For Jon Dunn, Kingsville MX was more than a racetrack. It was where a scared fifth grader discovered motocross. He found many friendships and a small-town kid created memories that have stayed with him for more than 30 years.
Jon raced at Kingsville—then known as Challenge Traxx—from 1994 through 2002. His introduction to the track came through the owner of Golden Valley Suzuki, the local motorcycle shop in Clinton, Missouri. Jon and his elementary friend Tim Wilson got into riding at the same time when Jon’s dad bought two 1987 Suzuki RM 80’s from Golden Valley Suzuki.
Jon and Tim were around fifth grade when their dads made the decision for them: “You two are racing at Kingsville next weekend!”
The boys were scared when they first drove through the gates and saw the huge single jump near the road. Then Jon witnessed something that made an even bigger impression: a young Ryan Wohlberg launching over the classic tabletop finish line on a Kawasaki KX60.
That tabletop would eventually become Jon’s favorite feature.
“For most, clearing that classic tabletop finish-line jump for the first time was the best feeling ever,” he said.
When the direction of the track was later reversed, the tabletop became a roughly 110-foot step-down triple.
His favorite motorcycle from those years was a 1998 Yamaha YZ125, but many of Jon’s strongest memories have little to do with the motorcycle he was riding or where he finished. They are about growing up among the people at the track.
Jon remembers himself as a pretty quiet kid. One practice day when he was around 15, he was hanging out inside his parents’ enclosed trailer when Lauren Summers and Mystica Fielder stopped by to say hello. Jon barely knew them and was already nervous because he thought they were both cute. Then, perhaps because of a dare, they both kissed him on both cheeks at the same time.
Jon was completely embarrassed—and it became a moment he would never forget.
Jon loved getting the holeshot like any other rider, it was his strong suite, he regrets not exercising way more off the track and not listening to Tim Wilson and many other riders about riding techniques to help his arm pump issues.
Those memories make that period at Kingsville one of the most meaningful chapters of Jon’s life. The track gave him a place to race, but it also gave him friendships, confidence, laughter, young love, and a connection to someone he would never forget.
Jon also remembers being embarrassed when his mother enforced quiet hours by yelling at anyone who was still making noise after about 10 p.m.
Kingsville MX helped Jon grow from a frightened fifth grader into a rider who could clear the finish-line tabletop—and from a quiet kid into someone surrounded by friendships and experiences that shaped his youth.
The jumps were unforgettable, but the people made Kingsville part of his life story.
