‘IT’S A DREAM COME TRUE’

They’ve built whoops, rhythm sections, step downs and drop-offs. They’ve constructed every type of track imaginable.

Nothing compares to what they were able to accomplish at Sports Park Raceway in Fort Dodge.

Last weekend, the Fort Dodge Motocross group hosted a three-day Iowa Moto Series event at Sports Park Raceway that attracted over 1,500 people and 500 drivers to town.

“We’ve been racing since we were little,” Justin Wallace said. “As we’ve gotten older, we sort of stepped away from (the competitive side of) racing. But we still have the motocross knowledge to put together something on this level and make it a big attraction in Fort Dodge. We use what we are good at. I’m good with the promotion side. Zach can build anything.

Photo courtesy of Garrett Bottorff/Seven Wonders Studios: an aerial view of the setup at Sports Park Raceway for the Iowa Moto Series event last weekend, hosted by FDMX.

“I feel like we built one of the best tracks in the state of Iowa. It’s a dream come true. We want to put on races that people have never seen at a whole new level of entertainment.”

The Wallace brothers built a track at the Fairgrounds in 2022, and a temporary track at Sports Park Raceway last year.

“Zach and I are in this together, but we couldn’t have done it on our own,” said Justin, who is 25 years old. “My girlfriend, Taryn Feser, and Zach’s wife, Tiffany, did so much behind the scenes. It takes a team to make everything go.

“Zach’s crew with Platinum Construction put in over four months worth of work to clear the trees and fill the ravines to get it ready to go. We wouldn’t have been able to do this without Mid Country Machinery and Ziegler Cat, along with Rasch Construction and so many others.”

FDMX struck a deal at Sports Park Raceway, where the races will now be hosted for the next five years.

Photo courtesy of Garrett Bottorff/Seven Wonders Studios: Zach Wallace works on getting the Sports Park Raceway track ready for the Iowa Moto Series event last weekend, hosted by FDMX.

“The awesome part of it is we will have this for at least the next few years,” said Zach, who is 31 and graduated from Fort Dodge Senior High in 2011. “Kids from around here can practice right in their home town. Nobody has had a consistent place to ride, and it’s hard to go every other weekend without practicing.

“It’s huge for the younger kids to have something in their backyard.”

Being able to plan some events and have a track for the next five years is a big positive for the community.

“We have a five-year deal with Sports Park Raceway now,” Justin said. “We are hoping to get another race on the schedule. In 2025, we’d like to have a spring, summer and fall race, and also to hold multiple organized practices as well.

“We are hoping to bring in a few professionals, like Fort Dodge natives Izaih Clark and Deegan Hepp, to show youngsters how to properly ride and race dirt bikes.”

Photo courtesy of Garrett Bottorff/Seven Wonders Studios: Justin Wallace communicates at Sports Park Raceway during the Iowa Moto Series event last weekend, hosted by FDMX.

It took some of spring and most of summer cutting down trees and constructing a track worthy of being part of the Iowa Moto Championships.

“I thought it went really well,” Zach said. “We were working our tails off and busting things out in order to get a good turnout. A lot of work went into the preparation.

“Landon Rasch and Teddy Maier and a lot of other people were putting in time to move things around. We had in our head what we wanted, and knew what it would mean to get this done.”

Friday was move-in day for out-of-towners to get campers in and check the facilities. Saturday was open practice, and Sunday was race day.

“People who came and watched and rode just loved the track,” Zach said. “We are hoping to have classes and camps and get these riders out here.

“It’s not just about riding — it’s about hanging out and having fun.”

Local riders like James Orres, Stylz Grall, Collin Hinrichs, Wyatt Wallace, Taj Lowrey, Mace Hill and Challen McKinney hit the track with hundreds of others.

“This was all amateur racing, and the A Class was the Pro Class,” Justin said. “We had racers from five years old to 60 — all ages and all skill levels.”

The event itself was a sight to see, but to be able to build and carry on a Fort Dodge tradition is what the brothers are most proud of.

“We wanted to be able to do this for the next generation,” Justin said. “They don’t have what we had growing up, and we want to bring motocross to life in Fort Dodge. It’s always been a hotbed for racers.

“We’d like to be able to give kids racing dirt bikes a place to go. Racing is such a valuable experience, with a lot of life lessons.”

This was a collective community effort, and will be into the future.

“We grew up our whole life riding motorcycles,” Zach said. “It’s been a talk we’ve had for a while, and we just jumped on board.

“Along with the people Justin mentioned, we want to give thanks to my brother-in-law, Paul Rees Jr., (along with) David Lindner, Curt Bacon and Austin Jones. Also, Kenworth McKinney with GHS, Mark Applegate and Russ’s Construction. Dusty McDonald brought up a bunch of equipment from Scranton, which was a big help, as well as KC Nielsen from Manson and Nick Jenkins (from the Des Moines area).

“Our community and sponsors all really pulled together to make this possible. We couldn’t be more grateful.”

An entire crew of workers helped bring this vision to fruition as well.

“We want to thank all of the volunteers and staff,” Justin said. “This was more than just a four-person deal. We had roughly 40 people staff-wise taking care of business.

“We just want to keep this moving forward.”