Pax Trax in Bunnell -- 'Best track in Florida'

Click here to see Pax Trax Photo Gallery

It's a typical Saturday at Pax Trax Motocross Park in Bunnell, where some of the best-known motocross riders in the world have been known to share track-time with developing riders from all over Florida.

Robert Paxia founded Pax Trax in 1995. With help from Bike Week and similar events, the track draws thousands of tourists from all over the world along with a lot of regulars from Central Florida who come to learn on its peewee and intermediate tracks or to train and race on the full-sized track.

"This is probably the best track in Florida," says Mike McGlashen. He and John Lynch, both from Palm Coast, sat in the grandstand overlooking the main track. Both had obviously just finished a ride--they were covered in mud. They'd get onto the track another time or two before the day was out.

Motocross involves racing all-terrain vehicles on a closed track with banked turns, jumpable hills and other challenging features. Mid-morning on this particular Saturday, six or eight bikes are on the main track and a dozen or more riders rest in the shade or hose the mud off their bikes and gear.

"There aren't many tracks at this level in Florida," McGlashen says. "It's a challenge--beginners can ride it, but pros also come here."

Some of the top pro motocross riders have signed the cinderblock wall outside the snack bar, including Travis Pastrana, who is among the best-known riders in the world, along with Matt Goerke, a rider from DeLand who is now a top-ranked pro. Ashley Fiolek first rode at Pax Trax when she was 9 years old, Paxia says. At age 18, the profoundly deaf rider is now considered the number one women rider in the country.

"Even if you just watch a little motocross on TV, you know who Pastrana is," says Tracey Lucky, who sat in the grandstands watching her husband ride. The couple lives in Apopka, where they run a personal training studio.

Motocross is a highly athletic sport, Lucky says. "People will say, 'Oh, you ride motorcycles--that's not really a sport.' But you have to be in really good shape," she says. "My husband and I train athletes, and motocross is very demanding."

"It's the most physical thing I've ever done," McGlashen agrees. "I can go out and run five miles, and I lift. But if I can do a solid 20 minutes here I'm doing good."

Despite appearances--airborne motorcycles and bikes slinging mud as they careen around curves--motocross can as safe as many other sports, says Lucky, whose 18-year-old son also rides.

"My brother raced motocross, and I had a motorcycle before I had a bicycle, in my family," she says. "So I know enough I don't worry about it. You hold your breath a little when they fall, but they get back up and it's fine."

The family has only had one motocross-related trip to the emergency room, she says. "My husband fell and got a concussion, but we came back the next week," Lucky says. "You can get hurt in most sports--football, baseball, whatever. Here, as long as they ride safe, we're okay."

"As long as you can make it out of here on your own, it's been a good day," McGlashen adds, laughing. "Really, as long as you don't ride over your head, you're fine."

"The guys that get hurt bad are usually trying stuff they shouldn't be doing," adds Kyle Farnell. Now age 26, Farnell started riding at 8 years old, when his father, a pro motocross racer, introduced him to the sport. He went on to win the Loretta Lynn Amateur Motocross Finals.

Motocross "is a blast," says Farnell, who teaches motocross at Pax Trax. "Once you learn how to handle the motorcycle and start progressing--like the first time you jump a double--the rush you get from that is such a natural high--it's addictive."

Pax Trax Motocross Park is at 2529 N. State St. (US 1), Bunnell. Hours of operation vary. For more information, visit their website at paxtraxmx.com or phone (386) 437-7191.