Hagerty AHRMA National Cross Country
Shady Acres Motocross Park
words by Joshua Schucker photos by Brock Kutskel Friendsville , MD ( July 10-11 , 2021 )
It is easy to look forward to the AHRMA National Cross-Country Series ’ mid-season stop in the mountains of Garrett County in scenic Western Maryland . The region ’ s topography and rural way of life are in stark contrast to the state ’ s far more population-dense cities to the east and serves up many attractions that cater to a thriving tourist industry . While these attributes certainly enhance a weekend trip to Friendsville , the star of the show for our interests is Tim and Paula Thomas ’ Shady Acres Motocross Park . Nestled beyond the view from the road in the rolling hills north of Deep Creek Lake , the facility , quite clearly a former farm , along with its owners , set a casual , welcoming vibe immediately upon arrival .
After inheriting the family farm a number of years ago , Tim and Paula set about continuing the farming tradition in several different iterations before Tim ’ s dreams of creating a motocross facility took root and he began carving the course out of the former crop field east of the dairy barn . Since that day , the Thomas family has cultivated a successful and approachable regional motocross series at the property and developed an exciting and diverse crosscounty loop to compliment the motocross activities . Tim , being a tremendous fan of vintage racing and motorcycles in general , considers AHRMA ’ s stop at Shady Acres an honor and his favorite event of the year . His excitement is clearly evident as he makes every effort to accommodate the
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