I’m pretty sure that 99.9% of you reading this can relate to this vision. You are a twelve year old kid slapping the face of a jump in the back yard with a shovel as you anticipate building the step up and berm that will nearly complete half of your new track. You reflect on the Supercross track you saw a few weeks back and think about how insanely cool it would be to answer mom and dad when they ask you what you want to do when you grow up with the simple yet honest answer of becoming a track builder. Chances are that in time your life will lead you in a different direction, but the passion that you have for building tracks will stay with you forever. In the case of Lee Theis of Motocrosstrackbuilders.com turning this passion into a career was something that he was able to bring to fruition and in doing so he has helped to provide hundreds of riders from across the nation with backyard tracks tailored to fit their riding needs, abilites, and wants.

Lee grew up in Carver, Minnesota, about a mile away from the Dungey family, where his dad operated a construction company. He spent a large portion of his youth at job sites acting as his dads helper. By the time he was twelve years old Lee was tearing up the backyard with a Bobcat and so the story of Motocrosstrackbuilders.com began.

Enter Lee Theis –

At what age did you get into motocross?
I started riding snowmobiles and threewheelers when I was about five years old and when I was twelve I began riding motocross. We had some acreage and I immediately began building a backyard track that twisted through the woods.

Outside of your property, when and where was the first track that you built?
At age fourteen, I began building a track at an abandoned gravel pit a few miles down the road from my house. To this day people still ride there and I can honestly say that it is amongst my favorite tracks that I have ever constructed. Kids from all around would come out to ride and it is one of those places that holds so many priceless childhood memories, I rode there until I was twenty.

So when did you actually begin focusing on a career within motocross?
I raced a lot and eventually turned Pro when I was eighteen. Shortly after that I began promoting racing and started my promotions company, Motokazie. Through the events I hosted I began to have people approach me in regards to building private tracks and that started to gain momentum as the result of word of mouth in the community. In 2006 I built the Motocrosstrackbuilders.com website and began taking the business effort seriously. I built six tracks that year and we have grown ever since. Today, we build roughly twenty five tracks a year across the nation and my staff has grown to include seven employees.

What makes the client relation unique in terms of working with Motocrosstrackbuilders.com?
It is paramount that we build a track that is specific to riders needs and in doing so we evaluate each client and build a track that allows them a safe yet challenging environment with potential to evolve as the rider excels. My personal experience as a Pro level rider gives me the insight needed to build tracks that properly flow and challenge riders within their learning needs. You have to control a client and build something that truly works for them.

How often do you return to a track in effort to make changes?
Tracks usually have a span of about two years until they will encounter a redesign. This is typical in the case of a track built for a mini rider who graduates to big bikes, but it’s also the nature of most clients. After two years of riding the same track most people want to switch it up.

You have grown with every year and that tends make me think that there is foundation for success within your business plan, please elaborate.

We provide a very turn key, self sufficient, operation that allows us to be either hands on with clients or if they prefer the opportunity for clients to step away and return to a finished product that exceeds expectations. We interview each client, assess their riding level and value communication as we examine each property. We also work with the soil at hand and don’t haul in any outside dirt unless it’s a Supercross track. This allows us to control cost and we are very successful in working with this way.

Who is your target demographic?
Our client base is built primarily from amateur contenders who are serious enough to warrant the need of a private facility. As you are aware there are countless riders that are coming up with the potential of making it as professional, these riders turn to us when they are ready for a training facility of their own.

You have a lot of equipment and employees involved with each project. Give us an inside look behind the scenes at Motocrosstrackbuilders.com.
We have all the equipment necessary to build any style track. From Bulldozers to Bobcats, to dump trucks, to tractors, we got the tools needed to get the job done right. Our experience has lead us into a lot of consulting projects for people who are looking into facilities worldwide. We are able to provide everything from 3D track design, to watering systems, to reports that include everything from operating cost to management overviews. Commercial clients find a lot of value in consulting with us before breaking ground.

I noticed the Jordan Supercross track on your website and it looks amazing. What is the story behind that track?
Jordan is the biggest Supercross track in Minnesota. That is where I started Motokazie and we host nine night races a year there and average close to two hundred riders per event. We take great pride in our track preparation and with the Jordan track we use 8,000 gallons for the track before each event and the end result is perfect dirt for our riders. I have had Heath Voss, the Dungey’s, Larry Ward, Josh Grant, Jake Wiemer, Kyle Cunningham, and a ton of other Pro riders race on tracks that I have built and promoted through Motokazie and we seemed to impress each one them so far. The Alessi brothers came up and raced like seven of my Supercross races right before their Pro debut at Millville. It was fun having them be a part of the series and they truly enjoyed the racing.

What is the perfect landscape to build on?
A lot of open space mixed with tree coverage and mixed elevation. This combined with good loam is a recipe for an amazing track.