Hangtown
Rancho Cordova, CA
One of the most historic motocross races in America, the Hangtown Motocross Classic predates the AMA Pro Motocross Championship. Operated by the Dirt Diggers North (DDNMC), it’s the only race on the schedule still run by a motorcycle club.
Fast Facts
The threat of having a factory motorcycle claimed was a constant stress for race teams in the 1970s and the first (and only) successful claim happened at the 1979 Hangtown Pto Motocross. The factory Honda of Marty Tripes was claimed and purchased by privateer John Roeder for $3500.
It’s too long and complicated to explain here but in an interview with Cycle News, Roeder said his motivation was to ‘make a point’ and ‘keep the factories honest.’ The rule was suspended immediately and never returned.
The 1991 Hangtown Pro Motocross was the day of the privateers. Weeks of rain and heavy showers on race day led officials to shorten the event to one moto for each class (with a doubled purse). John Dowd took the win in the 250 class, becoming the first privateer to win an overall since 1984 (Alan King, also at Hangtown!)
Honda’s Jean-Michel Bayle and Suzuki’s Mike LaRocco were the only factory 250 riders to finish. Doug Henry, another New Englander, took the 125MX win.
After a knee injury kept him from racing Supercross, Ricky Carmichael returned for the opening round of the 2004 Motocross season at Hangtown. It was Carmichael’s first race on the Honda CRF450R and he beat David Vuillemin and Chad Reed to go 1-1 and kick off what became his second perfect season.
In the 125 class, James Stewart, riding a KX125, battled the KX250F-riding Stephane Roncada in a duel that kept the sun-soaked crowd on their feet. Stewart won both motos but left Hangtown frustrated that his competition was so close.
Team Honda HRC’s Jett Lawrence began his meteoric rise by winning the 2020 Motocross finale at Fox Raceway. One year later, Lawrence came to Hangtown and wrapped up his first Pro Motocross championship (first pro title, period).
It was a bumpy 8-3 day but he beat Star Racing Yamaha’s Justin Cooper by just 6 points in 250MX championship. It was the first 250MX crown for Honda since Eli Tomac’s in 2013 and kicked off an epic championship run by the young Australian.
Venues
The Hangtown Motocross Classic has been hosted at three different racetracks all east of Sacramento, California.
The first event happened in 1969 in Placerville, a small gold rush era town with a nickname borrowed for the race (Hangtown).
By the time the race joined the Pro Motocross Championship series in 1974 , Hangtown had moved to nearby Plymouth, Calif.
In 1979 race, the Dirt Diggers, along with the Sacramento County Department of Parks and Recreation, created an all-new motocross facility at the Prairie City OHV Park in Rancho Cordova, California. Every Hangtown MX Classic since has been held at this venue.
Important: The Dirt Diggers celebrate 5 more years of Hangtown Classic events than the count of Pro Motocross races. That’s because the race was already running for 5 years when it joined the Pro Motocross championships in 1974.
The interactive table below details the all-time Hangtown leaders. Who has the most starts, wins, podiums and points. Filter by class. On mobile, slide left to access more columns.
All-Time Leaders
Who won Hangtown, in what year and what round was the race? Winner history makes that easy to see. Tap ‘additional stats’ to see more info.
Winner History
Full race results from every Hangtown Pro Motocross.
Race Results
Fun Fact:
With the exception of the 2020 shutdown, Hangtown has continuously hosted a Pro Motocross round since 1974.