FARMINGTON -- Lightning, rain and wind were no match for the grit, desire and riding skills of area BMX riders wanting to be first to break in the Legacy Raceway dirt track.
After several weather delays, the track opened for practice runs on Wednesday -- despite another bout with the elements -- with about 20 riders taking advantage of the open track time.
The 1,400-foot long track, located within the Legacy Events Center outdoor arena at 151 S. 1100 West, will have a soft opening tonight at 7 p.m., with a grand opening on June 17, said Kevin Dilley, track operator.
The track, Northern Utah's first American Bicyclist Association-sanctioned BMX track, is owned by Rad Canyon, of Salt Lake City, and is scheduled to remain open through Sept. 30, except for the week of the Davis County Fair in August.
Hundreds of volunteer hours have gone into developing the track, which was originally scheduled to open May 6, Dilley said.
But the wait and Wednesday's weather did little to dampen the spirits of riders.
"It's nice to finally have (a BMX) track close," said Farmington resident Dee Zesiger, who watched as his two boys, Alex, 8, and Tyson, 10, wheeled around the track.
The pair, decked out in bike leathers, have been competitive BMX racers for more than two years and were eager to get in their practice laps, Zesiger said.
"(The track) is good. I like the whoops (a.k.a. the rhythms)," said Alex.
"I like having to do all the pushing and the pulling up and down (the hills)," said Tyson. "This is going to be good for everybody."
Tyson's friend, Jordan Wilson, 11, who has been riding for six months, said the track feature he likes the best is the banked turns.
The boys said the banked turns had become slick with the rain. The steel starting gate was equally slick, with riders having a difficult time getting traction out of the gate.
Young riders weren't the only ones eager and willing to ride in the rain and be among the first on the track.
BMX expert rider Doug Cheney, 42, of Syracuse, said the thing he will enjoy most is the convenience of being able to practice locally.
"I love it," said Cheney, who has been riding for more than 30 years. "I have been having to travel to Salt Lake for practice."
Many riders will take advantage of the track because there is so much interest in BMX bike racing in Northern Utah, officials said.
Cheney said that often when a BMX rider from the state goes on to compete in a national event, they find their toughest competition is another rider from Utah.
And if Wednesday's practice runs are any indication, there is a whole new generation of riders making their ways into the sport.
Farmington resident Alysa Revell said her 7-year-old twin boys, Henry and Jack Greenhalgh, were excited to get onto the track, following its development day-to-day.
"My boys have just about been over the moon," said Revell, who waited in the rain while her boys used the track.
Also on hand was 6-year-old Chase Watson, of Clearfield, whose red helmet seemed to envelop him.
"I think it is nice to have something up north," Chase's mother, Cherron Watson, said.
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