Wayne Scarborough Jr. wishes his dad, Wayne Sr., was alive to see what he has accomplished on his 600-acre family farm in West Jacksonville.
What Scarborough Sr. would see is what national television viewers will watch Saturday: Round 5 of the 2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship Florida National.
Scarborough Jr. , who prefers to be called Junior, opened the WW Motocross Park in 2013 on 145 acres at the WW Ranch in the Whitehouse area.
“It takes fans to build this,” Scarborough said an American Motorcyclist Association representative told him and his son, Jakob Baton, now 18.
“If you can build a fan base, you’re going to be doing this when your dad is dead and gone,” the AMA representative said to Jakob.
Scarborough Sr. died in 2017 at the age of 78, five years after his son began developing the park at 1439 Otis Road, north of Interstate 10. The father and son are the “WW” in the name.
Scarborough Jr. grew up working for his father, who owned a used car dealership on Cassat Avenue. He said his father fired him when he lost his driver’s license.
He worked other jobs until his driver’s license was restored and was glad to be back with his dad. He continued to work for his dad and did not finish high school.
Scarborough Sr. bought the land and made a plan to build all the buildings. After his dad died, Scarborough Jr. found a rough plan for the farm that his dad drew on a piece of paper, which is exactly how it is laid out today.
Scarborough Sr. built a replica of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Cross Creek building from his own measurements and photographs.
He raised beef cows and kept llamas, peacocks, chickens, roosters, ducks and dogs. Scarborough Jr. raises cows and chickens.
Scarborough Jr. used financing from his dad to build the moto track and when that money ran out, he sold his house in Neptune Beach to continue his plan.
Scarborough Jr. attended events at pro and amateur tracks around the country to see how they are operated.
The track’s beginnings
WW Ranch Motocross Park is the newest track to hold an American Motorcyclist Association National event, an off-road motorcycle championship race.
The park started as a track open to the general public and evolved into a track exclusive to organized racing, the site of four races a year.
The park hosts AMA Loretta Lynn area qualifiers and regional championships.
When Scarborough, now 53, was developing the park in 2012, he said he had been a “motorcycle person” since he was 3. “I just felt like we needed a top-notch motocross facility,” he said.
Scarborough watched motorcycle riders and fans from across the country head to Florida for events and wanted to catch some of that traffic.
He worked with an engineer to design and build the park for year-round riding and races. DreamTraxx designed and built the original track.
Motocross is a closed-course motorcycle race over natural or simulated rough terrain, such as steep inclines and hairpin turns.
“I am in the city of Jacksonville, which has the Jaguars, holds NCAA tournaments. There are a million things to do in Jacksonville. Why not bring pro motor sports?” he reasoned.
Scarborough’s first professional race in 2017 was the final round of the FIM MXGP of USA. He was asked to host the race at WW, without a fee, when the moto park in Gainesville temporarily lost its lease.
He had 27 days and spent $80,000 to make improvements. He said it was worth it to make a first impression. Junior said that when he told his dad what he was going to do to hold the MXGP, his dad said he was stupid. After the race his dad told him he was proud of him.
The city told him the event generated $1.9 million for the Jacksonville economy. That led to the Florida National in 2019 and a contract through 2021.
“For three years we are going to have pro motocross in Jacksonville, and we are going to do the best we can,” Scarborough said.
Lucas Oil will run the four races Saturday. The amateur races on Sunday are “all on me. People like to say they raced at the same track as the pros,” Scarborough said.
He has been working since January to prepare the track.
Five private party shacks will be inside the track, separated from the general public and with air conditioning, TVs, food, beer and access to private portable restrooms.
He plans to have food courts and vendors around the park for easier access.
He also intends to provide service to people with disabilities. Carts and staff will be designated for transport around the property.
“It’s not a sit-down type sport,” he said, referring to spectators. “The more you move around, the more you see different things.” he said.
There will be bleachers for those who want to sit.
Seeking sponsors
Ticket sales do not pay for the cost of the event, so sponsors and vendors help.
The title sponsor is Jacksonville-based US Assure, whose CEO and Chair Ty Petway “helped me the most. He has helped me through the years with my state championship and pro-am races,” Scarborough said. Petway has been a longtime friend.
St. Augustine-based Ring Power Corp. is the presenting sponsor.
Jacksonville-based Airstream Ventures, led by Alan Verlander, helped with event planning, strategy and advertising, Scarborough said.
Vendors include Bono’s Bar-B-Q, Chick-fil-A, Larry’s Giant Subs, Sunrise Surf Shop and Champion Brands. Chevrolet is the official truck of the race and Nimnicht Family of Dealerships is a local partner and will have trucks on display at the event.
Motorcycle manufacturers and gear vendors will set up displays.
Scarborough is ready for the exposure. It will be televised by NBC Sports. The first two races will be shown on the Lucas Oil channel, MAVTV. The second moto races will be on NBC.
Scarborough attended the news conference last week when the city announced that MX Sports Pro Racing and NBC Sports selected WW Ranch Motocross Park to host the inaugural US Assure Florida National Presented by Ring Power.
“One of our community’s signature assets is the privately owned and operated WW Motocross Park,” said Mayor Lenny Curry.
The announcement said WW Ranch partnered with Airstream Ventures and Visit Jacksonville to help secure the event.
In preparation for the race, Scarborough said he had nine of the fastest pros visit to help figure out if the track has a good lap time.
“I want the track to be racy, you don’t want to see some guy leading the whole way,” he said.
More than just racing
The track is no longer open to the public. It operates as a racetrack, a decision driven by expenses.
Scarborough said he has about $2 million invested. Equipment and dirt costs are major components of having and maintaining a racetrack. He has two bulldozers – each a $165,000 investment that requires $20,000 of maintenance every 2,000 hours of running and $30,000 in parts replacement for maintenance periods.
He can’t afford to use them for a practice park.
The farm isn’t just motocross, however.
Scarborough, with family and friends, formed Group Effort Events LLC to offer activities that he will promote after the race. It will offer mud runs, weddings, music festivals, camping and corporate events.
He recently hosted the Spartan Mud Run, a military-style obstacle course that drew 7,500 participants. He plans a music festival for the spring.
Scarborough said he hopes to create a strong fan base, which could extend the AMA Pro motocross contract beyond 2021.
