Poll of Maryland tracks Options

[DeLuxxBmxMidWest]

MD tracks [~1979-1985ish]
1. Rockville - Gude Drive [ABA]
2. Rockville - I-270, bus station [ABA]
3. Columbia [ABA]
4. 75-80, Monrovia [NBL, ABA?]
5. Middletown - off I-70 [ABA]
6. Cockeysville [ABA]
7. Overlea / Fullerton / Baltimore / E. Fitzhugh [ABA]
8. Millersville [ABA]
9. Howard County Fairgrounds, indoors, West Friendship [ABA]
10. Howard County Fairgrounds, outdoors, West Friendship [ABA]
11. Ocean City - in the open air basement garage 1/81(?) [ABA]
12. Ocean City - indoors 1/82(?) [ABA]
13. Timonium / Baltimore - indoor race (81?)
14. Cumberland (? Frostburg?) - ride over the roots of a tree
15. College Park, MD - ABA (really?)

Add if you remember more. Somebody please clarify College Park. I never remembered that track. Must be after 1985.

Bob VonMoss - first Maryland cruiser state champion 1980, 1981, 1982

[DeLuxxBmxMidWest]

5. Middletown - off I-70 [ABA]

(IMG:http://www.spaceportlounge.com/bmx/MD-MyersvilleCoates_lvm.jpg)

Middletown might have also been known as Myersville. I think the DC sniper was caught within 1-2 miles of this track. In this pic is Jason Coates and Larry VonMoss BITD. I don't think this was on the radar speed check day.

Video of Middletown/Myersville Maryland BMX track

[Walter Holda]

I don't recall the Rockville track being the best but it was less than 15 min from my house with traffic. Gotta love that. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif) The closet track to me know is just over an hour without traffic (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

I raced for Flying Wheels, then Hutch and finally Rockville BMX before I quit racing. I want to say that the Flying Wheels team was run by Chris Miller's mom. Here are a few of the names I remember from the Flying Wheels team: Chris Miller, Chris Ziska, Greg Bantum, Joey Lyons and his older brother who's name escapes me now, Bruce Bagley and myself.

There was an outdoor track on Ocean City also. It was located on the bay side behind a shopping center. I can't remember what street though. I think that the ABA Redline tour made a stop in the summer of 1980. Here is a pic from that day. This picture was taken during practice. Check out how sandy it was.

(IMG:http://mysite.verizon.net/vze3g2xi/images/Ocean_City_Aug_1980.jpg)

Another from May 25, 1980. I seem to recall that they moved the track at least once. Not too hard to push around sand I guess!

(IMG:http://mysite.verizon.net/vze3g2xi/images/Ocean_City_May_25_1980_3.jpg)

[VAbmxdad]

I only raced Rockville, 75-80, & Howard County indoor a few times. I don't remember any of the other tracks at all. Jay & the whole crew at Rockville were the coolest. The shop was the ultimate bike shop for bmxers. And the team was great to be a part of.

[Kazman]

Man, it's painful to pick just one. Rockville BMX was relatively close to me but it was Howard County where I was fastest. Spent a lot of time at Millerville as well. Anyone know the whereabouts of Jay Slim Jim Finney Winney Metzler?

[Walter Holda]

Nope, wish I knew Kazman.

[BShute]

Howard County Fairgrounds 1987

I just liked all the friendly Southern people there (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

(IMG:http://i40.tinypic.com/50kzgw.jpg)
Townsend, Allen & Clymer to my right into turn one.

[Popeye]

I don't see Waldorf (NBL) on the list. It was behind a bowling alley.

I kinda liked the drop-off in the first turn of 75-80. Made all the big guys drift wide while I cut under them. I loved being the smallest guy in my class.

I raced a few of those tracks in the 80's. What I remembered most about going to a new one in Md. was all us guys joking about how bad the tracks were up there and how fast the riders were.

[Brian B]

14. Cumberland (? Frostburg?) - ride over the roots of a tree

Yeah, I know what you're saying but the fact is Frostburg was the best track for those of us who didn't have the means to dice with the big boys. Sure the dirt had tons of shale and it wasn't groomed like a high end NBL track but what the hell, we were kids and we loved it.
I always wanted to go out of town and race on a big time track and once I did and got completely destroyed, I couldn't wait to go back home and have fun with the locals. No matter how nice your track is, it's still BMX. Just ask Troy 'RebelRouzer' Rouzer. He'll agree. (Thanks Jeff!)

Scott Stumbaugh and Tom Grimm representing.

(IMG:http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b201/brianb1/Scott___Tom.jpg)

[DeLuxxBmxMidWest]

2. Rockville - I-270, bus station [ABA]

I dug up some Old School Rockville videos

Rockville BMX circa 1982

I voted this track the best track, partly because it was the closest track to me, but also because being in the metropolitan DC area, so many people came to this. I mean the state championchips were there. Bill Milburn ran that track for several years. I remember when he was looking for a new track, we went with him to another location which went down into a flood plain maybe near powerlines, but he didn't pick that one. Also, when this track was unveiled maybe in Spring 1980 or 81, the jumps were much higher and less groomed. That table top in the first straight, I think must have been at least 15 feet high. I got a new Panda Pro-Am frameset. I flew off that jump and cracked the welding on the forks on the first try. I remember in a moto people coasting up to that talking with each other how high it was. I think it was on that day in a practice somebody with a garage bike, flew off the jump, his front wheel fell off and he supposedly stabbed himself in the chest with the forks. Talk about hard core. Bill Milburn liked to call me "Lavalites" VonMoss, because I had those flourescent yellow BW leathers. Surprised I can't find Wild Bill Hermack in any pics.