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20 Trail Rider www.TrailRider.com Zoar Moto Park Zoar Moto Park Build it and They Will Come Build it and They Will Come By Kurt Flachbart By Kurt Flachbart Photos By Sarah Marie Lane Photos By Sarah Marie Lane It's no secret that we're huge vintage fans here at Trail Rider, and with an invita on by my old friend Ed Abdo to a end Zoar Moto Park in Upstate New York and check out what he and his dedicated team have recreated, how could I say no? For those unfamiliar, Zoar Moto Park was once one of the top motocross tracks in the na on. Zoar was in opera on from 1973 to 1983 and hosted the 1973 Trans-Am 500. Zoar a ract- ed the top riders of the day, such as Roger De Coster, Marty Smith, Jimmy Weinart, and many more. In fact, Marty Smith's first 125 GP race was held at Zoar. Our friend Ed was a regular at Zoar during its final years in the 80s, and his memories of this great track are fond. During a visit to the Zoar property several years ago, Ed had a vision, reminiscent of the movie Field of Dreams, where a voice echoed in his ear: "Build it and they will come". It was then, and with permission from the landowners, Ed took on a project of epic propor ons to recreate the iconic track where so much history had been created, and I'll do my best to explain. Zoar Moto-Park opened in May of 1973. In July of its first year of opera on, Zoar hosted a 500cc Trans-AMA Interna onal round and a 250cc Na onal Championship Series round. On September 23rd of 1974, the US round of the 125cc World Champion- ship and a round of the Inter-AMA 250cc Champi- onship were both held at Zoar. The facility hosted motorcycle, bicycle, car, and truck race events for 10 years, with both local and na onal races throughout those years. In 2023, a er years of si ng dormant and deeply overgrown, the motocross and BMX tracks at Zoar were restored to their original configura ons for an annual reunion ride that's now in its third year. The owners of the historic piece of land, which has brought unforge able memories to hundreds - if not thousands - of riders and their families, have graciously permi ed Ed and his team of dedicated volunteers to recreate history, one weekend a year. As for myself, this was my first me a ending a Zoar event. Having been friends with Ed for decades, I knew it would be top-notch, but what I wasn't pre- pared for was how epic Zoar would actually be.