Off-road Expo ‘Spring Break’ At Pomona Fairplex

Looking for something to do this weekend in Southern California? If so, head to the Pomona Fairplex and experience the 2nd Annual Off-road Expo presented by Toyota. If you’re into quads, trucks, side-by-sides, motorcycles, Hawaiian Tropic models and more, this is the place to be.

For Immediate Release
POMONA, CALIF. — The 2009 Off-Road Expo ‘Spring Break’ presented by Toyota will invade the Fairplex in Pomona Saturday, March 21 and Sunday, March 22, with everything off-road including vehicles, thousands of parts and accessories, unbeatable show deals and more. Exciting new activities take center stage including Can-Am ATV demo rides, Hawaiian Tropic Model Search pageants, motorcycle trials stunt shows, and a truck and 4X4 Show & Shine. [Read more]

Hatfield-McCoy Trails: Wayne County Update

The Hatfield-McCoy Trails has announced that its officials have recently met with the U.S. Army Corp. of Engineers to discuss a new trail system. The U.S. Army Corp. of Engineers controls the East Lynn Dam Area in Wayne County, W.Va.

In 2008, both sides met about the the East Lynn Dam Area and determined more would be done after the Hatfield-McCoy trail techs were allowed to “create” potential routes. The Hatfield-McCoy Trails says they’ve mapped about 60 miles of trails and that the Hatfield-McCoy trail authority took over management of all the current trail in the district.

Now, the trail system need to write a formal proposal, which includes both trail routes and trailhead sites. Once this is complete, Hatfield-McCoy with set the license agreements in place and begin construction.

For more info visit, TrailsHeaven.com or read the HMT blog

Mickey Thompson/KalGard Lubricants SXS Stadium Series

After a successful 2008, The Mickey Thompson/KalGard Lubricants SXS Stadium Series presented by Skin Industries is set to start the first round of the series February 21st at Perris Auto Raceway.
The racing will be headlined with the Stadium Truck class and will also include Side-x-Sides, Prerunners and many more off-road vehicles.

In 2008 action sports stars including Kyle Leduc, Brian Deegan, Mike Metzger, Dan Henderson, Nate Adams, Jeff Matiasevich, Todd Arthur, Chad George, Trenton Briley, Austin Reed and tons more attended and competed in the SXS Stadium Series/Dirt Alliance events. Several of these icons and many others are scheduled to be at the first round. [Read more]

U.S. Senate poised to shut Off-Highway Vehicles out of more than 1 million acres of public land

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The U.S. Senate is poised to act as early as Sunday on a massive package of public lands bills that would shut motorcyclists out of more than 1 million acres without adequate public comment, the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) reports.

The last-minute move just as the newly elected Congress takes over has raised the ire of the AMA and at least one congressman, who believe the proposal and process deserve more public participation.

“Those who say things get better with time obviously never encountered the public lands omnibus bill,” said U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah). “This bill was a bad idea last Congress, and it’s only gotten worse over the past month.”

Ed Moreland, AMA vice president for government relations, agreed.

“It makes little sense to lump together more than 160 very important public lands bills into one package that is nearly 1,300 pages long, and then expect the public to digest it all — and to rush a vote through the Senate on a weekend,” Moreland said.

More than 160 public lands bills have been grouped together by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. The package would create more than 1 million acres of designated Wilderness land, which would shut out all motorized vehicles.

The last-minute congressional maneuver would also make the National Landscape Conservation System permanent. This system creates an additional level of bureaucracy for the National System of Public Lands and would remove much of the authority of the existing agency in managing those lands.

“Congress should put together a new package and pass it through committee rather than debate legislation carried over from the previous Congress,” Rep. Bishop said. “Poor process produces poor product, and this is an example of congressional process at its worst. Parts of this bill are good, and parts are very bad. Each part deserves to be discussed and voted on its own merits.”

“Continued responsible access to public lands is a vitally important right for current and future generations,” added Moreland. “This measure deserves to be fully analyzed and thoughtfully debated in the next Congress prior to a final vote.”

All AMA members and anyone else who enjoys outdoor recreation are urged to contact their U.S. senators and ask them to oppose the omnibus public lands bill. An easy way to contact your senators is in the “Issues & Legislation” area of the Rights section of the AMA website at www.AmericanMotorcyclist.com.