FDMX at Sports Park Raceway — Layout & Terrain

Tracks

Season

Seasonal race events (spring-summer; ~April through fall)

Rides like

Fast hard-pack — tacky and quick when prepped, slick right after rain, blue-groove when bone dry. Prime window: Jul, Aug, Sep.

Track Details

CharacterTemporary MX track built on dirt-oval car track; 150+ dump-truck loads of dirt; described as one of the best in Iowa

Spectator viewExcellent - hillside viewing of entire track

Track DNA — what the dirt is really like

Hard-pack

Hard-packLoamSand

▸Hard-pack: tacky and FAST when it’s prepped, slick as a parking lot right after rain, and it can polish into shiny “blue-groove” lines when bone dry.
▸High silt (40%) — this dirt turns to DUST when dry. Expect water trucks, hazy late motos, and pack extra air-filter prep.
▸Genuine elevation (~44 m of relief) — real uphills and downhill braking zones, not just man-made jumps. Brakes and fitness matter here.
▸Wettest months: May, Jun, Aug — highest mud/cancellation risk. Prime window: Jul, Aug, Sep.

Sand

24%

Silt

40%

Clay

36%

Relief: hilly · ~44 m

What do these terms mean? ▾

Sand / Silt / Clay %:: What the topsoil is made of. More sand = looser and faster-draining. More clay = harder, slicker when wet. Silt is the fine dust-maker in between.
Loam:: A balanced sand/silt/clay mix — the tacky, rut-forming dirt riders love.
Blue-groove:: When dry hard-pack gets polished by tires into a shiny dark racing line — grippy for some tires, ice for others.
Drainage class:: USDA’s rating of how fast this ground sheds water — it predicts how soon after rain the track is rideable.
Soil series:: The official USDA name for this exact soil type (like a breed name for dirt).
Relief:: How much the ground rises and falls within the track’s ~1 km square — flat, rolling, or genuinely hilly.

Tires that work on this dirt

Dunlop · Front & Rear

Geomax MX53

Dunlop’s hard-pack tire — extra knobs for blue-groove grip.

Pirelli · Rear

Scorpion MX32 Mid-Hard

Mid-hard compound built for slick, packed surfaces.

Bridgestone · Rear

Battlecross X40

Hard-terrain rear with stiff, closely-spaced knobs.

Picked for this track's hard-pack surface.

Topsoil (0–15 cm) composition from ISRIC SoilGrids. A guide to typical conditions — actual surface varies with prep, weather, and watering.

Riding Season

Apr – Oct

Best (warm + dry) Wettest (mud risk) Bar = monthly rain

Best months: Jul, Aug, SepDriest: Apr, SepMud risk: May, Jun, AugPeak heat: JulAnnual rain: 32.7"

Practical riding season Apr – Oct; best in Jul, Aug, Sep (warm + dry); wettest / mud risk May, Jun, Aug; peak heat Jul (~84°F).

Best months to ride in Iowa→

Based on 2019-2024climate normals (Open-Meteo / ERA5) at this location — a planning guide; check the track's Facebook for current conditions before you haul.