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Highlands Today

Highlands BMX Gets Down And Dirty

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By Brian Gjurgevich | Highlands Today

Published: December 21, 2007

AVON PARK — Jeremy Machia's labor of love is a few tons of manicured dirt.

And he likes nothing more than watching folks make a mess of it.

The track director at Highlands BMX got hooked on bicycle racing at a young age, and more than 25 years later, Machia enjoys playing in the dirt more than ever.

"Normally, we're out two or three times a week, hand-shaping jumps," he said. "We're not using heavy equipment, so it's a lot of fine-tuning."

Much of that meticulous work is done to ready the track for weekly races that draw riders from Highlands County and beyond. And while most tracks are closed around the Christmas holiday, Machia's welcoming racers from across the state this weekend to grab some last minute points in order to qualify for the upcoming Sunshine State BMX's Florida state championships.

He never knows how many riders will show up until race day, but Machia said up to 100 racers of all skill levels cold descend on the Avon Park track, which is known around the state as the fastest in Florida.

"It's ironic that Florida is such a flat state, and we have a track that's all downhill," Machia said, noting that the degree of difficulty and height of potential jumps on the track is second to none. "When I originally decided to build the track, we designed it to basically progress the sport. In most places, jumps aren't half as big and the tracks are half as fast. But because our local kids ride at our facility, they go to other tracks and do much better."

Jordan Shane, Highlands BMX's assistant track director, said the all-downhill clay track can make even seasoned riders a bit nervous.

"It's one of the more intimidating tracks we have," said Shane. "It's all downhill, so there are a lot of races where you don't need to pedal."

Racers' ages span from 5 to 60 and expertise levels vary from beginner to pro. Saturday's festivities begin with registration from 6 to 7:30 p.m. with racing to begin around 8 p.m.

Cost to race is $7, though spectators pay the same price as always.

"People always ask how much it costs to watch," Machia said. "It doesn't cost a thing.

"We have some great spectator areas, and for people who've never been, it's best described as motocross on bikes. It's very entertaining –– you never know what's going to happen from second to second."

Shane, who will be riding in the 17-21 division, said he enjoys watching as much as riding.

"It's really exciting," Shane said. "It's fun to watch so many skill levels competing on the same track."

Highlands BMX is located at 730 County road 17-A, two miles off U.S. 27.

For more information, check out www.highlandsbmx.org or www.floridabmx.com.

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