WE RECENTLY FOUND AN ARTICLE FROM THE AUGUSTA CHRONICLE NEWSPAPER REGARDING AONIA'S BEGINNINGS BACK IN 1998. CHECK OUT THE ARTICLE AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE... OTHER NEWS ARTICLES ARE BELOW AS WELL.
Aonia Pass
offers a full riding facility including hot showers, full bath, concession stand, snack bar, a huge property, open seven days a week (except for bad weather, race weekends or other special events), when in doubt, call first 706-678-3737
Hours:
Gates Open 9am-8pm
Ride from 10am - 5pm (unless otherwise noted)
RATES SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE
Primitive Overnight
camping with use of showers and bath house allowed ($5/night)
We do have RV hookups
Water and electricity hookup - $25 a day
Water, sewer and electrcity hookup $35 a day
RV hookup reservations email gitgrafix@pstel.net
AMA-sanctioned Motocross track
1.7 miles, 25-feet wide in most sections, professionally built and maintained. Mulchy corners and straights to hold in moisture. Groomed every few days. Watered and tilled every weekend. This is one of the premier tracks in the southeast and you can ride it any day of the week. Aonia Pass also holds
Loretta Lynn'
Area Qualifier and Regional Youth Qualifier
where the best riders in the country come to compete for a chance to go to the Regionals and hopefully on to the Loretta Lynn's Amateur Championships at Hurricane Mills, TN.
WE ALSO HAVE:
Woods Trails (CLOSED AT THIS TIME):
We also have ten miles of trails for woods riding. Aonia Pass is one of the GNCC (Grand National Cross Country) races for woods racing.
"The General"
is held here once a year and over 1,200 riders usually come to be a part of this great woods racing event. Aonia is also home to ATV racing and charity events to support children's charities.
1/4 Mile Flat Dirt Track.
Professionally built. One of the few practice tracks built professionally for dirt practice. Great for open dirt track and vintage dirt track practice. Racing held periodically. See Schedule on our site for events.
Vintage Grass Track
for general practice and AHRMA racing.
Acres of Open Space
for beginner practice. If you are a new rider and you want plenty of open space to get your "feet wet", we have it for you.
Ride Fee: $20/rider. Remember, if your buddy wants to ride your bike, he/she must sign-in and pay the ride fee as well. Anyone failing to sign in and pay ride fee or camping fee will be dismissed and not welcomed back. It costs money to run this multi-million dollar facility. Thanks for your cooperation.
________________________________
NEWSPAPER ARTICLE REGARDING THE BEGINNINGS OF AONIA PASS MOTOCROSS PARK....
AUGUSTA CHRONICLE
Motorplex slowly becoming a reality
Heavy rainfall has set development of Aonia Pass Motocross back four months
Web posted March 1, 1998
From Staff Reports
Aonia, a community on Highway 78 between Thomson and Washington, will soon become more than a tiny dot on the Georgia map if plans are completed by a trio of business partners.
The first segment of their plans for the Georgia Motorplex -- called Aonia Pass Motocross -- has become reality and the partners are only waiting for rains to subside and the earth to dry.
``Blame it on `El Nino' or whatever, the rain has really killed us,'' said Rhett Wheeler of Madison, Ga., a stock broker in partnership with pro stock and pro modified drag racer Chris Benedict and Perry Gunter, a well-driller from Washington, Ga. ``It's put us at least four months behind.''
The partners are developing 600 acres into what may become the area's largest racing venue, including motocross, stock car Legends racing, drag racing, go-kart racing and dirt track racing.
The motocross covers 19 acres and was designed and built by Mark (The Bomber) Barnett of Orlando, Fla., one of the sport's legends.
``He's the only person in the history of the sport to have won every single moto in every race for the national title in one year,'' Wheeler said.
``Just mention his name and motocross riders will know that this is a national caliber track,'' Wheeler added. ``We'll have a lighted super-cross course for nighttime riding, with real bathrooms, concessions stands, showers for participants and hose-off pads for the bikes.''
The first official race -- there have been several test runs -- will be held on April 4 as part of Washington's annual celebration which includes a tour of many of the city's historical homes.
``The city of Washington and its Chamber of Commerce have been a big help to us since we started to develop this complex last October,'' Wheeler said. ``We want to reciprocate. We feel more families might come to the motocross if other activities are available for members of the families not really interested in the races.''
Wheeler said the race will be a part of the American Motorcycle Association Trans-MX Series being run in conjunction with Paradise Off-Road Park in Macon and Starlight Motocross in Atlanta. Four races of the series will be held at Aonia.
Next to become reality later this year is an International Hot Rod Association-sanctioned drag strip. The $2.8 million project features a 4,300-linear foot-long strip making it, Wheeler said, the longest in Georgia.
``We'll be able to hold both quarter-mile and eighth-mile events and run everything from top fuel on down,'' he said. ``There will be electricity and running water in the pits so racers won't have to bring portable generators.
``We are trying to provide all the amenities most racers would like to have -- within reason, of course,'' he added.
The complex is about 45 miles from Augusta.
_________________________________
THE NEWS-REPORTER
MAY 4, 2000
Aonia Pass track chosen again for annual "Ride for Kids" charity event in 2000
For the third time, Aonia Pass Motocross has been chosen as the site of a "Ride for Kids" Off-Road Charity Fun Ride. With as many as 500 bikers participating, the Fun Ride is a major fund-raising event for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation of the United States.
The Year 2000 "Ride for Kids" is scheduled Sunday, May 21, at the Aonia Pass facility about 6 miles east of Washington on U.S. 78.
All brands, kinds, and sizes on motorcycles and ATV vehicles will be driven over 10 miles of bike trails through beautiful woods on the 600-acre racing and riding reservation.
Registration begins at 7 a.m. Sunday, May 21, and closes at 10 a.m. or when 500 riders have registered, whichever comes first. No rider will be accepted after 10 a.m. Free coffee and donuts are provided for the registrants during the registration period.
Expected to be among the registrants are three of the top names in riding racing. They are Scott Summers, 9-time AMA National Off-Road champion; Jeff Russell, AMA National Enduro champion; and Allen Gravitt, 13-time SE&TRA Hare Scramble champion. All three will be available for autographs from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
The "Ride for Kids" program begins at 10:15 and at 11 a.m. all riders may begin riding the tracks and trails. As the Charity Fun Ride name implies, this is not a race. It is a fund-raiser for the pleasure of riding off-road and for giving support to a very worthy cause.
Lunch will be served free to registrants from 11:30 to 1 p.m. At 5 p.m. all tracks and trails will be closed.
A tax-deductible donation of at least $35 to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation (PBTF) is required for each rider, including children. The PBTF supports the search for the cause and cure of children's brain tumors.
"Don't miss this day of fun and heart-warming experiences," said Sam Shaw, task force leader for the Washington event. "Have some fun and help the kids on a Sunday afternoon."
All riders may win prizes based on the amount of donations they raise. They may win a "Ride for Kids" pin, tee-shirt, cap, embroidered jacket, personalized photo plaque, and chances on a drawing for a new Honda XR100 motocross bike.
__________________________________
HOLESHOT MAGAZINE
FEB 13, 2004
...The GNCC Series will head north the next weekend for the Maxxis General GNCC in Washington, Georgia. The Aonia Pass Motocross Park will give racers a chance to show their motocross skills, and the rest of the track promises tight, tree-lined trails. ATVs race The General on March 6 and bikes race March 7.
In Florida, spectator admission is $10 for ATV racing on Saturday and Sunday, and $10 for a Monday and Tuesday pass for the bike races. Admission is $10 for the weekend in Georgia. Amateur race entry fees are $40. To get to the Dunlop Moose Hurricane GNCC, from Hwy. 17 and 19 in Palatka, take Hwy. 19 South 11.1 miles to Putman County 310 West (1 mile) and follow signs. The Maxxis General GNCC is located five miles east of Washington, Georgia on Rt. 78. From Thompson, Georgia, take I-20 to 78, then take St. Route 78 for 14.8 miles. For more information, log onto .
The AMA Grand National Cross Country series is America's premier off-road racing series. One of the most physically demanding sports in the world, the nearly three-hour long cross-country races lead as many as 1300 riders through tracks ranging from eight to twelve miles in length. With varied terrain including hills, mud, dirt, rocks and motocross sections, GNCC races are tests of both survival and speed. GNCC featured sponsors include Parts Unlimited, Moose, Maxxis, Yamaha, Wiseco, Klotz, FMF, Dunlop and ITP, and riders compete for over $500,000 in series prizes and contingency money. The 2003 series aired weekly on Speed Channel. Associate sponsors include Moose Utility Division, Scott, Alpinestars, Cometic, Outerwears, Pro Armor, Race Tools, Twin Air, SFB Racing, Thor, Racer X Illustrated, EFM, Motion Pro, Tire Balls, GPR Stabilizer. Moto-Tee's, Warrior and Laeger's.
____________________________________
ATV SCENE ARTICLE REGARDING THE 2003 GNCC "THE GENERAL"
ALERT: Everyone must sign-in and pay their ride fee at the scoring tower (near the finish line of the MX track). Anyone caught not signing-in and paying their ride fee will be prosecuted for trespassing.