North Dakota

Cold and short, but devoted. Bismarck Motocross Association (The Rock), Dakota Motocross, Turtle River up north of Grand Forks, De Fort. Most North Dakota tracks open in late May and pack everything into the four months they get. Soil is mostly sandy loam with prairie hardpack patches; some tracks ride deceptively fast because there's no elevation to slow things down. Wind is the year-round factor that locals plan around. Season runs late May through September; everything stops by October. The North Dakota Motocross Association runs the points calendar and riders here cross-pollinate with northwestern Minnesota and eastern Montana. Pro-level events don't reach the state but the local scene takes its racing seriously and the regulars know each other by sight. Mosquitoes are biblical in June. Bring repellant rated for actual bears, not the polite stuff.