On a hot, dry and totally cloudless day, Sunday March 2nd, Buriram was introduced to Motocross Mania at its finest at Wat Ban Yoei Sakae School. The school grounds which overlook the Huay Talat Reservoir in Amphur Muang District which, with some modifications to the terrain, made an ideal site for such an event.

The organizers were able to garner the sponsorship of two of the major local Yamaha Motorcycle Dealers, Siam Motors and A.B. Motors of Buriram. Additional funding was raised from the residents of Ban Samet village who welcomed the idea of hosting such a unique event, from some local shopkeepers and business owners and from the teachers at the school who also dipped deep into their pockets to make sure the sporting event of the 2014 school year had adequate financial support. With the growing interest in racing of all sorts and the pending October 14th planned opening of the Circuit Race Track being constructed behind the I-Mobile Stadium the staff of the school had indicated their desire to do something different at the school.

These sports  fields have been made available  to host numerous sporting events for the eleven schools in Group Six of Ket 1 Buriram. Those involved in the planning and support phases raised the needed 70,000 Thai Baht to temporarily turn the football fields into something totally unique. Word spread quickly around the Isaan region and hundreds of BMX and motorcross biker participants, some as young as thirteen and even others nearing retirement age gathered on the grounds to commence the gala event.

Thirteen separate races were included in the day’s schedule and the excitement could be felt even over the sound of roaring engines. The original plan called for wetting down the dirt before the racing began but the water trucks had to be diverted at the last possible minute to fight a fire in a nearby Wat. Every pass around the track sent clouds of dust spewing in every direction. Neither the fans nor the participants seemed to mind however. Masks that one would normally find in hospital settings appeared on the faces of many bike race spectators and the races continued as usual.

Finally after eleven races had been completed the water truck arrived  and shortly thereafter the track areas were properly sprayed.

In the meantime, while the spectators were  waiting, the winners from the first eleven races were awarded their trophies.

Once the trophies were distributed a number of students from the Ban Yoei Sakae Elementary School were presented cash prizes for academic excellence in various subject areas, and for classroom leadership skills, participation in sports, dance, music, art and/or community development programs.

I am sure that those participants, spectators and support teams both locally and from neighboring provinces  experienced a truly entertaining and quite an enjoyable time.

There were a few injuries which were incurred during a few of the racing events but all appeared to be minor cuts and or abrasions which were easily handled by the medical crews who were standing bye to offer their support. Some of the injured joked about their predicaments. and appeared undaunted and upbeat.  I visited with a number of these young lads and they just kept on smiling.

What’s more, it seems that MotoCross is sure to catch on in Northeast Thailand and become a regularly scheduled  event for the folks of Buriram. Kudos to all  the local villagers of Ban Samet, the children and staff of Wat Ban Yoei Sakae Elementary School, the police auxiliaries, the medical support staff and vendors galore, all  who played a part in this day’s events  and especially to the bikers and their support staff  from the provinces of Srisaket, Surin, Buriram and Nakhon Ratchasima as well as from elsewhere across the country.