Temecula California the Motocross Mecca of the World

Temecula California is probably known best for its beautiful wine country, where acres of vineyards dot the countryside with independent wineries interspersed in between. It is in this Temecula wine country that the famous Temecula Balloon and Wine Festival is held each year, attracting thousands of visitors to the area. Some people come to Temecula because of it's Old Town attractions. The large variety of antique shops and restaurants in Old Town Temecula are places that visitors come to experience a great time. This is the place that the bi-annual event, The Temecula Rod Run happens.

But, did you know that Temecula California is also famous for being the “Moto Mecca of the world” for anyone who follows FMX or Freestyle Motocross? Well, it is.

Unlike the traditional motocross, Freestyle Motocross is all about jumps and stunts performed on a motorcycle. 

The two main events in Freestyle Motocross are:

• Big Air or Best Trick- The rider gets two jumps from a dirt-covered ramp, usually more than 60 feet in the air, to try and impress a panel of judges and rate the highest score.  Scoring is based on style, trick difficulty, and originality.  The scoring is based on a 100 point scale.
• Freestyle Motocross – The rider performs two routines that last between 90 seconds to 14 minutes.  The routines are on a course that has multiple jumps of varying lengths and angels. A panel also judges this event with a 100-point scale.

FMX riders compete in several motocross events all over the world, with one of the biggest being the X-Games.

Temecula California is one of the places of choice for some of the world’s best FMX riders and there are several reasons why. Land, open space, riding, and sponsors are to name just a few, but according to a group of Pro FMX riders there is even more reasons why Temecula is their pick.

Fitzland is a 54 acre parcel of land that was purchased 10 years ago by Jimmy Fitzpatrick’s family. Fitzland consists mostly of vineyards, but the part of it that is not vineyards has become one of the best riding spots in Southern California. Jimmy Fitzpatrick, or Jammer, is one of the world’s best FMX riders on the circuit. Part of the group sponsored by Metal Mulisha, Jimmy has won events in places like, Germany, Poland, and Asia.

Fitzland is Jimmy Fitzpatricks private riding track and is known to have some of the best natural and free ride jumps around. Fitzland began with the process of adding 50 foot jumps to the already great Temecula conditions. Soon the jumps escalated to jumps that are up to 150 foot, and every height in between. Fitzland is one of the prime reasons that FMX riders choose Temecula to ride.

Soul Expressions Tattoo Studio is one of the prime spots for FMX riders to come to get their tattoos.  Established in 1993, Soul Expression Tattoo Studio has been part of the Temecula experience for a long time.  Specializing in Pacific Island style tribal tattoos, to traditional Americana and Japanese, to black and gray realism, to pinups, FMX riders come from all over to work with these experienced artists. Located on Jefferson Ave, in Temecula, Soul Expressions is the home of artists, Jason Gallo, Aaron Mason, Daniel Adair, Michael Cuervo, Chris Lacy, Tim Forbus, and Joseph Reyna.

All FMX riders need a great place to go to get their bikes and get their bikes worked on. Three Brothers Racing in Temecula is the Pro-FMX rider’s choice.

The three brothers are Paulo, Andre, and Ricardo Barbosa who, after emigrating from Brazil in the early 80’s, started competitive motorcycle racing. Soon they realized the need of a quality place to get bikes, accessories, and service done, so in 1994 they started Three Brothers Racing in Orange County.

In 1998 Three Brothers Racing gained the exclusive KTM franchise in Southern California. Although the Austrian KTM bikes were not very well known at the time, the Barbosa Brothers were convinced that KTM was one of the best brands in the world.

By 2003, when Three Brothers Racing had opened up its second location in Temecula, California, the popularity of KTM had grown dramatically. Three Brothers Racing became the #1 distributor of KTM bikes in North America.

Next, only after riding, tats, and bikes, comes food, for any FMX rider, and Wahoo’s Fish Tacos in Temecula is the place they go.  Although Wahoo’s might be labeled a Mexican restaurant, it is more of a place that serves Mexican/Brazilian/Asian food with a Hawaiian North Shore vibe.  The people who work at Wahoo’s are always friendly and “laid back”, and the food is the bomb.  Famous for their Fish Tacos with cabbage and creamy green cilantro sauce, their other menu items are just as sensational.   They also serve brown and white rice, with black beans!  On Wednesday night they have live music and the place becomes the local hangout!

No wonder it is a “Bros” choice.

What could possibly give an FMX rider a rush? The answer is Pole Position Raceway.

Pole Position Raceway is an indoor karting experience. The karts are capable of doing 45mph on a ¼ mile indoor course. That is a fast ride when you are sitting literally inches off of the ground. Environmentally friendly karts that run on electricity instead of gas are known as the Formula EK20 Pro Karts. These Formula Karts are not only quicker, but easier to handle than any other karts on the planet.

Open seven days a week, Pole Position has been called the ultimate motorsports entertainment venue. Feel the rush of the side-by-side race action in an indoor track, as you race these Formula Pro Karts.

A couple of other places that you might find some FMX Bros hanging out are at the Temecula Valley Gun Club, which is a place to go to skeet shooting, or the Perris Raceway, which is one of the oldest quality public dirt tracks in the Inland Empire.

Since these are the top picks of the Temecula FMX riders, you just never know who you might run into if you show up there too. If you end up chillin’ with Jimmy Fitzpatrick, Nate Adams, Ronnie Faisst, Robbie Maddison, Beau Manley, Derek Garland, Bilko Williams, or Twitch Stenberg, just like one of the "Bros" they might even invite you to join them at Fitzland.  After all, they seems like  nice enough guys!