Portland, OR - The Best of the Midwest Motocross Championship Series, presented by MotoSport.com, returns on Sunday for the first of an eight round racing series that ends in September, hits three states and features 28 classes with payouts in four classes, manufacture contingency and a huge pro purse.

MotoSport continues its joint effort with long-time sponsored rider Cody Gilmore, founder of The Best of the Midwest, to bring gritty Motocross racing to Midwest Motocross fans and riders of all ages and experience. Now in its third year, the Best of the Midwest Motocross Series continues to grow in spectator attendance and bring full gates. This year the series returns to some old favorites and has added a few new tracks to the schedule:

  • Kahoka MX - Kahoka, MO
  • Midwest Extreme Park - Merwin, MO
  • Riverside Raceway - Winterset, IA
  • 320 MX Park - Norfolk, NE
  • The Farm MX - Indianola, IA
  • Oak Ridge MX - Garwin, IA
  • KC Moto - Adrian, MO
  • Fiddler Creek - Homer, NE

"Best of the Midwest is about as grassroots as Motocross gets," said Darren Green, Director of Marketing for MotoSport. "We want to see Motocross continue growing as a sport and it all starts at this level by offering affordable and accessible gate drops to anyone who loves racing in the dirt."

Gilmore is a well-known and well-liked privateer who jumped from amateur riding to the pros without factory support and now runs his own training school. He's battled through injuries to make Mains but beat the biggest battle of his life more than 10 years ago when a cancer diagnosis nearly ended his career. He last raced professionally in 2017 and has spent this year working on making the 2018 Best of the Midwest series the best ever. Gilmore also plans on hosting training classes during select rounds.

"I'm excited to get our third year started and have MotoSport.com back with us," said Gilmore. "The series has continued to grow but the most satisfying part is hearing all of the compliments and the families truly enjoying their weekends with us."

Several new tracks include the third round visit to Riverside Raceway in Winterset, IA for the Justin Brayton AMA Pro/AM Shootout. Justin will be in attendance signing autographs, riding his dirt bike and doing other fun stuff for the fans. Round 4 visits 320 MX Park in Norfolk, NE for the inaugural Jon Myrick Memorial Race.

"Jon was a good friend of the series and we are excited to honor and race in his name," Gilmore said.

Best of the Midwest hosts one round each month through September, with two rounds in April and August, and the Champion decided September 2 at Fiddler Creek in Homer, NE. Every round races the same 28 classes and the pro classes pay out a 200 percent purse plus $500. Last year, Best of the Midwest and the host tracks paid out more than $29,000 in cash to the pro classes.

More information and official rules for the Best of the Midwest Motocross series can be found here and the classes offered here. Round 1 of Best of the Midwest is April 1 at Kahoka, MX in Kahoka, MO. Track owners determine entry and gate fees. Riders must race a minimum of seven rounds to be eligible for year-end rewards.

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MotoSport was founded in Yakima, WA in 1999 by a gentleman named Bill Butcher.

Bill loved riding motorcycles and raced in the expert class in the super competitive AMA District 13 in the late 70s and early 80s. He ultimately founded MotoSport because he believed he could provide a better service to his fellow powersports enthusiasts than the vast majority of local dealers and because he had always dreamed of one day combining his passion with his business prowess. He built the foundation of the business upon a single shared passion for motorcycles and the rest is history, as they say.

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