Race Weekend 411 – State Fair MX

If you aren’t old enough to know what 411 means that’s what we used to dial on our phones in order to get “information”.  An operator would actually answer and you could give them information about who you were trying to call and they would connect you or give you the number.  Crazy right?

There is a lot we take for granted because we have been deep in this racing thing for more years that we would like to admit.  We are going to post this info pre race weekend just to help out with all the “411” so you come prepared and informed.

This weekends race is at State Fair MX.  Formerly Starwest for many years it was revived after being closed for quite a long time by the same group that operated Milestone MX and Perris Raceway.  They turned this small area into enough space to have a Main, Vet and a SX track which doubles as a peewee track in the off season.  Here are some specifics that will help you out this weekend.  Don’t forget to pre register at  www.swapmotoraceseries.com

Pre registration:  We close pre reg the Friday before race weekend at 9pm so we can start the upload process and prepare for the race weekend.  Pre registration saves you $5 per class and if you have your own transponder you can skip the registration line all together.  It’s the hot line to the starting gate without all the on site stress.  It helps us organize the race schedule as well so we can get that out as soon as possible.

Admission / Schedule:  State Fair MX is located at 18700 Lake Perris Dr, Perris, CA.  That address will take you to the main office of the fair grounds when you put it in your navigation.  If you are coming in off the 215 FWY down Ramona Expressway go one light past Lake Perris Drive where you will see the track on the left hand side.  Everyone must go through the front booth to sign the waiver and pay for admission.  On practice days it’s $30 per rider and free for spectators.  The staff will also sell you overnight parking passes ($35 Friday – Sun, or $20 Sat and Sun).  They will also sell you a spectator pass for Sunday to help speed up the line on race day.  Please put your wrist band on you you may get the dreaded turnaround and have to walk back to your vehicle.  All racers and spectators will get a wristband for $10.

State Fair MX has a 10 acre parking lot at the track and they also share some space with Perris Auto Speedway when there are not conflicting events.  All tracks are closed on Friday but overnight parking is available Friday from 5pm – 8pm for those looking to set up early.  Overnight parking is only in the outside lot by the SX track.  There are no hookups and we have strict rules from the fair grounds that there is to be no pit bike riding in this parking lot.  There is a bit of distance from this lot to the starting gate so just make sure that if you use a bike you are operating with safety in mind.  This has been stressed many times and State Fair MX has gone to great lengths to protect their lease.  Even still it seems at least one problem arises that requires negative attention, property damage or injury.  Please parents, be responsible or these will no longer be an option.  Follow the track @statefairmx on instagram for their weekly practice and race schedule.

Friday – Tracks Closed.  Gates open 5pm – 8pm

Saturday – Gates open 8am.  Practice is from 9am – 2pm.  Expect there to be split practice for the little bikes and big bikes.  These are usually 20 minute sessions and will be announced over the PA throughout the day.  It’s your job to pay close attention to the track schedule so you get the most track time.  On site registration opens between 12:30 and 1pm.  Gates close at 8pm.  No in and out activity after 8pm.

Sunday – Gates open at 6 am.  On site registration opens at 6:30am.  Practice starts at 8am and race schedules will get posted on site and on our instagram page stories @swapmotoraceseries.  The practice schedule will be on the table early morning and the first race of the day will also be written in the schedule so you can prepare.

State Fair MX is a tight track with lots of jumps and obstacles.  Top speeds are lower and lap times are shorter.  Typically the last race of the day is wrapping up around 3:30pm.  We race a two moto format meaning when the race order is posted we run through it twice.  There is no midway break.  Second moto’s seem to start around 1pm usually but make sure you are aware of the race schedule at all times.  We use a live timing system  on our results page that shows which race is on the track and our announcer and staff are also there to help.

Track Access:  When the track has bikes on it there is no access for spectators.  This is for obvious safety reasons.  The limit has been continually pushed and tracks are growing tired of giving up resources that should be used to increase track safety to tell parents over and over again that they need stay behind the fence.  Just like baseball, soccer, basketball you are not allowed on the field of play.  Ignoring these rules can lead to your rider getting scored a disqualification for that race and zero points.  

Results:  Shortly after races we post results on a board near registration.  You can also check out the results page online, choose your event and look up detailed info like lap times and more.  Series points and official results are typically live by Tuesday after the race weekend.

Trophies:  The Swapmoto Race Series by AMSOIL trophies the top 30% in each class.  That means the more riders in a class the more trophies we hand out.  If you have a class of 20 riders we will trophy first through sixth place.  

Second Gate Drops:  Sometimes it make sense for us to have a second gate drop with multiple classes on the track at the same time.  This helps us get through the daily schedule and gets you hope faster.  We are careful to chose how many riders are reasonable for the track and all tracks are different.  It is very important to be prepared at the starting gate especially if you are the second drop.  The second drop should not be lined up in the gate until the first gate drops.  You must be prepared to take off on the second drop in no longer than 30 seconds.  The starter will point down the line to alert everyone that it’s time to go and then drop the gate.  If you are not ready the gate may drop without you.  

Staging: The staging area is where the starter calls riders up by bike number to chose their gate pick.  First moto picks are determined by the order that you signed up and second moto picks are decided by the order you finished in the second moto.  Please allow the rider called in front of you the opportunity to pick their gate before you pick yours.  Do not send your rider out to the gate to prep before their number is called.

Photos:  Swapmoto Live is the media partner and provides hundreds of action photos for free download from every event.  You can look up the pics by your moto number and they are usually posted online by Tuesday after the race.  Check the website www.swapmotoraceseries.com for in depth rider profiles and photos from every race.

We will continue to adapt this 411 sheet and post before race weekend with unique info specific to each location.  We hope you have a great race weekend!  Save the dates for the opening round of the 2022 season!