Without doubt one of the most historical circuits in World motocross, the legendary race track near New Berlin in the state of New York has seen enough action in its life and fortunately for Grand Prix riders, it often seems like a place for success.

Of course, the 1987 Motocross des Nations was run there in and while it was a muddy affair, Team USA took victory and for me, it was my first ever MXdN event I covered, and the Aussies struggled big time in the horrible mud, but what an experience.

Stefan Everts has raced there, and many other GP riders, during the GP days of Unadilla, but also rounds of the AMA Nationals. We also remember that day James Stewart slowed to allow Australian Chad Reed to catch and pass him, and then just passed him straight back and quickly pulled away. Sick and tired of the Aussie saying he could compete with the American if he got a start, Stewart wanted to make it clear, he couldn’t.

Unadilla Motocross began racing in 1969 after its founder, Ward Robinson, fell in love with dirt bike racing after seeing a hare scrambles event. Would you believe that the infamous Unadilla track layout was actually the second choice?

The original pro track layout was planned to be on the footprint of today’s amateur track U2, however, logistical concerns turned eyes and designs toward what was to become known simply as UNADILLA.

Since its beginnings, Unadilla has hosted Trans-AMA (1970-1978), Trans-USA (1979-1981), the 250cc USGP (1978-1992), and the first ever MX des Nations in the United States (1987), and a round of the US Nationals since 1989.

Unadilla’s history is full of epic battles, which make sense once you consider that every significant racer in Motocross’ history has challenged Unadilla over the years. Unadilla is now second generation family owned and hosts a vintage racing weekend (MX Rewind), and several amateur events during the racing season.

Utilizing a former dairy farm, Unadilla was laid out to be European in nature. The track’s rolling natural terrain layout sprawls out over 55 acres of classic New York countryside. While many of the original track features remain (Gravity Cavity, The Wall), Unadilla has evolved over the years to respond to the changes within the sport.

The origin of Skyshot, which was added to capitalize on racers' and bikes'abilities to launch over 150’ while being over 30’ in the air, actually came from an amateur race. Due to extremely muddy conditions, racers were cutting the original track and had made a line, which allowed them to jump over the corner and nearly over the top of the hill. That gave second generation Robinson, Greg, an idea for a track change.

Much to the chagrin of elder Robinson, Ward, Skyshot was added the following year. Little did they know that this jump would become one of the most iconic and most photographed jumps on the circuit. Four new sections and a few track reworks have been since added to enhance both racing and spectator experiences.

One of the newest track sections brings the action closer to the crowds that line the hills of Gravity Cavity, and tunnels now allow spectators to navigate more quickly from one favorite section to another. No matter where you like to view the racing action from, we hope you will pull up to your favorite spot and enjoy another great day of racing at Unadilla.

One common question is where the name Unadilla comes from. The track is located in the Unadilla River Valley, so the original name of the facility was The Unadilla Valley Sports Center. Over time, the track would become known as just Unadilla. However, the actual name "Unadilla" is an Iroquois name which means “place of meeting.”