THERE were few dry eyes at McNamara Park on Sunday afternoon when past and present Mount Gambier Junior Motorcycle Club members said their final goodbye to the motocross facility.
The club’s lease will be terminated at the end of this month and as a result it has no choice, but to relocate.
The motocross club is yet to find a new location, but will continue to search.
A ‘ride day’ was held on Saturday to give those who are either past the competitive stage, or first-time riders a chance to tackle the track outside a racing situation, while Sunday the club hosted its final round of bar-to-bar motocross.
It was an end of an era weekend and many tears were shed as members reminisced about the ‘good old days’.
Almost half a century of memories were made on the iconic McNamara Park facility, which included iconic moments for the club such as the Australian Junior Motocross Championship in 1999.
Several past and present members who grew up ‘track-side’ have shared their disappointment.
However, club president Damien Holman and the remainder of the committee have reassured the community a suitable location will be found.
“While it is a difficult time, we promise as a club we will live on and be stronger,” he said.
“Our committee and others are looking and working hard to find a new location to call home.
“Until then, we will continue to hold events around the area, running grass tracks and our two-day stadium cross event at Millicent.”
While the weekend’s circumstances were unfortunate, the club made the best of a bad situation.
Through tributes on social media and word of mouth, several riders made the trek to McNamara Park for Saturday’s ride day.
The heavy rain in the morning did not dampen the spirits of the motorsport enthusiasts who attended the event.
While the mud sections of the track made for difficult riding, no participant gave up their final chance to ride the iconic circuit.
Holman thanked those who had applied endless hours of attention to the track to ensure it was in its best condition come the final hurrah on the weekend.
“A lot of man-power goes into running a club event like this,” he said.
“I have to thank those who assisted in organising the final event.
“The rain made for a wet and muddy track, but it was great, it did not hold back the riders.
“All the little ones tried their best on their PeeWee 50s, while the older veterans were able to get their big toys out and enjoy themselves.”
In conclusion of Saturday’s event, the track was prepared for Sunday’s final competitive round.
More than 70 local and interstate riders signed up in the early hours of Sunday morning to pay their respects to a track that will be sorely missed.
The rain on Saturday morning had made for difficult sections in practise, but as racing started the track started to improve.
“The track started off a little tacky, but it formed up well as the day went on,” Holman said.
“The three race rounds for the day went off without any problems, which gave us time to have some butchers runs at the end of the day.
“It was good to finish with a bit of fun.”
Several past and present riders paid tribute to the track, which has fostered friendships and developed budding riders into fierce competitors over many decades.
And while the circumstances are unfortunate, Holman said he was pleased with the support from the community.
“What a way to finish an era,” he said.
“I would like to thank all the riders and spectators that came out on the weekend for our final ride day and club day at Mac Park.
“The council members who came out to support us and the photographers who gave us their time and wonderful pictures of these memories, thank you.
“The club really felt the community support.”
Reality soon set in on Sunday afternoon when the club day came to a conclusion, which dampened the spirits of most.
“It came to the sad point of the day where many tears were had by all, as we said our goodbyes to Mac Park,” Holman said.
