High Point
Mt. Morris, PA
Situated in a valley on a family farm in southwestern Pennsylvania and just 18 miles north of the MX Sports headquarters, High Point Raceway has been a cornerstone of the Pro Motocross schedule since 1977. The venue has always been a holiday weekend destination, hosting races first on Memorial Day Weekend before shifting to its current spot on Father’s Day weekend.
Fast Facts
Venues
While the track has undergone many tweaks over the years, every Pro Motocross held at High Point Raceway has taken place in the same amphitheater-like setting off Taylortown Road. The facility is located on the Holbert family farm while the major events are promoted by the Coombs family of MX Sports.
Family patriarch, the late Dave Coombs Sr. originally named it Hi-Point Raceway, after the gear & accessories company owned by John Penton, but when Penton balked at the $500 lifetime naming rights, Coombs changed name (and the sign he’d already made) to High Point.
The track also features many European style elements, such as elevation changes and off-camber corners that challenge the technical skills of the best riders in the world.
The first ever High Point National was the final round of the 1977 250MX championship, held on Memorial Day weekend. Heading into the race, Suzuki factory rider and Pennsylvania native Tony DiStefano was in prime position to win the championship.
Honda’s Marty Smith had been in the title fight right up until the previous round (Red Bud) where his RC250 blew up in the first moto. He needed to beat Tony D. in the opening moto to stay in contention.
As Smith held the lead late in the first moto, he began to feel the pressure and nearly looped out, allowing both DiStefano and Jimmy Weinert to get by. This was enough for DiStefano to claim the championship with one moto left. The title was DiStefano’s third in a row, and, ultimately, the last of his career.
Honda’s Jeff Stanton and Yamaha’s Damon Bradshaw waged war in 1991, with the riders trading moto wins. In the first moto, 18-year-old Bradshaw took the checkered flag, despite letting Stanton by during the race to pick up on his line choices. He later made an aggressive but clean move to pull away by nearly three seconds.
In the second moto, Stanton made his way by Bradshaw and built a major gap as Bradshaw backed off. Points leader Jean-Michel Bayle was a distant third in the first moto, and scored fourth in the second after a valiant comeback following a first turn crash. In the 125MX class, Peak Honda’s Brian Swink dominated to score his first (and only) overall win with a 1-1 day.
A soaked track following a large amount of rain meant for a muddy 1997 High Point race, where one of the track’s most beloved figures scored his final career victory. Damon Bradshaw scored the overall win with a 3-1 effort.
Kawasaki’s Ryan Hughes won the first moto over John Dowd. In the second moto, Larry Ward held a 20 second lead early in the race. However, Bradshaw put his head down and charged to the front as the 20,000 fans willed “The Beast From The East” to one last victory. “I figured if I just kept digging deeper and deeper, it might work out my way,” Bradshaw said.
The 125 class was an upset, as SplitFire Kawasaki’s Ricky Carmichael went from three straight victories to 13th overall. The beneficiary of Carmichael’s bad day was Scott Sheak, who won the one and only national of his career.
When Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s James Stewart took his first win of the 2014 season and a 1-1 sweep at High Point, no one expected the victory to be the last ever for The Fastest Man on the Planet.
Stewart was challenged throughout the day by the formidable Red Bull KTM duo of Ryan Dungey and Ken Roczen, as well as Honda’s Trey Canard, but Stewart maintained control. Fittingly, Stewart’s last overall win started with him taking the lead in the first moto after a brief battle with longtime rival Chad Reed.
This interactive table details the all-time leaders at High Point. Who has the most starts, wins, podiums and points. Filter by class. On mobile, slide left to access more columns. To see all years of data, become a member of the We Went Fast Garage and help us continue (and expand) these unique views of the sport’s history.
All-Time Leaders
This interactive table details the High Point winners history. Who won in what year and what round was this venue. Filter by class. On mobile, slide left to access more columns. To see all years of data, become a member of the We Went Fast Garage and help us continue (and expand) these unique views of the sport’s history.