Costs continue to climb for the ISU Motocross Club as its members search for an alternative to their current practice site.

The nearly two dozen members that make up the 2-year-old club have put a dent in their bank accounts from having to drive the approximately 120-miles round-trip in order to practice.

Club president Alex Sills created a land-grant proposal nearly a year ago, asking the university for a three-acre plot of land to build a bike track, but as of the club’s last meeting on March 2, no space is available.

“If we had something local, things would take off like crazy,” said Sills, senior in electrical engineering.

“Hauling our bikes an hour each way with high gas prices makes an already expensive sport even more expensive.”

Initially, the club practiced on former member Corey Goodhue’s farm located southeast of Des Moines. Although the drive was lengthy, Goodhue’s family allowed the club to rent two acres of sandy, infertile ground to build a track on.

“Some of the bikes can get kind of loud, but most all of our neighbors are good friends,” said Goodhue, who quit the club because he got busy with schoolwork. “Every once in a while some guys will still come out and ride.”

Noise is one of the challenges keeping the club from obtaining a plot of land, said Michael Harvey, director of Recreation Services.

“Because of the loudness of the bikes, we obviously can’t use land anywhere in Ames,” he said. “This makes it harder because now we’re looking at other people’s land.”

One solution that is being looked into is the use of agricultural land owned by the university. All available space is currently being used by the college, however.

Several ISU clubs such as the Cricket Club, the ISU Rodeo Club and – most recently – the ISU Paintball Club have been successful at obtaining land, but it took a lot of time and cooperation with many departments on campus, Harvey said.

The nearest practice sites now are in Webster City and Bluff Creek – near Oskaloosa – both of which are at least an hour away.

A new motocross facility may become available in Boone as early as the summer of 2007 if the wishes of advocates Heidi Hodges and Brian Hill come true. The Boone couple is working with the city to obtain a three-acre property, formerly Lindahl Salvage, to turn into a recreational track for motocross, ATV and snowmobile racing.

The city is in the process of applying for a Brownfields Grant that would pay for the salvage cleanup at the site. The land would then be sold to be turned into a business, recreation or green area.

Sills is optimistic that if the club can find a closer location to ride, more people will be take interest in the sport.

Currently the average member is of intermediate skill, varying from competitive to recreational riders.

While working on the land-grant proposal, the club members have also secured a location in the State Gym to store their bikes. Eventually, Sills said they would like to purchase a club bike for beginners to use to gain experience before buying their own bikes.

“I hope there’s no doubt in ISU officials’ minds that we have the resources and are fit to have this course,” Sills said.

Members who like to compete travel to races sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association for District 22.

The first of these tournaments is scheduled for March 26 in Lamoni.

“These guys have worked very hard and are being very patient,” Harvey said of the club members. “Unfortunately, there’s just not an easy answer.”