By: Rick Bairett

GRANTSVILLE, Utah. If the 2024 motorsports season wasn’t already in full swing, it definitely hit a fever pitch this past weekend. There were at least six Utah car shows. Desert Thunder Raceway had its dirt-track season opener. Plus, a Loretta Lynn amateur motocross championship qualifier was running in Delta. 

On the off-road front, a Cruise Moab 4×4 event was exploring some amazing terrain, while a UMORA motorcycle desert race was running in Jericho. 

However, the absolute epicenter—one place where a several events converged—was the Utah Motorsports Campus. 

The Action at UMC 

On Saturday, April 20, NASA Utah was holding its Round 2 track weekend for automotive road racers on the East Course. Apex Track Days was putting superbike riders on the West Course, in conjunction with new-rider certification for the Utah Sport Bike Association. Also, Utah SCCA had scads of cars running a fast, but challenging, autocross layout in the West Paddock. 

Meanwhile, the UMC Karting Center hosted pre-racing for Round 2 of the UMKC championship series. And the SCCA Utah Region Rallycross was stirring up the dirt on the nether regions of the Campus. 

On the following day, Sunday, the Lateral G Dynamic Driving & Drift Academy (beginning level class) took over the West Paddock. At the Kart Center, numerous battles to win Round 2 of the UMCKC championship series were waged. Similar struggles continued on the East Course as the NASA weekend wrapped up. 

In other words, there were loads of riders and drivers turning fuel into noise, speed, and lots of g-forces! There were even more organizers, support teams, and spectators helping make it all a success. 

Great Motorsports Communities

Unsurprisingly, it was a great weekend to learn about a new motorsport and maybe even snag a ride-along. When I asked one autocross competitor about his car, he invited me to grab my helmet, sign the SCCA waiver, and jump in to run the course with him. 

I probably could have spent a good part of the day running autocross as a passenger. Just show some interest in a driver and their car. Of course it’s best to catch people when they have some downtime.

Road racers, superbike riders, and kart racers are all normally happy to chat about the sports they love. So I learned a lot about what it takes to get into superbike riding and racing, and that several Apex riders were from out of state. I also learned that Scuderia Littel is adding a shifter kart program—those things are insane—to their existing racing team. 

Stay Up to Date on Events

If you missed these great events and amazing machines, and would like to be better connected to automotive and motorsports happenings, follow the Utah Motor News events calendars at https://utahmotornews.com/category/events/. 

© 2024, R Bairett