento) May '80. I'm #76 and Richie Anderson #57

ca-8oldschooler · 2008-11-14 7:49pm

orion park

timmybird · 2009-04-14 5:03am

I grew up in Sac and raced local at roseville. My first memoeries were a track by the school in roseville must have been around 1980. I couldent tell you how to get there but I know it wasent the one Bruce and Linda run now. I also practiced out in orangeville pecan park. Nationals in napa. Rode with a buddy up in redding and checked out the city for a few days. Riders back in roseville during my time were Shawn Texas, Kenny May, Shea Pierce, Brian Ruest, And countless others. It was a good time to be a rider back in those days.

tjptjptjp · 2009-05-09 8:55pm

I used to enjoy racing under the lights at night at the Merced Fairgrounds track in the early 80's. I remember the Modesto track as well. A couple of more obscure ABA tracks in the early 80's was the Chowchilla Fairgrounds track and the Atwater BMX track. You could pretty much race Thursday Night, Friday Night, Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon, and finish off on Sunday morning just driving up and down HWY 99. Every other community from Bakersfield to Sacramento had a track. Those where the days.

NORCAL BOYZ · 2009-05-17 6:38pm

Hey does anybody rember Hammond park? from 1976 that was my first track, it is located next to hwy 17 and the catwalk it had yellow wooden ramps and a snap start with a long rubber band. And i always raced Aptos high on the weekends in the 80s with Gary's cousin Steve Cartwright and our other friends Good times i rode for the Dutchman and was team captain then for Wes' Bmx from 86-88 i also went to Hill country on Wednesday nights and Orion Park on Sundays.

NORCAL BOYZ · 2009-05-17 8:46pm

Does anybody have any pictures from the US nationals in Bakersfield 1986? I would like to see them, that would be my very first national went there with my buddy Joe Lamarache.... Talk about old school Nor Cal.

NORCAL BOYZ · 2009-05-18 3:23pm

Fort Ord was a NBL track they had a NBL War of the stars national there in 1982 i still have the decal.

NorCal66 · 2010-03-28 7:20am

NORCAL BOYZ wrote:
Does anybody have any pictures from the US nationals in Bakersfield 1986? I would like to see them, that would be my very first national went there with my buddy Joe Lamarache.... Talk about old school Nor Cal.

yep, I was at that race but don't have any pictures from it. That was over some hill and near a speedway correct. I think there was oil fields out there too. Sitting in the back of your parents cars you tend to notice things

BUTTERSBUM · 2010-04-05 11:40pm

I know this an old thread but I'm a newbie, and I'm itchin' to contribute. Racer, if you're talking about the 81' nationals @ Fremont, that was an ABA event. That was my 2nd time racing in a national. 1st time was 79' @ Grass Valley. Met Stanley Robinson and he was super cool, and gave me some great tips. Fremont, met Anthony Sewell... you're not supposed badmouth the dead, so I'll just say, not so much. BTW R.I.P. Mr. Sewell. You were a beast on the track....