Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

NNSL (Aug 16/99) - Harvey Rice had had enough.

An avid dirt bike rider for the last 29 years, Rice simply had to buy another dirt bike last year after going the previous year and a half without one.

"Last year I couldn't take it any more so I went out and bought one, a Honda XR 400," Rice said.

After running and organizing dirt bike clubs on and off for years down south, it didn't take long for Rice to begin missing the thrill of the ride after moving to Yellowknife two and a half years ago.

Since re-acquainting himself with the sport last year, however, Rice felt it was high time for Yellowknife to have its own dirt bike riding association.

"Mostly, a bunch of us were just riding together and what we wanted to do was work with the city and the GNWT to lease an area we could use for racing," Rice said.

"We put a plan together and formed a society under the Society Act. We had enough members (24) to put in a tentative proposal to the city for a racetrack out at the sandpits and we are dealing with the GNWT for another piece of land at the old stock car race track on the Ingraham Trail."

And thus, the Yellowknife Dirt Rider's Association was formed -- its mission, to have areas for the dirt bikers to ride and to instill a local interest in the community.

"We've just started this year," said fellow rider Nathan Ireland just before taking to the course at the sandpit -- a gauntlet of sandy dunes and dusty trails.

"We also go up to Berry Hill at the end of the Vee Lake Road," Ireland added.

"We drive right up to the top. It's the highest point around Yellowknife."

"We're trying to develop trail systems that are more motorcycle friendly," Rice said.

"Trails for the most part have been made by snowmobilers and cross-country skiers. These tend to head for the swamps and lakes but in the summertime, they're all under water."

To develop local interest in their sport, the Dirt Rider's Association has been holding motocross demonstrations for the public with one organized for this Sunday, starting at 10:00 a.m. at the sandpits.

"We'll be holding a riding school and motocross demonstration there," Rice said.

"At 1:00 p.m. we're having a family fun ride at Vee Lake and going as far as Berry Hill for those that can make it."

"It's going to be free, we're just trying to get people interested."